Weekend news

So this weekend was pretty good. Yesterday (Saturday) I offered to substitute teach for Leon so he could be up at 3am to watch the World Cup rugby game that was on. I taught from 9am-12. It wasn't too bad, it was the oldest class at Joy Language school and they were very quite, so it was a little difficult to get them to be interested and talk. The bus I take to get home stops in front of a Pizza Hut so I bought some to bring home for Gretchen and me. I got the chicken and mushroom pizza, finding out later that it's topped with chicken, mushrooms, onions and corn and the other was a Hawaiian with pineapple and ham. Just having the pan crust was wonderful!! After lunch we were pretty lazy the rest of the day, watched movies and hung out around the apartment.

Gretchen has been wanting to find a church to go to for some time. She talked to a teacher at school who found one very close to our apartment that had English. So we went this morning. She told us the service started at 9, when it really starts at 10 so we were a bit early. The pastor and other worship leaders were there and they talked to us and were very friendly, but soon informed us that the service isn't in English, they just have a lot of bilingual parts. There's 4 TV screens around the room that sometimes have the Chinese and English and the hymnals have Chinese and English which was pretty neat. So while everyone else is singing Chinese, Gretchen and I are singing in English :P It was a very warm environment though, so it was worth the language barriers. We pretty much understood everything that was going on and then they started the sermon...all in Chinese! A woman sitting behind us leaned forward and asked if she need to translate and soon she was sitting between us explaining everything the pastor was saying. After that there was communion. The little kids are in Sunday School during church but they bring them up to participate in communion. One of the kids, Joy, goes to Uncle Sam and I teach her class 3 times a week. She was walking up the aisle, saw me, and yelled "Teacher Marisa!". It was so cute, but then during a prayer, she got up again and came towards me and said "Teacher Marisa" and went to her mom to point me out! It was cute and funny at the same time.

Near the end of the service they announce new guests. We had filled out a sheet with our names beforehand and they called my name first and I had to stand up in front of everyone, then Gretchen, then other new people (all Chinese). After everyone was introduced, the guy said welcome, this is your family and it was easy to believe him.

After the service they have a lunch where everyone came up to introduce themselves and I got a chance to talk to Joy and her mother. We are planning on going back next week and probably repeatedly because it was so inviting and there were many people wanting to help and be friends. It was really great!

After we got home I left to go visit my first host family when I lived in Taiwan as an exchange student. I did not know which bus went directly from Sanxia to Shin Dien (the city they live in) so I had to go the long way: bus, subway, switch subway, bus. I left at 1:30 and got to their home at 4....don't ask. A lot of it was time spent waiting for the different transportation's and then after the subway I had to remember the community bus I used to take to get up the mountain, I was so nervous I would miss it or get on the wrong bus. After I was safely on the right one I couldn't remember where to get off at! I got off on a road that I thought was close to their house, but I didn't know which way to walk. I asked a guy in Chinese if he knew where the road I need was, he answered in English and helped me figure out what to tell Eric so he could come and get me :D

Back in their home it was great, so many memories, after a lot of chit chat I went out on the balcony just to admire the view again!! Next time I go I'll have to take pictures again, it's just so peaceful. We talked about everything, working here, being back, family back home, what I do on the weekends, their sons (both in the US). Stacey's English is not the best but she tries so hard it's cute and I love her for it. Eric sometimes had to translate things for her, but I was teaching her new words throughout the night like I usually do. She made dinner for us, very simple, dumplings and soup. Afterwards we watched TV for a little bit, Eric fell asleep and went to bed, but Stacey and I watched Steel Magnolias until I had to leave at 8:30.

It was a wonderful day and even though it's 12:30 pm and I should be sleeping, I'm happy that I got to meet so many new people today and visit with some old ones. This really is my second home.