Mamahuhu

So I am new at this whole blogging thing, but I figured it could be a good way to keep in touch with everyone. I also thought it might help motivate me to write down my thoughts! So I have been in Beijing for a little over a month. Can I say this month has been quite a roller coaster! I will insert a few excerpts from past emails to give new followers a little bit of an idea.

September 19, 2011- First Day
Haha best part of the so far day. I came home and the nanny came up to me. She said something in Mandarin and I stared blankly at her. She laughed and rubbed her tummy. I assumed she was asking me if I was hungry.  I nodded my head yes... because I was, and she want off to work in the kitchen.  About twenty minutes later she knocks on the door and pounds on her fists. I guess that means lunch is served... haha! I went into the kitchen and there was a huge plate of noodles with eggs and vegetables! MMMMmm. She saw me with a fork and shock her head and handed me chopsticks. Haha I am so not good with them. She watched me struggle with them for a bit while laughing before showing me how to eat. Haha the nanny gets a kick out of me. She has been constantly laughing. She does not speak any English, and I do not speak any Mandarin, but somehow we managed. Boy if I think latinos are bad about food servings, she was as well. She kept bring plates out.  I motioned it was too much food, so after saying no to plates a couple of times she joined me and ate. It was such a funny experience.  You had to have been there I guess.  Well I am still very tired so I hope to take a nap and then finish unpacking.
October 3, 2011
  One of the hardest things I have encountered in being out here is the language barrier.  I have never have had to deal with it before.  In Germany and Austria people spoke English, my mission was in Spanish...I did not really need to learn it.  I always have understood it.  So this experience has been completely new. To be honest I did not really think about how not knowing the language would be difficult, because it has never been an issue for me. The only time I remembered really not being able to communicate myself was when Tati and I were in Poland. But we were only there a short time, and the only time we really needed to be understood was to find the train station to return back to Germany.

Here I am, and honestly I cannot communicate a thing to anyone. Do you know my coworkers have written my home address and work address practically on everything I carry, so in case I get lost I can make my way back.   I have learned words here and there, but I still cannot get by. Today I decided to go to school for a little bit, and asked Sabrina if she wanted to join. She loves going to school, so she was so excited. After a couple of hours I took Sabrina out to lunch at KFC.  I sent Sabrina to hold a table for us, before I realized I could not order the food. You see no one here knows English. Well not the people off the street, the people who work in restaurants, or in stores. The people who know English are educated and are not the typical people I encounter.   I have a new found respect for missionaries who learn new languages, especially for my companions who came to the field knowing nothing.   So I guess there is a first time for everything.  I really am trying so hard to learn this language, but it is so hard. I think once my work schedule is fixed, I will work on getting a tutor to learn the language. I really do think it is necessary to live here.
October 6, 2011
Ok on other notes. It is really interesting being a member in China. On Tuesday when I had my outing with Eileen, my coworker, I could tell she had a lot of questions. She asked them as if they were not questions at all. Can I just say, that it feels so wrong not to be able to answer them to an extent that the answers can be understood. My heart just really aches inside that I cannot freely discuss the gospel. I might have mentioned how Daniel (my boss) has an associate who is LDS, right? Well his name is Mike Farley and everyone knows him.  Eileen said this "both you and Mike Farley are always really happy and nice, is it because you are both Mormon? What makes you so happy?" She also asked what we did during church, why we are called Mormons, and what we do? I simply answered the questions, but I could tell it was not enough for her, I then told her she can refer to lds.org to read more. Ugh so hard. I have never felt so restricted, but I did not want to say anything to get her, the church, or myself into trouble. 

Ok so you get the gist.  I have been thrown new curb balls in this very short amount of time I have been here and I have a feeling they are still coming. But what is an adventure without them?

Before I came out here, I went over to my grandparents house.  My grandparents have to be some of the funniest people I know. They are from Costa Rica and know very few words in English.

  On this last visit with my grandparents, my grandmother gave me some advice (which I choose not to share, it is not really pertinent) and then she taught me a phrase. Mamahuhu. She told me to use this phrase in coming out here to China. Well honestly I thought she was joking...she tends to do that a lot and you should have heard how she said it.  I could not really take her seriously. Well anyway time past and I did not use the phrase. Then yesterday when I was studying Mandarin with my cd rom and book, I came across the phrase. What the... grandma was right? Well the book said it meant so so.
So I have been sick these last couple of day. When I came back from work, the nanny just started talking to me. By what she was doing and the tone in her voice, I guessed she was asking how I was doing.  I have been feeling a little bit better so I said mamahuhu and she understood me! Haha usually when I learn a new phrase it takes using it a couple of times before I am understood! So today I publicly would like to thank grandma for teaching me mamahuhu!

P.S. It also means careless. Haha I wonder in which context grandma learned it...jk!