Thursday, November 10, 2011

Fall In Beijing ~ baby steps

RiTan Park
I am not the most optimistic person, usually dwelling on things I have not done. But I came here in Summer and now it is Fall and I've noticed some things have changed for the positive. Here are some of them...
  • I no longer have panic attacks every time I have to go out of the apartment. You think I am exaggerating?
  • I can now recognize one in every ten words in Mandarin, instead of one in thirty words. I actually responded to a "wrong number call" on my cell phone by saying, "Wo shuo Yinyu" = "I speak English". 
  • I can count to 10 now pretty quickly. I still struggle matching the Mandarin name to the number though.
  • I buy raw meat now at the grocery store.
  • I don't completely get ripped off at the markets anymore.
  • I can tell a taxi driver where to go to, instead of pointing to a card, to about 4 or 5 places.
  • I actually told someone else where to get something, instead of someone always telling me.
  • I successfully can use video Skype on a regular basis.
  • I consistently cook at least three times a week.
  • I only have about two meltdowns a month, instead of once a week...baby steps.
  • I can tell people where I live in Mandarin. 
  • Instead of thinking about home every second of every day, I only think about it a few times a day now.
We have to celebrate our small accomplishments! I can only imagine what the next three months will bring. 

    2 comments:

    Liz R. said...

    good for you! beautiful picture too!

    Unknown said...

    Jen! Check you out!! You are doing so great. Man, reading about how much you are growing makes me feel like life here in CA doesn't push us very hard to grow, does it. ..