WE HAVE OUR CAR!!!

After living in Beijing for 4+ months, knowing the car has been here for two months, we finally have the car in our driveway. I got a call this morning saying that the car would probably be released at 3 pm today. At 2:30 I got the call saying it was released.

I decided the best way, for me, to get the car would be to take our driver with me. I had absolutely no desire to drive the car home from the city. I really didn't want to do it today because there's an Asia/Africa summit going on and they have closed he expressway. So, Xiao Shang and I got in the taxi and headed downtown. An hour and a half later, all back roads, we arrived at the embassy. Ten minutes later, I was in possession of the car. I can't remember ever being so happy to see an inanimate object.

The best part was seeing Xiao Shang's reaction to the Odyssey. I didn't know, but in his ten years as a driver (no he not 26 years old) he had never driven an automatic transmission car. So, first I had to show him how to shift into drive. I had to show him how to move his seat up. He giggled. When I opened the automatic door, he giggled. When I showed him how to adjust the rear view mirrors with the button, he giggled. When he rolled down the wrong window to pay the toll, he... yes, you guessed it, giggled. It was pretty cute. I can't wait until he sees the dvd player!