hilarious song!

My teacher showed this to me in class the other day! Besides the fact that this song is pretty funny/relevant to my life right now, they're also really good musicians!

Halfway point! And a visit from the Padres!

This weekend my parents came to see me!!! Here are some bullet point highlights:

In my attempt at conversations during travel to Hong Kong, I learned how important tones are! Thank you to my teachers! This is when I really appreciate what I've been learning in class! 

Mom, dad and I didn't meet up the first night in Hong Kong, so I ended up staying in little hotel. However it had an awesome pillow and AC! One of the little kids on the street pointed and called me a foreigner, which I haven't heard too often in our little tourist town :)

I had an awesome day hanging out with family! That first night I got to swim some laps---soooo relaxing! I really miss swimming pools! This entire weekend I've gotten to read for fun and forget about studying for a little bit. I think I need that for some sort of sanity!
I got to ride my first motor scooter and show mom and dad some samples of Chinese cuisine. We even experienced a cooking class together! It was a great weekend!
This week I've really been enjoying listening to Dave Barnes and Nicole Nordeman. It reminds me to focus on the Lord, and not to be pressured by my own voice, which sometimes tries to convince me that I have to do everything perfectly. 

I have downloaded some sermons from previous series at church, which are really good as I'm trying to focus on hearing the Lord's voice in my life. I've really appreciated the prayers of my friends and family! It's great to keep up with everyone through FB and Instagram, etc. Here's my chosen song for the day!

Almost halfway!

The last couple weeks have been pretty eventful, yet routine at the same time. Each day I review a little before class, usually go to lunch with a couple friends, meet with my language partner in the evening, and hang out with friends in the evenings. On Wednesday nights they have basic salsa classes, and it's been awesome to practice with some Spanish music---makes me feel right at home! I've watched more soccer, football, and rugby in the last week than I have since the beginning of the year!
This last weekend, the English and Chinese schools went to the rice terraces, which we got to visit right before all the rice was harvested (within the next couple weeks). I felt like this was a great chance to practice what I've learned in Chinese. Little by little, right? I've put several pictures of the weekend on Facebook, and I've been told this last weekend was the best time to visit!
One of the new challenges: starting intensive classes, which simply means I am taking full day classes for the next few weeks. I love having a different teacher in the morning, and am definitely learning a lot with new classmates! There are soooo many new vocabulary words to learn, so I feel like I'm constantly reviewing. One of the new phrases we learned was from a movie that I watched as a kid, so connections like that help me to remember what I'm learning!
 This weekend I'm going to get to see Mom and Dad, and I can't wait to play tour guide! It'll be great to see people from home, right in the middle of my China visit!

Week 5 completed!

One of the things I'm so glad I have while I'm here is my music! Sometimes I listen to Nicole Nordeman's "Seasons," or Amanda Cook's "You Make Me Brave." They are always inspiring and encouraging, and it keeps me focused on the real reason I'm here! It's so easy for me to try to push myself for not learning Chinese quick enough. I'm always trying to challenge myself, but it shouldn't get to the point where I am TOO stressed over it! I'm here to see what the Father wants to do with my life, and this was the open door I chose. This is the circumstance that I am in right now.
Another encouraging thing has been to remind myself of who I am, according to the Father. This environment, no matter how positive I try to be, is an environment of comparison. It's easy for me to get caught up in that---from how well everyone speaks Chinese, number of language partners, healthy foods eaten, to how many pounds lost! I don't really fit into any of these categories, and it can get a little discouraging. I am so thankful that I have built a habit of taking time out to study the Word while in the States, so this helps a lot to have daily encouragement! I've also weekly been listening to sermons from home.
In other news, I've been given a Chinese name, which really is just Hannah in Chinese 海娜 (hǎi nà). However...I AM a little excited that I can actually spell it in Chinese characters, and will ask my language partner about doing the same thing with my last name, too!

One-third is finished!

I've been here for a month!! My new roommate (Lucy!) came in today :) :) I will get to practice lots of Chinese! Yessssss!
A few of the things I'm thankful for:
**Patient teachers, because my friends and people on the street still confirm that my Chinese is close to jibberish!
** I'm getting better at understanding Chinese and reading hanzi (Chinese characters)
**My teacher speaks lots of Mandarin in class
I've gotten to the point in my stay that, while I'm not necessarily homesick, it has been good to talk to friends and family this week! I've been craving American food, like pizza and chai tea (which I can find similar things here) and Mexican food (which I CANNOT!). I've begun to consistently review my new vocabulary, and am attempting to read my new Chinese book. I know eventually I will understand!
There have been a couple times this week that I've been able to indirectly share about special things, and I know the Father will do with it what he wants!
One of the things that has bothered me--this week especially-- is that I've had to make  a conscious effort to not compare myself to others language learners. There were even a couple instances in class where I had to remind myself, I am where I need to be, and it's okay not to have the answers to everything!
Simple, yes, but sometimes hard to execute.
I need to listen to what the Father says.