Love in the cracks.

It's something to get used to, being so far from home. But I have to say, I'm kinda getting the hang of it.

I still miss my family, and my friends--even anything that has to do with Manila! It's saddest at night, before I go to bed, and weekends, where it's so quiet without them. But it helps that we have Skype, and talk to each other every day--I especially love it when the whole clan is there to talk to me. =)

So far, we've been getting settled in Beijing, falling into routine. One thing we have learned to love is going to the supermarket to buy groceries. The first time Katz and I went to the supermarket, we spent like, 2 hours there. Of course, the place was huge, but we just had to stop and look at every single aisle. And the thing I love about here is that their supermarkets have so much fruits and yogurt! Katz refers to me as "that health freak;" I can't say she's wrong. Our fridge is full of my fruits and yogurt. =)

And I've actually had real conversations IN CHINESE with locals here!!! Oh, my daddy would be so proud. Haha! One time, Achi Candy left us alone, so we had to fend for ourselves. So we headed to this fast food place in the mall, and the only thing I could read was 牛肉面 (beef noodles)，which Katz ordered. I don't really like beef, so I just pointed and said, "那个，那个，十三元的面, no, no, yeah, that one!" It turned out to be 两面, or cold noodles, which was pretty good, but A LOT. I got tired eating it, and I couldn't finish it. :| And we discovered frozen yogurt here! TCBY! It'll be my temporary replacement for Yoh-gurt Froz's Classic Fro-yo while I'm here. =)

Okay, so we've enrolled in school, had our rooms connected to the Internet, gotten China sim cards, undergone evaluation to determine what level we should be in, attended the orientation, and explored the campus a bit. And thanks to Achi Candy who, growing up, really was like my own big sister, we've eased into life here in Beijing, or at least, in BLCU, or 北京语言大学.

And, we attended our first worship service in Beijing at BICF (Beijing International Christian Fellowship) at the 21st Century Theater. It was awesome. People from probably every country in the world is represented there. And it's huge. I really liked it there. I think I'll probably go to that church. I want to get involved in their ministries--they have so much--and Katz and I both wanna help in the children's ministry. But we have yet to attend Achi Candy's church, which is the Zhongguancun branch of BICF, so we'll see. By the way, to attend BICF, you have to be a foreigner, and you have to present your passport at the door as proof you're not a mainland Chinese.

But wait, there's mooooore (haha, like one of those TV shopping voice-overs)! Achi Candy's uncle had extra tickets to the Olympic Green, and since she'd already been, she gave them to us. So yesterday afternoon, Katz and I rode the subway alone for the first time, and in my opinion, we managed pretty well. Except for the rude people and old Chinese. Oh, and do not underestimate the senior citizens here; they move really fast for old people when it comes to squeezing into the trains. Anyway, when we got there, there were so much people! Everywhere! Even McDonald's had a line so long, it spilled out onto the sidewalk. And the Beijing 2008 Olympic Superstore was, well, super. Haha, it was pretty big, and had just about every souvenir for the Olympics and Paralympics. I wanted to buy, but the lines were too long, so I didn't. We walked around the Green, and took some pictures with the Bird's Nest. We didn't get too close to the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube coz it was hot, and we were too tired to go any further. But at least we can now say we've been. =)

Classes officially start tomorrow. I'm pretty nervous. I'm afraid I won't understand the teachers, the lessons, and that I won't be able to catch up. Sigh. :| But I am determined to learn. I don't think I've ever been as determined to learn as I am now. I want to speak fluent Chinese. I guess this is the price I have to pay. Oh, what it does to my poor nerves.

For now, I can tolerate Beijing. For now.