Happy Easter!

Well thankfully I made it to Ric & Cindy's apartment in Tianjin in one piece! I got off the plane and had to find a taxi and then find their apartment. I called Cindy and she actually had to talk to the taxi driver because she knows way more Chinese than obviously I do.. Once I got to their apartment and met them, I immediately went to bed. I took a melatonin on the plane so I would sleep but I was just still so tired. And it was 1:00 AM.

Woke up on Sunday morning and met their son who is still with them along with their 2 grandchildren who are 4 (girl) & 2 (boy). They are SO fun and I love playing with them. We left at about 8 in the morning, got street food for breakfast and then got on a bus for an hour drive to a hotel in a place called Teda. The service was very good.. they have a small congregation and they sang Easter hymns. It honestly felt like I was a little kid again, at one of the small churches we went to in Kentucky :) After church the whole congregation went to someone's house (apartment.. like I said, there are no houses) for Easter meal. There was ham, mashed potatoes, vegetables, rolls, salad, pumpkin soup, and dessert for days. It was the best westernized meal I have had here!

After getting back to Ric & Cindy's, we just relaxed and spent time talking. The kids hunted eggs inside the apartment and then dyed eggs. While they were doing that I was watching something on my iPad and they were so curious so they came up to me and I showed them all the kid options on Netflix. They curled up next to me and we watched "The Great Mouse Detective" :)

Ric and Cindy are one of the nicest and sweetest couples I have met. They have made me feel so welcome and at home here and I'm very excited for the days to come as we travel to Beijing. They asked a teacher in the school they work at to come along with us and kind of act as my tour guide around Beijing. Since Ric & Cindy will be teaching, I will now have someone to explore Beijing with me! I'm thrilled. She is Chinese so it'll be perfect to have someone who can translate everything. I will meet her today (Monday) as we go see some things around the city. Also, where we are staying in Beijing will be free of charge. They arranged all this for me and I couldn't more thankful for everything they have already done for me!