A Break for Break

The only way to describe today is "Break for a Break." Everyone just laid really low today, doing their own thing and regaining all the energy that was lost during the school week. I'm not going to lie, it was pretty nice to just have a chill day, to do whatever I wanted without any strings attached. Although I bordered on stir crazy, it was still a good day. Now I can face the rest of the week with a full battery.

This morning I woke up at 9 (I know, I was shocked too. Maybe there is a God after all.) To be fair, I didn't go to bed until 11:30 (十一点半) but still. It was beautiful. (Although I woke up really bloody sore today. I don't know why. Everything from the waist down was one big hurt. Even now, at the end of the day, I still hurt.) I found that I actually really like my bed, as well. It was incredibly hard on the first night, but now I am used to it. And I sleep under a huge comforter, which is so nice to snuggle under, and oh so warm. I love it. It's hard to get out of bed in the morning, especially now that it is getting colder.

There is not a whole lot to say about today. My dad had to go to some one's house to help them build something (I know what you are thinking, please be a little vaguer right? Well, my sister didn't explain it very well. Don't shoot the messenger.) So, he was gone for the whole day, and with my mom in Frankfurt, it was just my sister and me home alone. We basically did our own things all morning, although she did give me about 40 Chinese songs that I asked her for last night (she seemed pleased that I did so...) I listened to those and worked on my college essays, among other things. (I was distracted for a short conversation with my mom back in America, but it is nice to talk to them, so I'm not complaining.)

I got out of my pajamas just before lunch time, and my sister and I walked over to a restaurant next to our apartment to have lunch. We had a chicken dish, wheat soup (which is so so SO good) broccoli, rice, and pumpkin bun things, which are also really good. I thought the restaurant was good, but I don't think my sister was overly impressed. She picked the place though. Anyways, the whole meal was less than 10 American dollars, and she just used the money her dad gave us. I seriously love China.

After lunch was not nearly as productive. I tried to work on my essay's again, but I just crashed, and went down for about a 3 hour nap (I'm not actually sure what time I went to sleep, so I'm just guessing.) When I went to sleep, my sister was watching Peter Pan (the Disney version) and when I woke up, she was watching Pinocchio. She loves Disney. By the time I walked out my door, we had to go to my grandma's house for dinner, because my dad still wasn't home. It's about a 10 minute walk to her house, so I got some time to talk to my sister. (It was actually pretty funny, because as we were walking down the road, all the people selling things saw me and lit up. I'm sure they were thinking that I was just a foreigner they could fleece. Not this foreigner, suckers.)

At my Grandmothers house, she saw us walk in the door, turned on the TV, and loaded up the table with food for us to eat. My dad came in about 20 minutes after us, but the party still wasn't complete. My uncle (my dad's little brother - 弟弟）came, and brought his wife as well. They smiled and were polite, and during dinner, my aunt would just put food onto my plate, even if I didn't want it. (There are the Chinese manners I have been looking for.) When I finally proclaimed that I was full, they shooed me out to the living room to watch more TV. When they discovered that the English channels weren't working, my uncle got up from the table and spent 10 minutes trying to get the movie Guess Who? to work. It did, and then I was left to my own devices, until my sister finished and sat down and started copying my movements. It was pretty funny.

We left pretty soon after everyone finished eating, and my dad drove us all back home. Jerry, our dog, was ecstatic to see us, and was jumping all over the place. I was tired, so I took a shower, washed my hair, and got into bed. (When I got home, by the way, my phone had 1 missed call and 3 texts. I felt so loved. See? I am making friends. Don't laugh at me.) My dad started watching the news, and my sister did something on the computer. We all kinda do our own things at night. Now, I am tired, and want to go to bed earlier than last night. Tomorrow, my sister, me and some of my friends are going to an open air concert in a park, which should be fun. Don't worry, I will write all about it. Love you lots.