Entries by Karen and David

Spencer is doing pretty well at school. The first day he didn't cry when I took him, but was crying when I picked him up. He wanted to get his Thomas bookbag himself. The second day I had to push him in the door crying, but when I picked him up he was very happy. He tells me about the teachers playing the piano, eating cookies and soup. He talks about using the toilet. When we ask him if he made any friends, he says, "No. I don't share." And then he reenacts yelling at some kids. It's kind of funny, but sad that he's not nice. So, we're pretty happy about the situation. They have very good security. The gate is locked and the classroom door is locked. We're just hoping that he will really learn Chinese through this environment.

We got back to our home on Sunday and then Monday morning I had to take Spencer to the hospital to get a medical exam to start pre-school. He had to fast before the exam which wasn't until 9 am. Spencer got up at 6 am so it was torture to make him wait that long without milk and food. He was crying asking for food. 

When we got to the hospital we had to register him and start to process of going to different "professionals" for his exam. First was the drawing of blood. He didn't not know what was going to happen but he did great. He did cry half way through it but didn't move. He was so thankful to get food and drink that he stopped crying quickly. He said, "That was sharp." They looked at his eyes, ears, teeth, checked his vision and listened to his heart and lungs. He of course passed. 

The next day I took Spencer to the Open house, where we paid the money, took a tour and met his teachers. He is lucky number 8 in his class, so his cup, towel and bed are all numbered 8. He is in the same class as our best friends' daughter. That evening there was a parents' meeting where they talked about the school, the rules, the awards, etc. Then we went to the specific classroom and the teacher told us what we needed to send with the child and how to drop off and pick up. The school is in session from 7:45 am to 5:30 pm, including 3 meals and a nap time, but we plan to just send him in the mornings. We are excited about this new adventure, but a little nervous about how Spencer will do. This is an all Chinese environment, and Spencer knows very little now. We are hoping he learns quickly and will enjoy his time there. Tomorrow is the first day!

We had a great time in Beijing. Our meetings were encouraging and challenging. We got to really think about this up coming semester and think about ways we can serve the people around us. It was fun to catch up with old friends and meet as a team for the first time. Our bus came on Sunday nice and early and we were able to leave before schedule. 

When we got home, we came home to a huge mess in our apartment. There was mold all over our furniture, carpet, refrigerator and many other things. There was a small flood in our bathroom too. It was so stressful and overwhelming. We had to go straight to an official lunch with the university and then we could go home, put Spencer and Mia down for their nap and then attack the mess. One of our teammates helped us a lot. It was so hard to come home to that, when all we wanted to do was unpack and get settled. By the end of the day though, we felt like we had cleaned most of it, but our suitcases and stuff was still everywhere. It was very stressful. After a few days now, we are still finding things with mold on it but the apartment is getting organized and clean.

We are now back in China after a nice time in the US. We were able to see many people we love, but there were so many we weren't able to see too. If you are one of them, know that we miss you and are thinking about you.

We flew back to China on Monday. Of our 13 1/2 hour flight, Spencer slept 4 hours and Mia slept 7, and the rest of the time they were pretty good. Spencer asked us about a hundred times where we were going. That's one of his new questions; he is now asking "why" all of the time, so sometimes that is tiring too, but fun to see his curiosity too.

We are in Beijing now for meetings. It's fun to see our ELIC friends. Spencer loves all of the kids around. We've been able to see our new teammates, old teammates and friends. It's been great to introduce Mia and meet other new babies too. We've been doing some planning for the next semester and are excited about it.

We will take a bus home on Sunday morning and then have a week of preparation as a team before school starts. David and the team will start teaching on Labor Day and Spencer will start pre-school. We will have to get him a medical exam before he starts, as is the custom in China, and I have a parents' meeting Tuesday night. This is a big step for us. We will be getting even more involved in the culture. I'm sure we'll have some interesting stories this year.

After a great summer in the US, it's time for us to go back to China. We've seen family and many friends and had many opportunities to talk about what's going on in China. We're going back a little tired, so we need some extra grace as we travel and get ready for a new semester.

We're driving to DC on Sunday and then flying to Beijing on Monday. We'll be there for a week of training and then finally get to go home. All summer Spencer's been asking about our real home. He's definitely learning about different places. Spencer is starting to have long conversations now and is growing in his obedience. Mia is now 6 months old; she is sitting alone, rolling over, trying to get on all fours, has 2 teeth, says "dada" a lot and is growing some hair. She has changed a lot this summer. We know we will be given much grace as we take our long journey across the world.

Every summer, we come back to the US and notice things that are different between our two homes. We notice how empty neighborhoods are. Spencer says, "This is a quiet town." It's rare to see people outside sometimes. We notice how there isn't dirt everywhere. We notice how many kids and babies you can find at a store or mall. We notice how some things are very easy, like ordering things, watching TV. We notice how difficult things are, like going to the doctors.  But we are good at adjusting. We have come to accept that America is America and it will never be like China; and China is China and will never be like America. 

Here is a conversation Spencer had last night with one of our friends:

Friend: Are you American?

Spencer: No

Friend: Are you Chinese?

Spencer: No

Friends: Then what are you?

Spencer: Christian.

We were all laughing; we didn't know where he learned that from, but he's so true. We are Christians before our nationality. What a great reminder. 

We are having a great time in the US catching up with family and friends. It's been great going swimming, driving, going to the beach, going to church, eating great food, etc. 

Today we went to our old office. While we were waiting for our brother-in-law to come down to the lobby, Spencer was climbing on the chairs. He is a very active little boy so we weren't too concerned about him climbing on the chairs. Then David looked over and said, "No, don't touch that." It was too late. Spencer pulled the fire alarm. The receptionist looked over at us and we were terribly embarrassed. We didn't know what to do. This is not a small office; there are about 2000 employees that had to evacuate the building and enter the scorching Florida summer heat. Spencer didn't quite understand the magnitude of his action. We could do nothing about it, so we just left with the masses that were flooding out of the building. We got to see many of our old co-workers and now we have a great story.