More from Beijing ...

We've spent the last couple of days working through the curriculum we will be using while in Harbin.  Two young ladies wrote the curriculum for our organization.  We were fortunate to have them with us, explaining it and modeling lessons from it.  They've done a great deal of research and have fine-tuned it for the students we will have in our classes this summer.  They are long days and exhausting, but just what we need.

Yesterday we also had a workshop on China and its culture, trying to prepare us for what we will feel and experience in our time here.  She is a woman who has lived in China (originally from Minnesota) since 1984 so we do trust her experience with Chinese culture.  Even after all that time she says she still gets frustrated and confused by what she experiences on a daily basis.  The key to living in China is to remain flexible and not expect anything to run as you thought it might.  

We've been in communication with the university we taught at in Harbin during the 1989-90 school year.  We seem to have been in China at the right time as they are having a 60 year celebration next weekend of their beginnings.  We've been asked to come to a dinner on July 8 to celebrate with them.  We are so hopeful and excited that we may see some of our former students and/or colleagues.

We DO have internet connection in Beijing and we ARE able to do some emailing.  However, our two means of sharing with you (Facebook and this Blog) are not going to be happening in the way I had intended.  Our daughter in Ohio (thanks, Sarah) will be cutting and pasting these blog entrees instead.  Thank you Sarah, for your willingness to help us out.  

We arrived in Beijing about 12:30 yesterday.  We were exhausted and felt like we had several layers of grime on us so a shower was the first order of business.  By the time that happened, it was time for dinner.  Our organization had planned a very nice banquet-type meal and we enjoyed some favorite Chinese dishes.  There were also a few that we couldn't distinguish exactly what they were but we enjoyed those as well.  Last night we went to bed early.  I had a really wonderful night's sleep.  Rollin, however, did not.  We're hoping tonight is his night (and mine).

Us waiting for our first flight.  Purposely no pictures of us post-flight.  :)

Today we spent some time in training.  The curriculum that is being used is new to our organization so the two young ladies who wrote it have come to help with the training.  Rollin and i are not too awfully worried about it but several people here have not had any classroom experience so they are a bit more apprehensive.  There will be more days of training so by the time we leave for Harbin we should be feeling more confident.  After our training, our group piled onto two buses and headed out of Beijing to visit the Great Wall of China.  Rollin and I had been there twice before but for many it was a new experience.  If you've never been there before, you need to know that it's like climbing many flights of stairs on very uneven surfaces.  In short, you come away exhausted.  We are readying ourselves for dinner with our team and then it will be another early bedtime.

It is Departure Day.....D-Day.  A day we've been waiting upon for a long time.  When we left China in 1990 we hoped that one day we would return.  A lot of things have happened since that time.  Knowing that we're a bit more mature and (ahem) older is a good thing.  I think we see things in a new perspective and are less likely to try to "do it all".  We know that there is One who will "do" it through us. 

We've gotten many encouraging notes this morning.  Lois, my sister, is driving us to the airport.  She is always quick to offer things like that for us and we are grateful. 

It's going to be a long day.  We leave Chicago at 2:10 PM and we should be in Beijing by 1:15 AM CST on Friday.  Crossing time zones and such makes it sound a lot worse than it already is.  We just know we'll be aloft 22 hours with a lot of waiting time in airports. 

We can now pretty much count the hours until we leave.  We did our final pack this afternoon.  We actually have room to spare in our checked luggage.  Our carry on luggage is pretty much at weight capacity.  It is far different from our packing 23 years ago when we were packing for four people and four seasons.    Last time we went we were required to do our own cooking for the most part so we even packed some essentials (frying pan, spices, etc.).  This time we won't have to worry about cooking for ourselves.  We will be living in a hotel and all our meals will be served there or with our students in their dining room. 

We're at the point where we just want to GO.  We're tired of packing and repacking.  We're anxious to get going and get on with it! 

Please remember us daily in your quiet times.  We so feel and appreciate that.

We are in a countdown now....just one week from today we will begin the journey back to China.  We're beginning the packing process.  We are allowed one checked luggage that can weigh no more than 44 pounds.  Because we have 7 pounds of books to add to our luggage in Beijing, that means our checked luggage can only weigh 37 pounds when we depart from home.  We can have a carry-on that weighs 9 pounds and a purse (or in Rollin's case a laptop bag) that also can weigh 9 pounds.  What all this means is that we are going to be seen a lot in the same clothes over the next six weeks.  There are a lot of other loose ends to tie up.  We have two neighbor teens to water plantings and mow the lawn.  (Thanks Abby and Jake)  We have a schedule that looks a bit daunting but we trust that the training in Beijing and the years of teaching experience will kick in to enable us to do a good job.   We hope that the next week gives us just the right amount of time to finish up everything that needs to be done!

Since we've gotten our assignment we have been bombarded with information that has our heads spinning.  We've received by email the curriculum we're using, numerous hints on what to take and what not to take, introductions to our teammates and information about our flights.  It's a bit crazy but we are so excited about the summer that all of this extra information doesn't bother us.....much.  It seems wild that in just a little over two weeks we'll be off.  We've been waiting so long for this to come....can't believe it's finally here!!