Luke is safely in Chengdu now. He arrived yesterday and has been settling in. I was able to talk with him once when he was waiting for his last flight in Hong Kong, and then again this morning when he was tuckered out from his first official day. It was Saturday for him so he got to explore. Exploration first started with a 4:30am wake up in order to find a Tai Chi class. He went with James, his employer, and they didn't actually find a class until 7am (what a diligent guy :)
Luke is still not sure of his schedule, but it looks as though he will be working 30 hours a week at the school. He has ten person classes, with eighty students in all, and he was surprised to find out that he is the only teacher. A curriculum is already set up, and I am looking forward to see what he thinks of it.
As we were talking he mentioned that it was probably a good thing that I hadn't come because I wouldn't have approved of the accommodations. To give you a better idea of his apartment he shared a story with me. Luke got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, and all of the sudden he saw a large rodent scamper off from nearby. He said it scared him so much that it took him a little bit to continue on with his purpose in waking up. Luke said he plans to do some cleaning of his own to feel a bit more comfortable. For those that don't know his methods this includes a lot of bleach and scrubbing.
Another thing that Luke mentioned was how spicy the food is, and although he usually enjoys spicy food he said the food is too spicy. Having a ginger mouth like my dad, these things help me to find a silver lining during our four month separation. I'm sure Luke will have a fun time exploring the different foods, however, because he is not afraid to try anything. I also know he wont starve because he eats things even if he doesn't like it (which is helpful if you try new recipes and they turn out horrible).
I am looking forward to Luke updating all of us, and eventually adding some pictures, but in the mean time my second hand telling will have to suffice.
Now, so Luke can remained updated on my life, here's an update from this side of the world.
Spring Term has begun and I went to two of my 3 classes on Friday (I skipped Wednesday's classes because Luke left that day). Already I can tell that the spring term is really fast paced. I am looking forward to one of the classes which is Sociology of Crime, Justice, and Corrections. Some may think I am weird, but it incorporates the Bill of Rights and 14th amendment with due process of law. Yes, I am kind of a nerd. This class reminds me of my We the People competition class as a Senior in high school. Although I am sure I will be learning a lot more now then I did in high school, I know I already have a slight passion for the subject matter. One of my other classes will be crazy busy. I have four tests, two papers, and additional quizzes for this class, all within a 2 month interval. Wow, that just seems a little overwhelming.
As for me adjusting to life without Luke, I have found that I avoid going to bed like the plague, but if I am constantly keeping my mind occupied, I do okay. It helps having family around to keep me company. When I got home from classes Caroline and I got pedicures, mine was lime green, and then we had a little girls night with Caroline, Ashley, and their girls. We went out to Olive Garden and while waiting went over to look at some "very small puppies". These puppies ended up be long haired miniature dachshunds. I grew up with a short haired one and was of course in love. Someday it would be nice to have one because they are oh so cute.
The girls had a fun time holding the puppy while sitting in my lap, but I think the guy was a little concerned that they were going to squeeze them too hard, but they all did pretty well. The puppies were so adorable!
Luke hiked E Mei Shan mountain on Monday, and loved the beautiful landscape. It was about a 20 mile hike and took them 8 hours to hike up. Luke said it was basically stairs the whole way, and probably was one of the most physically grueling things he's ever done. He went on the hike with his friend named Caleb, who is also a BYU student, and is in China with the flagship program.
Some of the many stairs that they hiked, Luke stopped to take a rest.
There were some monasteries along the trail.
What they found at the top of the mountain.
My talented husband, showing off his skills.
pictures he finally did, but unfortunately my computer is not allowing me to add them, so stay tuned... they will be posted later. Luke is also enjoying the unique opportunity to learn Tzi Chi, and he attends a class every morning. I guess I will save a more detailed update on Luke when I add the pictures. So, until then...
