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almost one month

I realized today that we've almost been in Wuhan for a month. We arrived on Sept. 2nd. It doesn't seem that long. But when I think back to that first night here and then our first full day it does seem awhile ago. We're all so much more comfortable now.

My Wednesday mornings are going to get a lot more comfortable. I'm getting a cleaning lady! She'll come around 8:30am and stay until 12:30pm. Other coworkers here use her and they say she's a great worker and is also great with kids. She'll do whatever cleaning, laundry, or shopping I need done. I'm hoping it works out for her to watch Maddie some too during that time so that I can go out and do some shopping or just get out for awhile. The main reason I'm going to use her is because I just need a break.

I shared with my coworkers today that every few days I have a meltdown. It's just that everything builds up and then I just feel so down and discouraged. There's a lot that contributes to the meltdown. One thing is that I can't blend in here and having a cute little blonde girl with me makes it totally impossible. There are days when I just need to get something small from the store but I dread going because I know that I'm going to have several people stop me to talk to me and Maddie. Some days I don't mind and then the next day I can't take it.

It's also hard right now because Phil's really busy with the internship, teaching English, and doing online course work. He's an amazing husband and father. But life is very busy for him right now so that puts a strain on our little family.

So as I shared these things my coworkers just started pouring out encouragement and help. They know how hard it can be and how simple tasks can become huge here. One help was to have the cleaning lady come to my house on Wednesdays. Others said that they really, really want us to let them watch Maddie for us when we need a break or if I just need to run to the store without her. That means so much to me. Just knowing that I can call up a friend and say, "Can I drop Maddie off at your place? I need an hour to myself." is wonderful.

So, that's my life right now. Trying to find my footing in a place that I've somewhat experienced before but that I'm now seeing in a different light with my little nuhai (girl).

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