Ting Bu Dong (I don't understand)

Greetings from Hangzhou, China! Sorry for the delay, the blog has been blocked up until now. We are starting on week two, and up to this point things could not have gone smoother. Over the last week we have been settling into our apartment, getting to know the city, preparing for classes, and getting to know some Chinese brothers and sisters.

So when we got here the first few days were spent cleaning the apartment and shopping for essentials(trying to shop for essentials...It's hard when everything is in Chinese!) Cell phones & bikes were our next purchases, which has made exploring the city much easier. The last few days have been filled with some interesting events. Getting on the wrong bus, experiencing the squatty potties, receiving some strange looking food after what we thought was an easy order, taxi driver taking us to the wrong place, Callie getting a haircut w/out being able to explain what she wanted, Thomas playing badminton w/really good Chinese players, trying to shop at the local "Wal-Mart ish store" where everyday is like the day after Thanksgiving. Each day has provided a lot of laughs and good learning opportunities.

In preparation for class starting next week, we have been spending time on campus getting to know some students & faculty. We have had meetings with several school administrators, and now feel comfortable & excited about teaching. Please keep us, along with those we will be coming in contact with, in your thoughts as we start building those relationships.

We have taken several pictures so far, and plan to take many more throughout the year. There isnt enough room to post many pictures to the blog, so you can click the following link to view the pictures. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mitchellsinchina/.

Thank You for all the support, thoughts and prayers. We look forward to sharing our stories & adventures with you! We miss YALL!!

Thomas & Callie