[rainraingoaway]

i think today reality set in. i'm in china. and weather i like it or not, i'm here for three months. honestly, i'm having a really hard time. i think this is a fantastic experience and i pray that i am so transformed with my time here, but it's hard to be in a place where you know nothing and need to rely on other people to feed you, transport you, translate for you, order food, etc. i'm learning that this is the time i am going to grow the most in dependence, learning to lean into the Lord for my strength and comfort. so here's to choosing joy in this journey. time for the picture overview, curtsey of richie =]
these pictures are from a lecture that Dr. Todero gave about AIDET, a type of communication. we helped with role playing

the next ones are from our formal introductions to all the nurse managers in the hospital

after all of the formal meetings, the head honchos of the nursing department, including the vice director of the hospital took us out to a fancy shmancy restaurant for dinner, so delicious.

the table

beef dish

shrimp with cute little food decorations

here are some pictures from our daily encounters

the view from the 17th floor where we eat breakfast everyday

dancing group that meets for exercise next to our apartment

yesterday, we got an incredible tour of the civic center. this tour had a museum that taught us a little bit about hangzhou history and culture. we also got an amazing tour of the public library. this library is HUGE and incredibly BEAUTIFUL. they have an abundant amount of books, rooms for language clubs, a calligraphy center, a sound studio, and a mini movie theatre. i think it was a big deal for us to see this because we had a personal guard follow us around the library while we got awkward stares from the locals.

just a small sample of the number of books

calligraphy room

civic center 

the "sun" building, they have the "moon" opposite

abbey road in china

and this next picture is especially for one of my favorite people, zachary! this little mini movie theatre room was amazing, and let me tell you this sound system looked legit and sounded beautiful!

just for you zach =]

after our tour, we drove to beijing style fondue dinner. driving here is CRAZY. people drive in the middle of lane lines, and cut each other off often. today, we drove the opposite way in a one way road, and into oncoming traffic. it was an adventure. and they honk all the time, even if the light is red. i hear a constant lullaby of honking from my apartment. anyway, i got gluten sick from this dinner, but it was delightful when we ate it =]

the spread which increased shortly after

the gang (ellen is to my right, and amy is 2nd from the left)

amy and ellen are the most fabulous guides/ directors. they are so kind and personable. they are both charge nurses, ellen works in cardiovascular and amy in hematology. they are temporarily assigned to take charge of us while we are here, but they often go to their units during the day to make sure things are still running smoothly. 

today, we went to zhejiang university to register for our chinese class. we arrived in the international college building. it was refreshing to be around people that spoke english and people that were our own age. it was very cold (2 celsius) and rainy today, so our tour was pretty short, but this campus is huge!

rain rain go away

that's all for now. tomorrow we are going to the tea factory i believe and church on sunday =]

prayer requests:

-continued dependance on the Lord

-rest and energy for the upcoming week of starting lectures and clinical

-gratitude and thanks for our loving guides/ directors amy and ellen