welcome back, Catie :)

It's been almost 2 months since I've been able to access the blog regularly, but I think I'm finally back :) After trying some proxy sites yesterday that didn't work too well, Raul got a tip from a friend at NICF about a program that works like a toolbar where you can type in a website and bam! no problems :) So we're now able to access anything and everything that we haven't been able to, even sites that were blocked way back when! (anyone remember my old xanga blog?) Living here has been a pain lately, I must say, but we're finding ways to make it work. And, like I mentioned yesterday...makes us all the more ready to go to the States.


It's probably better we didn't have much access the past 2 months, because we were so so busy with the visa, finishing school, and starting our summer. So if you don't keep up with us on facebook, or you haven't talked to my Mom for the past 2 months (I think everyone falls into those 2 categories?), here's the lowdown on what's been happening.


The rest of May: getting Raul's visa appointment, mad dashes to and fro to finish paperwork.


Better part of June: finishing paperwork, 2 trips to Shanghai for Raul to get a medical exam then pick up the results, nights and weekends spent organizing folders of paperwork, making a photo scrapbook of our relationship, gathering reference letters and other evidence of our relationship, not to mention writing final exams, preparing review work for the whole week we'd be in Guangzhou for the interview, and having meetings at school about various topics. Yeah...it was a very busy time.


June 20: Flew to Guangzhou for a week.
June 22: Got the visa!!! After sitting in Starbucks from 7am - 12pm, waiting for news from Raul who was across the street at the consulate...we got the good news that he got his visa, and I was finally going home!!
June 25: Picked up the visa and got so excited we nearly cried! Got stuck in a nasty thunderstorm 10 minutes after...
June 27: Flew back to Nanjing.
June 29 and 30: Helped students review, gave exams, got a little sad with our students about leaving.
July 1: My last QT with my students, crying in front of them, last English faculty meeting, packing up 3 years of memories at NEIS
July 2: Final lunch with students and faculty. Picked up plane tickets to the US!!!


And from then on...it's been rest, interspersed with moments of packing. It's just too hot to pack and sort for long periods of time when you don't have air conditioning (just in the bedroom). Some have asked why we're not leaving until August 26th if we already have a visa. There's a lot of reasons. One, we wanted to work a bit. We'll be doing an English camp in Yangzhou next week. Two, we need the time to pack, sort, give things away, sell things, and box things up to ship home. It's too hot to do all that in a week. Three, we can' t say goodbye to Nanjing that quick. I've been here 5 years, Raul for 2 1/2, and it's just not easy to say goodbye. Four, it gives us time to see some people for the last time who have gone home for the summer and will be back before we leave (except for the Mwenyas :( ). Five, and one of the biggest reasons we chose the 26th, 2 Filipino friends are getting married in the middle of August. We've been asked to be sponsors (a traditional Filipino role in a wedding) and I've been asked to sing. So there ya go.


As for what we'll be doing when we get stateside...my parents are meeting us in Chicago. We'll probably collapse and sleep for a few days :) Dad's fellowship is hosting something for us on our first Sunday back. We'll go see American Idol in Indy the following week (yeeehaw!), rest the next week (I need to do some serious shopping somewhere in there), then the 19th my family is throwing a belated wedding reception for us. Really looking forward to that...can't even tell ya :) Then the next weekend will be the festival in Fairmount (good times), then... we'll, homecoming at IWU, then... hopefully having a job by then. We could use your thoughts, guys. A lot of adjustment, change, and reverse culture shock to look forward to and pr over. But we trust that our Father is in control. He's gotten us this far, and He hasn't let us down once. So we know He'll take care of finances, job situation, and every other little detail that needs to work out when we move back.


We appreciate so much all of you and your pr's and support during the past several months, and we know we couldn't have made it this far without you.


And if you'll be at the Chicago O'Hare airport on August 26th, feel free to be a part of the welcoming party :)