Adventure is... corn muffins?

Who says adventure has to involve bungee jumping or rock climbing or extreme danger?  In China, there are little street food stands everywhere.  It would be impossible to visit every food place in my neighborhood.  There are that many.  Of course, there is some inherent risk of buying food at these places, yet some of the things they serve are so good!  Yesterday I went out after class with two friends to get some stuff at the grocery store before we move into our homestays today.  We made a stop to get some bubble tea.  Bubble tea here is usually hot milky tea, unlike the smoothie or cold varieties in the US, though the bubbles are the same thing.  I decided to take a chance and made a point at the menu to one that looked good.  I chose very well, the one with bubbles and jelly in it (so good oh my goodness).  We had seen some people get what looked like corn muffins and we saw them at a corner stand.  The girls were wondering out loud and I said, “Well there’s only one way to find out!”  Within minutes we had hot steamy muffins in our very cold hands.  They had a different texture than corn muffins and they were sweeter but oh so good!

Definitely not my most adventurous food selection thus far (actually inspired by home cravings), but there was some thrill nonetheless.  Especially since I had the confidence and knowledge to walk right up to the stand and ask for three muffins in Chinese (literally two words, don’t get excited).  It was enjoying said muffins (in English) with friends who I’m really growing to enjoy after a day of classes and speaking Chinese.  There have been a lot of things to get used to- I’m just trying to learn how to order food, get around the city, figure out what’s expected of me in classes, and get to know the kids I’m spending four months with.  I don’t have any crazy bungee jumping burn the house down stories yet, but hey, look at the title of my blog.  Each day, no matter what, can be an adventure if you so choose.  And sometimes it’s as simple as new friendships and hot muffins off the street after a hard day.

Pray for: meeting my host family (in an hour and a half!), and for the air to clear in Beijing!  Think of a super foggy day.  And none of its water vapor.   You can also say now that you've prayed for Siberian winds (bet you've never done that before), because those are the only ones that actually take stuff out of here.  Beijing is in a bowl geographically, which means the air just sits for days on end and its really not fun to breathe.  Thankfully, lung cells are regenerative.

If there’s stuff you want to know about my experience, shoot me a comment or an email, and I’ll blog about it or answer you directly.  I do actually see blog comments right when they happen because they get sent to my email, and encouraging emails are my link to home here!  Be blessed!

First week of classes! Egad!

Well, we've started classes and our 8-4 language pledge now.  Lots of laughter, gesturing, and pointing involved with that, but I can already tell my Chinese is improving.  If I am ever anything close to fluent it will truly be the greatest accomplishment of my life.  We have a pretty heavy academic load here, which I hadn't really been preparing myself for.  Oh well.  I guess they call it study abroad for a reason.

This weekend I went and checked out the Summer Palace (which is beautiful!) and Hou Hai, an area along water with shops, bars that are playing all sorts of music, and random street food stands. The lake is frozen over and people were ice skating on it. There were Christmas lights and red lanterns everywhere.  It was a great end to a first two days of classes to just walk around with some of the girls from my program and eat dinner.  I feel comfortable with the subway here now and I"m starting to feel like I have a lay of the city.  Beijing is so huge.  I literally cannot comprehend the size of this city.  22 million people.  It takes over an hour to get across on the subway.  Tomorrow we hit up Tiananmen Square and I'm checking out the international church as well.  (finally!)

Prayer would be appreciated for productivity and focus, and my stress level.  There's a lot of things I want to do, but I would rather do a few things well than many things not so well.  I'm missing the Hope community more than words can say, yet I know I'm here for a reason and that I will grow so much from it.  I also move in with my host family on Tuesday!  Email is the best way of contacting me right now as well, the internet is finnicky at best, and encouraging words and God stories are always greatly appreciated.  Love and prayers to you all!

Hey guys, I'm in China!

Well, I'm here!  So far I've been doing orientation and getting to know the city and the other kids in my program.  I'm still working on internet issues (which are an ongoing issue here) so hopefully I'll be able to get my posts more regular soon.  There are 18 kids in my program (Contemporary Issues) and about 40 kids in the language intensive program.  I'll be moving into my homestay in another week, but right now, we're all living in the dorm and learning lots of information about our upcoming semester and having opportunities to explore Beijing!
-I've eaten a lot of things that I don't even know what they are, a scorpion (painfully aware of what that was), lots of dumplings, and at a place where you pick your own ingredients and then they get cooked in soup, among many other things.
-Everything is really cheap here.  Breakfast is less than a dollar, dumplings are 12 cents each.  Though I did get ripped off as a foreigner already.  Not going to repeat that one.
-Right now, I'm in the dorm with the other Americans and we aren't under the language pledge yet, so China as I'm experiencing it right now seems comfortable.  Though I'm excited to meet my host family and make Chinese friends!
-However, outside of the building its a different story.  I basically have little to no idea whats going on.  Signs are all in characters, and I can't usually do too well communicating what I want to anyone in a situation.  Though I have figured out the subway system.  And I definitely learn more everyday.
-Pedestrians do not have the right of way here.  At all.  Bekah and Sam- there have been many gonggongqiche yolo moments already!
-Personal space is much smaller (makes sense with 1.2 bil people).  So standing in line, sitting on the subway, how close a car will drive to you when you're walking, yep, no personal space.  Already getting used to it.
-Today we had a scavenger hunt around Beijing... pandas and the Bird's Nest.  Yeah buddy!
-Yesterday we were in partners and got a location in our part of the city (written in characters) that we had to use the internet to find.  We got a little lost, but we conquered it and found the national library.  Woo.
-Time to go get dinner (right now you all are sleeping!)  Thank you all for your love and prayers.  I read the journal that many of you signed on my flight here, and it warmed my heart.  I am one very blessed girl!  And I have a Brother and Sister here as well.  Thankful, blessed, and filled with expectation!  Seeking adventure everyday!

Tomorrow, tomorrow...

Well here it is... my first post in my China blog!  This time tomorrow I will be on my way to the airport, take a 12 hour direct flight to Beijing, arrive late Friday night in China, and begin my adventures!  It's crazy to think how long coming this has been.  There are a few questions that everyone asks me- how do you feel?  Everything!  That's how I feel!  One minute I'm so scared I just want to curl up under my covers and stay home the next I'm so excited I don't even know what to do with myself.  I'm nervous that the internet won't work and I'll feel lonely, that I'll develop a lung condition from all the smog, that I won't remember a single word of Chinese that I've learned... mostly silly fears.  Alas, they are my thoughts.  I know that whatever I expect won't actually be what happens, so I'll try my best to have a positive attitude, an open mind, and laughter that comes easily, even at the expense of myself.

I'm excited to eat new foods and go to crazy places that I've heard about my whole life, like the Great Wall and see the terra cotta warriors in Xi'an.  I can't wait to check out the international fellowship that I've heard a lot about, explore BIG cities all lit up at night, and maybe actually make some progress with this Chinese language thing.  I'm sincerely hoping that I will feel comfortable enough in China to travel somewhere new all by myself by the time I leave.  I can't wait for the crazy amazing things that I can't even comprehend yet.  I've wanted to study abroad my whole life.  My mom spent a year in Germany when she was in college so I grew up hearing her stories, and when I understood what study abroad was I knew it was something I was going to do.  That being said, I always imagined myself in England or Spain or Australia or something.  I absolutely fell in love with the Aberdeen, Scotland program, but that's not where God wanted me to be.  In shattering my expectations, I know He's preparing to blow my mind in ways I can't even expect.

So in short, I can barely believe this is happening.  I've wanted to study abroad since who knows when.  I've wanted to adopt from China since I was about 10 and I've felt strongly called there for about 3 years now, not to mention a lifelong love of Asian culture and food.  It's going to be wild, great, and full of Him, and He has a plan! ("Come Away," Jesus Culture).  Since China has restrictions on internet, I'll do my best to post regularly but I don't know what kind of internet access I'll have yet.  Stay tuned!

4.5 months of toiletries!  Note the small pharmacy and adorableness of the hand sanitizers