Getting settled in: China!

(The picture above is a view of Nanning from the Marriott) We'll have some better pictures of Nanning soon!

Warning: This is my longest post ever. If you need to take a few snack/potty breaks while reading I will completely understand.

 

Wow! There is really just too much to say, I'm living in China!

 

Here's a list of some things I'm going to have to get used to:

 

1:Funny/yucky smells- cigarette smoke, real Chinese food, fish and other assortments of smelly things. Everywhere I go there are interesting smells. Being pregnant and having the smelling capabilities of a golden retriever has turned out to be somewhat of a curse- I have literally been praying for a stuffy nose.

 

2: My New Shower-, which is basically a fancy nozzle, that comes right out of my bathroom wall, no shower stalls here. I learned the hard way about our hot water supply. Luckily our second bathroom has a better supply.

 

3: Noises- There is no such thing as disturbing the peace in China. Honking, talking, banging, sawing, bicycle alarms are all noises that can be heard through out the day and into the night. Luckily I grew up with seven younger siblings and have been blessed with the capability to sleep through noise.

 

4: No dryers or ovens- we have to hang all our clothes out on our balcony to dry. And No more baking for me- okay I didn't really do much baking before so it shouldn't be too much of an adjustment. My new diet is going to consist of a lot more fruits and vegetables. 

 

5:The Ground: The ground here in Nanning is very unpredictable you have to watch your feet when you walk even when you are inside buildings.  I tripped on the way to lunch the other day with Ezra. I was holding the keys to the company condo in my hand when I fell and accidently flung them into a garden. Good news is I was able to find both the keys and I was able to catch myself before I hit the ground.

 

6:Hard beds: All Chinese beds are very hard, but I actually think that they are growing on me. We'll see how I feel in a few months when I have a belly out to…who knows where.

 

7:Staring- People constantly stare at me wherever I go. I don't think they would stare any less if I where green and my head where shaped like an upside down egg and I had two little antennas.  People in the US think I'm really tall; I'm like a female Goliath here.

 

8: The Language barrier: Ezra and I can say hi and thank you in Chinese. So often people make the assumption that we know more Chinese, so they try to talk to us. That's when some advice from the movie Madagascar comes in handy: "Smile and wave boys, smile and wave." And that's literally what we do.

 

So what is a girl that hates loud noises, crowds, and being the center of attention doing in China? Truth is I don't really know, but the one thing I do know that has been made very evident to me is that for some reason Heavenly Father wants me here.

 

Truth is, if I had made it my choice, I would not be in China right now. And even though I hid it fairly well this decision to move to China has been a terrifying one for me to make. Especially when I found out I was pregnant, and not just with one but with two.

 

This decision quickly became more than just a leap of faith, it began to feel much more like a sprawling, grasping, hurling bound from one side of the canyon to the other. Especially after I traveled for 26 hours straight with morning sickness and very little sleep, just to wake up the next morning for another plane ride and end up in a weird little airport with a bunch of luggage and take the craziest cab ride ever to end up in a place that is so utterly unfamiliar that it felt like a dream.

 

I have offered up more prayers in the past week than in the last year combined. But they have gone from prayers for comfort and peace to prayers of inexpressible gratitude to a Heavenly Father that has taken care of all the details and allowed me to have the wonderful experiences I have had every day since I have been here.

 

We have been blessed so much.

 

Blessing #1

We were able to find a good, way too big apartment on the second floor within a 5 min walk to Ezra's work and all the shopping we could ever need to do, right next to an international kindergarten. I can see children play from my windows.  Most of the China noisiness I hear now is the laughter and singing of little children. I'm going to see if they'll let me come in a couple times a week to teach English.

 

Blessing #2

The couple we are renting the apartment from are the nicest people ever, the husband (can't remember his name at the moment) came and spent six hours making sure everything was in working order he even bought us our own water machine. It's true what they say about Chinese hospitality.

 

Blessing #3

There are five or six translators that work for Ag Feed in Nanning. I have had the privilege to spend some time with a few of them while we were looking for apartments.  They told us that we are good people because when we arrived the sun came out and it hadn't been out for days. They are the cutest girls. Jes (the first translator that we met) says that she is my "copy" she is really funny and invites me to parties; I told here that I would come when I stop throwing up.

 

It's funny the Chinese I've spoken to don't really seem to understand the whole pregnancy thing. I was trying to explain to Jes that I get tired very quickly and I don't feel well. She told me in not so many words that I was lazy and need to go to the gym. Lol I was thinking, "so next time I feel exhausted and like I'm about to throw up I should remember that a healthy bounce up and down on a treadmill would do me some good. Ha! So funny I just have to laugh.

 

Cat is the other translator that I've been able to spend time with, she is my best friend, I'm just not sure if she knows that yet. She is so cute, I just love her. She explained to me that having twins in China is very good luck and everybody wants twins. She also told me that sometimes it is lonely being the only child and she wishes she had a sibling. She reminded me how much more often I need to count my blessings.

 

Blessing #4

The accountant at Ag Feed is the nicest guy, he's lived in China for several years. He knew that I was looking for a doctor here in Nanning so he set up a lunch date with his friend Ashley who is Chinese and from this area. Well come to find out Ashley is Mormon!

 

She has come back to China to take care of her aging parents. She said she doesn't know why Heavenly Father wants her back in China but she thinks it is because she needs to be here to help the church. She usually lives most of the year in New Zealand and found the missionaries while she was there.  When she was investigating the church she sat in the foyer because someone told her that they would suck out your soul or something silly like that. 

 

She was inspired that the missionaries would spend their own time and money, whatever the weather and preach the gospel so far from their families. She was able to read the Book of Mormon and feel the spirit and was eventually baptized.  

 

She explained to me how she knows what I'm going through being a foreigner in a strange land, and she wants nothing more than to take care of me. She said, "You are a pioneer."

 

She is already setting Dr's appointments up for me and says that she will come with me. She is bubbly and kind and almost old enough to be my mother. Unfortunately

she cannot attend church meetings with us because it is illegal to have Chinese Nationals part of our meetings. Dang.

 

Blessing #5

I am finally feeling better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel mostly normal during the day and only seem to have a little spat of nausea at night. And my appetite is back and in full force.  The twins must have gotten sick of all the measly meals they got for the past couple months and are trying to make up for it now. You know, you really start to appreciate feeling good when you haven't for a long time. I'm ecstatic, I can finally go do some of the exploring I've been wanting to.

 

I know I have been blessed, even though the trip here was basically torture. When I needed to get my bags off the plane or walk to the hotel or wait in line or go look at apartments I was able to have the energy and strength to do it and I know that's not a coincidence.

 

I could name so many more wonderful blessings and experiences and can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring. I know without a doubt that Heavenly Father is involved in all the details of my life. I have been so richly blessed. I already wouldn't trade this experience for the world.