They Really Do Make It All

China - where to begin? We arrived after our fifteen hour flight with little trouble. Sophia slept a lot on the plane. We are definitely in the romantic time period - the time when you arrive in your new country and think it's great. This, I think, only happens after you've lived elsewhere overseas. For people first overseas, they usually find a lot of negatives. For us, we are finding the positives compared to where we were.

So far, it's been pretty easy settling in. The Hong Kong airport was clean, organized, modern. We actually went through roped-off lines to go through a quick and painless passport control. There was no pushing, no long "lines," and no small, crowded hall. Our luggage was there. Our driver was there. Everything fell into place.

We had a porter haul our 9 pieces of luggage and 3 carry-ons out to our two vans. And then it hit us - the oppresive, humid, hot air. It is humid here, not a little humid, a lot humid. The kind that you think you could slice through with a knife. The first two days were hot. If you set foot outside, you will sweat. We are told these are the hot months - July, August, and September. Surprisingly, we haven't hit the real rainy season yet. Let me tell you this, though. It has rained everyday since we got here! What is in store for the rainy season! The first two days were sporadic, short rainfalls. Today, a typhoon was coming. We woke up to the sound of wind rattling out high-rise windows. (We are on the 13th floor. They must not have the same superstitions.) I went out in the morning and came back with drenched pant legs. The typhoon never materialized, but it was still a rainy, yicky day.

Our apartment is good. Much bigger than our last one, probably due to the very much less cost of living. We have an extra room for a study and a much bigger living room. We are going to be living in IKEA land. Our few furnishing that the school provides are from there, and tonight, we purchased a bunch more. There's so much to get. We have to buy everything from TV stands to silverware. There is a Walmart here, so we'll be getting lots there. The only problem is getting it home by bus.

We are on foot or on a bus here. They put us in a building that is about a 5-10 minute bus ride from school. Actually, in January, the middle school and high school are supposed to move over to a new building that is just a minute's walk from here. I don't mind taking the bus, but it is going to get old, I think.

Sophia's really been enjoying it here. She loved unpacking all her new "old" toys that she didn't see all summer. She is a celebrity here. They love looking or should I should say, staring at her. On the bus, at the clinic, on the street, everywhere - they are staring her down and fussing over her. Some girls on the street reached out to touch her the other day. It's not very often they see a light-colored head of hair in this country.

This is all I can write for now. I have to get to bed, but I have much more to comment on - food, clothes, lifestyles, and so on. Things are good for now.