When the dumplings and stir-fry aren't making us feel as Christmas-y as we would like,
one or two of these gems will usually do the trick...
圣诞节快乐!
Joseph's Lullaby - Mercy Me
(Please, I beg of you, ignore this terribly cheesy video and just listen to the song. This is my all-time favorite Christmas song and moves me to tears almost every time I listen...which let's be honest, isn't hard.)
The Magic of Christmas Day - Celine Dion
(USU Admissions, keep your mouths shut, please...)
You guys are lucky I'm so good at wearing down my husband, cause this took some persuading. Thanks to all the requests, and because Annie Hall said she'd stop reading my blog if I don't post it, here's the video from Al's work party last week. Ladies and gentlemen, Alex the Entertainer!
"I'll be home for Christmas, you can plan on me. Please have snow, and mistletoe, and presents by the tree." (Sing it Mr. Buble), "Christmas Eve will find me where the love light gleams. I'll be home for Christmas,
If only in my dreams."
This song has never meant as much to us as it does this year. We are excited for a China Christmas and our first Christmas on our own. However, that being said, there is no replacing home, family, friends, and the Western Nut Company. I'm actually feeling more in the Christmas spirit than I expected, which I am grateful for. To celebrate we had a Christmas party in my class, the Branch Christmas party, HP company party, BIT staff party, BIT department party, friend "west-side" party, made lots of Christmas candies, and still have Christmas Eve festivities and a fun Christmas day dinner! Needless to say, we are well-taken care of and are still enjoying a wonderful Christmas holiday.
Most people are surprised to hear that Christmas is even recognized in China. Well, Mao is probably rolling over in his mausoleum, but they do. They are of course not celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, but the commercial celebrations and decorations are everywhere! It's definitely much more popular in a city like Beijing, but we have appreciated the twinkle lights and ceramic Santas sprinkled throughout the city for the last month. We got our hands on a few tacky decorations to make our apartment feel Christmasy - we live in a world where a little bit goes a long way. I mean hey, who ever said your Christmas tree had to be bigger than a breadbox? This is what we are referring to as "O Tannenbaum":
So Alex's company party was last weekend and it was quite the experience. The party was only for the finance division at HP China-Beijing, so there was about 250 people there. And can you believe it, Al and I were the only two foreigners. The party was complete with a co-worker can-can line, devil-horn headbands, silly string, smurfs, a live band, and door-prizes galore. To say that the Chinese party atmosphere is different, would be a severe understatement. The week before the party one of Al's co-workers approached him and asked if he would be willing to help with the party entertainment. You guys ever heard of i-pod idol? Well...He explained that Alex would be on stage, with headphones on, listening to a Chinese song that only he could hear. He would sing along with the song they played (in Chinese) and the audience would have to guess which song was playing.
Are you dying? We were...Couple thoughts.
1. They think it will be that bad?
2. What's the hurt in everyone in finance knowing his name and seeing how cute he is?
3. This would have discrimination written all over it at home. "Ooh, let's put the guy who doesn't speak any English up on stage so everyone can laugh at him..."
Alex is such a good sport and I think all his co-workers were really impressed with his willingness to make a fool out of himself. :) We both dare you to look up a Chinese song on the internet and try this - it's impossible!
The other highlight of the last couple weeks has been Christmas with our students. Last Thursday I planned a little Christmas party for my writing classes to give them a taste of the holiday season. I asked my students to each bring a small gift so that we could play a little yankee-swap, and I gave each of them a little goodie bag filled with fudge, truffles, and toffee. Oh, did I mention the goodies were homemade? Cause yeah, they were. By me. In China. In a toaster oven. Can't stop this girl. I was worried they would be too sweet for them, but I think they all really liked them! I was surprised because we actually both got a couple of gifts and cards from some of our students as well. I had two girls give me awesome chocolate boxes because they said I talk about chocolate in class all the time. lol.
There is one class which has me for writing and Alex for speaking. They are all so sweet and we really enjoy the students in this class. Today they gave Alex a couple of sweet Christmas cards that read as follows (Al's is the best):
"Dear Whitney, Merry Christmas! We like your writing class very much. It is our great honor to have you as a teacher. You are the best teacher in BIT. We do hope you will have a wonderful Christmas in China."
"Dear Alex, Merry Christmas! Many girls are jealous of Whitney because she has you. So handsome are you. We know that you won't teach us next semester. We will surely miss you. We love your class. Anyway, best wishes for your new job. And don't worry, we will be nice to Whitney when you are not in BIT!"
We love our students and Al has really enjoyed teaching this semester. I'm looking forward to continuing to teach and Alex is going to really miss them!
We're happy that it still feels like Christmas here, but we are constantly remembering why it is we are celebrating. No amount of decoration or music can replace the importance of the birth of our Savior. And in fact, I think that having less decorations and festivities has helped us to really focus on why it is we celebrate what we do. It is especially important for us this year to keep this in our hearts and minds and enjoy this wonderful time.
Happy Thanksgiving! Today is the day of thanks and in an effort to make it feel more like Thanksgiving we wanted to spend some time thinking about all that we are grateful for in our lives right now.
We actually asked our students today what they were most grateful for and had a lot of great responses. Some of the most common answers were parents, roommates, teachers, and school. One student, Snake, gave my favorite answer. He said, "I am very thankful for my girlfriend. For 19 years she has not appeared and has made it easy for me to focus on my school work. She is so thoughtful and kind." I was laughing so hard, he's so funny.
Alex and I are feeling grateful for a lot of things right now. It's nice to take some time to reflect on our lives and consider all of the positives around us every day. To name a few:
- Family
- Each other
- Friends
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
- Beijing 1st Branch
- Freedoms of America
- Beijing public transportation
- Beijing Institute of Technology
- HP
- VPN's
- Internet
- Wi-fi
- FaceTime, Skype, and Webcam
- Gmail, Facebook, and Blogs
- The Firmages
- Students who do their homework
- Import stores and aisles
- Our toaster oven
- Water delivery
- "Sprinkles" Restaurant
- Good health
- Chinese language study
- Gan bian dou jiao
- Dining Hall No. 7
- Heaters
- Blankets/warm clothing
- Dr. Pepper is international
- Roasted and Salted Peanuts
- Cinnamon Bears
- Soap
- Clean water
- Hot water
We are truly so blessed and are grateful to have an opportunity to think about that on this Thanksgiving. We're going to have a yummy Beijing-Thanksgiving dinner tonight with our close friends as well as a dinner with some of our Branch members on Saturday. So grateful that we still get to celebrate the holidays even though we are so far from home and missing our families and friends like crazy. Hope you have a very Happy Thanksgiving! Please, please, please, enjoy your food, family, and football on our behalf!
When my dad left Beijing the first words out of Alex's mouth were, "Well, looks like it's just me and the twins!" And isn't that the truth! We had a total blast as the 3 Amigos but my mom and I also had countless adventures on our own. Even in China, random people on the street were telling us that we looked alike. I even heard a man say "little Jane" once...or maybe that was just in my head. I learned a new word because my mom was here: 年轻 (nianqing). I had to look it up in my dictionary when everyone kept using it over and over to describe her. It means "young," and they would always use it after telling me they thought we were sisters. :)
Zizhuyuan Park
This park is down the road from Al and I and is pretty awesome. My mom and I went there and decided to go for a boat ride through the lily pad lake (pictures below). I mean it's no Italian gondola ride, but it's pretty nice. We were the only two on the boat and the ride was about 15 minutes long. This lake is just completely full of crazy-tall lily pads and these things that you see in craft arrangements at home. If you recognize them in the picture, please tell me what they're called! It wasn't until we were feet deep into the lily pads that we realize he was rowing backwards to pick out a flower that was buried deep in a "field" of lily pads. He picked the flower for us as well as several of the things I need the name for. Turns out, inside of the flower, was the flower arrangement thing! It all comes full-circle! I really need the name of those things...
Summer Palace
The picture of stairs in the collage below is the perfect way to sum up my mom's time here. We walked. And climbed. And walked. And climbed. The stairs were never-ending, and the Summer Palace was no exception. The Summer Palace was a destination spot for many of the Chinese Emperors and their families. It is in the northwest corner of the city and is impressive in its architecture, landscape, and expansive boundaries. There is this gigantic lake in the middle that combined with its distance and the Beijing air, you can't even see across. The highest point in the Summer Palace is a Buddhist temple and it was actually really interesting to see. We don't see a lot of religion in China, for obvious reasons, but it was beautiful to be there in the temple and witness the devout Chinese coming, showing their respects, and offering tribute in the temple. Of course, out of respect, we did not linger. But it was a great experience and a beautiful place to visit.
The highlight of the Summer Palace was definitely the pictures you see below. It took some coaxing for my mom to do it with me...but I don't think that she regrets her decision! This was one of the best parts of having my mom here - she did all the things with me that Alex always refuses to do. You can't tell me that these pictures don't put a smile on your face...
Chinese Acrobat Show
The weekend before my mom left we got tickets to a Chinese Acrobat Show here in Beijing - and boy, was it worth it! The performances were absolutely amazing. Pictures definitely do not do these performers/athletes justice. They are all so strong, so talented, and so mind-boggling! If you're ever in Beijing, you should make it to the Chaoyang Acrobats Show one night - I give you my personal guarantee that you won't be disappointed!
It was an exciting couple of weeks that included even more than I can capture here. Hopefully I'll get some pictures of our Xi'An trip and Great Wall Weekend posted cause we had an awesome time and got some great shots. What I didn't post was the countless shopping trips, yummy food, students my mom loved, and other everyday things that we enjoyed together. We were so grateful to have visitors and enjoyed the ample time that my mom was able to spend with us here. It makes it a lot easier to be away when we have someone at home to share it with and explain things to. Saying goodbye to my mom was almost like leaving home all over again, but it was worth it. I will never forget the time we were able to spend here, all the help she gave us, and all of the memories we made. Love you mom!
Parting thought. Don't you think we make good hosts? When considering your next family/couple/solo vacation just ponder this...free place to stay, Chinese-speaking tour-guide, Beijing inside scoop...I'm just saying. Consider this:
I think that this picture actually sums up a lot of things about China...
Well dad only had about 24 hours left in Beijing so we decided that we would spend it at the Beijing Zoo...of all places. :) Was it the best choice, no. Did we still have a good time, yes. The animals are more heartbreaking than anything else - more so than the average zoo - but the best part is the people-watching. We still had a good time and are glad that we went. The Zoo only costs 15 yuan to get in to but tickets to the aquarium & the zoo are quite a bit more, so we figured that the aquarium must be worth seeing - and it was! It was really cool to see the fish and our favorite part was the dolphin show, they are so brilliant.
After the zoo/aquarium we decided to head over to the Silk Market for a shopping experience while we were still all together. Don't worry, this was only the first of three trips to the Silk Market for me and mom...this trip was just us getting our feet wet. :) We had a great time bargaining/arguing/acting with the salesmen there and actually got a couple of great purchases! Mom was bound and determined to take home as many purses as she could without getting stopped at customs - and she definitely did. She ended up taking home 11 purses! It was hilarious really...The girls are the Silk Market are extremely aggressive so it took quite a bit of time to get to the prices we wanted, but it was totally worth it cause she got some great bags.
On Sunday we got up and went to church together - which was really nice. Of course we were all exhausted from the last 3 crazy days, but we managed to stay awake...mostly. We really value our branch here and are grateful for all of the wonderful members of the church we are getting to know. That being said, there are few things I love more than sitting through church with my family, singing harmony with my mom and sisters, and feeling the Spirit testify how important families are. It was beautiful to sit through a meeting with my mom and dad and think about how grateful I am for our wonderful families. So many of the talks from October's General Conference made me think about how blessed we are to have such exemplary parents, loving siblings, and perfect nieces and nephews. It was like a dream to have my parents there at church with us that day. I sit through Sacrament Meeting now and just try to remember and feel the strong feelings that I had that Sunday they were here with us.
(This is the building our branch meets in.)
We were definitely sad to see my dad go, but knew that he had business to attend to. :) I was really lucky to be able to spend time with my dad in China 4 years ago when I was here with ILP. We spent about 24 hours together in Guangzhou, mostly inside the Marriott - which, don't get me wrong, it was wonderful, but this time was much different. It was so cool to trek the city with him and experience Beijing together. We appreciated the feeling he brought to our home and the support he continues to give us while we're here. It was difficult to say goodbye after only 4 short days together, but we are more than grateful for the time we were able to spend.
For my Mom however, the fun had only just begun...
So on Friday morning, while my dad was still here, we got up early and met our driver downstairs at 7 am. Btw, when I say 'our driver' I mean a man that we hired for the day - Alex and I definitely don't have a driver...yet. :) The university was super nice and they got us the car for the day. He drove us up to the Mutianyu section of the wall - and it was fantastic.
The Great Wall of China is actually in sections that vary in length, location, and years since restoration. Some sections have been restored as recently as the 1980's, and other sections are still original. The restored sections have definite value in terms of photography and hiking, and the un-restored sections are awesome for their historical significance and natural...state. Alex and I have been to Simatai, Badaling, and went to Mutianyu with my parents (and Huangyu last weekend with our Branch). Each of the sections are special for different reasons, and Mutianyu was no exception.
It was only about a 1 hour drive to the wall from our apartment. Once we got out of the city we continued through miles of farmland and small villages/cities/communities that were really cool to see. One interesting thing that we saw on this trip, as well as others, is cobs of corn drying everywhere you look. There was corn on people's roofs, sidewalk, storefronts, streets, carts, windows, etc.
The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is also really well known for their cable cars, ski lift, and alpine slide which you can use to get up to/down from the wall. One small piece of trivia for you...Last year, when Beyonce was taking a year off to center her life and find herself she came to China to climb the Great Wall. If you watch her video on Youtube, "The Year of 4" you'll see her riding an alpine slide down from the Great Wall. That's because. She went. To the same section. Of the Great Wall. As we did. Do you know what that means! I walked, where she walked. The views I saw, she saw. When I was pulling on the alpine slide breaks, so was she. It was almost like we were there together - it was a really special experience.
It was a perfect day. In China you really learn to deal with disappointment well. Nothing ever looks like the pictures, scam artists pose as salesman, and it's easy to fall into one of countless tourist traps. But the Great Wall, it does not disappoint. It totally lives up to its reputation in every way and is absolutely breathtaking.
When Alex and I came to China before we both loved our experiences on the wall. However, we both remember feeling like it was something that we wanted to experience with family and share with those we love. It was such a neat opportunity to be there together as a family and climb the wall together. I think that's kind of the theme of my parents' trip here - the things we did were neat on their own, but they were incredible because we were there together.
Next: Beijing Zoo, Aquarium, Silk Market, Church, and Dad's send-off.
The last three weeks have been an absolute WHIRL, and this is me refusing to let them just slip by without adequate documentation. We have done more in the last 3 weeks than we have in the last 8 weeks combined, and we totally have my parents to thank for that. They arrived in Beijing on October 5th and we put my mom on the plane last Sunday, October 23rd. We saw amazing things, ate great food, made loads of memories, came in contact with really neat people, and totally ran ourselves into the ground. So yes, this is the first post of many to catch up on the last three weeks, consider it a travel-log if you like, but I hope that I can do our experiences and memories justice. If you're bored, quit reading, and I'll understand. :)
Wednesday, October 5th - The Arrival.
My dad travels to China for business twice a year - in October and April. My mom has never traveled with him before and he has never been as far north as Beijing, so this month was the perfect opportunity to make both of those things happen. The came together and my dad was with us for 4 days before heading south to begin his business trip. So naturally, we had to make the most of the time he had in the North Capital!
Thursday, October 6th - Death By Sightseeing.
If you didn't think it was possible to die from sightseeing, I dare you to live through the Thursday we had. I'm not saying that we died, but I'm not saying that we didn't want to. Anyone who is familiar with Beijing will understand that to attempt Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City, and The Temple of Heaven in the same day, in the middle of the National Holiday, is absolute madness. Not to mention, mom and dad had been here for less than 24 hours = running on jet lag adrenaline. Are we crazy? Yes. Do we regret it? Absolutely not. It was a day of crowds (which my dad loves) but it was worth it.
We jumped on the subway and made our way down to Tiananmen. The square was super crowded (as you can see) but really cool to see because it was all dressed up for the holiday. Now, I know history buffs will say, "Tiananmen Square, dressed up? Isn't that a paradox?" Well critics, hold your political satire for one minute, try to imagine yourself having an ounce of naivety, and just appreciate the pictures, okay? :) The Forbidden City was equally crowded, but equally worth visiting - and visit we did.
One of our favorite memories from the Forbidden City (besides my belt breaking and mom's wallet spilling in the same instance) was a mini art gallery we got suckered into. "Come in, please, look at our work. We are traveling art students from Xi'an and this is the work of me, my classmates, and my professor. Look at this one, this is my Professor's work, it is very difficult and he is very famous." How famous? Famous enough that we saw your professor's work in every market, souvenir shop, alley, street vendor, and grocery store in Beijing and Xi'an? I don't think so. Every time we would see one of the "professor's" pictures we would say, "Wow, the professor really gets around!..."
After the Forbidden City we headed down to the Temple of Heaven and made it to our new favorite restaurant - The Brown Door. Manna from Heaven! Yes they cater to foreign palettes, no there's not a single Chinese patron in there, but am I ashamed - definitely not. Some would say a restaurant like this isn't authentic enough. I say we're in China, eating Chinese food, cooked by Chinese people, paying Chinese prices, at a Chinese restaurant - authentic enough for me. We discovered our two new favorite dishes (pictured below): gan bian dou jiao (spicy green beans), and suan la tu dou si (potato haystack).
Following lunch at The Brown Door was the squatter fiasco I have already mentioned in a previous post (Squatters and Sniffers). However, here is my mom's version on video - absolutely priceless and one of my favorite memories.
The Temple of Heaven was amazing and I thought it was worth visiting. It's one of the most famous sites in Beijing - it was where the Emperors used to go to worship. There was a nice feeling that and lots of beautiful things to see.
Thursday was a long long long day but we had to finish with another yummy meal at our favorite dumpling house with some of our best friends. We met the Carters and the Bassetts for dinner and had a wonderful time. We're really glad my parents got to meet them and see what good company we're in while we're here.
Yes, this is only the beginning. Cue next post: Friday.
So as some of you may know or remember, we came to China with two main goals: 1. Find Alex a decent job. 2. Begin/further our language study. Well I am happy to announce that the first of those two goals was completed last week and we are thrilled!
Alex was hired last week as a Financial Analyst at HP China! Hooray! On our 7th week here he went across town to meet with the CFO and while there he ended up interviewing with two other people (which was a huge surprise). He was expecting to just develop his network and create a relationship but about 30 minutes after he got home the CFO called back and offered him a full-time position. They finalized the offer last week and his first day was actually last Friday. We are totally ecstatic and could not be happier about the position or company. Al will continue teaching until the end of the semester (December), which they know, but will make up the hours in other ways until then. After December he will stop teaching and will just be working full-time. We're not exactly sure what this development does to our timeline here in China, but we will probably just cross that bridge when we come to it. :)
We can't talk about this job without recognizing the hand of the Lord in our lives. We feel so blessed have him working so soon and we know that would not have happened without our prayers and the prayers of our friends and family on our behalf. We truly believe that the Lord is watching over us and helped to bring this about.
We're excited to start this new chapter and look forward to the experience that we will both gain from this change!
No, not sniffers of squatters. No one wants to sniff a squatter. These are two separate stories...
First, squatters. If you know me well you know I'm not one for bathroom stories, but this was just too good. For those of you who are unaware of the public restroom situation in China - and most of Asia, I think - it's not always so pretty. Squatters are used rather than western toilets, although toilets are typically found in homes. Allow me to illustrate:
As you can see, squatters range from totally terrifying to not so bad - just like any other public restrooms with western toilets. However, they do have this uncanny ability to all of the sudden make it so you don't have to go anymore...weird...Well, so my parents are here and it's been such a fun week. But last week while we were out to lunch my mom and I both had to use the restroom. We asked the restaurant and the cute girl took us outside and through a side door that led to the kitchen. There was literally three pieces of tin leaned up against the wall with a squatter/hole in the ground - seriously one of the worst I've seen. I don't know if you could even call it a squatter. I'm talking mom through what she's gonna have to do and after a minute we both just decided that it was too bad and we couldn't do it - needed to find somewhere else.
We walked across the street to the Pearl Market, located the W.C., and resumed the pep-talk. I'm talking my mom through what do to and giving her as much confidence as I can. As we are both standing outside the stall staring at the squatter I'm saying things like, "You can do this. It's not as bad as you think it's going to be. We're not talking a squat like you do in the gym, we're talking a China squat. Actually they're more sanitary than toilets!" And she's saying things like, "Okay...I just don't know...I'm getting old...Can my knees take it?" The pressure is mounting and I'm trying to psyche her up as best I can. As my mom lifts her foot to step up in to the stall, we think this is the moment, and the restroom attendant grabbed her arm. She was an older woman and in Chinese started saying, "Come here, come over here." She pulled my mom away from the squatter and over towards the handicapped stall. I'm thinking, "Oh, how nice, maybe it's bigger or something...however she's totally throwing off our groove here." She swings open the door to the handicapped stall and it was like there were lights shining down from heaven and angels singing - a western toilet! I threw my arms in the air and screamed, "It's a toilet!" My mom threw her arms around the woman and it was like she was sobbing with no tears, "A toilet! Thank you, thank you so much, thank you." In my mom's own words, "I have never been so happy to see a toilet in my entire life!"
Yes my mom has tried and succeeded at using a squatter since - in fact I've used more squatters in the last week than I have since we've been here because of all the site seeing we've been doing. But in that moment, that toilet was like a gift from the heavens.
Sniffers. Okay, so we're rather used to the staring and spy pics - so much that it doesn't really phase us any more. We get stared at all the time and get pictures taken of us pretty often when we go out, especially when we are at a famous site or attraction. Again, allow me to illustrate with this picture I took of a man taking a picture of us while at the zoo:
Nice, right? So, the pictures and staring don't really get to me, we're used to it. But last Saturday when we were at the zoo I had an experience that reached a new level and really threw me off my game.
We were outside the Beijing Zoo and I was buying tickets for me, Al, and my parents. I was walking through the crowd and I saw a man staring at me in a way that Alex and I call the "Gazer Beam". :) Again, I didn't think much of it. He was staring as he was walking towards me, I was still not alarmed. He was getting closer and closer, about to pass me, and right before he passed me he crossed the line. This guy gets right up in my grill, I'm talkin' shoulder/crook of my neck area, and he takes a big whiff of...me. He smelled me! Sniffed me! And I'm not talking a little sniff, I'm talking a big ol' whiff, like he was trying to take it all in. It caught me so off guard I just didn't know what to do. I couldn't think of anything to say, in Chinese or English, I was just so thrown off. I just looked at him and raised my arms as if to say, "What the heck was that?" He kept walking through the crowd, I think he was embarrassed that I noticed, but seriously? I wasn't supposed to notice you in the crook of my neck? I mean, I'm no Sherlock Holmes, but it was kinda hard to miss. I would like to thank the sniffing man though, because he taught me a new lesson about myself: I guess I'm okay with pictures and staring, but smelling just crosses the line for me.
Well that's all, the best stories of the week. Maybe our favorites from the last six weeks! We have had a great time with my parents and are already sad that my mom will be leaving in two weeks. Hope this post finds you all well!
That's right, today is our 1 month anniversary of being here in Beijing! It's odd really because a week around here feels like a month so I can't believe it's only been 30 days. It's actually gone by relatively fast...
A few fast updates/small victories:
- Bought a crockpot! And even some meat we could stand to buy and cook. We're getting better at the food thing every day. Chinese food is tasting better and better and we're improving on finding things to make that taste like home (hence the chocolate chip cookies and taco night pictures below).
- We love our branch! The church is incredible and we are loving being a part of the Beijing contingent of members. Shame on us for not participating in more activities and meetings at home. We cling to every session of District Conference, ache to attend General Conference, and I haven't missed a RS activity yet.
- Shopping! Like manna from heaven we have found some great import stores with food from home and even an H&M! I was thrilled...I get really tired of the bargaining and feeling like I'm getting ripped off, so a trip to the mall was a welcome treat. The bouquet of flowers below was from a flower market we went to for a RS activity. That entire bouquet - $7.00. That was a day when I really loved China...
- Noah and Allison Riley (USU friends) are going to be in Beijing this weekend and we're really excited to meet up with them! Also, my parents will be here in two weeks - we can't believe it!
- The weather lately has been absolutely GORGEOUS. What feels normal at home - clean air and blue skies - feels like tender mercies here in Beijing. I literally have tears in my eyes when I open the curtains each morning and can see blue. This entire week has been really nice and we're just praying it will continue for a few more days/weeks. We've heard that the weather really turns in November so we'll enjoy this while we can. :)
- We're still enjoying classes, this week has also been really fun. Our students are great (except for when they write swear words on their papers to be funny) and we've had some pretty funny experiences. I'll post more about classes later.
- Alex's job hunt is still moving along...at about the same rate...he's applying like crazy and making as many contacts as he can. He's gotten a few leads in the last week that he's following up on now. We're still just praying that something will work out and enjoying spending so much time together until it does!
No, not trunky, just so grateful. We love our families and friends so much and are so very grateful for the time we were able to spend with them before we came across the pond!
We love the Firmages! They have been fantastic friends over the last view years and we have no idea what we would have done without them. Countless rounds of Five Crowns, Sequence, Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, Wacky Six...We were made for each other.
Leslie (my sister) took us on the most incredible hike up Big Cottonwood Canyon just before we left. It was so nice to be in nature before coming to the city and was absolutely beautiful.
The Nams! We were lucky to be close to Jenn, Scott, John, and Maury for the summer and have Nate around a lot too while he was taking classes in Logan. The kids are growing so fast and hold a special place in our hearts.
One word: Photobooth. Thank you iPad 2. :) We love my family so much and made so many great memories over the summer. The discovery of Photobooth was definitely one of them. Haven't laughed so hard in a long time...
Church in China - what an experience. We have had a great week, done some fun things, made a lot of progress in our apartment, but all week long we are just waiting for Sunday to come again. We are members of the Beijing 1st Branch, the people here are incredible, and the church is so strong.
The Branch is surprisingly large! There are typically about 120 people in attendance with a primary of over 40 and about 10-12 youth. This week, today, Alex and I actually got a calling from the Branch Presidency to serve as the Nursery Leaders. Hooray! There are 13 kids in the nursery right now so I think that every week will be fairly exhausting, but a really great experience. I really feel like we were given this calling for a reason and we're excited to get to know the kids, their families, and the other nursery workers.
As most people know, the LDS Church is not allowed to engage in any form of proselyting in mainland China, however religious practice is permitted. We are very grateful that we're able to meet with other members of the church here and partake of the blessings of the Gospel. Our branch is one of two in Beijing that are specifically maintained for foreign passport holders. There is one branch in Beijing for Chinese Nationals who were baptized out of the country and are allowed to continue to practice here. Although we meet in the same location as the Chinese National Branch, we are not permitted to communicate with them in any way. Every week at the beginning of Sacrament Meeting the Branch Presidency reads the information printed on the back of the program about the guidelines of practicing religion in China and the strict admonition to not disobey or disrespect the guidelines in any way. The church has worked very hard to lay a strong groundwork here and it would be unthinkable to be responsible for damaging or reversing that.
The Branch is about 45 minutes (on the subway) from us, which really isn't a bad commute. There are lots of members who live closer to us which we'll be able to get together with and get to know. Most people in our Branch are expats from the states living and working in China with their families. Others from the Phillipines, Korea, Japan, England, and Africa. There is quite a large contingent from BYU-I that are here on study abroad, and a group of older couples from the Kennedy Center at BYU who are here to teach English. Then there's me and Al who are just here...no group, no work assignment...just here cause we want to be. :)
We are so grateful for the consistency of the Gospel and cannot thank our Father in Heaven enough for his knowledge of us and the many saints in China. Our testimonies are growing every day as we can feel the constant companionship of the spirit. We continue to pray for Alex's job search and for our safety - as well as the safety of our friends and families back home. We already cherish the relationships we are forming here and are grateful for the opportunity to experience the church in China and the Beijing 1st Branch.
Well, we have survived our first week in Beijing fairly casualty free. Actually, entirely casualty free, it’s just been a really long week! I can’t believe we’ve only been gone from home for one week, that’s insane, it seems like a lot longer than that. In lots of ways we feel like we have stepped back in time – no car, no cell phone, no internet – but this week we have remedied most of those things and are feeling really good!
No, this is not where we live, this is the Beijing Zoo. We don't live near anything this picturesque. :)
We arrived last Wednesday and have just been working hard ever since to get our lives here more set up. Our apartment is furnished with all of the big furniture, but we are missing all forms of house accessories – soap, dishes, hangers, food of course, towels, etc. – so we’ve been stocking up like crazy. There’s an awesome little market across the street that sells most of the things we need so we’ve had some fun bartering for things there. We live in the district of Beijing where most universities are located. Because of that, many restaurants and markets on and around campus are extremely cheap compared to the rest of the city. Our apartment is feeling more and more like a house every day.
Beijing is insane. So, so, so crowded. We are blown away every day by the mass amount of EVERYTHING that is Beijing. So many buildings, people, stray dogs, cars, people, taxis, busses, subway lines, people, stores, McDonald’s, garbage, people, bikes, schools, people…Today our friend told us that to get from one side of Beijing to the other it would take you 4-5 hours. Can you believe that? Logan, where are you???
Bikes on campus - school hasn't even started yet...
Small taste for you of the Beijing Subway...
If I sound like I’m complaining, it’s because I am. Like I said, it’s been a long week. But now, let’s celebrate the small victories we have had over the last 7 days:
Cell phones! A little trinkety, just went with Chinese ones cause we couldn’t get our phones unlocked, but they work, and we’re grateful.
Internet in our apartment! Starbucks, you’ve been good to us, thank you for your wi-fi.
Dr. Pepper at the grocery store! 8 yuan for a tiny can, but we’ll take it!
Beijing 1st Branch – blessings from heaven. Will post more about church later, it is absolutely incredible.
Got a few pics below of the last week…We’re grateful to be here and are excited for our lives in Beijing to keep shaping up! Please keep in touch with us, we love updates!
Well it is now official - tickets have been booked, bags are packed, apartment is empty. Come August 23 A&W will be Beijing bound!
This is a chapter in our life that we have actually been waiting for a long time to come - well, relatively long. Those who are familiar with our past are not surprised to hear this news, but to most it seems pretty left-field. Besides being random, this is a situation that most people are super unfamiliar with so we thought we'd do a quick Beijing FAQ to fill you in. These are the questions that we have been answering about 6 times a day for the last 4 months...
Q: Why are you moving to China?
A: To live, work, and start our life there. This isn't a joyride, we're looking at this as the next chapter in our life that will hopefully last for a while.
Q: Did Alex get a job there?
A: No, actually, Whitney did. I just finished my Masters in Language Teaching and got a position as an English instructor at a university in Beijing - The Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT).
Q: Does Alex speak Chinese?
A: No, actually, Whitney does. After living in China for six months I learned Chinese and minored in Mandarin back at USU. But Alex is studying and besides finding a job, it is his number one priority for the next year.
Q: Does Whitney wear the pants in this relationship?
A: No, actually, Alex does. This Sugar Mama thing is only short-term.
Q: How long will you be there?
A: At least a year. My contract is for one year so we'll come home next summer to visit for sure, but if we love it we are open to staying for a few years.
Q: What will Alex be doing?
A: Good question. Right now, he's planning on owning and operating his own private rickshaw company. Not. We're hoping to find him a job in the first month we're there. He just finished the MBA program at USU so is a good candidate for employment - pray for us.
Q: Have you guys been there before?
A: Yes, both have. I taught English in Southern China in 2007 for 6 months and Alex just traveled to China with the USU MBA program this spring - he actually visited the university we'll be living at!
Q: Have you found an apartment?
A: Yes, the university (BIT) actually provides us a furnished apartment on campus.
Q: How are your moms doing?
A: They're hanging in there. :)
We are excited for this next chapter in life and are looking forward to all we will learn, grow, see, and experience.
This post is dedicated to the woman, the icon, the diva - Beyonce. My life was changed just three years ago - yes, also when I married the love of my life - but I'm referring to when I saw Beyonce perform "Halo" live on David Letterman. As far as I'm concerned the woman can do no wrong and everything she touches turns to gold. So Beyonce, this is for you. You go girl.
Javier Colon has got this thing in the bag! We've been fans from the start and are excited for the finale tomorrow. We love Dia 2nd most - talented, adorable, unique sound, Utah girl...but man, Javier is somethin' else.
We love all of our nieces and nephews more than anything. Our siblings tell us that their kids work as really great birth control, but little do they know that we spend all of our time with them just wishing that our own children will be as wonderful.
This weekend my sister and her husband came to town and we got to babysit their kids while they went to the temple. Blessed day! Not only did we get visitors, which we love, but we also got to have the kids all to ourselves! We played at the park, blew bubbles, made brownies, built a fort, read stories, and of course - chased. We had a great time and were able to snag a few really cute pictures of these two. So fun to have family visit - hint, hint - and so fun to spend time with these two kiddos!
So our anniversary was on Monday - Happy Anniversary A & W! - where have the last 3 years gone? It's crazy really. All the same, I was out of town on Monday so we decided to go to dinner at The Elements Restaurant here in Logan on Saturday night. I have four words to describe this experience: Frozen German Chocolate Cake. Incredible. We loved everything about the food, ambiance, and the 2 for $40 was perfect!
Hands down though, our waiter was the highlight.
No, not because he was great. Not because he was terrible either. Mostly just because he was clueless. From the start we guessed that he was pretty new. We asked him a couple questions about the menu, he would borrow our menu, read the description out loud to us, and say, "does that help?" Definitely. Couldn't have done it without you man. It came time to order dessert and thanks to my obsession with coconut and chocolate I had no choice but to order the Frozen German Chocolate Cake. The description on the menu said something about chocolate ganache, coconut sorbet, crusted coconut, and "chocolate semifreddo." Sign me up. Twice. I had never heard the term semifreddo before so I asked him "what is chocolate semifreddo?" He of course asked to borrow my menu, read the description, and pandering for an intelligent response says,
"Well, I served a French speaking mission so I know that 'semi' means half...so...but I don't know what 'freddo' means. Half of something I guess..."
Oh wow. Thank you so much. Alex served a English speaking mission, so he also knows that semi means half. And I am a native English speaker so I too know that semi means half. I understand that being a semi-waiter is semi-difficult so I was less than semi-annoyed - but definitely more than semi-entertained and we both thought it was semi-hilarious. Thank you Elements waiter for being so semi-helpful!
(Please press play and allow the video to roll while reading)
Ladies and gentleman, I am proud to announce that the day Alex and I have been waiting for has finally come. 6 years of blood, sweat, and tears - literally - brought us to last Friday. The first day of the rest of our lives. The day that has made all of our hard work, all of the sleepless nights, and all of (Whitney's) tears worth it. It has been a long and hard road. And yes, Alex still has a month of classes left, but that does not change the fact that it is now appropriate to refer to both of us as
Master Putnam.
Yes, that's what you call people now when they get their Masters.
We are absolutely thrilled that school is over. I keep referring to spring 2011 as "the semester from hell" because it nearly killed us. Alex has a beautiful way of dealing with his stress and pressure. Cool as a cucumber. But I'll be honest, if it weren't for Alex I probably would have 3 ulcers and a heart condition by now. No joke, spring semester 2011 literally took 5 years off my life. But we did it and can move forward with pride in the accomplishment. The nervous breakdowns will now be kept to a minimum...
So what now? Well, as I mentioned Al still has a month of classes left which begin next week - Monday-Friday, 4 weeks, 9-2 - which he will power through like a champ. He also received a position as an intern for the Great Work Great Career program on campus that he will be a part of from now until the end of July. He has worked so hard this last year and is happy to be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. As for me, my school is done. Defended my portfolio back in March and after graduation last week all I have to look forward to this summer is work in Admissions and loads of pool time.
Graduation pics are down below and a lot of people have asked why I have that white thing and Alex doesn't. "That white thing" is what the university calls a "Stole of Gratitude" and a graduate wears it if they are choosing to dedicate their degree to someone. I wore it because I am dedicating my master's degree to Alex. There is no way in this world that I could have made it through the last two years if it weren't for my husband. He is my lunch maker, paperwork runner, late night waiter, fan club, sounding board, paper reader, bed maker, house cleaner, laundry doer, comic relief, tear wiper, constant validator, shoulder massager - he is my rock. I am so grateful that I have him and could not wish for a sweeter man to call my husband. He takes such good care of me and without him I would have stumbled and fallen rather than kept moving forward.
Al and I are both so thankful for the support of our family and friends (who we consider family). We are so grateful for their support over the last two years and last week at our graduation!
Oh Happy Day!
(If the video hasn't ended yet, don't stop it now cause the end is the best part...)
