HAPPY MONTHAVERSARY!

I cannot believe it has been almost a month already into this year in China! It has gone by so quickly. To be honest I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to make it or not. But this month has been nothing but something new every single day. To celebrate our "monthaversay" my roomies and I have come up with a list of "Things We Didn't Know".

1. We found a lot of things we could find back home. Such as our favorite brands of anything you can think of from shampoo to makeup and clothes!
2. It's not as "dirty" as the internet makes it out to be. Although sometimes we do get surprised by the smells our noses get hit with. We were expecting lots of spitting and whatnot here on the streets but it's not as bad as we heard it was. It's basically almost the same as back home. We will hear that distinct sound of hacking up mucus once in a while but we figured it would be everywhere we look. 
3. It's not as busy as it is also. Yes there are still a lot of cars and people but I think New York City is worse. 
4. The food is AMAZING! We all were a little apprehensive about adjusting to the food here but everything we have tried we have liked. I even brought medicines to help my stomach adjust if anything but there has not been any problems. (Knock on wood) 
5. How excited we get when we see another foreigner or someone who speaks English! 
6. Women over here have excessively long armpit hair. 
7. We live off of chips literally everyday after work, it's a problem. Only because they are literally 50 cents here for HUGGGEE bags.. that we finish in one sitting.. oops. 
8. The children are smart, of course, but they are literally sponges absorbing every bit of English we give them. In the first week we saw changes in them. They are so willingly eager to learn that we see them growing each day we come into work. I love it! 
9. The parents are so sweet! They are so incredibly nice, they go out of their way for us. They understand that we dropped everything to come and teach their kids and they are so grateful for us. But we are so much more grateful for them. They are so kind and they show us that they are our family here too. 
10. The pollution here isn't that bad! Of course at first our bodies aren't used to it so the first day I experienced the air quality my throat was a little dry. But other than that it isn't that bad. And the masks we have to wear to protect ourselves from it suck! They are pretty tight, and make me feel so enclosed. We love days where we can see the clouds in the sky. We are so lucky to not have to worry and check everyday back in America. Some days the kids can't even go outside to play because it's a hazard. 
11. The weather changes so quick over here! One day we were walking home for our break and it was bright sunny skies, next thing you know when we are walking back three hours later it is raining so hard we still got wet with our umbrella. It was like a hurricane rain. Also it isn't that hot....not yet at least. There is always a nice breeze out even when it's 90 degrees out. 
12. Squatty potties aren't that bad! lol. We were dreading using them, but when you gotta go, you gotta go.
13. Every one is so nice here! One day Tirhza and I decided to go exploring and venture out. We took the train and tried to figure out the busses. As we were walking back and forth discussing our strategy plan for the bus, a woman just walks up to us, taps me on the shoulder, and asks us if we need help. Of course I know we both stick out like a sore thumb, but just that gesture helped us. Whenever we are lost we know we can go up to anyone and they will help us. 
14. How much we depended on wifi and our vpn. We literally don't know what to do when our vpn isn't working.... but we just discovered online shopping sites here in China so I think we will be fine. 
15. We didn't know we would have a hedgehog. Jiaozi is the smelliest, cutest hedgehog there is. He loves egg yolks and fruit!
16. Our apartment complex is a city itself! We decided to be adventurous and take a different entrance and almost got lost. 
17. There are cute dogs everywhere! People always make that stereotypical joke, but they love their dogs here. They don't need to be on leashes because they are so well behaved and trained. They follow their owner everywhere he/she goes. 
18. Living on our own is lots of work. Thanks mom and dad for all you do cause this cleaning thing is not for me. I've learned to hate dust! If we keep the windows open, the pollution brings in lots of dust. Who chose these black coffee tables?!!! But we work together and keep our apartment clean.
19. All of the teachers here are so close, like a family almost. From the teachers to the cooks, guards, everyone! We loved the fact that on our second weekend here we took a trip to spend time with everyone and made memories. We laughed, had a bonfire, sang karaoke, claimed a mountain. It was so much fun. 
20. We can't believe how fast the time went by! Our first week was brutal but we got through it and ever since then it has been flying by. We have plans that we continue to count down the days to in October until our plane lands in JAPAN!!!  

Until next time,

xo Ms Suzy