Sunday morning we started the day with church. On several past trips, I've attended services in other languages, so I was relatively well prepared for the experience. This time, though, the sermon held a surprise.
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My final day in Beijing, Mom and Dad caught a train to Shanghai, so I wandered the city by myself. First off, I wanted to explore a nearby grocery store we'd passed but not shopped in. Compared to independent stores, I figured they'd have both good - and fixed - prices for things like tea, no bargaining required.
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After an early morning flight Tuesday, I reached Beijing midday. I only had about $20 in Japanese yen on me, but once I exchanged it for Chinese yuan, I learned prices here are quite cheap. A bottle of water -- at the airport!! -- costs 2 yuan, about 33 cents. My hour-long bus ride from the airport to our homestay cost 30 yuan, about $5.
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I haven't had much time to myself the past few days, but I wanted to share a little about my final day in Tokyo. For a little context on our schedule during the trip, most of our host church's parishioners work during the day, so they're free to meet mainly in the evenings and weekends.
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My first visit to Tokyo began with some unexpected excitement. A few hours into the flight, I started feeling cold despite my sweatshirt and a blanket, so decided to find the robe I packed. Unfortunately, in my groping, I hit the new blade on my razor just right and took a nick out of my right index fingertip.
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So far this trip, my lack of Polish hasn't been an issue, but I knew that could change on my visit to Zuromin, the town from which one of my paternal great grandfathers immigrated more than 100 years ago. Unfortunately, my apprehension proved warranted.
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