Beijing to Nanchang

Here I am sitting in a Starbucks in Beijing. We got here late Wednesday night and right now is Saturday afternoon. Our foreign affairs officer from our university has arrived and we'll be riding on the night train to Nanchang with him. So this is a very quick update!

Everything is okay so far. We had the longest journey ever to arrive here, but now I've recovered from not sleeping for nearly 48 hours. Beijing is pretty similar to when I was here a couple of years ago. Maybe there are just more cars. I guess Beijing adds 1,000 cars to its roads every day! So there are about 1 million more cars on the road since I was here last.

We visited another section of the Great Wall and traveled to Tiananmen Square. It is a bit different from 2 years ago, probably because of the Olympics. There is a lot more security everywhere. Speaking of the Olympics, we got to see the now-very famous Bird's Nest and Watercube!

Thanks so much for your thoughts! I know that helped in getting us here safely, because there were already some sort of iffy times. Once we arrive in Nanchang, I'll try to update this blog more. I'm very sad to report that I can't post any pictures at this time. My camera was totally destroyed by a faulty water bottle... Tomorrow (Sunday) we'll get to Nanchang and go to a banquet. Then we will probably start teaching all day on Monday. Agh! I'm not sure if I'm ready!!! But He is in control, as I've already seen in so many instances. Have a great weekend, my readers!

Zai jian!

Well, folks, the time has finally come to ship off. After a lot of preparation and training we are leaving tomorrow for China! I'm not sure how I feel exactly. I'm not too nervous at the moment, but I have a feeling that will be different starting tomorrow.

We'll arrive in Beijing and then take the train to our city in the south on Sept. 20th. Then we start teaching on the 22nd! Can you lift us up, please, especially as we travel? I already know that you have been thinking of us so much, and I'm so grateful. Good-bye, I'll miss you! Have a great next several months living and growing and changing. I can't wait to see you again soon!

Some pictures

Our time here in CA is winding down to a close. Today we have commissioning and then we leave early Tuesday morning. Here are some pictures of my team. The first is of us eating at a Chinese restaurant here in CA and the second is of us with our silver medals from the CTF Olympics.