March 6, 2017
11:00 pm
Beijing, China
I was hoping that today I could give you a nice post that actually had time to be thought through and well-constructed. Instead, this one is being written by a very exhausted teacher who is ready to curl up in bed with Star Wars playing on TV and go to sleep. I don’t really know why I’m so tired—I didn’t have classes today—but that’s the state I’m in.
Just because I didn’t have classes today does not mean that my day was boring. This morning, Brian and I left around 9:40 for our Chinese lessons. We were referred by a friend to a teacher named Amy. She lives here in Yizhuang and does group and private tutoring in her apartment. Her apartment building is about a 10 minute cab ride from our apartment, so it’s convenient for us. One of the great things about Beijing is that getting around is super easy. I, coming from a small town, have never really known what it was like to be able to hail a cab, grab a bus, or hop on the train to get to wherever I need to go. Here, the simplicity of travel is one of aspects of life that I love the most. To get to and from Chinese lessons, Brian or I call a DiDi (Chinese Uber) and arrive in a quarter of an hour. We could also take a bus, although that would take roughly an hour. Or, we could take a Mobike. Mobike is a bike sharing company that allows you to reserve a bike, unlock it with a QR code, ride and then park it wherever is convenient for you. I’ve only used it once since setting up the app, but I really like it and am looking forward to using it more as the weather grows warmer. Whatever travel option we choose, though, it’s fairly cheap. The bus ride would only be 2元, the Mobike would be 1-2元, and the DiDi costs between 10 and 15元 each way. Like I said, we usually use the DiDi because it’s the most convenient and takes the least amount of time.
In terms of the class, I really enjoy my Chinese lessons. Amy is so much fun. While she does seem fairly strict, it’s mostly to encourage us to try harder and improve quickly. Our classes have so far been review, but I think next week we’ll finally start getting into some new vocabulary and sentence structures. We’re already through chapter 8, though, so we’re moving pretty quickly.
After lessons, Brian and I headed to work. I don’t have classes on Monday, so I spent my day cleaning. I did take a short break to attend the staff meeting and to go reregister at the police station. Oh yeah, we are finally allowed to live in our apartment building. As such, we had to go back to the police station to file our “new” address with the government. It’s nice to know that I can legally live in the building I’be been residing in for four months. After finishing at the police station, it was back to cleaning for me. I still have some work to do, but I’m at least making a little progress. Hopefully I’ll be able to finish this week.
Words to Remember: Leviticus 4:32-35
Challenge: Day 8: Once upon a time, living sacrifice was needed to cleanse people of their s-ns. Could you imagine having to take an animal to the priest at the temple, then slaughter it to ask for forgiveness from Abba? Thankfully, we no longer are required to make such a sacrifice. The only reason that this is not a current practice is because of the amazing sacrifice Je—s made for us. He was the perfect lamb whose blood cleansed us of our sins. Take a moment to thank Abba for His sacrifice. Today, take this thought with you. Any time you struggle or are tempted, take a quick moment to tell Abba, “Thank you for saving me.”
Talk soon,
Kristen
