Phyllis and Napping on the South China Sea

Hi Yall!

Fantastic news on the communication front! You can now call me at (803) 454-9649, and it will forward to my Chinese phone for the cost of a local South Carolina call! Mr. Rush, I am getting you set up with a local Hong Kong number next time we chat. To reach Tripp, try (803) 317-2317! This technology makes it so easy to communicate with people back home-- It was great taking the metro to my school this morning to pick up my school uniform and getting a call from both Rebecca and little David, and then hearing from Katie tonight after dinner! It makes me feel like I am home!

Every day has gotten better and better, although we are essentially on vacation until school starts September 1st. I am sure the shock of the "real world" will hit once full time work comes! I worked on lesson plans for the upcoming week-- did not realize my K-1's will not be able to speak their own name! It will be an interesting challenge being the English teacher at my new school!

I met new friends today! Phyllis (in no way resembles Phyllis from The Office!) is a tiny fashionable banker from Singapore working in the financial district across the harbor in Central (the cool part of town). We met waiting for the elevator (have I mentioned the stifling humidity when you open the apartment door?? Our apartment complex saves money by not using air conditioning in the hallways. Yesterday's heat index was 106) and she speaks excellent English! I am really excited because she invited me to her church this Sunday! I am pumped because we were wanting to go to a church but did not know we would be able to find an English service on our side of town!

Tracy and Amy (both teacher friends from New Zealand), Tripp, Liza, and I ventured to Stanley Beach today for a budget-friendly adventure that felt like a vacation! All it took was a metro ride then a short bus trip! We had margherita pizza at the Beach Club overlooking the South China Sea for lunch and spent the day at the beach! Tripp and I kept saying how lucky we are to be from South Carolina-- the beaches we saw today couldn't hold a candle to Sullivan's! Anyways, once we got past the rubbish floating in the surf, we swam out to these floating pads, fell asleep sunbathing, and met our other new friends-- a couple from Finland! They had spent the last two weeks in Thailand and Hong Kong. We ran into them again while browsing the Stanley Market, one of the activities a customer from Pink Sorbet recommended to me! We stopped at Haagen-Daaz in the market for a sample and found they are reducing their carbon footprint-- they were sticking used sample spoons back into the same container customers pull "new" ones out of! Would you like swine flu with that single scoop?

The bus ride back made me carsick and added to my dehydration and general unhappiness with my lack of fresh fruits, veggies, and lean proteins in my diet this week. By the time I was finally feeling better, I was amazed to find Tripp had dinner waiting for Liza and I--teriyaki grilled chicken with honey and garlic shrimp over sticky rice with steamed spinach and fresh peppers! It was a wonderful gesture and such a delicious meal! I felt a thousand times better afterwards. (And it only cost $13 USD for all three of us!) Thanks, Tripp!

For those that had asked about our addresses, we can recieve mail:

Sara Beth Baxley
Flat H 17/F, Block 4
Phase 1, Metro Harbour View
8 Fuk Lee Street
Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon
Hong Kong

Tripp Rush
Flat A 9/F, Block 2
Phase 1, Metro Harbour View
8 Fuk Lee Street
Tai Kok Tsui, Kowloon
Hong Kong

Love hearing from everyone! Thanks for the e-mails and phone calls; it means more than you know! xox, Sara Beth