Misconceptions...

Our 2 new additions to the family.....
Last family day we decided to expand our home by two. We wanted to just get one hamster, but they were so cheap...we figured "why not 2?" Well, then when we got home, we discovered that they weren't too excited about sharing a house. So, now they are living in separate "rooms." Meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger....

You voted. We are finally answering. Here you go.
1. I really thought that I would lose a lot of weight when I came to China. I expected to dislike the food, and the first few weeks here were a little difficult for me. It wasn't horrible, but I just wasn't accustomed to living with out cheese and casseroles. :) I can honestly say now that keeping in shape here and losing weight is difficult. Of course there are some really strange things here, but for the most part we really like the food. I am working on figuring out how to make the things that I like so much.

2. For many of us we think that these people are going to be waiting for us to hop off the plane, when actually that is not the case. Our ideas are not easily acceptable. Consider how American people are so opposed to change. Now imagine being in a country with a history multiple times longer than America. They have customs and beliefs here that have been around for ages, and they are not easily changed. So, although at some times we try to enlighten them on proper dressing , etc.....they have different ideas. (We don't try to enlighten them about much...just the important stuff.)

Can this kid really be warm?

3. I thought that with our kids being so small they would BOTH adjust very quickly to the different culture. Let's be completely honest. I really think that for the most part, Autumn thinks she is Chinese. Isaac, however, was just about to turn 3 when we arrived. We both remember clear as day when he out of nowhere came in our bedroom cyring one more and said, "I miss Nanna." Even this week he was invited to go out to watch a movie with a Chinese friend who he is normally pretty comfortable with. However, this time Autumn would not be going along. Isaac broke down and said, "Mommy I don't want to go because there will be no one to talk English with me." He is sincerely happy most of the time, but he still struggles culturally sometimes.4. I thought that we would never learn to read or write Chinese. I mean, you look at those characters and they all look like a bunch of scribbles. However, over time it really does start to come together. And with enough continued exposure, they really do begin to look different. :) Although I don't spend a lot of time writing (maybe later), we both study Chinese characters and are able to read quite a bit...just as much as we can speak.5. I thought that I would start to see ways that I am really "Chinese." Although I do start to see more and more ways that I am NOT "Chinese,"....more than that, I have began to see that I am not either. This is not my home. My Father is preparing a place for me, and I know that when I get there, it will finally feel like the place I was created to be. Until then, I will be thankful for what I have been given here, which is much more than I could have ever expected.