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.