So I'm in China!

Here I am...China. I've been anticipating my arrival for months now and it has finally come!

Last Monday, I flew into Shanghai. With a slightly queasy stomach, I stepped off the plane into a place that was (and still is) a complete mystery to me. As Ji Yi and I were riding in a taxi to our hotel, I couldn't help but wonder, "What the heck am I doing here?" I'm still not completely sure why I decided to come to China, but eventually I hope to be able to answer that question.

Shanghai was fun. and crowded. and hot. I went to the World Expo on Tuesday and it was enjoyable, but even the amazing architecture couldn't distract from the intense heat and 5 hour long lines. Wednesday, Ji Yi and I went to the Bund district, Nanjing Road, and Shanghai Old Street. They're all very touristy things to see in Shanghai, and all turned out to be fun. Thursday was our last day in Shanghai, so we met up with one of Ji Yi's friends who lives there and she took us to the mall and a film park. She made me feel less like a tourist, which was nice. Although I enjoyed Shanghai, I had an eagerness to leave for Chengdu. I wanted to get settled in and meet people and find my way around.

So on Friday we boarded the plane to Chengdu. I sat on the plane in disbelief that I was finally going. Shanghai was such a whirlwind that I'm still not sure if it actually happened or not. But now it was real. It is real. I'm here. I'm an international student in China. I will be here for almost four months. I stepped into a place where I know virtually no one. I don't even know the language.

My first day in Chengdu was hectic, scary, and frustrating. Hectic because I had so many things to buy and places to go. Scary because I didn't know what I was doing half the time. And frustrating because I couldn't communicate with anyone. And when I got in bed for my first night of sleep in my new dorm room, I realized that my "mattress" is really no mattress at all. It's more like a piece of wood with a few blankets on top.

I know it takes time to adjust and right now I'm going through culture shock. I mean...China is so different from the US that it will obviously take some time to get used to. Chengdu is dirty. There are stray cats and dogs everywhere. I can't drive a car. My dorm isn't as luxurious as Humphreys (unbelievable, I know.) It's tough to eat vegetarian. The water smells funky. "Cold" drinks are actually room temperature. And the list could go on. It's not that I don't like China...it's just that I don't know China. I am confident that as time passes I will get comfortable here. I will find my way around. My Chinese will improve (hopefully.) I will become accustomed to the things I don't like so much. It will become a home for me just as Fayetteville did during my first semester at U of A.

These four months will be a challenge, but it will push me to depend solely on the Lord. I must trust that He will provide me with boldness and patience and safety. I must find comfort in His arms when it is difficult. I must let myself be enveloped by His grace and love, the same grace and love I hope to show to the people around me.

P.S. I met two Korean girls on Friday and they are so sweet and cute! I've been spending a lot of time with them the past few days. But it's difficult because their English isn't too good, so we speak a mixture of English and Chinese. It's interesting and fun. And I'm about to go to dinner with them!