Abi and I got some new "big city" transportation. Our new scooters are electric powered and will go about 40 kilometers per charge. I really have no clue how far 40 kilometers really is because I have not done the conversion to miles. Thank goodness my phone has a conversion feature because I use it all the time.

This afternoon we scooted over to City Shop (Import Grocery store) to get vanilla so we could make cookies... The trip was really fun but guess what....no vanilla. We were really hoping they would have it because we can not find it anywhere else. So.....we made chocolate chip cookies without vanilla. They turned out pretty good and they tasted like home.

I took another class at the Community Center today.....It was very helpful and the instructor gave us lots of tips about working with an Ayi and driver. Our new driver is working out very well and he and I are learning how to communicate and we are getting really good at Charades. I am also improving my Pictionary skills!!! Who knew this would be one of the "bennies" of living in a foreign country. When all else fails....there is the China Help Line. This is a 24/7 English/Chinese translation service. I used it for the first time today and now I have it on speed dial. All you have to do is call the number....tell the person what you want to communicate....hand the phone to the other person (in this case to our driver, Mr. Zhang) and they tell them what you said in Chinese. It is a really great tool. I think you have to buy time on the Internet sort of like a phone card and then you use up your minutes as they translate for you. Today was a freebie!!!

This coming Friday we will have been in Shanghai for eight weeks. Wow! I have not said this out loud but the past few days I have been feeling home sick. I am missing my Mom and Dad, Tucker, my friends, our dog, and all my comfort places like church, our patio, and even Fred Meyer. It is not that I don't like it here (well...if I am honest there are some parts that I don't like) I am just missing "home". We are all really looking forward to Tuckers visit next week. He will be bringing a little bit of "home" with him.