We've arrived and survived our first week...

Our first week has gone by quicker that I thought it would. We have finally overcome jet lag and are settling into a routine.  A family that moved back to the US last week left us a Christmas tree, which we put up the day after we arrived.  I'm so thankful for that tree and the suitcase full of Christmas decorations and crafts that I brought with us.  Decorating for Christmas here is the same as decorating for Christmas at home and it has really helped with our transition!  We don't have tv yet but we have figured our internet out a bit.  It works sometimes and other times it doesn't 🤔 
We have been to a few grocery stores and have found some of our American staples...Doritos, Goldfish, and Frosted Flakes.  I paid $42 for a package of American cheese slices and I almost had a heart attack😳  I know we will have a day when we just need that cheese so I will just be happy to have it!  Kids haven't tried many new things yet except for what looked like a cantaloupe on the outside but was green on the inside.  It wasn't honeydew but I don't know what it was since the tag was in Chinese.  Kids liked it so I will keep buying!  They also tried a "real" carrot. I had to laugh because they had no idea what carrots look like if they aren't the baby ones in a bag.  Luckily, "real" carrots got 2 thumbs up and we will keep working on the trying new things front!  

I will try to post a few pictures later when we get our laptop working with our internet but for now I will leave you with some lessons learned in China...

1.  Even though they don't celebrate Christmas here, they play Christmas music in every store

2.  The meat department at Sam's Club here is not for the faint of heart

3. Starbucks is wonderful establishment, one in which I didn't appreciate fully until I moved here and needed to take my children to the restroom (one of the only places that have a Western toilet)🚽

4.  I never appreciated how nice it is to understand and be understood

5.  My children have a lot to say and when there's no one around for them to talk to, they get a little crazy

6.  It's really nice to know where to go to find things you need and even if the first store doesn't have exactly what you want, you can usually find a decent substitute. I dare you to try to explain to a Chinese person what Elmer's glue is and where to go to find it😬