First Days

I have time to blog since I forgot to take my Benadryl last night and woke up at 3:00 this morning...I know better than to forget the magic sleeping pill as I try to combat jet lag! I hope there is time to catch a bit of a nap sometime this afternoon.

My first days in Hong Kong have been very full. After arriving at Hong Kong Baptist University at 2:30 a.m. from the airport, we started team leader training on a few hours sleep. But God was good and kept me much more alert for the first day than I expected to be. There are about 17 of us team leaders. The cool thing is that all of the team leader (except one or two) have previous experience with our organization in Asia. A lot of the leaders lived in Asia teaching for at least a year or two and have wanted to return for a short-term summer. The stories from other places in China are great!

Our training involves lots about building team unity, curriculum training, and cultural relations. Our trainers have been quite excellent in their approach and information. I am so glad to listen to people that know what they are talking about and can make me much more successful this summer as a leader. We've been doing training from about 8:30-5:00 every day.

In the evenings we've had the chance to do a little exploring in Hong Kong. We've been on a sharp learning curve with the transportation system. Trying to navigate the streets, riding some very crazy and jerky buses, and knowing how to get around the subway system will take me a bit more time to master, but I definitely know more today than I did 2 days ago:) I've been down to Victoria Harbor to watch an evening light show on all the skyscrapers, and I've checked out the mall (a girl has to know her priorities!). There are lots of opportunities for western food. Last night I badly ordered Chinese food at the mall's food court (who knew there would be shrimp in the Shanghai wontons!) but then enjoyed a mango sundae at McDonalds.

Today we are riding on a ferry to Cheng Chau Island where we will finish up team leader training this afternoon and then greet all our team members as they arrive late tonight from the aiport. We will then be doing whole group training for the next couple of days. I'm excited to meet my team members tonight!