THREE MONTHS!!!!

I am a bad blogger--forgive me. I am definitely not on vacation, so yes, real life takes over! Well, I guess you could say "The honeymoon phase is over." Not that I don't like my life here, it's just that I miss home. On my bad days, I want to hop on the next plane . . . on my good days, I barely have time to even miss anyone. Three months, people. It's gone by quickly!
SO! Things are going well--extra busy. It's grade card time (all teachers know what that means) and I'm scrambling(like always) to get all my grades and comments in on time. So, things are stressful, yet not without fun. I went to the fake market today and shopped. :) There were police everywhere shutting down the shops and stalls that sell fake products and who weren't able to pay the heavy fine. It was quite interesting. Random people would come up to me and whisper, "Lady, you want Prada bag?" :) That's China for you!
Anyway, I thought I would recount a very scary event that happened a few weeks ago. I attempted to travel home from Carrefour by myself. Yes, I know it sounds easy peasy, but I haven't been anywhere by myself for three months! (I don't speak Chinese, ok?!) Well, here's what happened . . . and no, it's not the first time I thought I would die here in China. Probably not the last either!
So I hop into a taxi after I show the guy where I want to go and he reassures me (twice) that he does in fact know where I want to go. I anxiously peer out the window and try to remember how to get home. I felt a little like Dorothy . . . anywho, I start getting nervous when I don't really recognize anything--you can't blame me, I've never driven here, so I don't actually pay attention to directions. Well, the taxi guy turns onto the expressway, and I KNOW that is definitely NOT the way we take to get home--and the meter is getting higher and higher and I am trying to remain calm and pray and wait until the next exit to see if maybe he knows a shortcut and I don't know cause I haven't lived here long and . . . yes, my anxious thoughts were going a mile a minute!
So, the guy gets off the highway, turns around, slows down (yes, there were creepy lingering people on the side of the street) and then proceeds to get back on the highway and goes around a construction blockade. I seriously am almost hyperventilating at this point, until I see the German Center, and that little bit of familiarity allows me to breathe. The meter is insanely crazy at this point, and the poor guy still doesn't know exactly where to go, and everything looks alike, so I don't know where to tell him. Anyway, to make a long story very long, we figure it out--lots of gestures, head nodding, and "uh-huhs" and I make it back to my apartment--ruffled but no worse for wear. I survived! No, really, it was super duper scary, scenes of scary movies flashed in my head, but no worries, SOMEONE was watching out for me (Thanks, G) and I live to tell the story.
Another day, another adventure. Hmmmm... which story to tell next? I need to update and tell you all about Nanjing, but I'm tired and I still have essays to grade. However, exciting development--I am going to Israel in February!!!! I am very excited! I'll still be coming home for two weeks, though--can't wait to see people and to EAT. Not kidding, my roommate and I sit around and talk about all the food we miss at home . . . seriously, Olive Garden needs to come here!
Well, thanks for reading!!!

Susannah