a day in the city

A normal weekly schedule during this time of the year consists of a lot of me at my apartment, reading blogs, practicing yoga or doing another HIIT style workout, drinking copious amounts of coffee, studying Chinese & cooking. I also tutor English to a bunch of kids on various evenings after school. Jeremy is going pretty much non-stop five days a week, teaching English at his center & studying Chinese in his "spare" time.

So, on Monday & Tuesday (our weekend), we make an effort to spend some quality time together. Whether that be a coffee date (sans phones or ipads,) cooking dinner together, or taking walks in a random corner of our city. It is such a high point of my week & something I look forward to with great anticipation. When you're constantly moving in opposite directions to get things done, those few hours of one on one time, no distractions, are priceless.

Being in China has really caused me to rely on Jeremy in new ways that I didn't think I would need to before we left our comfortable life in the states. Learning our new roles & what each person brings to the table is exciting & has it's challenges. I like to pick things apart & ask questions, Jeremy likes to mull & silently ponder. We have our strengths & weakness as any couple does, but I like to think of this time in China as a way to expand on our strengths & build each other up so we can both grow together & as well as separately.

Last week, we took an afternoon stroll in downtown Jeifangbei with warm cups of starbucks coffee (a little luxury here,) while we pretended to not look like tourists touting an actual camera around our necks. The clouds may take over the sky for a few months in winter, but these outings are like a little dose of sunshine.

China is a challenge in so many ways, but I know that having this time to really build a solid marital foundation is worth it all. Having the ability to focus on what each person means to the other, in difficult situations & when there are very few other's to turn to - it has really put things into perspective.

It has made me realize that I would travel to the most remote part of the world, as long as I have him by my side - experiencing, enduring & exploring.