How's the Weather?

For All Those Who Care:

The kids are watching Tangled so peacefully downstairs (that's because the crankiest of them all was put to bed an hour ago) and my most favorite song from a Disney show is wafting up to me as I sit in a makeshift desk area in our front room.  "At Last I See the Light" and I am changing the words to "and it's like the smog has lifted" and it echoes my sentiments here exactly.  I might have been hiding it a little (or those around me wished I would have) but if you could read between the lines of my last blog you would know that I have been having a hard time adjusting to our life in China since our return 1 month ago.  But something wonderful happened last weekend -- it rained!  And suddenly the smog that was covering the sun and making the pollution index skyrocket lifted and we were left with the best week ever.  The index was in the teens and there was a balmy breeze that seemed to blow the tension out of my shoulders.  I am back!!  (I think I might be a tad bit weather-sensitive.)  I even ran over some dog poop on my tuk-tuk this morning and it didn't phase me at all.  Too bad Cory has been in Sacramento this whole week so he has not benefited from my new and improved attitude but hopefully the weather will hold out and so will I. 

So what have we been doing in this wonderful weather you ask?  Well, not much. I essentially gave the driver the week off and I have been having a lovely time tuk-tuking back and forth from one neighborhood to the next.  And I remembered to charge the dang thing because last week I got stuck halfway between neighborhoods and had to put poor Buster in the driver's seat while I pushed from behind yelling "RIGHT! NO! RIGHT! NOW LEFT! NO, THE OTHER WAY! NOW JUST GO STRAIGHT! THAT MEANS DON'T TURN THE STEERING WHEEL! I MEAN STOP TURNING! OKAY, NOW TURN!" all while having Cal strapped to me in a borrowed baby carrier until some Chinese guard had pity on me and pushed me home.  See, last week was a tough one. 

And I have started to run.  I mean really run this time.  That's the problem with making new friends -- they make you do things that your old friends figured out long ago that you can't do.  But she wants to prove it to me that I can run a 10K in 8 weeks.  She has got her work cut out for her and she is well aware that this might ruin our budding friendship.  But I have run everyday this week and now can't walk down the stairs with any sense of pride at all.

Speaking of pride -- I started Chinese lessons this week!  I have had it with not being able to communicate and am determined to learn just enough to not be laughed at at the fruit market and to be able to tell the driver to stop taking the slow way home.  I have a very kind and patient teacher named Cindy Laoshi (laoshi means teacher and is pronounced like "lou" [as in loud] and shi is pronounced like "sure") and my homework this week is to practice and be able to introduce my whole family to her and my one classmate. Cindy Laoshi also teaches Bradley in preschool and I'm afraid he is the better speaker of the two of us. 

Other than that life has kept on rolling and I have survived another week of being a single mother and just hoping Cory made it on the plane with my shampoo and an American griddle.  Next week my letter will be written on location!  I am traveling to the southern China city of Shenzhen and meeting Cory there while he is on business and then we will go to Hong Kong.  I am so excited!!  It's about time I saw something other than Beijing.  Wish me luck!

Love,
Kelli