What an incredible journey!
As some of you have found out, I have been unable (for some unknown reason) to be able to get onto, manage, or simply view my blog while we have been in the People’s Republic of China. I am getting the hint that they do not want me blogging in China. However, with the awesomeness of modern technology, I found a backdoor to my blog. The good news is that I can now get to it and start making some posts. Better late than never.
I want to assure each and every one of you that everybody is doing great and the trip has been a huge success. We arrived to Weihai safely, breezed right through customs, and have been on the Shandong University - Weihai campus ever since. The campus is beautiful and right beside a gorgeous Pacific Ocean beach.
We have had a lot of our comfort zones stretched this trip. The first couple of days were tough while getting adjusted to the differences in culture, but everybody is a pro now. Here are a list of all the ways our comfort zones have been stretched:
- Taking cold showers everyday.
- Communal showers.
- Food is VERY different from home (including octopus, chicken feet, fish tails, etc).
- Eating with chopsticks.
- No air conditioner.
- Sleeping under mosquito nets.
- A COMPLETELY different bathroom situation (picture coming soon).
- For some, a major language barrier.
We have had a few get sick on the trip. Heather is one of the few who have gotten sick. Thank “Dad” for the fact that we have Dr. Bob and Nancy here with us taking care of everybody’s physical needs.
I am very happy I found a way to communicate with you while in China. Again, I apologize for not being able to do this sooner. Hopefully, I will be able to communicate more consistently the rest of our trip. Check back often.
Here are some pictures including me eating octopus:
Garrett is smiling in the picture!! We’re so glad everyone is doing good! I’ve seen the bathroom situation thanks to Emily Petty….she sent me a pic of the toilets! WOW is about all I can say!!! I’m sure Garrett will need some fattening up when he gets home after seeing the menu! Thanks for the update! See y’all soon!!
OH, and tell Garrett his Mommy and Daddy loves him sooooo much!!! AND his sisters CAN NOT WAIT to see him! They got so excited by the pic above!
Glad you were able to figure the computer situation out. With the exception of the Octopus, it sounds like a real adventure. The Chinese in the pictures really have a glow. I strongly suspect that is alove for God glow. Prayers go up daily for your trip.
i am so glad you are sending pics……..i know you are all ok but the pics help me visualize……stay safe and looking forward to seeing you all get off that plane in dallas on monday……….love you all……..and miss you too!!
I’M SO EXCITED TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS!!! i’M SO SORRY HEATHER GOT SICK. TELL HER I HOPE SHE FEELS BETTER SOON. I LOVE YOU GUYS AND PRAY FOR YOU ALL EVERY DAY. YOUR DAD AND I ARE SO PROUD OF YOU, HEATHER. AND THE WHOLE GROUP. GOD BLESS YOU!!!
AWESOME, AWESOME, AWESOME!!!!!! Much love to Heather and the other sickies. So happy this trip is exceeding what you hoped for! Can’t wait to see ya’ll next week!
Wow!!
Looks like not only a wonderful success but also loads of fun!!
Be safe and don’t have too much fun!!
love ya!
sounds awesome except for the food. haha. mom said that had green apple fanta and it tastes incredible, and that they are living off of rice, watermelon, and the vending machine. sounds fun!!! looks like ya’ll are having a great time and tell heather i hope she feels better. oh, and i can’t stop laughing about the toilets ya’ll are using thanks to EAP. glad everything is great!!!! anyways i can’t wait until you guys get back. have fun and see you monday!!!
-spillin’ mcmillan
Wow..I am sorry to hear that some got sick..I hope you all are doing good…It looks like you all are having an awesome time (well except for the bathroom thing)..Cant wait to hear more and see more pics….Be careful … until you all get home safe we will be praying for you.
internet connections are spotty in China
I once read my email Sunday night then couldn’t access any of my emails (business or personal) until Thurs morning and I had been checking from multiple location and multiple computers. No problem for email through Chinese accounts. Wed afternoon they launched an astronaut.
I’ve also been dropped from messenger after using what may have been trigger words while talking to Chinese friends.
Be flexible, be patient, be careful
and enjoy
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