Greetings from the other side of earth!

Ni hao! (Sadly, that's about the extent of my Chinese at the moment). Michael did the most recent blog entry so be sure to scroll down for his "take" on our recent journey. I will try to make my comments as succinct as possible but a lot has happened in the last week! Perhaps I will recap with pictures...

After a morning of taking deep breaths so I wouldn't throw up (and some tears, lots of luggage, and kid questions galore) our journey began. We are all smiles!

Ahhhh...blessed ignorance! They really had NO idea what they were in for...still smiling!


Emma discovered how difficult it is to sleep on a plane, even when you are stuck there for 12 straight hours. She was finally able to rest during our layover in South Korea. I took a nap too! Erin seems like a born traveler - she had all kinds of fun and never complained as long as she was fed and watered (which then led to 6+ trips to the restroom - on a positive note, I no longer have issues with using airplane restrooms).

We made it to Dalian late Saturday night (China time). After a good night's rest, we took a walk to a park near the hotel. The girls got lots of attention - people smiled, waved, patted - the girls have been surprisingly okay with the attention. It's a little unnerving at times but I know it's all innocent and the Chinese truly love children. Especially children that look so different (and beautiful - that's not just my biased opinion - that's what they say!)

While I did some "start-up" shopping, Mike took the girls to the beach which is less than 10 minutes from our condo. They collected sea shells and as you can see, really had a good time. They have not been to school yet this week and both are READY. Sisterly love has run its course and it is time to spend some time apart. Erin is going to start tomorrow but Emma has to wait until Monday...we're pretty bummed but what can you do?

Here are the girls with our driver, Cai (pronounced by the Chinese as "Tsai" but by us Americans as "Chai"). Yes, it's some sort of sick joke that he shares the name of my one true vice that I must sacrifice while here in China - Chai Lattes from Starbucks. It's a little twisting of the knife in my heart every time I say his name. I obviously haven't lost my flair for the melodramatic, huh?

In addition to a driver, we have already had an ayi (maid) helping us with laundry, cleaning, and maybe, eventually, cooking. It's sort of strange having someone in the house all day but it's a big enough place that we don't actually run into each other much. The language thing is challenging, but so far, we've done okay.

We did some grocery shopping today at the local Trustmart (Chinese Walmart). We experienced some "street food" in these dumpling sort of things. Erin and Mike chowed down, Emma and I nibbled. Again, I am amazed at how at home the girls seemed. In our previous trips, my experiences with local shopping left me frazzled and overwhelmed but they really do roll with things. Our only roadblock has been the potty situation - Erin has had one successful attempt at the squatty potty - picture me holding her hands as she leans waaaayyyy back. Today was a little too much though - a quick walk into the mall bathroom and she declared, "NO! It's stinky in here!" I need to learn how to tell the driver that we need to stop at a hotel (the nicer ones have Western toilets).

This is the view from our patio...we are surrounded by green hills and beautiful vegetation. The community is far from the city and is gated so the kids all play the hours away after school. There is a park-type playground right outside our kitchen window. Every Wednesday there is a themed-buffet dinner in the Campus Cafe and most of the families gather there for some social time. Everyone we have met has been wonderful and once the girls are settled in school, I will be able to participate in the "ladies' activities"...coffee Fridays, art class, yoga, book club...

Well, that's going to have to be all for now. As you can see, it is a busy, full life at this point and I have no complaints. I am sure that once we have settled ourselves in and I take a deep breath, I will feel the effects of distance from my family and friends. I am so thankful to have so many people who care about my family and who are following our adventures...keep in touch!