In China - NOW!

It is now after 9 pm here in Beijing on a Thursday, and we have been in country for almost 24 hours.  We made it in last night with no problems on our flights.  We are thankful for no delays, only a little minor turbulence, and all of our luggage made it.  It is funny how we can pick out people who are here to adopt.  We are experiencing some jet lag, but hopefully it will pass in the next couple of days.  We are all battling some sinus issues - please pray this will pass quickly.  It is cold here like at home, but it is very windy which makes things very chilly.

We are here before the rest of our travel group arrives tomorrow, so we are able to see a few more sights of the city.  Today we went over to the Olympic Village where we saw the "Bird Nest" and the "Water Cube", as well as a few other sights in the area.  Other interesting places we visited were the Rainbow Mall and the Carrefour (Chinese "Walmart").  The Rainbow is like a department store, but with groceries in the basement.  We had fun looking at what is available from the different candies, drinks, and produce.  There is a definite different smell.  Some of the items we could figure out, but other - we have no clue. The girls thought seeing a WHOLE chicken just laying there was pretty weird.  You can buy all parts of the pig in there.  We did purchase 2 new flavors of Oreos that we have never seen to try. 

We are looking forward to meeting the other families in our group tomorrow, but mostly Rui on Monday. Tomorrow we are touring Old Beijing with our guide and attending an acrobat show that night. 

Pray that our jet lag with pass quickly.  It is just weird to eat breakfast when we normally have dinner, and sleeping when we are normally in school and work.  Praying that we will overcome this quickly, and our energy will perk up.  Being tired does make for a little crankiness.

 Mmmm - tasty?

 The Bird Nest and the Water Cube