Nearly a Month

It's approaching a month since we've been gone. Things have been a blur since climbing on that big jet. What have we learned so far? HE is so faithful and has taken such good care of us!! Everything else is less important, but here are a few things:
1. Water - Tap water throughout the country is unsafe for us. Yes, the locals drink it but for us it's a guaranteed case of Mao's Revenge. Thank HIM for our water filter. We use it everyday.
2. Transportation - We haven't driven any vehicle since leaving the States. We walk or take a cab everywhere. A cab ride around town is 5 gizmos or just under a dollar. You can walk to most places in 30 minutes. It's different packing everything home in a plastic bag.
3. Language - It's really comical trying to tell the store clerk that you want anything. There is not ant English on any label so you can't tell what anything is. The pictures sometimes make no sense to us. Most people are happy to help. We've only had a few rough times. The guard at our apt. complex wouldn't let us in one day even though we had keys to the place. He called us some bad names (at least his attitude and tone said so) because we couldn't speak C. Getting laughed at is a normal routine. If pointy-talky doesn't work and the situation is really needing to be resolved, we call a friend and have them speak to the person in the local language. That nearly always takes care of whatever problem we have.
4. Food - It's Great! If it wasn't for the walking and climbing up 6 flights of stairs to the apt., the pounds would add up. We try to cook both local and western food. Grocery shopping is still a challenge, but it will get more natural and easy as time goes by.
5. People - They have been very nice and accommodating. We are stared at all the time, and it's just a way of life for a westerner. We say "Ni Hao" (hello) and smile at their babies. It breaks the ice and we all smile and nod heads. If I could just speak their language, it would be great. They are friendly for the most part. We really care for them.
There are a hundred things to say. Things are going quite well. We haven't been sick, and we're virtually settled in our apartment. Our daily routine is not yet established, but it should be soon. We're anxious to be about the 'main thing' and our jobs. The team has accepted us and made us feel welcome and a part of them. Thanks for your 'thoughts' and we will keep you in ours. Love you all!