The Latest Happenings...

National Treasure 2:
Tuesday night, we went to see National Treasure 2 at the movie theater. My dad had been asking me what the movies are like here, so I was careful to take good notes. The theater was extremely nice - with assigned seating and an actual stage with a curtain. We had no trouble hearing the movie - I think the volume was fully engaged. The movie was actually in English and had Chinese subtitles. We were told that there are options with some movies. We could have seen it in Chinese if we had wanted to... but our vocabulary has not grown to that level of comprehension quite yet. The popcorn was caramelized and had some fruit-flavored kernels (something the Chinese like to do to their popcorn). There weren't a whole lot of other options for snacks besides the caramel popcorn, which was fine because I was still pretty full from our McDonald's dinner. As for the movie itself, I enjoyed it. Of course, it was intense for me at times, but I maintained composure and just had to remind myself a few times that they would make it out alive, since they always do... After the movie, I forgot that I was in China - until we stepped out of the theater and onto the street, greeted with the ever-present Beijing car horns.

Update on Running:
Monday I ran for 22 minutes without stopping.
Tuesday I ran for 32 minutes without stopping.
I was quite surprised by the results of both events. I am now at a loss as to what my next goal should be. I'm planning to consult Rob, my personal "trainer." :)
Note: though the running is improving in time/endurance, I still run at about a snail's pace. Slow and steady counts for something, right?

The Father is working:
One of the girls on this trip has a friend back home who is pregnant. We were all concerned on Monday night when we found out her friend was in dangerous condition - bleeding and supposedly had a miscarriage. As our friend talked via Skype, the rest of us girls gathered in one of the bedrooms to spend some time thinking about the situation as a group. It was a good time together and I think it encouraged our friend. On Tuesday morning, we found out that the girl's baby is still living. Our Father works miracles! If you think of it, please lift this situation up - continued health for the expectant mother.

South Korea:
This week I sent off my application to teach English in South Korea this summer/fall for a year, which I am quite excited about! Sara and I applied within hours of each other. It felt really good to get that application off. We are going to apply with one other organization... and then we'll just have to wait and see what happens! :)

There's plenty more to update you on... but it's time for me to get some sleep. More will be forthcoming later...