Prepare for Take Off!

We are just a few days away from our heading back to the States!  The bags are packed, the fridge cleaned out, and Noah is repeated asking if we can get on the airplane now.  So we're just about ready!  We're heading into Beijing a day and a half early, where we'll stay at a fun hotel that even has a swimming pool (a rare treat to find here in China!).  The thinking is that we'll shave off about 4 hours of travel time by getting into Beijing early, making the 16 hours of flying time much more manageable!  I will say, that as much as I think my kids have become true road warriors, I had to laugh when the older two kids informed me that "Hudson did NOT do a good job packing his own airplane carry-on."  When I reviewed the contents, I had to agree.  He had packed both of my 5-lb. hand weights, a huge red boxing glove, and a toy 6-inch blade that goes on a gun (but looks surprisingly realistic)!  Needless to say, we spent the next several minutes evaluating what was a good choice item to replace those things with...

These past few weeks have been crammed with activity.  I was at the kids' school every day the last week (which made me getting my own last week of class time in quite a challenge!).  This should be no big deal, but with the distance and travel time, it really is an ordeal to get there for every event.  So much so, that with that in mind and the fact that we're stuck having to pay for the kids' bussing to go to school (if we choose to use that mode of transportation), that we've begun the process of obtaining Chinese drivers' license, with the hopes of being able to purchase a family car when we return in August.  We've wrestled with this decision for the last 2 years, and feel like it's finally time to take the plunge!  We live in a city of 11 million, and owning a car has become commonplace.  We've found that even our language teachers (who are making the equivalent of $5 per hour) are purchasing VolksWagons (a popular car over here!)!  So we think we're ready to face the challenge of driving in China--which is no small challenge, for sure. 

Anyway, Eli had a big graduation ceremony (the Kindergartners move up to the Elementary school in 1st grade, so a big step), Karis had a performance, and Hud had class parties, all of which I was able to participate in (with Noah in tow, loving every minute of being at the big kids' school!). 

We also have been frantically trying to prepare for our teaching this next semester.  Kevin is still on track with his government and Acts classes he'll be teaching, and I am teaching sophomore English and helping in the special resources department, teaching a special ed math class for middle schoolers.  It's been pretty overwhelming for both of us--trying to figure out what all we have as far as materials to use, preparing lesson plans, and also taking care of the requirements (documents getting verified, health exams at the local hospitals, etc.) to get our new type of work visas.  We've definitely had days that we've had to remind ourselves (and each other!) to take it one step at a time to not get too overwhelmed!

We're also trying to get time in with lots of our friends before we go.  Everyone here is sooooo relational, that everyone wants to say goodbye one last time and bring gifts by for us and the kids, that we're trying to leave time for that and not be too task-oriented (which Kevin and I both tend towards).   We took the kids and ayi to an aquarium this week that is outside of the city, and everyone had a blast.  It was way overpriced for what it was, but was truly a memory-maker and special time just getting to play with ayi.  She loves our kids as if they are her own, and it was so special to see her delighting in just seeing them laugh, smile and play together.

We're anxious to hit the US soil.  We actually started talking about food the other day and had to make ourselves stop.  The idea of chips and queso and Dr. Pepper with crushed ice was too much for us to handle!  Our brains are ready for a break from Chinese, our lungs ready for some clean air, and our bodies longing for a brief respite from the routine of life here.  So looking forward to touching base with friends and family while back!