Giving Thanks

I know it's early, but Thanksgiving doesn't exist here in China so I think it's okay to start celebrating now. Just a quick update on what we've been up to-

We recently started taking the spinning class at our gym - which quickly became the highlight of our days. They offer it every night at 7pm and unless we're busy going to the Italian Embassy (we did that last Wednesday) we're in that dark basement on a sweaty bike rocking out to some awesome bumping music. We've quickly becoming obsessed with the feeling we get from spinning our butts off for 45 minutes as hard as we can. Although the instructors speak Chinese, it's pretty easy to follow along and just go with the beat. We started a tally and are hoping to reach our goal of 20 classes by the time we get home.

Which, by the way, is in 4 weeks! We're very excited and already starting to plan our 3 weeks in America before coming back here until June. We're already very aware of how much we're going to miss our students, friends and Chinese life so we're extra thankful that "5-months-ago us" decided to stay the whole year rather than just 6 months. 

Since the temperature has dropped so quickly, we have been having a hard time walking to school in such cold weather each morning. The walk is under 15 minutes but in the cold it feels much longer. I quickly grew obsessed with the idea of getting a bike (we've discussed it since day one but never really did anything about it). The traffic on the way to school is a little crazy, so we were nervous to get bikes and stuck with the safer route of walking. However, since we were looking for a way to get to school that much quicker, it became a reality that we should maybe venture out on two wheels. But where to get a bike in our suburb-like district Shijingshan? We looked at the stores, but they were a little too expensive so we decided to reach out to parents at our school and ask where we could find a used bike in our area. Within an hour, each of us got a response from a more-than-willing parent to give/lend us a free bike. We were shocked! And thrilled to say the least. I got mine yesterday and we rode it around (tried to fit both of us on it which was a failure) during our break time. We felt like children giggling and falling off our new bike. Monday Charlotte will get hers and then we will have our first experience riding back and forth from school. Wish us luck! We're very thankful for our new bikes.

Last night, after our spin class we were discussing how grateful we are to be here. And to be here with each other. It's been a magical adventure and somehow our personalities fit perfectly together and we haven't gotten sick of each other. We've even discussed what we're going to do when we're both back in Needham but not in the same room at all times.. Maybe we'll bike to each other's houses! I'm thankful for you, Lotty. 

I'm also thankful for the fruit tea that we're drinking at this dimly lit coffee shop we're in. Both of us are writing and reflecting today.

THANKS for reading, happy Thanksgiving to all! We'll be over here eating a box of mac & cheese and drinking our last bottle of Italian wine that Beca brought us. Yum.

Love always,
Jacky