Settling In

Well, here we go.

I left off last time with me about to enter Josh and Danielle's apartment for the first time. I can now say, as I sit here in their living room, that I absolutely love their living quarters. Everything about it; my room, the open kitchen, the living room with the cool red couches, the three short flights of steps to get inside (their last apartment was five), and pretty much everything about it I love so much. On Monday, I went running with Danielle around a gorgeous lake right near their house. It is a fantastic run, starting only like 30 meters from their apartment, going across the street, down some steps, around the lake (which is surrounded by a beautiful park with flowers, different paths, and just sheer peacefulness) twice, back up the steps, back across the street, and back to their apartment. All of this totals about 5 kilometers, and I cannot wait to start running it regularly. It is such a nice place to stay.

I had my first language class yesterday, which completely got me so psyched to study and to keep learning. I love the language so much and I can't wait until I can pick up some phrases here and there. I am really looking forward to these next several weeks of intense study and slow progress.

I went to the market yesterday with Danielle to get some chicken and some fresh vegetables for a week's-worth of dinners. The market is one of the most interesting things about life over here (at least in my opinion). As we walked through, Danielle picked out fresh vegetables, we saw meat hanging out all over the place, and even (skip this if you are squeamish) saw dead goats hanging up for all to see. The dirt floors, the money being exchanged with the same uncovered hands that handle the food, and just the sheer feeling of being in a Chinese market all work together to make this trip one of extreme excitement. I got all of it on video (including me eating some nasty meat in the "never gonna happen" section, as Danielle calls it), but unfortunately, I haven't been able to figure out how to get it "edit"able. Hopefully Josh will figure it out soon so I can blog it for your viewing pleasure.

I just now got back from a campus where I ate lunch with Josh and another guy and where I met one of my first English-speaking Chinese friends. He is a really nice guy and I am looking forward to chilling with him some in the near future.

Well, thats most of what has happened to me since I've gotten "home" (for 2 months). I am so excited about the rest of the week and hopefully I'll have more time to blog more consistently (with videos if Josh can get it working and maybe some pictures). But for now, this is all I have. So long for now from the Middle Country. Zaijian