Roller Coaster Time

Wow. This has been one long weekend FULL of events. I'll give the overview and then a couple stories for you.

First, this was Thanksgiving weekend. So it was spent in Wuhan with some other amazing family members teaching in China. A lot of Harding people teach out there, so it was really fun to catch up with them. Some of us have been online friends for a while, but met face to face for the first time on Saturday. It's pretty incredible how quickly you bond and get so close to people here.

Friday I left class and bussed to Hangzhou. I went and caught up with Beth and Erin for a bit in Xia Sha. It's always good to see them. I also ran into a couple students and saw Willis and Lily at Jack Hut. We took pictures together and talked and laughed. It was fun. Then I headed downtown and grabbed some dinner with Steve, Jackie, Cammie, and Hannah before catching the train to Wuhan. I am amazed at how easy it is to just fall back into old friendships, even with a whole year between talking. I love my friends in Hangzhou.

The train was fun.. it was 8 hours, but we had hard sleepers. They are plywood with a small blanket over it and you get a pillow and nice comforter. I love the comforters in hotels in China.. they are thick and heavy. So basically we got on and went to sleep and woke up and were in Wuhan. I like this mode of transportation best in China. There are 6 bunk bed style hard sleepers in a cabin.. which makes for interesting sleep. Snoring is common, talking in sleep, and also smoking throughout the ride. I am getting tired of the smoke.. everwhere. such is life.

When we got there, we chilled with Jeremy till Jesse arrived on his overnight train. Then we set out for food and then showered and got ready for the big Thanksgiving celebration! We went to this hotel and had dinner with the other Americans in the area. I saw my old Harding friends, and some others that I knew of, but had never really met. It was fun. First, it was kind of awkward because everyone was hugging and catching up. I didn't know anyone that well though.. so Tara and I sat over on the couch and talked about our Social Awkwardness and tried to figure out who people were. As the night progressed though.. we all became close close friends. Such a blessing in our Family here. We ate turkey and dressing and mashed potatoes and green beans and apple pie and pumpkin Love. It was amazing. Then on to Cranium! Our girl team rocked the game.. and it went really quickly. The fellowship and singing was amazing. It's encouraging to be in a large group again and sing and spend time together.

Sunday morning was a complete blessing. The End. I didn't want to leave though.. it was just incredible to be with people that you really connected with. Sunday afternoon was spent at the local shopping center.. Theatre first for some imported goods.. like Dr. Pepper and Cheeze Its and Milanos. Happiness in a store.. Then we all went and commandeered the front corner of Dairy Queen. We sat and people watched.. or were a zoo exhibit rather. It was hilarious. We laughed so hard at people's reactions to so many foreigners in one place. I got winked at by an older man with a Chinese mustache and mullet. He looked Mexican.. haha. Creeper. We saw men and women in their pajamas.. a little boy rockin a purple sweater vest that was phenomenal. We watched a mother carry a screaming girl up the moving sidewalk.. after it took her ten minutes at the bottom to get the girl to go near the thing. She was terrified. It was one of the most entertaining afternoons I've had in a while.

Then we just hung out till it was time to go catch the train back. It was fun to talk about Harding and life there and friends. We all got to catch up and share stories of our lives here. It's amazing how we are all put in each other's lives for reasons. There are specific reasons for every person that has been put in our life, and it's cool to see how that's being used. All in all.. it was a fabulous weekend of Thanksgiving Fellowship with some amazing Family. What the holiday is all about.