Hi and Sorry

Hi Gang: I really apologize for having not sent any emails since I've been in China, but I still can't get my personal computer working on the internet system here. We try something new everyday and hopefully we will get it sooner or later. It makes me feel pretty lonely with not keeping in touch with all of you. This is just a short note to say Happy New Year and a promise to write a better letter soon. I am having to send thru Tom's work computer for lack of anything better. All is well here now. Tom and I both had some sort of 24 hour bug over the last week, but survived. Now surviving the traffic and the Asian ways may be another story. I think sometimes China has just advanced too rapidly and can't keep up. When I send the next lengthy letter you will understand better. Oh yes, also wanted to say we survived Christmas, too. It wasn't as exciting as ours at home usually is and missed spending time with our family. This was my first Christmas ever away from Erik and Erin and Tom's second. Also, the first in quite a while away from Dana's family. Can't say I saw much less confusion and chaos here in China on the holidays. Everything was open on both Christmas and the Monday after New Years, which was their holiday. Not sure what a national holiday consists of, but even the banks were open. It did give Tom a three day weekend. We've also had several days of snow, which according to some people is unusual for this far south. We have a satellite dish now and get a few more channels in English than HBO and Natl. Geographic and news channels than we did before. Of course being in Asia I assume we are getting more on the devastation from the earthquakes and the tsunamis. I really feel for all those people who lost so much. I think God or whoever watches over us is really busy right now. Well, I'll hush for now and thanks to those of you who have sent emails. We love hearing from you and about what all is going on at home. I think the only way I might feel further away is in Australia or another planet. Getting use to being alone pretty much every day. The other two wives are not back from the holidays yet. Not sure how much time we will hang out together anyway. We do have dinners out together several times a week. It's quite different than living in an expat compound like we did in Korea. There was always someone to hang out with and the shopping bus ran twice a week there. Please know that we both think of you all a lot and miss you, too. We do get the weather for the U.S. Hope to hear from you all soon. Love always, Mona and Tom