calm. breathe. smile.

Today was a normal day in Chinaville. But I feel the need to update you that things have picked up just as they were pre-sobbing on the side of the street.

I woke up really late today because I stayed up toooo late reading! I'm reading Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. One of my sister's roomies sent it to me because she knows I live in Chin.a and English books are hard to come by. (so nice). I am resolving myself to some "free reading" (aka - NOT Chin.ese) during the semester to help me remember who I am and to keep my English skills high (seriously, you lose English after ling-term living abroad). I often think of a word first in Chinese then have to translate it. This is an issue. Time to read.

Anyways, I did some work online for my professor-ship and then headed out into the rainy, dreary day to the hospital. Today our lesson was on "physical and personal attributes." I wanted to pump them full of describing words.

There was a student who I have not seen in a long time (since last year). She exclaimed over my weight loss and told me, "You have loss your fat! Only now you are just very chubby!"

I was impressed she knew the word chubby. And then turned her statement around in my head for a quick recovery so I didn't take a march toward self-hateville. "I have lost weight, my body is strong, my pants are being held up by a safety pin. Calm. Breathe. Smile."

The class went really well. The international secretary whatever person came to discuss my editing of the hospital english website and history book. I've been carrying around a manila envelope with papers ridden of bad medical Chinglish and its my job to, "make it beautiful."

It's been an adventure in language, that's for sure.

The last part of our conversation revolved around writing a mission statement and vision statement for the hospital. They want me to do it, based off their suggestions. Oh dear.

After going back and forth on what should and shouldn't be said in a mission statement, it came down to me looking the secretary in the face and saying, "Just write, 'Mission Statement - We love Chi.na. Number One Country Or Bust.' "

Um, ya. She didn't understand me - thank goodness.

Then she handed me more papers to edit for next week. I think she saw the tiredness in my face when she handed them over because she said she, "admires that I have so much to do."

Don't admire it honey....it's called being an American and gettin' crap done. I'm plowing through this year having 3 jobs and school. It's manageable (kinda) and my jobs are what fulfill my need of purpose and happiness.

And - I got paid for the first time since June! Ha-le-lu-jah!!!! Things have been ridiculously tight around here. I haven't wanted to bring up money, but last month ended with me having less than 6 dollars in my Chin.ese bank account. Times have been tough waiting to get paid. And it stinks to work all the time and never see any financial payback. Of course I love my jobs more than any other asect of my life (amazing to be able to say that) but I can't work for free. There's no real schedule to when I get paid since I'm under the table (shhh), so I just go to work and wonder when I'll see the little white envelope with "Jassica" written on it!

After work I hit the gym for some sanity. I love that place. I always feel better when I leave. My body's been on a plateau for about 3 weeks which is suuuper frustrating. But we (me and body) are working through it - mentally and physically.

I hopped over some puddles, onto a bus, and here I sit blogging instead of preparing for my work tomorrow. :) Life is back to "normal."

Also...

I have a kitty. I have a kitty. I have a kitty, hey hey hey hey.

I'm going to finish preparing for work, then go read in bed with my secret snuggle buddy, Mr. Mao. Someone call me at midnight to make me turn off my lights! (jk)

walk slow. xoxo.