Where did 2013 go? I have been major MIA from blogging, but with good reason! Tim finished the first module of his master's program and enjoyed three weeks off from school. For three weeks, we were attached at the hip. This past Tuesday was hard as he returned to school BUT starting the second module means he is that much closer to graduation!
December included celebrations, travel, the flu and new jobs.
Celebrations: After Tim finished his finals, we went out to celebrate! I told Tim we could go anywhere he wanted for dinner that night and he chose Pizza Hut! Now, there are definitely better places for pizza in Shanghai, but trying China’s version of American restaurants (like McDonald's and Dunkin’ Donuts) is always fun and costing four times more than a typical meal out, being done with school seemed like an appropriate occasion. AND to brag a little on my awesome hubby, he also made Dean's list so we had a little extra to celebrate. Pizza Hut in China is a lot fancier than in the USA. We probably won't go back, but it was fun to look at the menu and see pizzas like seafood pizza and kimchi pizza. We stuck with Hawaiian and a salad - as normal as we could be!
Travel: We are definitely enjoying our time in China, but Shanghai is the biggest city either one of us has ever lived in. With over 20 million people we were getting a bit tired of having to stuff ourselves into metros and buses and decided to spend a portion of Christmas break away from the big city. Before we left, we had lunch with a couple of our friends, Tim got another haircut and we took a long nap in preparation for our trip.
We traveled via airplane to the southern part of China to a city named Guilin. In order to get to the airport in Shanghai you can either take a taxi for about $30 or you can take the metro for about $2. Since our flight didn't leave until 7:00 pm, time was on our side, so we took the metro. It was packed! The metro transfer is kind of weird - you take the metro for a while and then get off, cross the platform and get onto another metro travelling in the same direction. The issue on this particular day was that the trains on the first leg of the journey were dropping people off, but the second leg trains were nowhere to be found so the platform was ridiculously packed to the point where you were smashed up against the people in front of you!
Personal space is a luxury in China and we were definitely missing that on the way to the airport. What was supposed to be an hour journey turned into over two and a half hours. Thankfully we gave ourselves extra time.
Going through security in China always amazes me! We got through with no issues in less than three minutes and Tim even brought a razor. China still gives you refreshments when you travel. Our two hour flight snack included dried dates, a clementine, peanuts and crackers - a little different from the typical snack of cookies, crackers or peanuts and I thought the box was pretty cute too!
We spent four days in Guilin which included walks through parks, a visit to the rice terraces, a boat ride down one of China's most beautiful landscapes and a day of walking over 12 miles to see as much as we could of this smaller (they still have over six million people) city! I will be doing two specific blogs on the rice terraces and boat rides later this week! The pictures are amazing!
The Flu: As much fun as we had over our break, the flu interfered with a few of our plans. Tim started not feeling like himself during finals and was full fledge sick day one of vacation. I was three days behind, but for some reason it hit me a bit harder and lasted until January 4! New Year’s Eve was spent in bed watching movies, but it was relaxing and to be honest, it was super nice to be completely lazy for an entire day – other than feeling like a bus hit me!!!!
New Jobs: Tim had his eye set on a company that he has been working with for a while and went to interview for an internship back in October. They have never hired a non-Chinese intern at this particular office so he didn't set his hopes too high. He had an acquaintance from the States that helped him arrange an interview and they were impressed enough with Tim that he got the internship! It took a while to get the paperwork in order, but he started in December and has enjoyed it so far! School is super busy, but he is enjoying the challenge and has become super good with time management!
I have been doing my best to avoid teaching English, but we are here for only a short time, so I gave in, and am teaching at a kindergarten in the morning and tutoring at night. It is keeping me busy, and although not my dream job, I can handle it for the next six months.
Over all we are doing great and are excited about 2014! On New Year’s Day we reflected on the blessings, challenges and changes of 2013 and can’t thank God enough for this awesome experience.
May God bless your 2014!
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