Qingdao

Today I got to go on a tour of Qingdao with the new teachers at QMIS (the school I'm at). The whole thing started with a really fun adventure I wasn't expecting to have. My roommate Jason went into the school today to work on some tests he had to make for his students and in the process locked me IN the apartment. I didn't even know that was possible till today. Anyway once I figured out that I was locked in while on the way to the bus to leave for the tour I said a little prayer that I might be able to get out of this darn apartment and God provided and here's how it happened. Literally right after I prayed the phone rang. I answered it and it was the people living upstairs (they are fellow teachers) and they were wondering if I was going to the party tonight. I politely answered their question and then followed up with my problem. They said they would call this other lady who has keys and lives two stories above me. She soon calls my apt and informed me that she doesn't have my keys but that she will be down and I can through them out of the window to her. This all works out well and I can now get out of my apt.

Problem 1 solved

Problem 2: I missed the bus
Debbie the lady with the keys found out where they were and tells me the phrase in Chinese that I need to say to a taxi driver to get there. Mind you if you don't say it exactly right (with the same inflection and tone) Lord only knows what you are really saying. So I walked till I found a taxi, the whole time muttering to myself the phrase. I get in a taxi and say the phrase...he looks at me and says OK and we are off to the unknown destination. 30 minutes and 20 Kwi later I arrive at a church on the other side of the city and find my group.

Problem 2 solved...praise the Lord

The rest is mildly entertaining at best (save one chicken my my crotch, but that's not a different story for a different day) but I got to see the city and it is beautiful and awesome here are some pictures in video form, Sorry it's so blurry it doesn't look like this on my computer. Enjoy!