We made it!
We started the day at 3am, wide awake. Michael made a few last trips to the storage apartment with the last of our things. We were out the door by 4.30. Made it to the airport, through all the hoops, etc., and onto the plane. Then we sat. For THREE hours. There was a storm coming in (come to find out, monsoon rain..good thing our flight was early!) and too much wind. Then the pilots said we sat too long and burned too much fuel, so we had to get more fuel. Wow. The most frustrating part of that was knowing that we could have been 3 hours into our 13 hour flight...instead, we added 3. Bummer.
We had lots of people praying for Josiah, since his first overseas trip was awful. He did great! We gave him a few doses of Benedryl to try to help him sleep. Didn't work that well. It did enough to take the edge off so he could fall asleep, but only slept about 4 hours total. Yikes. He was mostly fidgety and wallered all over the seats and us, not knowing what to do in such a confined space. But he wasn't hyper and didn't cry much. Answered prayers!
Since we sat so long in Beijing, we missed our connecting flight in Chicago. Thankfully, the airline already booked us on the next flight home, and we only had to wait about an hour. While there, Michael used a pay phone to let family know we'd be late. We found out the next day those calls were costly. $30 EACH!! The phone said $1 for 4 mins, but apparently if you use a card, they can charge 30..without telling you...?! He's currently disputing it with our bank. Sure hoping we get our $58 back!
But we made it home in one piece. Were greeted at the airport by my parents, armed with toys with Josiah and Sheridan's for me. So thoughtful. :) We have all pretty much beat jet lag. Since J didn't sleep much on the plane, he was exhausted and crashed and has been on schedule since. Such a blessing!
We've been able to see most of our family, a few friends, and lots of people at fellowship this morning. It's great to see everyone! In some sense, it seems like we weren't even gone that long..
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Josiah's Chinese
Josiah has chosen this past week or so to begin speaking Chinese. On his own. I remember the first phrase he blurted out, I did a double-take...then laughed. It was so cute! Here are some he's been saying lately (again, they just come to his mind in certain situations that he has observed, and he spits 'em out! toddler brains = amazing):
- mei shi (may sher): "it's ok" or "no problem" He says this as he waves his hand, which is what the Chinese do.
- bu yao (boo yow): "don't want" He says this mainly when he doesn't want something to eat. He'll say "mei shi. buyao." haha
- zhen bang (jen bong): "super!" Ayi (our auntie who helps us out) says this to him all the time and always gives a thumbs up while saying it. Josiah hasn't figured out the thumbs up sign, so he just points up in the air. :)
- zhe ge (jay guh): "this" We say this often, so I'm not surprised he picked it up. But when he says it, it's on repeat.
- #s to 10: Again, within the last week, he has started counting (with help) to 10 as we enter our apt building. He counts the mailboxes at the bottom, and sometimes the stairs. He got the English #s down a while ago. The Chinese are coming along fast.
- wo wo shou (wuh wuh show): "shake hands" He hasn't actually said this yet, but it's a command he knows well. Shaking hands with xiao peng you (little friends) is a daily occurrence. Parents and grannies don't want their child to pass up the opportunity to shake a foreigner's hand, so they are quite adamant about making it happen. Josiah does well with it, even if sometimes the Chinese kid is too afraid.
I hope we can continue teaching him Chinese. Better yet, I hope a Chinese person can teach him some! I love his little sponge brain right now and just want to keep soaking it!
- mei shi (may sher): "it's ok" or "no problem" He says this as he waves his hand, which is what the Chinese do.
- bu yao (boo yow): "don't want" He says this mainly when he doesn't want something to eat. He'll say "mei shi. buyao." haha
- zhen bang (jen bong): "super!" Ayi (our auntie who helps us out) says this to him all the time and always gives a thumbs up while saying it. Josiah hasn't figured out the thumbs up sign, so he just points up in the air. :)
- zhe ge (jay guh): "this" We say this often, so I'm not surprised he picked it up. But when he says it, it's on repeat.
- #s to 10: Again, within the last week, he has started counting (with help) to 10 as we enter our apt building. He counts the mailboxes at the bottom, and sometimes the stairs. He got the English #s down a while ago. The Chinese are coming along fast.
- wo wo shou (wuh wuh show): "shake hands" He hasn't actually said this yet, but it's a command he knows well. Shaking hands with xiao peng you (little friends) is a daily occurrence. Parents and grannies don't want their child to pass up the opportunity to shake a foreigner's hand, so they are quite adamant about making it happen. Josiah does well with it, even if sometimes the Chinese kid is too afraid.
I hope we can continue teaching him Chinese. Better yet, I hope a Chinese person can teach him some! I love his little sponge brain right now and just want to keep soaking it!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
one. week.
We're sooo excited to go back home! Maybe me more than the boys. I like to wrap it up in 4 F's: family, friends, food, and familiarity. Sweeeeet!
In a nutshell, this has been a very hard year. Perhaps the hardest to date for our family, but I think more so for me. I won't bore you with the details--those are tucked away in my journal. I don't know if next year will be any easier, honestly. A few things will be, but there are also going to be some even more difficult things that will be thrown at us. (Insert: child #2) And that's when the clinging comes into play...clinging to Him, that is.
I am curious how I'll react to returning to America. When I went to Nigeria (only 2 weeks), I experienced some severe reverse culture shock. I'm expecting some of the same. Some of the warnings we've heard: prices will hurt, overhearing convos that I can understand will be distracting, people's lives have moved on, etc.
Some things I need to remember to adjust to:
- I can't bargain for anything. That will be difficult.
- People follow driving laws. Red light means stop, not look both ways and cross anyway.
- Tipping. Yikes!
- Speaking in more complex sentences, and at a normal speed.
- Preservatives. Not sure I want to adjust to them...
- Josiah is NOT a superstar.
- I can drink water from the tap. That will be weird!!
- Not bagging my own groceries at Mach 90.
And so many more, I'm sure. Perhaps I'll update this list at the end of the summer. :)
I'm wondering how Josiah will adjust, too. He's not used to so many people. (I know, sounds ironic living in a country with 1.3bil) He spends the majority of his days at home or with his friend Ellie. Not with his 6 cousins or umpteen family members or in play groups. We'll see how he does. Hopefully people have some grace for the little guy! I also hope he doesn't forget how to eat his veggies. He's a veggie pro here. But we have a theory: seasoning. I'll have to doctor his veggies there. Then again, I'll have to special order them in restaurants. Why is it that kids meals aren't severed with veggies? Ok, tangent.
We still have a lot to do. Pack up our apartment, since we'll "perhaps" be moved into a campus apartment by the time we get back. Say goodbye to some students and teammates that are leaving us. Pack some more. Organize gifts. Make presentation. The list continues. Hopefully it'll make the days fly by!!
In a nutshell, this has been a very hard year. Perhaps the hardest to date for our family, but I think more so for me. I won't bore you with the details--those are tucked away in my journal. I don't know if next year will be any easier, honestly. A few things will be, but there are also going to be some even more difficult things that will be thrown at us. (Insert: child #2) And that's when the clinging comes into play...clinging to Him, that is.
I am curious how I'll react to returning to America. When I went to Nigeria (only 2 weeks), I experienced some severe reverse culture shock. I'm expecting some of the same. Some of the warnings we've heard: prices will hurt, overhearing convos that I can understand will be distracting, people's lives have moved on, etc.
Some things I need to remember to adjust to:
- I can't bargain for anything. That will be difficult.
- People follow driving laws. Red light means stop, not look both ways and cross anyway.
- Tipping. Yikes!
- Speaking in more complex sentences, and at a normal speed.
- Preservatives. Not sure I want to adjust to them...
- Josiah is NOT a superstar.
- I can drink water from the tap. That will be weird!!
- Not bagging my own groceries at Mach 90.
And so many more, I'm sure. Perhaps I'll update this list at the end of the summer. :)
I'm wondering how Josiah will adjust, too. He's not used to so many people. (I know, sounds ironic living in a country with 1.3bil) He spends the majority of his days at home or with his friend Ellie. Not with his 6 cousins or umpteen family members or in play groups. We'll see how he does. Hopefully people have some grace for the little guy! I also hope he doesn't forget how to eat his veggies. He's a veggie pro here. But we have a theory: seasoning. I'll have to doctor his veggies there. Then again, I'll have to special order them in restaurants. Why is it that kids meals aren't severed with veggies? Ok, tangent.
We still have a lot to do. Pack up our apartment, since we'll "perhaps" be moved into a campus apartment by the time we get back. Say goodbye to some students and teammates that are leaving us. Pack some more. Organize gifts. Make presentation. The list continues. Hopefully it'll make the days fly by!!
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