Sunny Day

I am writing to you on a beautiful, sunny Sunday.  Sunny days are apparently very rare here, so everyone is overjoyed to see Mr. Sun peeking from behind the smog-filled sky.  The temperature is absolutely perfect and my dorm room is the only one on my hall that has a balcony.  So, as I type this, the breeze is blowing, the sun is shining, and the birds are singing.  A perfect Sunday afternoon if you ask me.

The past week has been wonderful.  It has indeed gone by very s-l-o-w, but that's not necessarily a negative thing.  :)  My days have been much brighter since I last wrote, and the bouts with homesickness have been fewer.  My Best Friend has introduced me to some wonderful, like-minded friends.  We have been meeting early in the mornings to hand out and discuss our walks through this journey called life.  It has been such sweet time.  Much needed, indeed.  On Friday, a new sweet friend named Amanda showed me around the city.  It was fun to have a lady-led tour, complete with info on all the best shopping stops.  We ended our tour with a stop at Starbucks, where we sat for hours and shared stories and offered encouragement.  It was fun on so many levels.  She has been such a gift--showing me all the little secrets of life here.  That night, we met up with some other friends and walked down a very festive, traditional street in the city.  We laughed and joked all evening.  I am so thankful that my best friend introduced me to these precious people...and so soon into my journey.

Yesterday, some girls and I went to the Women's Market.  Its basically a huge building with TONS of little booths selling all things women.  You name it, they have it.  Scarves, headbands, earrings, leggings, purses, clothes, shoes, etc.  The place was a ZOO! We had to push and shove our way through the crowds.  And you have to bargain there, so it was a little intimidating for me.  It was a great experience though :) I got two scarves for about $5 woop woop!  Then, we met up with some guy friends for tea and dinner.  That night, we went to English Corner. It meets in a coffee shop on Saturday nights and Chinese people can come to practice their English.  It was such a cool time.  Sitting in a cute shop drinking coffee and having good conversation is my idea of a great evening!  I hope to go back often and build relationships with the regulars.  I met one PRECIOUS girl named Kathy.  I don't think precious even describes her! We talked for a long time, and I look forward to getting to know her better in the weeks ahead!

This morning we attended an international fellowship.  It was amazing.  There, I met a family from Atlanta! They've lived here for eight years and have two children in highschool.  We exchanged phone numbers and hopefully will meet up sometime in the near future! I am just so overwhelmed by his sweetness. :) And there were lots of adopted kiddos there, which just tickled me to pieces! This afternoon, Amanda and I went on a walk around campus.  I took my camera out to take some pictures on this beautiful sunny day. We bought some yummy-looking fruit at a nearby stand and then came across a little knitting shop! I stopped in and bought some yarn.  The woman was so nice and even gave me some free knitting needles! I couldn't talk to her very well, but I hope to go back and become friends with her.  Maybe she can teach me some new knitting skills :) 

School starts tomorrow morning! I am excited and nervous, but so ready!  Thank you so much for the continued thoughts and encouragement.  I can never tell you how much it means!!

 Here are some pictures of my dorm room!

My little bathroom

My entryway

These are the masses of people outside the women's market!

Me amist those masses

My new friend Kathy...precious precious girl.

Ps- I'm changing a few things about my blog,  but any of you who know me know who my best friend is! :)

With love from the far side!