Day 1-My Family Arrived!!

We have been counting down these days for a LONG time!  Honestly, we couldn't sleep we were so excited!  I woke up very EARLY the day of their arrival....  "with butterflies in my tummy" (as Emily would say).

We love our family very much.  I've lived away from them for a while now...  different states, different cities, and now different countries.  But this is very different.  They are no longer just a phone call away...  with the time difference and the lack of dependency on calls and Skype.  Sometimes we are able to schedule times to talk, but most times we just have to "catch" each other.

And that's hard.

Holidays are hard.

There are lots of moments where I want to call my mom to talk about teaching, or tell my sisters something funny that Emily did, or just see what's going on in their lives.

But sometimes I just have to wait...  until I "catch" them.

I have missed them very much!  And so has Emily.  It has been so great to see how well she remembers them and how excited she is that they are here.  No doubt that she knows they are FAMILY.  And that's a great feeling.

FAMILY ARRIVED....  BUT THEIR LUGGAGE DIDN'T!

You know that feeling...  where everyone grabs their luggage, disappears from the luggage claim area and you're the only ones left standing?  That was my family when they arrived.  And I was a glass door away...  just watching, helplessly as the Chinese airport lady attempted to help them.  Thankfully, she spoke a little English...  and the Beijing airport had already contacted them to let them know the luggage would be on its way on an afternoon flight.

My family's layover in Beijing just wasn't long enough to go through customs, re-check luggage, and catch their flight.  And as soon as they realized this, they decided they would rather their luggage not get here than they not get here!  I'm glad they made that choice. :)

A teacher friend that drove us to the airport was trying to convince security to let him help them since he is able to speak Chinese and my family knows absolutely none!  But they wouldn't let us back there....  understandable....  but still frustrating.  So, we were able to communicate through the crack in the glass doors.  This was sooo hard... I just wanted to hug them!

Here's a picture of my sister, Sarah, smiling with frustration!  ;)

So... we were told that their luggage would arrive at our house around 4 p.m....  so when 6 o'clock rolled around, I asked a Chinese friend to call them to check on it.  They told her it would be delivered that evening...  Around 10 o'clock we gave up.

1 a.m.....  the doorbell rings!  Over and over and over.  It took me a few minutes to realize who it probably was, to accept that my five year old was just awaken, and that there was a chipper, enthusiastic guy speaking Chinese to me at a million miles a minute while my hair is in my face, my clothes are crooked, and I had one eye opened!

Have you ever played Chinese charades immediately after being waken up by a doorbell?  Bucket list...  check!

It makes me laugh every time I think about it!

Welcome to China Mom, Dad, and Sarah!  :)

KOREAN BARBEQUE

My family arrived very early in the morning, so I thought it might be a challenge to keep them awake all day...  but very much needed to adjust to the time and avoid jet lag as much as possible! 

My teacher friends, Liz and Amber, joined us for lunch and we took my family to try Korean Barbeque.  We ordered a bunch of raw meat, the waiter lit the "grill" on the table in front of us and we (and by we, I mean Amber and Liz) cooked it ourselves.  My mom, dad, and Sarah absolutely loved it!  It wouldn't surprise me if we end up there a second time.

Aunt Sarah and Emily

Emily and Pappy

Liz, my mom, Sarah, Emily, my dad and me

horrible pic of me, but had to get Amber in there!

JAPANESE MASSAGE

After lunch, we headed back to the apartment for some down time. Everyone was sleeping but me!  I wanted to wake them up so bad, but I let them get a quick power nap in.  When my mom and Sarah woke up, we left Emily with "Pappy" and walked down the street for a 30 minute, $8 back massage!  We all loved it (I get these often).  And it was a great way to end our first day together!

So, Day One...  Chinese Airport, Korean Barbeque, and Japanese Massage...  with my American family... a fun way to embrace several cultures all in one day!