Hello from China

Hi all! Just thought I would post a little update on my overseas adventures. It has been a wild ride so far, but I think I am starting to get used to things. My apartment makes Wymount Terrace look like a 5-star hotel! Oh well, at least we get hot water (most days) from 6-9am, 5:30-7:30pm, and 9pm-midnight. China is not kidding when they say they have 1/5th of the world population! There are people EVERYWHERE! The city I live in has more people in one small suburb than the whole state of Utah. We really stand out among this crowd. I have just decided to ignore the stares and come to grips with the fact that we are... different (no blending into a crowd). I do like the fact that I can understand what most people say though; I find in flattering when girls talk about my good lookin' husband as though we can't understand -- I feel good because he IS good-lookin' and he is MINE =). By the way folks, the Chinese food you eat in America is nothing like the real deal. If I wasn't pregnant, I would consider this a great time for weight loss (because the food destroys appetite better than PhenPhen). However, we did find some cold cereal in the import isle at one of the bigger grocery stores (Corn Flakes, anyone?). Driving here is a life-or-death experience every minute. No body obeys any kinds of rule (and I mean BASIC rules like drive on your side of the road, stop at red lights, stop (or at least slow!) for pedestrians, don't U-turn on the freeway, etc!). My bus driver drives on the wrong side of a six-lane road everyday. I can see cars going the same way we are on the other side of the median. The bus just faces oncoming traffic and honks for them to get out of the way!) Maybe being a nurse is not a good thing right now because at every turn I see potential life-threatening situations and I get in my ER mode. Adenaline is becoming a constant companion =)We go to church about an hour and a half away by car. We don't have a car, but that is not the point - we end up getting there somehow. It is fun to be in a little branch. The first day we walked in we ended up teaching primary. The next week we spoke in Sacrament Meeting. Last week I taught Relief Society, and next week Sam is teaching Sunday School and I am teaching Young Women's. Its tons of fun!! Anyway, I hope all of you are doing well! I miss you all and hope you look at basic things (like cheese, butter, meat you can trust, showers, and western toilets) with a new appreciation!