Not only has it been a weird week ...

....but it has been a long one.

I cannot believe it is only Thursday afternoon. Two more days before Laura makes it back home.

I think she will readily admit that she was very nervous in heading to China. Yes the travel was going to be long. Yes it was a very different environment for her than her past travels in Europe, Australia and Canada. But I think the biggest thing was she did not know what to expect from a work perspective. That combined with the other elements made the week leading up to the trip very stressful.

Arriving there late at night, after a delayed layover in Beijing did not help. With very little to eat that day she crawled into an uncomfortable bed - now two things that she valued were also missing - food and a comfortable bed. In the morning bad coffee did not help. I know that she was thinking "Get me out of this!". But then ..... her colleague Qin took her out for some lunch - and as nervous as she was about eating in China this was the eureka moment. The food was tasty and healthy. Dinner the same evening confirmed that lunch was not a fluke - again fresh, tasty and healthy. Adding to this was that Qin was able to take her sight seeing and she was able to find some stores that had some of the things that she was looking for - fresh fruit, familiar wine - the trip went from "Oh My God - get me out now" to "What an adventure!".

I am of course ecstatic that Laura found her rhythm in China and now she seems to be having fun - at least her pictures show that - check out the China Album.

I cannot wait for her to get home and I know she feels the same way about coming home but until she does I hope she enjoys her adventure.