Angelyn in Shiyan

2009-06-29T20:38:00.002+08:00

FULL CIRCLE MOMENTS

Three years isn't an especially long time to live somewhere, but it was definitely long enough to provide a few noteworthy "full circle moments" in Shiyan and my connected histories.

1) China blocks blogspot. If any of you are wondering why my last blog was in May, it's because China blocked blogspot...again. When I first moved to China, my blog site was blocked making it impossible to view in China, but I was still able to access my account and make entries. Then in the Great Opening Up of '08 when China was preparing for the Summer Olympics and sites such as Wikipedia were finally accessible, my blog also became open for viewing in China - which I've no doubt had a huge impact on all zero of the Chinese people actually reading my blog. Within the last few months, however, China again blocked my blog - both my website and my account so I haven't been able to write anything. In addition, YouTube and other essentials have become inaccessible recently, thus limiting the joie de vivre for all YouTube junkies in China.

2) BLK opens and closes. I imagine there are an untold number of restaurants and other businesses that have opened and closed in Shiyan since I arrived three years ago, but few have become noticeable to me. BLK, however, was beloved by most foreigners. It opened my first year and closed just a few months ago. It was a fast food chicken restaurant - similar to KFC but exponentially better. I seldom ate there, but when I did their chicken wrap pleased me immensely.

3) Direct train to Xi'an begins and ends. This is, perhaps, the most lamentable of all! My first trip to Xi'an in the winter of 2007 was wonderful in many ways - but traveling there and back was not one of them. At that time, there was no direct train between my city and Xi'an, which necessitated a stopover in An Kang to switch trains. Since it was impossible to buy train tickets departing a city from any other city than the city to be departed, An Kang became sort of a black hole, causing innocent foreigners to be 1) stuck in that wretched city for hours on end awaiting the first free train to Xi'an or Shiyan (depending on the direction you were headed) and 2) to only be able to purchase standing tickets - a nightmare during peak travel times. As it turned out, January was a peak travel time, and my memory of traveling to Xi'an from An Kang is precisely this - standing between cars with three Chinese people leaning against my legs and shoulders, sleeping rather comfortably while I straddled my luggage (that was back during my "pack for any occasion" days) in a contorted fashion. I don't remember much about the ride back from An Kang, but I do remember waiting six hours in the freezer that was the An Kang train station, wondering if visiting the terra-cotta warriors in Xi'an was really worth losing my extremities to frostbite over. Needless to say, I didn't feel the need to visit Xi'an again my first year. By my second year, a direct train from Shiyan to Xi'an began, and over the course of the next two years, I would visit Xi'an painlessly five more times. An Kang simply became a distant anecdotal memory...until this June when China decided to discontinue the direct train. Having already promised Jessica and Barry I would visit Xi'an with them one last time, I warily boarded the train to An Kang, hurt by China's apparent personal attack on me. I won't dwell much on the evils of An Kang, but I will say that it certainly didn't fail to disappoint, discourage and suck all the joy out of train travel.

4) The Making of Communion Bread. When I moved to China, I learned to make the bread for communion, which I did every Sunday for a good year and a half. The last Sunday I spent with the Chinese, I taught them how to make communion bread, since the Chinese will be meeting without the foreigners from now on. This is by far the weightiest and most beautiful full circle moment for me.

5) Facebook. The summer before I moved to China, my best friend talked me into getting a Facebook account to keep in touch with everyone. I had been hesitant to get one since EVERYONE was doing it, and I tend to balk at massively popular endeavors. However, I eventually set up an account, and it turned out to be quite a handy communication tool allowing my family and friends to keep up with photos and my blog and me in general. Now that I'm back in the States, however, I've decided to give up Facebook in an effort to simplify my life. So, from now on, if anyone wants to get ahold of me, my e-mail address is asialyn@gmail.com.

LAST DAYS IN CHINA

I finished classes the first week of June - a bittersweet accomplishment (more sweet than bitter). On top of my game for the first semester in three years, I completed all grades and finalized my teaching plans the same week I finished classes. It was beautiful. Having nothing else pressing, I traveled with Jessica to Beijing to meet her younger brother Matthew who would spend the next couple weeks traveling with us. In Beijing Jessica, Trent and I overcame all odds (no identification - me, inappropriate showing of the ankles - Jess, and possession of a cell phone - Trent) to walk through the room housing Chairmen Mao's brilliantly neon-orange-colored body. It was quite a feat, we felt. On that Beijing visit, we also toured the Forbidden City, which was nice but not necessarily a "must-see." We were only in Beijing a few days before going to Qingdao, one of our favorite China cities. There we simply relaxed - meandered around the old town, ate fried squid, toured the Tsingtao beer factory, which was surprisingly fascinating, laid out on the beach and hit unsuspecting Chinese people in the face for merely waiting at the same bus stop as us (Jessica). After Qingdao we were home for a few days before going to Xi'an, where I was nearly pick-pocketed (Matthew swooped in in a moment of valor and confronted my perpetrator before he did any damage. My hero!). Having been to Xi'an a million times already, Jess and I did almost nothing while there besides drink Starbucks, read, and hide in our hostel from crabby Xi'an vendors. Barry and I did venture out for a walk around the old city wall - an endeavor which turned out to be about 8 miles of walking. It was good, but we were more than ready to get back to Shiyan.

My last few days were filled with visits from students and Family. I was reminded daily about the abundant blessings of life in China. There's an old adage that China's most valuable resource is its people. I agree wholeheartedly!

There's really no way to close out this blog the way my heart wishes to. So many thoughts, emotions, lessons learned, etc. float around me as I think about my time in China. But it never really was about me. Too many restrictions (the least of which were the seemingly menacing ones of the particular country I was working in) prevented me from expressing, most of the time, the deeper, more beautiful experiences had and truths learned while serving in China. It was an honor for me to be a part of the work of God in Shiyan. I'm excited now about being a part of the same work back home.

Grace and Peace.

In Him.

2009-05-14T18:48:00.005+08:00

APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY...SHOWERS

When I walked into my apartment last night, I was struck by how noticeably bare the wall opposite my front door was. Being a minimalist, this is quite a thing to notice. However, the scroll I've long displayed as my one claim to Chinese decoration had fallen off the wall, the adhesive becoming decidedly too old and weary to continue its job. I went to my junk drawer to find another adhesive hook to replace the old one when it hit me that I'm leaving next month. Why waste a hook? So instead of returning my scroll to its glorified position as the only piece of wall art in my apartment, I rolled it up and placed it among the other gems I plan to take home. So now my sea-foam colored wall is not only bare but, because of the smoke-spread soot covering my walls from my Thanksgiving fire, is also sporting a faint black outline in the shape of a scroll.

Today I went shopping and bought toilet paper for the last time in China. (At least, it better be the last time or else I waste too much paper and should be held accountable for this.) It's strange when you start thinking this way - the last time I'll buy toilet paper (VINDA, baby), the last time I'll teach UNIT 7 and explain why you shouldn't call a person black if he/she simply has a tan, the last time I'll have a run-in with Badminton Nazi. It's really the small, routine activities that I'll miss the most I think. It was these activities that gave my life a semblance of normalcy while living in a world very different from the one I knew before. Shopping for toiletries tends to be a great equalizer among peoples. And while I appreciate those things that connect me to my western perspective of normalcy, I can't help but wonder in what ways that perspective has been affected by my three years here. A couple days ago I was riding the bus home and watching the driver methodically shifting and stopping and flipping a lever jetting out from the steering wheel. I watched her for a long time, memorizing her movements, trying to get a feel for the shifting and wondering if she could do it in a less abrasive way. I was thrown off most, however, by her constant flipping back and forth of the lever. It took me four bus stops to realize that the lever was her blinker which she faithfully switched left or right as she weaved between lanes. How is it possible I've forgotten the purpose of the very mechanism whose use has single-handedly prevented fender benders and whose absence has escalated countless road rage encounters back home in the States?

Last Saturday morning students from several different departments participated in the "Interesting Sports Meeting." As I had a very important date with the dentist that morning, I could only watch two of the competitions. The first competition was a four man relay race in which the first man had to weave through traffic cones, the second man had to roll a basketball
a quarter of the way around the track with a baton, the third man had to potato sack jump all the way to the fourth man who finished the relay by running hurdles. It was entertaining. The second event was an eleven legged race - ten people tied together running in unison. Some of the groups were pretty impressive and could probably outrun me and my measly two legs easily. Aside from these two activities, the others included a jump rope competition, a hula hoop race and a Chinese version of pin the tail on the donkey using a blind-folded, dizzy student, a gong and a stick. One of my students told me, after my inquiry, that these games were "mostly for fun, but were a little important." I wonder how far bragging rights go for being able to hit a gong blind-folded.

It's raining a lot these days. We hoped to go camping this weekend, but it looks like we'll be rained out for a third time. I don't remember it raining so much my last two years. My students keep telling me the climate change is the result of global warming. I don't have much to respond with to most of the things my students tell me anymore. They also tell me drinking water after eating is bad for my health. I love China, I really do.

2009-04-13T13:25:00.002+08:00

REMEMBER THIS AS THE DAY YOU WERE LUCKY

Last week we gave final exams to our seven week classes. I can't decide if my students are getting worse or if I'm getting better, but I'm catching more cheaters than ever before. It seems there are always those ready and willing to take on the challenge of my "no cheating or fail my class" spiel. Before any exam begins, I run over the basics, "If you speak a word during the exam, I will fail you; if your head turns in your neighbor's direction, I will fail you; if you look at your cell phone, I will fail you..." Inevitably, there are those who refuse to heed my warning and embark on a dark path of connivery and deceit. This semester I caught one guy with a cheat sheet, one guy who had written the vocabulary words on his desk and then tried to convince me he didn't look at them during the exam, and two guys cheating off of each other. Despite these dark splotches on an otherwise wonderful exam time (I LOVE finals), I did have a few success stories. Before any exam begins, I can always pick out the ones who are likely to cheat, and I pay extra close attention to them - not to catch them, but to put enough pressure on them so that they will elect not to cheat. It seldom works, but the few times it does are well worth the extra effort. I consider it one of the noblest works to pursue during finals - preventing would-be, lazy students from becoming cheaters. Sometimes I remove the temptation from a wandering eye by asking the student to move to a spot completely devoid of his fellow classmates. Sometimes I simply stand close to the would-be cheaters. I've saved many a student from himself this way. There are also those few times when I decide grace and mercy must replace justice and allow myself to overlook a quick interchange between two students. It's on these occasions I have been known to let the students leave with this final thought, "Remember this as the day you were lucky." Ah, finals...they bring out the best in us and the worst.

So with finals come...new classes! This week we begin classes to replace the ones we just completed. The first day of class is my least favorite. They are impossible to plan for. In any given class, we might have thirty students or we might have sixty. They might have already had a foreign teacher and, therefore, and English name, or I might be their first. Their English level might be as good as an English major's or they might not understand a word I say. There's absolutely no telling what to expect so we've all had to become pretty good at spontaneously adapting to class dynamics. Even still, the first day of class usually entails the students asking me lots of questions about myself and America, and the more I talk about myself, the more disinterested in the topic I become.

Jessica and I have been meeting about four times a week - when it's not raining, or when we're not sick, and when the stars are aligned just right - to do a little exercising. Twice a week we meet for a short jog, and the other two times we meet to hike the mountain. Last week we mixed it up a bit and decided to play badminton instead of go hiking. In order to play badminton, you must get past the Badminton Nazi. He's this little old man with bushy eyebrows and a scary disposition. He sleeps in the gym when he's not running foreigners away. As teachers at this school, we are entitled to make use of the badminton courts free of charge. Badminton Nazi knows this and will comply if, and only if, we bring him our teachers' cards, proving to him we are, in fact, teachers at this school. Granted, in the past, we have brought foreigners from other schools to play with us, but it really shouldn't be that big of a deal. Anyway, we have since been trained to bring our teachers' cards with us every time we want to play. I have been a teacher at Qi Yuan for two and a half years and have played badminton more times than I can count and still Badminton Nazi insists I show him my teacher's card every time I come. Not only must I show it, but he actually compares the photo to my face to ensure that I am who I say I am. Two and a half years! I could probably draw an accurate sketch of this man's face, but he still can't recognize me!

Easter Day was rather pleasant - well, the day wasn't so much as we were hit by some torrential downpours - but the activities were great. Meeting, Easter dinner, naps, movie, more rest. Megan and Kat scrounged up some lamb, which turned out deliciously. In honor of my dad, I made hot cross buns -somewhat of a tradition with my family. We also had some bacon wrapped green beans, deviled eggs, and some incredible strawberry walnut salad Kat came up with.

The different departments in our school are beginning a volleyball competition this week. The English department has been practicing for a few weeks. I go out and play with them when I can, but I seldom have time. Abraham, the guy in charge of giving us foreigners our classes, has insisted Barry and I join them this week for the competition. Barry has played a lot more with them than I have, and he plans to join them, but I have class during the evening two nights this week so I wouldn't be able to go to the matches. After explaining this to Abraham, he told me to simply reschedule my classes. "The competition is first priority." So he says. I'm pretty sure I may be damaging my relationship with Abraham by refusing to reschedule my classes, but class is my first priority when it comes to this school.

Last year we asked our Father to bring us a harvest of male leadership to Shiyan, and he delivered. Currently, I'm studying with four boys who are incredible individuals. Keep them in your prayers. We also are wanting to continue petitioning our Father for good replacements. At least three of us teachers will be leaving after this semester, opening up three spots for those wanting to serve here. We're hopeful for good, solid replacements whose focus is what it needs to be. We could really use some help in bringing this request before our Father.

Well, I have a couple days free coming up. My students have given me time off since they're preparing for a big exam this Saturday. They're pretty stressed out about it so we rescheduled our Friday classes and canceled our evening discussion groups to give them more time to prepare. I'm not sure yet what I'll do, but with the weather being absolutely gorgeous, I'm thinking either hiking or swimming are in the forecast.

2009-04-06T16:07:00.002+08:00

SPARE THE SPA, SPOIL THE SOUL

A clever foreigner living in China once said, "Spare the spa, spoil the soul." We found out recently from our sisters in Xiangfan that there are hot springs outside their city, and since the boys in Shiyan held a guys' retreat this weekend, we could think of no better time than this to check them out. Jess, Meg, Kat and I joined the two Xiangfan ladies - Carie and Brittany - for a weekend of pampering. It's a good idea to avoid high expectations of activities that seem prone to disappointing, and relaxing in sanitary pools of hot water with rumors of tea soaks and pools of tiny fish which eat the dead skin off your body seemed just such an activity. We left Xiangfan early Saturday morning having already started off on the wrong foot - McDonald's, our one consolation for leaving at seven in the morning and our one guilty pleasure, was both without pancakes and without apology. We settled for something other than pancakes, which is a travesty from my point of view, and got on our tourist bus to head out for the hot springs. Three hours and a horrible lunch later, we descended upon an oasis of beauty. The spa was large, the workers were helpful, the whole system was organized and made practical sense, and the hot springs - once we were dressed and ready - were plentiful, diverse, and perfect. We had just under four hours to wander about, dipping in warm pools of various fragrances, minerals and natural materials that are, no doubt, good for your health. We even found the pool of tiny fish, hungry for what we're hungry to be rid of - dry skin. That was an interesting experience. The six of us plopped down in the middle of this cool pool, and dozens of tiny fish surrounded us, nipping at our toes, our legs, our arms - anything submerged under the water. I was extremely uncomfortable at times and amused at times and appreciative after it was all over. I'm pretty sure I'll never have a reason to do that again, but I'm happy for the experience.

We got back to Shiyan Sunday evening. The guys' retreat was "awesome." That's the word from the foreigners and from my seekers who attended. "Awesome" minus a small potato incident which already seems to have been written down in Shiyan folklore. Turns out, cooking potatoes over a campfire isn't the easiest thing to do. Luckily, Happy Guys is always a viable backup plan to any cooking endeavor gone awry.

Our Finer Things Club finished the final book we had preselected before coming to Shiyan this year - The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. Tonight over a couple of homemade vegetable and Mediterranean pizzas, we discussed this book and with a sense of satisfaction, recounted our feelings about all the books we've read this semester - One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Jesus for President by Shaine Claiborne and Chris Haw, The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyesky and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. Although we've finished the books we set out to read, we aren't finished with Finer Things just yet. We are now all attempting to subdue our "white whale" - that one elusive book which always seems to get away from us. For me, this book is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I've tried to read it three times but find myself returning it to its dusty spot on the book shelf before I'm three chapters in. Now, with the eyes of my literary sisters upon me, I feel a certain momentum that I'm sure will sustain me as I read this book whose author, as Kat loves to point out, "was paid by the word!"

The weather is warming up. People are shedding layers of clothes and subsequently losing half their body size. Students are becoming emboldened to ask for class outside, and we're becoming lax enough to comply. April is a great month to be in Shiyan.

2009-03-25T11:12:00.003+08:00

SPRINGTIME IN SHIYAN

Today it's sunny. Yesterday it was raining. Two days ago I was wearing three and a half shirts and the day before that a tank top. I feel like I'm back in Oklahoma with the daily weather changes. Of course, our apartments stay about fifteen degrees cooler than the outside temperature since we are essentially living in a cinder-block ice house so at least when I stay indoors, the temperature is consistent.

My class schedule is full now that I've started two sophomore English major courses. These classes require a little more planning and inspiration than my non-English majors classes, but I think they'll be fine. And, with these two new classes, come two nights of discussion groups at my place. The discussion groups are voluntary, but I always have the max number of students - ten - sign up each week. So, as of now, my Thursday and Friday evenings will be occupied with students coming over. I like the discussion groups because it gives me a chance to get to know my kids individually and in a more relaxed environment than what the classroom affords.

Last week we got to celebrate the addition to our Family of a new sister. Florence is a spirited girl - unique and thoughtful. We're excited to share this, the greatest of common bonds, with her.

Last semester I remember writing about getting hit by droplets of water someone threw off the roof of a restaurant as I was passing by. Well, it happened again...only, this time, it wasn't water. Barry and I had just finished a pleasant meal at Happy Guy's and were walking past Hobbit Hole when we were splattered by a brown substance that smelled of vomit. Whoever it was got us good. I had this gruel - for lack of a better description (or maybe for want of a desire to accurately describe it) - in my hair, on my face, my clothes, my bare arms. It was gross. I'd like to say I'm more cautious now as I pass by Hobbit Hole (the same place I was hit the first time) and look up before walking on, but I never think to be preemptive. I'm hoping my lack of concern won't bite me in the end, but I wouldn't be surprised to be hit again within the next three months.

Before leaving for Europe in January, I signed up on www.couchsurfing.com to find people who have couches free for travelers passing through their city. Jessica and I thought this might be a fun way to travel - staying for free and meeting people along the way. Sadly, only one person had a free couch in all our travels through Europe. Our first two nights in Paris we stayed with a Vietnamese girl and her husband. It was a cool experience. Anyway, since I've been back to Shiyan, on two separate occasions, I've had requests from people to stay with me for a couple nights before going to visit Mt. Wudang. On both occasions, the requesters were from Germany. The first guy was going to Wudang to study tai chi for a month. He's a shiatsu practitioner and is really interested in the body's energy centers. He was an interesting person to talk with. The second request came a week later from a young German couple who are passing through China after spending time volunteering in Israel and will head to India next to volunteer there. They were also interesting to talk with. Anyway, I've become an advocate for couch surfing. For anyone who travels much, it's such a blessing to find places to stay that don't cost money. But, even more importantly, it's incredibly wonderful to meet people who are hospitable, open and interesting. If you're planning any trips in the future, check out www.couchsurfing.com. You won't be disappointed.

Anyway, I just wanted to send out a short update. All is going well. Hope the same is true for you!

2009-02-23T16:41:00.002+08:00

"DEAR, SWEET ROUTINE, HOW I'VE MISSED THEE"

It's official: the spring semester has begun, and I'm looking at four months until I leave one country I love to return to another country I love. My first class began today. It's an American oral English course, and the students seem sweet. I start four more classes this week for non-English majors, which will be followed in a couple weeks by two English majors classes. I have Thursdays and the weekends free. I can't complain (though it won't stop me from trying!).

WINTER VACATION

I'm saddened that I've floundered at the prospect of writing about my three amazing weeks in Europe. Jessica and I left Shiyan on the 19th of January and were immediately made aware of our Providential guidance on this trip when we were able to secure an upgrade from hard seats to hard sleepers on our 20 hour train ride to Beijing. Had that been the only wonderful and unexpected thing to happen to us during our travels, we could have still counted our vacation a success. However, time and time again as we made our way through France, Spain, Andorra, and back, we were blessed so abundantly by our Father who made travels smooth, interactions pleasant, and memories unforgettable. We know that our family and friends all over the world were lifting us up as we traveled, and we felt His answer to their (and our own) prayers. Forgive me for not going into specifics about our vacation, but anything I write will not merely be inadequate but will quite assuredly insult my memories of this Euro trip. If my dear readers have any specific inquiries or interests in my trip, please feel free to e-mail me, and I'll do my best to promptly respond. (asialyn@gmail.com)

ENGAGING TIMES

This weekend Jessica took her mom and her mom's cousin who have been visiting us for a week to Xi'an to visit all the great sights there. Unbeknownst to her, Trent orchestrated a surprise proposal Saturday night at the Big Goose Pagoda during the famous fountain show. Trent brought John, Megan, Kat, Luke, Finn and me with him to Xi'an Saturday where we stealthily avoided Jessica and her family while spoiling ourselves on Pizza Hut and DQ. Saturday evening after some close run-ins, a few panicked moments, and a sprint that recalled to mind the fact that I'm grossly out of shape, Trent found Jessica in a sea of people (a huge China miracle!) and proposed in, what I can only assume, was true Trent fashion - completely romantic. The rest of us were all so honored to be a small part in this, the next step, towards their beautiful life together.

ROUTINE

So now I'm back home with a little less money but with a lot more memories. Today has passed in a familiar routine-like way, and, as a creature of habit, I much appreciate it. Please keep all of us in your prayers as we make our way through what, for many of us, will be our last semester in China.

2009-01-17T14:35:00.006+08:00

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Amidst all the Spring Festival travel planning, minutes have turned into hours, hours into days, and plans are coming to fruition. Last Thursday Jessica and I held our last classes of the semester, packed our bags, cuddled with our puppies, and whittled away the hours until our two o'clock in the morning train left for Wuhan. Trent - having arrived in Wuhan the afternoon before - met us at the train station where we hailed a taxi to the airport to connect with our Wuhan friend, Carole, and with our flight to warmer weather. We were at last - after a year and a half of foiled plans - going to Hong Kong.

Friday afternoon we serendipitously found John and Megan holed up in their closet (literally) in one of the milliard hostels located in a large, condemned-looking building overrun with people wanting to sell anything you could imagine and understanding every English word except, apparently, "no". After dropping some things off at Trent and Jessica's lovely hostel in another condemned-looking, old building where, were we to comment on the ratty bedding, poor privacy door (a curtain), or any other less than accommodating features, we would be reminded of the e-mail Jess received after booking the place that to expect anything even remotely safe, clean or modest would be to express a purely Western arrogance and unreachable standard, we met with Harmony - a friend living in Hong Kong - and went to dine on a fine dinner of Pakistani food. As I'm sure it will mean nothing to anyone living in the States, I'll not mention all the amazing food we splurged on while in Hong Kong. Although, I will venture to say that anyone who has visited Hong Kong, especially having spent much time in Mainland China first, will understand anything short of describing our food going experiences to be a grossly inadequate portrayal of our Hong Kong visit in its entirety.

Saturday the seven of us went to Lama Island for some seafood, which didn't happen, and to enjoy a little hiking, which did. Lama Island was enchanting. The sun was shining, a breeze was blowing, we spent some time on the beach, and wandered not aimlessly around, but almost. That evening we took a bus to the top of Victoria Peak for a beautiful view of the Hong Kong skyline at dusk.

Sunday we visited St. Andrew's Church in the morning and then split the group for diverging activities. Trent, Jessica, Carole and I visited a Buddhist Nunnery and the surrounding well-kempt gardens. Later that evening we all re-assembled on Hong Kong island for a disappointing ride up the world's "longest" non-continuous, overly impressive-sounding escalator and then spent a few hours indecisively wandering about the part of the island that clearly caters to expats.

Monday was our "completely unsuccessful attempt at shopping" day. China has been hard on our clothes so we had grandiose plans of finding jeans at one of the many H&Ms in one of the many malls in Hong Kong. Only in Hong Kong can you show up to a mall wearing jeans and feel completely underdressed. Luckily I've developed a useful ability to not notice when I am completely noticeable. In this particular mall, there sat an ice skating rink begging for awkward skaters to skim above its sheeny surface, and despite the rink employee's refusal to allow us small support penguins to aid our unsteady legs, not one of us fell down in our thirty minutes of shaky maneuvering.

Tuesday we did a last bout of shopping which proved invaluable to me as I finally found jeans, and then we boarded a bus to the Shenzhen airport. We flew to Wuhan quite stuffed from eating our words that we would never again have to spend a night in that city. It was good, though, because we got to meet up with Zoe who has moved to Wuhan for a training school and enjoyed some good food, drinks and music at Mr. Mai's.

Wednesday afternoon we made it back to Shiyan along with a crowd of Spring Festival travelers, giving us a taste of what is yet to come. Suffice it to say, that I couldn't be happier to NOT be traveling in China during this time. Best of luck to those of you who will be! Upon entering my apartment, I immediately understood that my settling in for the evening after standing four hours on a train was a dream to be unrealized: while I was gone, workers had "painted" my sooted walls white, which translates, workers sloppily threw white paint on the wall, the floor, the couches and missed lots of spots leaving smeared gray streaks running down the walls. In addition, they muddied my floor and spread dirt everywhere. I spent the next few hours cleaning intermittently between discussing small crises that had also occurred while we were gone and needed some attention.

Thursday was Dacy and Jesse's wedding. Dacy's a Chinese sister, and Jesse is an American who formerly taught at my school. The wedding was absolutely beautiful. They had a western-style wedding in a nearby church building which was followed by a Chinese-style reception held at a local hotel. A lot of the Family - old and new - gathered together to celebrate this special occasion.

Without classes and with most of our students having gone home, my days have been folding into themselves. I do know, however, that the day after tomorrow we will be heading to Beijing - 20 hours in hard seats. The following morning Jessica and I will catch a flight to Paris where we will begin our great European adventure. Wish us luck!

2009-01-07T07:46:00.002+08:00

LESS IS MORE...RIGHT?

I have my holiday blog looming before me so I've decided for the sake of sanity and brevity, my entry here will be extremely concise.

Christmas - good.

New Years - good.

End of this term - gooooood.

We're heading to Hong Kong Friday, will be back the following Wednesday (if we can actually procure transportation home during the Spring Festival travel madness), will celebrate Dacy and Jesse's wedding on Thursday, then leave from Beijing for Paris on the 21st. Jessica and I will be spending around three weeks in France, Spain and Andorra for winter break. If you know anyone we can crash with in any of these countries, please hook us up!

Happy Everyday in 2009!

2008-12-01T14:24:00.000+08:00

"IT'LL BE A HOT TIME IN THE OLD TOWN TONIGHT"

So much has happened in the past few days that Thanksgiving seems like weeks ago. However, to avoid being a respecter of holidays, I'll take some time to recall last Thursday; it was, in all actuality, a day worth recalling. The week itself was crazy busy, and I doubted at times whether I would be able to slow down enough to actually enjoy Thanksgiving, but given some extra time on Wednesday to do all my Thanksgiving cooking (a couple pecan pies, some ginger cookies, and rolls), I found myself on Thanksgiving day with relatively few things to do. Jess, Barry and I, having finished our Isaiah study the week before, began 1 Peter in the morning. After the study, we headed to Trent's school for our traditional game of touch football. We only had seven people this year - all foreigners - our smallest turnout yet, but we were not to be deterred by such small numbers. Trent, Barry, and Luke took on the Fabulous Four - Jessica, Finn, Kyle (from Danjiangkou) and me. It was fairly unevenly matched; when you have so few people, one extra person makes a huge difference. But it was fun, and we kept another personally favorite Thanksgiving tradition of my own - winning.

Dinner came at three o'clock (nearly on the dot). Cooking plans went beautifully. Our boys bought a turkey in Wuhan, and with Trent's sweet guanxi, we were able to fry it in the school's kitchen. It was really good. We had about fourteen people at our Thanksgiving and enough food (particularly desserts) to feed about forty. So, overeating ensued.

Saturday morning Jessica and I took a bus to Wuhan for a second Thanksgiving. It was definitely a smaller production than last year. Fewer foreigners and less food, but the regulars were all there. It was nice to spend time with old friends and meet new ones; worshiping with so many foreigners is always a treat for us too. Anyway, we didn't stay a really long time in Wuhan. We actually bought our return tickets for the following day. Jess and I were both feeling homesick for Shiyan. It seems like we always do a lot of traveling this time of the year, and as much as we like seeing other places, we like being home just as much. So our trip to Wuhan was what we wanted it to be - filled with spending time with our friends there and visiting a few foreign shops (Starbucks, Dairy Queen, Theatre).

Sunday morning before our meeting, I received a text message from Trent that said, "Bad news. You left your radiator on and caught your apt. on fire. It didn't burn much, you were very lucky. This is not a joke, sorry." Precisely because he said, "This is not a joke," and because of the brevity and bluntness of the text, I thought it might be a joke. I just replied, "Okay. Thanks," and went on with the day. Later Jess called Barry, and I took the opportunity to ask him about my apartment. As it turned out, Trent was serious. My space heater had malfunctioned somehow and completely melted (burning a hole in the floor) and caught the curtains on fire. Luckily (or by the hand of God, rather), the curtains barely burned, and the most damage that happened to my apartment came from the smoke. When I arrived Sunday night, my apartment smelled of melted plastic (still does), my walls and ceilings were brown, and there was soot in the nooks and crannies of nearly everything (including my toilet which is in another room!). I'm incredibly fortunate to have great friends who spent their Sunday afternoon cleaning my apartment. Before their hard work, my apartment was apparently rather BLACK from the soot. They spent hours wiping down everything, washing my dishes, sweeping my ceiling, mopping my floor - just so I didn't have to come home to such a wreck. I'm eternally grateful to Trent and Zoe who worked so hard so I wouldn't have to be overwhelmed by it all when I came home. Great friends! So I talked to Steven, our foreign affairs guy, and he said he'll get some workers to come repaint my walls white and do some other things to spruce up the place.

Mondays are always good days for me. First of all, I don't have any classes on Monday. Second, Jess, Barry, and I always have our morning study at nine, and then at ten thirty, we go to old man Mike's apartment for an hour of Mahjong. Third, we have our Finer Things Club meeting in the evenings. Today after Mahjong, I was upstairs trying to finish the allotted section of The Brothers Karamazov (our recent book club book) for tonight's discussion group, when I heard Jessica squeal. Shortly after, my phone rang. It was Jess; she said, "Get down here now!" When I entered her room, she was coddling a little puppy. Then she said, "Look what Christina and Lawrence gave us!" As she said that, Lawrence turned around with a second puppy in his hands and thrust it towards me as I, too, let out a squeal that only comes out of me when pets are involved. So, now, Jessica and I have two puppies. Sim Sim Bashful is the male puppy who is lazy and adorable and sleeps all the time. Trixie is female and is spunky, dominant, and rough at times. They are both so cute! I don't know what we're going to do with two puppies, but we have them, and we love them.

This afternoon Jessica, Trent, Barry, me and our two puppies trekked up the mountain behind our school in search of the perfect Christmas tree. We found one and the boys spent some time cutting it down with a tiny saw and two kitchen butcher knives. We didn't actually bring it back to our apartment while it was light out, but drug it semi-close to our apartment building for easy retrieval after darkness descended to cover our deed. Jess and I met Kat at Megan's for our FTC meeting of potato soup and Dostoesky, and while we were gone Barry and Trent brought the Christmas tree into Jessica's apartment. It needed some serious trimming and now needs some serious over-looking of some serious flaws. It doesn't quite qualify as a Charlie Brown tree like last year's but has some very significant issues of its own; we're trying to love it. I'm sure it will grow on us, and with a little help will even fulfill its Christmas purpose.

So, to sum up: two sweet Thanksgivings; fire in apartment but minimal damage; new puppies; a Christmas tree - life is good.

2008-11-25T22:57:00.002+08:00

A SATURDAY NIGHT OUT ON THE TOWN

Last Friday Zoe offered me seven tickets to a 4-D movie. Being rather ignorant of the goings-on at theme parks these days, I, naturally, was rather curious about a film which included the fourth dimension. I mean, how did Shiyan manage to not only settle the muddy waters of what actually constitutes the fourth dimension, but also include this dimension in a movie-watching experience? I was intrigued until I found out that by fourth dimension, they meant combining a 3-D film with physical effects. Well, actually, I remained intrigued despite my mild disappointment (and my feeling that the term "4-D" should not be used to apply to something that clearly does NOT include the fourth dimension as we understand it). Anyway, what kind of physical effects, I wondered, would this little movie theater include in the 3-D viewing experience? In spite of all attempts to avoid getting my hopes up, I became pretty excited. John, Megan, Finn, Zoe, Zoe's friend and I decided to check out the Saturday night eight o'clock showing of this 4-D marathon of short films (four in all) that lasted a total of forty-five minutes. 3-D glasses in hand, we found our seats fairly close to the screen but off to the side enough that only some of the graphics were 3-D while the others were merely blurry. We figured that for the price of ten kuai (the cost of the glasses), we got about a 2 1/2-D experience, and about as close as we got to the physical effects supposedly added to the 3-D film was the feeling of trash crunching beneath our feet and Zoe clinging to my arm when demons jumped out at us. The movie projector was hooked up to a computer, and at the most climactic moment during each of the short films, someone minimized the screen, stopped the film, and opened up the next one. Despite being left without any resolution to three of the four films, it was quite an enjoyable experience.

After the movie, we decided to walk for awhile through town (mostly because there was nothing else to do). While walking we came upon a car wreck. It didn't appear too serious, but the cars were blocking two lanes of traffic. A crowd of gawkers had gathered around the wreck with the intention, so it would appear, of making traffic-flow even more congested and clean-up of the wreckage more difficult. We watched the scene for some time with Megan shouting frustrations at the chaos which came from inpatient drivers who saw an opening in traffic and went for it, only to make everything more convoluted and impossible.

After the wreck scene, we made our way to People's Square where we are always promised opportunities for good times and new experiences. Finn joined a game of Chinese hacky sack, while the rest of us did some people watching. There are always groups of people dancing in the square in the evenings, and we derive great joy from watching them. Of course, when you watch them, you always risk the chance of being pulled into a dancing routine with one or two bold dancers who think it might be fun to teach a foreigner how to dance. On this particular evening, an older man invited me to dance. I initially declined but have learned that in China there is no sense (or success!) in declining anything so I conceded and joined him in the middle of the dance floor. He was a good leader and patient with me. Toward the end of the song, I actually felt like I was doing a halfway decent job of following his lead. It reinforced my desire to take dance lessons in the future...when I have the right partner.

It was a good evening, and I was reminded of how much I genuinely enjoy being out in the evenings, especially in Shiyan. I love this city.

In closing, let me leave you with these words of wisdom from one of my students, "If you are bright, you needn't know so much." (I don't understand it either.)

2008-11-17T13:06:00.003+08:00

THROAT COAT AND OTHER ESSENTIALS

When foreigners first move to China, we witness many things that cause us bewilderment and trepidation. With time, however, we come to trust in this system of disorder as its own kind of order - one to not question and certainly one to not over-analyze. In our first weeks here, we hesitantly cross the street patting ourselves on the back each time we make it to the other side safely. After awhile, however, we realize that crossing the street is not something we do successfully, but something we are a part of - a mere leaf in a flowing river of traffic that looks chaotic and terrifying but is actually rather fluid and beautiful. Lots of little things make us think, in the beginning, how fortunate we are on a daily basis to avoid injury or embarrassment. Things that shouldn't work, do. Condemned theme parks are open for business, and everyone survives the dilapidated rides intact. Accidents occur directly in our path and we remain unscathed. Taking a walk down the street promises countless opportunities to find oneself in the line of a hawked loogie, a fountain of pee or a waterfall of dirty mop water tossed out from shop doors or off the roofs of buildings. After two years of avoiding anything other than apparent "close-calls," I had settled myself comfortably into a feeling of nothing less than a sincere trust in this system of living. When new foreigners commented on near run-ins with speeding taxis or defecating children, I internally smiled at their distrust and fear of this beautiful system that gives one the feeling of living dangerously without the chance of any real danger. My whole sense of how to function in China lies in my belief that becoming a player in this system rather than trying to react to it ("No hesitation" being my mantra as I cross the street) was brought crashing down last Friday. As Halley and I were standing outside Happy Guy's peer pressuring Zoe into skipping her weekend classes to come with us to the ladies' retreat in Xiangfan, a couple drops of water hit the top of my head. These weren't indicators of a rainy evening ahead but, rather, dire warnings of what was about to befall us - warnings we didn't heed, ignored warnings that would haunt me and shake my belief in this system of "close calls but no cigars" (haha In Chinglish this phrase rhymes.). A few seconds later, we were showered with dirty mop water containing no less than twenty five different strains of bacteria - a third of which remain unidentifiable to the modern world. I should insert here that we were, thankfully, not drenched by this water, having missed the greatest portion of it by a few feet. However, bullets of water hit me directly in my right eye as a result of poor reaction time on my part, and my eyesight became blurry for just long enough that I was sure I would be blind within the hour and spend the rest of my life explaining that my loss of eyesight was due to some dirty mop water thrown off the top of a building in a small city in China. Having believed beforehand that it was a part of the system to often be close enough to the water being thrown from a doorway to think "Yikes! Too close," but far enough to never actually be hit, I was, not surprisingly, a little shaken up after finally being hit. My whole faith in the system was brought down. I timidly crossed the street shortly after this incident and was slightly more wary of other potential disasters awaiting me. I have since had my faith restored in the system and count that one terrifying encounter as a fluke. The odds, I believe, are still in my favor.

Speaking of close calls, Jessica and I almost missed our train back from Xiangfan last night. Now this goes far beyond the inconvenience of having to wait for the next train to leave or the annoyance of paying for another ticket; our faces were on the line. Had we missed our train, we would have had to shamefully admit this to the very Xiangfanren who had two weeks prior missed the Shiyan stop (on their way to visit us and to participate in our sweet 80s Halloween party) and ended up in AN KANG (the worst, most demonic city in China and, perhaps, the world). Quite rightfully so, we have enjoyed giving the Xiangfan people a hard time about the fact that they missed our stop since it's only two stops from their city, and they've been here before multiple times. So, you can see, had Jessica and I missed our train home, we would have not only had to admit this to the Xiangfan folks, but we would have had our rights to continue mentioning their own train stop foible revoked, thereby taking away much future enjoyment for ourselves. This is what happened: we lost track of time at Carie's apartment and emerged into the busy intersection to catch a taxi right at shift change time. So as empty taxis whizzed past us waving us off, minutes whizzed by giving us twenty minutes until our train left when finally a good Samaritan picked us up. The taxi ride took fifteen minutes, the fight with the taxi driver over money took some additional precious seconds, and the distance to the train station on foot (because the taxi driver dropped us off too far from the front door, and our Chinese isn't sufficient enough in the heat of the moment to say, "You stop when we TELL you to stop.") added an anxiety filled half minute. When we got to the station, we had five minutes until the train departed. Since nearly all Xiangfan to Shiyan trains are late by half an hour or so, we thought we might fall into the good graces of what is on other occasions a frustrating delay. But all the information boards said our train was on time. At some point we began to run. We got to the small gate, and it was closed. All the passengers had boarded. We spotted some workers sitting over in a corner and did our friend Carie's famous arm-flailing, taxi driver-attention getter, and the workers rushed to our rescue. They asked a woman to see if the train was still here, and it was! They let us through the small gate, and we rushed down the hallway to a large locked gate where a worker majestically threw open the gigantic metal doors, and light from heaven shone glaringly through them as our salvation was waiting for us to board. We thrust our tickets into the faces of one of the workers asking for car 13, and he told us to just board! The stairs had been removed already so we hoisted ourselves into the car, trudged through a couple cars looking for ours, gave up on the search and, instead, found a couple empty seats where we were and collapsed into them heaving from exertion. So the end of this story is 1) we saved our schedule, 2) we saved some money, and 3) we saved our very precious faces.

We were in Xiangfan this weekend for our annual fall ladies' retreat. It was a great experience. We have such amazing sisters and "friends." I wish I could go into so much detail. I often feel this frustration that the things I most want to blog about, the people and the incredible things they say and do, are the very things I am unable to express. At any rate, the retreat was a blessing to all of us, and it was awesome to see our Father's hand in it all.

When we arrived in Shiyan last night around ten thirty, we took a taxi home. As we drove through campus, we noticed how eerily dark it was. There were no lights on anywhere - a sure sign that we would be roughing it when we got home. Indeed, the entire campus was without electricity and water and had been for the majority of the day. James was nice enough to welcome Jess and me home with a little flashlight shining through the stairway, and I was reminded of His Providence in even the smallest of affairs: earlier in the week I received care packages from loved ones back home who had sent me candles that proved essential last night. The electricity and water were both turned on mid-morning, and a long, hot shower is beckoning me.

This morning I awoke with a sore throat. Again, thanks to a care package, I've been drinking throat coat tea all morning and afternoon. It's great stuff. It's getting much colder here. I wore five layers of clothing this morning. I may have slightly overdone it (even the Chinese said it was too much, and that never happens), but I was warm and quite comfortable.

We were honored to have breakfast with one of our favorite former Shiyan people today. Since the girls went to Xiangfan this weekend, the boys in Xiangfan, Will and William, decided to come to Shiyan. We're happy they could afford the trip and that William stayed an extra day so we could get together and talk about the great qualities of our respective cities.

It's time for me to plan this week's classes. Mondays are my prep days, and this one has been interrupted by several oral English final exams I scheduled for the afternoon. My question for the day is why is the weather always nicest (the sky has just turned blue, and the sun has emerged - something I haven't seen in so long I can't remember the last time) when I can't go outside to enjoy it?

2008-11-05T15:36:00.001+08:00

ELECTION FEVER

It's strange to be living outside the States during a presidential election. I definitely appreciate staying clear of all the nasty ads, comments, and tainted news reports and very much enjoy sifting through articles and positions independent of the overwhelming pressure of information overload. But there's a certain political energy lacking during this exciting time in American history, and I can't help but think how different my Tuesday in America would have looked compared to my Tuesday in China.

Tonight Jessica and I joined the Brelands at the medical school for a celebration of democracy in action. There were lots of good activities: watching Obama's 2004 DNC speech, the famous "Yes, We Can" speech, and today's acceptance speech; participating in a democratic voting process to decide among four activities which two we would like to do (though they were all good activities so we did three of the following four - Pin the Lips on the Pig, Obama trivia, Youtube your favorite George W quote, and play poker/nertz); and, finally, watching the movie Recount of the 2000 Florida fiasco.

I began a new sophomore non-English major class yesterday. The students are quiet but intelligent and interested. We spent the first part of class chatting about various things. At one point, I asked them, "Does anyone know what happens in America tomorrow?" After a long pause, a boy sitting in the front row whispered, "Change." Truer words were never spoken.

Our Finer Things Book Club has been reading Jesus for President this month. Although, I'm not impressed at all with Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw's presentation of their beliefs in this book, their idea that mingling our faith with politics often leads to a compromised faith more often than a faith-filled political body is not far off. There is a problem when we depend on our worldly leaders to dictate faith. There is a problem when we think God's kingdom is dependent upon who leads a powerful earthly kingdom. I've been reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and today I read the following passage which I thought fitting:

I think that if we are going to reform the world, and make it a better place to live in, the way to do it is not with talk about relationships of a political nature, which are inevitably dualistic, full of subjects and objects and their relationship to one another; or with programs full of things for other people to do. I think that kind of approach starts it at the end and presumes the end is the beginning. Programs of a political nature are important end products of social quality that can be effective only if the underlying structure of social values is right. The place to improve the world is first in one's own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.

I'm thankful to be part of a spiritual kingdom whose leader is just and righteous, where there are no term limits and no swinging political pendulum. My allegiance lies in this kingdom not made with hands. How awesome that we serve such an amazing King who loves us and pleads with us to love others. May we bless our Father with praise and service!

2008-11-02T14:46:00.003+08:00

A HODGEPODGE

Activities are increasing, demands are growing, and life is generally more hectic right now. I recently finished two seven week classes and am beginning two more this week. The Third World Traditional Wushu Championship has finally descended on Shiyan, and the entire city will be heaving a big sigh of relief in a couple days when it is officially over and is officially declared a success. Halloween activities went off without a hitch, thus ringing in the ambiguous Holiday Season. Foreign friends from Wuhan and Xiangfan have graced our homes with their presence for the past two weekends, and the weather has suddenly turned warm. That's a small summary of recent life in Shiyan for those of you weary of my long entries. For the rest of you, here come the details...

THIRD WORLD TRADITIONAL WUSHU CHAMPIONSHIP

There aren't words to adequately express my feelings about this event. Imagine rumors of hundreds (if not thousands) of foreigners from around the world coming to Shiyan yet running across no more than four or five of them the entire duration of the competition. Picture a third of our English majors missing classes for three weeks for "Volunteer Training" only to hold signs for the foreign teams or to reel in frustration that no one on the foreign team they represent can speak English. And, finally, imagine walking down a familiar street and seeing an entire NEW block of buildings that couldn't have been there the week before. This is just the beginning. It's a strange feeling to always be regarded as a foreigner in a city you know better than, at the very least, the new students who come to Shiyan for college. But it's an even odder feeling when you are regarded as a very specific kind of foreigner - one who has undoubtedly come for a week to participate in the Wushu festival. People look at you differently as you walk by them on the street. They shout "Welcome to Our China" when you've been living here for years. They look at you with wonderment trying to figure out how you fit into the Wushu Competition, and you want to respond to everyone who gives you this look, "I'm a Shiyan People!!!" It's also a strange feeling to contribute to the success of the Wushu Championship in very tangible ways (correcting Chinglish signs, being human dictionaries for those involved in the event, teaching students Spanish because they happen to be representing a Spanish-speaking team, teaching Shiyan people English via TV, and being patient with our students who have missed tons of classes and activities to learn how to walk elegantly in front of a group of people) only to be royally snubbed by the powers that be who promised tickets to, if not the opening ceremony, at least a competition here or there. So, The Third World Traditional Wushu Championship is coming to an end, and our feelings of being under-appreciated will subside eventually. I'm happy for the honor it brought to MY little city. I'll claim HER even if she doesn't claim me.

WEEKEND VISITS

We've been blessed the last two weekends with foreign visitors from Wuhan (last week) and Xiangfan (this week). Carole and Daniel came first bringing joy and laughter into our homes, and Carie, Will and Brittany followed bringing music and kindred spirit moments.

SHOPPING

After two years of living in China, I have finally bought an article of clothing. I avoid shopping for clothes like the plague which is easier to do in a country where the size large in anything is too small for me. I've heard too many stories about the horrors of shopping (being told that there's nothing in the store that would fit you, being dressed by the shop assistants, being watched by other customers) that I have successfully boycotted clothing shopping for my entire stay here. But all things must come to an end, and with a big rip on Saturday, my jeans met the beginning of theirs. I had planned to buy some jeans Saturday anyway, but during our weekly girls brunch, I talked myself out of it. Then came the rip, and it just felt like kismet so we went shopping, and through the aid of my sisters, I found a pair of jeans that will work. Done and done.

HALLOWEEN

We planned an 80s theme party for Halloween this year. You'd be surprised how easy it is to buy 80s styles in China (or to dig through old clothes I brought to China and find appropriate clothing - which is sad, really). It was a fun party - lots of goodies, lots of family, lots of laughter. For my birthday this year, the foreigners in the city gave me the most amazing gift, and I'd like to share it with you all. I contemplated not posting the video because I don't want to put my friends on display, but what they did so touched me and is such an inspiration that I want to share it. I am so honored to work among these fine brothers and sisters and so blessed they are a part of my life.

2008-10-22T13:19:00.002+08:00

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON

I don't really have anything to say which should result in this being a short blog post. But, who am I kidding? I'm incapable of offering my readers a succinct post, and, as I learned in college, the less I have to say, the more I need to write.

Autumn has arrived in Shiyan. The past few days have been rainy, but promises of sunny weather have been made, and we're going to hold my Google weather forecast to its word. The rainy days are nice, but they make it hard to find any motivation to get excited about teaching. I have an oral English class this afternoon for non-English majors, and I'm currently trying to pep talk my way into getting excited about it.

Tonight I have a group of sophomore English majors coming over for our weekly discussion group. These guys are so full of energy and confidence. I don't have to worry about any lulls in the conversation with this group. They always ask so many questions and have so many stories to tell.

I think I may have mentioned a few blog posts ago that I helped the local TV station make a series of short English lessons teaching, in total, one hundred simple and useful English phrases. Well, those lessons have been airing on the Shiyan TV station for several weeks now, and I'm embarrassed to say that a LOT of people having been watching them. When I agreed to help my friend Romano out with this project, I hadn't anticipated that anyone I knew actually ever watched Shiyan TV. I was wrong. So many of my students have told me that they just happened to see me on TV. Even some of Finn's students, after looking at his October Holiday photos, recognized me in some of his pictures as the girl from TV. We ate at Happy Guy's today, and he told me he's been watching my English lessons too. He called me his English teacher. It was cute...but only because it came from Happy Guy, who is always cute. I'm actually rather embarrassed by it all.

I've been schizophrenic with my reading lately. I begin one book and then get distracted by another. I always finish every book I begin, with two exceptions (Charles Dicken's A Tale of Two Cities and Jared Diamond's Collapse - both of which still haunt me), but my inability to complete one book causes me to feel overwhelmed when I get to the point I'm at right now. I'm in the middle of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and just began A Wrinkle in Time. We're also reading Jesus for President for our book club. In addition, I'm studying Isaiah, John, and Acts. The latter three are interesting to study simultaneously. I'm constantly shifting my mind from prophecy to fulfillment, and the before, after, and present applications of it all.

Jessica and I are planning to use our Spring Festival vacation time for a couple weeks of traveling France and Spain. We have some serious money-saving to do before we go, but we've lived our time in China thus far with that old adage "Go Big or Go Home" and we're not about to stop following it now. If any of you know people we can stay with along the way, we would be indebted for your good word on our behalf. Our goal is to not stay in a hostel or hotel ONCE while we're traveling. We like a good challenge.

Love to all!

2008-10-10T20:42:00.002+08:00

AWKWARD TURTLE

I may just have had one of the most awkward discussion group nights in mi casa I've ever had. It all started with a simple misunderstanding. I teach two sophomore English major classes (both of which happen to be on Tuesday), and in both classes I have a girl named Becky. Because of October Holiday, I have to make up both classes and decided to meet with the students outside of class in a discussion group setting (with one of the classes) and in one-on-one meetings to discuss pronunciation (with the other). Tonight was dedicated to the one-on-one meetings, whereas, tomorrow night was allotted specifically for the discussion group. Yesterday I received a text message from Becky saying she wouldn't be able to come on the previously scheduled day for her one-on-one meeting. Later I received a text message from Becky (using a different number) asking if she could come Friday night instead. I said she could, and she replied that she and her roommates would come Friday at seven. I thought it was a little odd that she included her roommates, but I let it slide since the students usually come in packs even when only one of them is supposed to show up.

Around seven o'clock this evening as I was pouring banana bread batter into the pan, I got a phone call from Becky asking me what floor I lived on. I opened the door and before me huddled four girls from my discussion group class who weren't supposed to arrive until Saturday evening. I was a little startled, confused and dense enough to think that Becky (the one-on-one meeting student) was still wandering aimlessly about looking for my apartment. I hurriedly invited the girls in and then yelled Becky's name in the hallway to direct her to my floor. The response, "I'm Becky," came from one of the girls in my apartment, and thus the evening of awkwardness commenced.

I never again regained solid footing. Nearly as soon as I dealt with the fact that my evening would no longer be my own (discussion groups last much longer than the one-on-one meetings I had planned for the night), there was a rap at my door. I opened it, and there stood two of my one-on-one meeting students ready for their critiques. I couldn't do anything but invite them in and tell them we'd be doing their meeting discussion group style. A few minutes later, more students from the one-on-one meetings group trickled in until I had four student from one class and five students from the other. The division couldn't be any clearer either with the four girls from one class sitting on one couch, the five from the other class sitting on the other side of the room, and me smack dab in the middle. Conversation was awkward as I tried to ask each of the one-on-one students a question to which they could give an answer adequate enough for me to be able to pinpoint their personal pronunciation problems all the while including the students from the other class in the discussion. It was not going well.

Then, there was Leon. After I chatted gaily with Becky No. 2 from the discussion group class about Xinjiang Province (where she spent two years of her life and where I spent two weeks of mine), I asked Leon what he was thinking. I can always depend on Leon to add some flavor to any discussion, and he didn't hold anything back. He said, "I was just thinking how the minorities in Xinjiang have a high talent for causing problems with us." I just looked at him. Seriously? Are we going to discuss the terrorist attacks in Xinjiang Province and blame the minorities for their "high talent" in disrupting the peaceful Han existence whose existence has only been in Xinjiang in recent years? I love Leon and on any other occasion, I would be happy to discuss nearly anything with him, but this was not a particularly good time or place for politically heated topics so I segued away from Xinjiang to something else.

The one-on-one meeting students left fairly early. They were, after all, only supposed to have relinquished ten minutes of their time this evening and had already given me over an hour. So now, with one group gone, balance was restored, and I relaxed a little. Now I could grapple with what the purpose of our meeting was, and the girls, though still congregated on one couch and making my room seriously off-balanced, were freer to talk and laugh and share. These girls are new students for me, and I was enjoying getting to know them. We were just getting into a decent, comfortable exchange when one of the girls (after I asked her a "would you rather" type question) said, simply, "I'm sorry. I played badminton today, and now my hair bothers me. I think I will leave." I said, okay, and then another girl said, "I will follow." And finally the other two reluctantly joined the two leaving.

After I closed the door behind them, I stood there trying to figure out what had just taken place. I felt like I had been outside my body the entire evening watching this sad debacle, and there was no solution I could have conjured up to make things smoother or less painfully awkward. On top of all this, half of my banana bread was consumed by a group of students who could merely (and inadequately, I might add) describe it as "strange." Bu hao yisi!

2008-10-06T09:52:00.002+08:00

OCTOBER HOLIDAY - BEIJING AND QINGDAO

Last week China celebrated its 59th National Day, and we took advantage of the nine days we had off to visit Beijing and Qingdao. October Holiday is one of China's two "Golden Weeks" and is characterized by an increased number of tourists jamming a traveling system that is made less accessible "just for the holiday." Beijing was listed as the top city to visit so, naturally, that was where we needed to be. I had been in China for two years already and had somehow failed to visit Beijing even once. That needed to change. So six of us Shiyaners (Jessica, John, Megan, Trent, Finn and I) left on Friday for the capital of China - along with 18 million other Chinese people. As there is no possible way to express just how smooth and fantasmagorical (thank you, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) our time in Beijing was, I'm going to just list some personal highlights. It's a crudely insufficient way to relate our experience, but it's all I can do. Greatness can never be expressed adequately with words; it must be experienced. We arrived in Beijing on Saturday morning and left there for Qingdao on Tuesday afternoon. Qingdao is a coastal city south of Beijing. It's safe to say I was more excited about Qingdao than Beijing. Qingdao has been my "white whale" for the past two years. For a brief period of Chinese history, Qingdao (Tsingtao) was ruled by Germany whose western influence can still be seen today in its architecture, atmosphere and beer. Now, for the sake of simplicity and orderliness, I've compiled the following list of "top fives" about this vacation:

TOP FIVE BEIJING EXPERIENCES

1) Camping on the Great Wall of China - After doing some research, John had discovered that it was, indeed, possible to camp on the Great Wall of China. We could either book a trip through a tour guide OR we could just bring our camping gear and avoid anyone that would kick us off the wall until closing time and camp out then. We chose option number two. The six of us ascended that iconic man-made creation Sunday afternoon, spent several hours walking from tower to tower until we reached the last one, and then waited. Turns out no guards patrolled that area (or the entire wall, it would appear) so we had no opposition to setting up our tents on tower number 19. It was the greatest experience in the history of everything (or nearly). Although the rock wall hardly made for a comfortable bed, and the temperature lowered significantly after dark making for a chilly night for those not blessed with good sleeping bags or a hot sleeping buddy, it was arguably the best camping experience of my life.

2) Summer Palace - Minus the tense 30 minutes spent searching for John (who, incidentally, blames us for the separation), the Summer Palace was surprisingly more interesting than I had anticipated. The architecture was slightly different than the typical Chinese style (though still very "Chinese"), and it was quite possible to just wander about appreciating the tranquility of being lost while simultaneously avoiding the stream of people that we were later to encounter.

3) Temple of Heaven - We, appropriately, visited the Temple of Heaven on Sunday morning. After passing through the various tourist sites within this compound and contemplating on the difference between the gods they worshipped with their animal sacrifices and the God we worship with whom we enjoy a personal relationship, we plopped down at a small, closed entryway and worshipped our awesome Father. It was beautiful.

4) Mexican Food and Old Friends - Monday evening we met Andrew and Jaime Hill, former Shiyan teachers who recently moved to Beijing, for dinner at Peter's Tex Mex. Food, good. Atmosphere, good. Old friends, GOOOOD.

5) Tiananmen Square - While I don't have much personally invested in this location, it's fame incited me to at least appreciate the history wrapped up in it. Seeing Mao's portrait and gazing out over the square left me with strange competing feelings of awe and sadness. Then again, I often experience emotional dissonance when trying to contemplate China - then and now.

TOP FIVE "BU HAO YISI" (SHAMEFUL) MOMENTS

1) Me slapping the hand of a Chinese man who dared to infringe on our attempt (successful, I might add) to acquire subway tickets.

2) John sniffing a pleasant smelling teenage girl on the subway and then discovering that she could see him doing this in the reflection of the door's windows.

3) Jessica yelling at a taxi driver for starting the meter at a base price of 10 yuan, then jumping out of the taxi, yelling some more, and ultimately storming away from the cab (only to find out later that 10 yuan is the correct base price for ALL taxis in Beijing).

4) John, Jessica and Finn secretly eating at Papa John's while Megan, Trent and I trekked through Beijing to buy bus tickets for all of us (all the while starving from having no lunch and, yet, refusing to stop and eat while the others were "waiting" for us).

5) Us telling the suspicious nark of a van driver at the Great Wall that we would, indeed, return at 6 P.M. for him to take us back to Beijing all the while planning to spend the night on the Wall and not descend until the next morning.

TOP FIVE QINGDAO EXPERIENCES

1) Qingdao Christian Church - Qingdao has several European styled churches which are always fun to see in China. This particular one is known for its bell/clock tower. We decided to tour it for seven yuan (apparently, they don't offer discounts to Christians; we tried). After visiting the auditorium and the tower, John, Megan, the Xiangfan crew who we met up with while in Qingdao (Will, Brittany, and Carie), and I sat in the little room you must pass through to reach the bell tower and sang church songs for about an hour. It was such a blessing to be able to worship our Father so conspicuously and be met by appreciation and wonder from the other Chinese tourists.

2) Laissez-faire Wandering Through Qingdao - After our whirlwind trip through Beijing, it was nice to just wander through the streets of Qingdao with no specific plan or agenda. There were times when we felt as if we had entered the heart of Europe, and there were times that we were unmistakably in China, and it was frequent that we experienced this drastic change simply by moving from one street to another.

3) Swimming in the Yellow Sea - Slightly worried after our first beach experience in Qingdao where we saw more rocks and people than sand, we did finally find a beach that really is something to write home about. The sand was unique and sparkled in the sunlight, the water was warm and inviting, and the sunbathing was a welcome sensation on my embarrassingly white skin.

4) Napoli Italian Restaurant - Possibly one of the most enjoyable eating experiences of my life, I'd like to send out a HUGE thanks to Carie's mom for treating us to some fantastic Italian food and some sweet Liza Manelli serenading.

5) Good Talks - Traveling with people I don't know well allows for interesting conversations and ample opportunities for meaningful discussions. This trip was no different. I appreciated getting to know better the people from Xiangfan AND the people from Shiyan.

TOP FIVE "SAD DAY" MOMENTS

1) I lost my camera after descending the Great Wall. I hope it serves its next owner as well as it served me.

2) Trent's cellphone was pick-pocketed at the Feeling Club. No one blames him for not noticing that one of the many hands on his person had ulterior motives.

3) Kat's cellphone sadly fell into a squatty potty never to be reclaimed. So, she did only what a person can do in such a situation: she marked her territory and went on.

4) John left his awesome Old Navy jacket in a taxi cab and another shirt elsewhere.

5) Jessica and I lost three games of spades in a row to Trent and Finn. Loss of face.

I honestly can't remember a smoother China vacation than this one. Group dynamics were amazing, even when we grew from six people in Beijing to eleven people in Qingdao. It's hard to meet the needs, desires and agendas of so many people without suppressed annoyance or even open frustration at times. But there wasn't a single incident that I'm aware of in which personalities seriously conflicted. We also had no problems securing the train and bus tickets we needed to go from place to place. This is a feat indescribable to anyone who has never traveled in China during one of the "Golden Weeks." We give total and complete praise to our Father for his hand in everything we did. We saw Him so often during this trip making things a little easier for us, and we won't cease to remember Him when we talk about our October Holiday 2008.

2008-09-26T00:49:00.003+08:00

"BEST DAY OF MY LIFE"

I'm an expressions copier. I always absorb other people's sayings. Some people have a knack for coming up with just the right words and just the right expressions for every occasion. I don't happen to be one of them. I have several friends who are always updating their expressions, and if I'm around them long enough, I quickly adopt their vernacular. My most recent appropriation comes courtesy of Barry. Ask him how he's doing at any given moment, and his response is always "best day of my life". It's amazing how powerfully motivational and attitude-changing that phrase can be.

The last two days have been the best days of my life. Wednesday began with an excellent study of Isaiah. Jessica, Barry and I meet three mornings a week for an enlightening and convicting discussion of what is becoming one of my favorite books (though I often find that whatever book I happen to be studying at the moment is my favorite). Isaiah's been a great study. This week each chapter we've read has been an in-your-face reminder that YHWH is YHWH and fear has no place in our lives because of that incontrovertible fact. Best day of my life!

I may have mentioned this before, but at the end of next month (in 32 days according to the city's official countdown calendar), Shiyan will be hosting the Third World Wudang Kungfu Festival (by Third World, they mean Third International). It's a big deal. Lots of people from around China and around the world will be descending on our remote city like its the Beijing of Kungfu Olympics. In preparation for so many foreigners visiting our fine city, countless numbers of students are going through rigorous training for tour guide positions. Only the students with the best English...and best looks...and decent physical health have been chosen to be translators and guides for the anticipated swarm of waiguoren (foreigners). But what, mind you, will happen when lost foreigners stumble into an average citizen's corner convenience store and no English-speaking student is to be found? It's a terrifying prospect, but one we've no need to worry about. The local TV station through government funding has created a simple English language program which began airing two days ago and will continue for several more episodes. By the end of the program's airing, the average citizen in Shiyan should be able to say 100 simple phrases such as "I'm a police officer," and "What color is your lost purse?" Peace and stability will reign in Shiyan as foreigners need not fear an inability to communicate in Chinese. The best part of all this is those Shiyaners who really follow this English language program can come away from it speaking English with a beautiful Oklahoma accent; that's right, yours truly was commissioned to read each of the 100 English sentences twice to provide a standard English pronunciation. It was a fun gig, and the TV personnel were wonderful in the filming of the series. My friend Romano works in the Advertising Department at the TV station, and he was the host of the program. He was decent enough to invite me to participate, and the rewards of that opportunity keep coming. Wednesday, after our awesome study, Romano and his colleagues invited Barry and me to join them for lunch at a special restaurant in the mountains. The restaurant is famous for serving up a whole goat barbecue style. It's rather expensive, but the restaurant is a patron of the TV station and invites them out for a meal a couple times a year. We were fortunate enough to join them on this occasion. The meat was delicious, and they served real bread which seemed to bring Barry nearly to tears. After eating what felt like pounds of meat, we were brought to a back room for a second meal of organ and blood soup. It was better than it sounds.

Wednesday only got better with a meat-induced nap, a game of volleyball, and a losing bout of poker.

Today was yet another awesome day: Isaiah study followed by the best post office experience of my life (I left the building smiling!), a delicious and recently improved (if one can improve upon perfection) crunchy taco, the first meeting of the Finer Things Club where we discussed One Hundred Years of Solitude and practiced our Spanish pronunciation of the same four names (for thirty some different characters), Muslim noodles for dinner, item after item checked off of my list of things to do, our weekly John study, China launches into space, sweet sisters (another Barry phrase!) watching Hairspray, and a full house to round out the day.

Tomorrow we leave for Beijing. It's already the best day of my life.

2008-09-18T12:49:00.002+08:00

LUCY

Our kitten hasn't eaten in eleven days (since we got her). We took her to the vet last week, and they said she had a cold. They gave us a four day supply of medicine which we force-fed her. She improved slightly but still refused to eat. This morning I took her back to the vet with the aid of Halley. She had a 41 degree temperature (105.8 degree Fahrenheit!). The vet said it was possible Lucy has some sickness which would be very expensive to treat. First, they would need to run a test to determine if she had the sickness, which I agreed to. It cost 80 yuan and took about five minutes to conclude that she has "viral gastroenteritis", also known as the stomach flu. The treatment for the stomach flu consists of taking Lucy to the vet everyday for four days to be given three shots each visit. The vet said there's only about a 30-40% chance that the treatment will be successful. If she doesn't show signs of improvement after two days, they will stop treatment, and we'll have to have Lucy put to sleep. They say it might cost about two hundred yuan (approximately $30) for the treatment and 50 yuan to have her put to sleep. I asked the vet if it were her cat, what she would do. She said most Chinese would give up and put the cat to sleep figuring that animals aren't worth the expense. Jessica and I, however, have become seriously attached to Lucy in the last eleven days so we decided rather quickly that we're going to fight the flu. Lucy had her first set of shots today. Now we play the waiting game.

2008-09-17T10:51:00.003+08:00

IS THIS A GOOD ACTIVITY?

"I was just about to find another activity. That's not a good activity....That's what we were supposed to come up with. That's the language my mom used with us, you know. We're four years old - 'Come up with a good activity.' We're like sittin' in mud. 'Is this a good activity?'" - BRIAN REGAN

Yesterday eleven of my students missed class to take part in a "dizziness" test. These students will be acting as guides at the Wudang International Kung Fu Festival coming up in October. To make sure they will be able to handle the altitude of Mt. Wudang, they were tested yesterday so as to avoid a potentially embarrassing spectacle in front of countless foreigners during the festival. Actually, I don't really understand what they did yesterday (I filled in the blanks with personal assumptions as to the purpose of a so-called "dizziness" test); all I know is that eleven of my best students weren't in class. So, instead of following my lesson plans for the day with a third of my class missing, I decided to play OUTBURST with them. I gave each group a category, and they came up with ten words/phrases that fit into that category. One category was - ACTIVITIES I MIGHT DO AT PEOPLE'S PARK. The following is the list of activities the students came up with:

ACTIVITIES I MIGHT DO AT PEOPLE'S PARK
1) save the people who fall into the water
2) feed the monkeys
3) fly kates
4) go to WC
5) take photos
6) climbing
7) catching fish
8) eat
9) watching flowers
10) ??

This list gives new meaning to a "good" activity. I think my new favorite activity will be "saving the people who fall into the water." What's YOUR good activity?

MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL

I currently have four mooncakes sitting on my kitchen table waiting for someone to consume them. It will not be me. I've tried for three years to love mooncakes - or to at least choke a whole one down. I just can't get my stomach to enjoy red bean, dried egg yolk, or strange, green pasty filling with unidentifiable nuts. I did have a fruit-filled one that was delectable. So, mooncakes - the bane of my Mid-Autumn Festival experience. All in all, though, I enjoy Mid-Autumn Festival. We have three days off for the holiday (except we don't because we never teach on Saturday and Sunday - two of the "free" days). We were blessed this weekend with visitors from Wuhan, Xiangfan and Danjiangkou. Saturday a few of us went to a reservoir nearby we just found out about - TouYan Reservoir. It has decent hiking (great scenery but not physically challenging) and plenty of places for swimming. Sunday we celebrated Zoe's 21st birthday. Monday we went to the large Yellow Dragon Reservoir that's about an hour or so from our end of town. We rented a boat, swam, ate, played games, socialized. Jessica, Barry and I swam a ways to these huge rocks where Barry led the way in jumping off of them. Not to be outdone (though we later were when Barry did a flip off of them), Jessica and I crawled shakily to the top of the rocks, regained some composure, jumped off mentally into the water and hit our heads mentally, stood shaking on the rocks awhile longer, regained composure, jumped off mentally again, froze on the rocks, then finally took the exhilarating plunge. Well, I don't know what was going through Jessica's head, but I assume her thoughts before the jump were about as schizophrenic as my own. It was great fun, and I'm so proud that Barry and Jessica are my fellow laborers and my fellow dare-devils.

Well, it's raining again. Aside from not wanting to descend the hill in the rain to acquire lunch (we're going to subsist on Jessica's stash of chicken nuggets if she isn't electrocuted by her temperamental oven first), my plans for the day lie unaffected by the weather. I have various tasks I need to complete that involve the Internet and our book of the month - One Hundred Years of Solitude - to get into. Cheers!

2008-09-10T12:44:00.002+08:00

A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE PET MARKET

Classes began for me last week. I'm teaching two sophomore English major courses and two sophomore non-English major courses. I had grandiose ideas about making lesson plans for the entire semester but was foiled again. It's my experience that planning for several classes in advance tends to blow up in my face. Yesterday, for instance, I met with my non-English majors for the first time. I had no roll sheet which is typical so I didn't really know what to expect from this class. I had planned for us to get right into the book instead of just killing time on the first day. However, I was immediately hit by fifty students, half of which had no English name and three-fourths of which had never had a foreign teacher before. It took an entire period just giving names to be able to call roll. The majority of the students can barely function in English and speak to me in Chinese seemingly unaware that I barely understand them. They clearly were not ready to begin using the book today so I changed my lesson plans and will have to re-evaluate everything I had planned for them for the rest of the semester. Ah, a day in the life of an English teacher in China.

Ever since our stay in Chengdu last year when we realized that China does, in fact, have adorable dogs, Jessica and I have been planning to adopt a puppy. We figured the beginning of this year was the time to do it so on Sunday morning we arose early and with two of my students went to the local pet market feeling hopeful and excited. After falling in love time and time again with countless puppies of every shape, size and color, we reluctantly came to the conclusion that the puppy meant for us was not to be found that day and comforted ourselves with the determined solution of returning the following week. Before we left the pet market, however, Jessica found herself drawn to several cages of kittens. Most of the kittens were lying in a depressed stupor, but one was crying and clawing madly at the cage daring to restrict its freedom. When we saw the kitten's frantic efforts to obtain its independence, we looked at each other and came to the only rational conclusion: we must set this kitty free! So we bought the kitten and brought her home with us. She has already greatly increased the warmth of our homes and seriously decreased our productivity. We named her Lucille Ball - Lucy for short - because of her red hair, incessant crying, and endearing neediness.

Today is Teacher's Day in China. Text messages have been pouring in since the first one that woke me up this morning wishing me happy everyday. I happen to have the day off which makes me especially appreciate the life of a teacher, or at least the life of this teacher. Everyone is feeling a little puny today - complete with congestion and weariness. It could be the weather changes or the life changes, but I'm blessed today to be able to rest and watch movies and read.

2008-08-30T08:02:00.002+08:00

NOTHING SAYS "WELCOME HOME" LIKE TORRENTS OF RAIN

Minus a couple extra layers of dust and the initial bit of brown water filling my sinks from months of sedentary life in the pipes, I've returned to an apartment relatively unscathed by my absence. The trip back to my home away from home went considerably smoother than the one a few months ago - no missed flights, no extra unforeseen expenses, and no searing back pain from schlepping around three times my weight in luggage. All told, it was a good journey back.

At LAX I had a twelve hour layover which passed conveniently well through a relaxing bout of reading and catching up on my dad's blog (a novel in and of itself). A few hours before my international flight was to leave, I left the gate to find some dinner and saw walking towards me a warming image of familiarity manifested in my good friends and fellow Shiyaners, John and Megan Calvillo. I had no idea they (or the host of other new China teachers) were on our flight to Hong Kong. It was a pleasant surprise which I continued to enjoy as I met not only the newbies coming to my city but, also, several former OC students who I had known briefly while I was in college at UCO. Oklahoma is well represented in China this year.

Jessica and I parted with our old and new friends in Hong Kong where, for the sake of unconsciously making things mildly more difficult for our school, we flew to Xi'an instead of Wuhan. We were received in Xi'an by wonderful Maya and that ever-smothering cloud of smog which enjoys welcoming all foreigners each year. This was Wednesday morning and since Jessica and I had both been to Xi'an before, we forewent sightseeing, made a run to Metro to buy a few months worth of cheese, and returned to our hotel to retire early.

Thursday morning our train left for Shiyan. A side note here to encourage everyone who sees anyone ever struggling with dragging sixty five pounds of luggage (not counting that already strapped to the body) up a mountain of stairs to kindly help him or her out. It has never failed that when I find myself staring at three flights of stairs and wondering where in my small frame I will find the strength to make it to the top, an angel in a Chinese body swoops in from nowhere to aid me. If there had been a preacher at the top of those stairs, I would have married that gentlemen in a second if I could have found the energy to say "I do" or whatever the equivalent is in Chinese. And in the same way he entered our lives majestically, he left quietly, never knowing just how much appreciation was hidden behind the constraints of the "thank you's" we poured his way.

We arrived in Shiyan to a downpour of rain through which I drug my broken rolling duffle bag, soaking several books housed precariously inside it. We were picked up by a woman from our school and told that we would need to find space to fit Barry, the new teacher for our school, and his luggage. Seeing no possible way this was going to happen, Jessica and I opted to take a taxi home so Barry's first impression of our school wouldn't be one made while riding atop the van in the pouring rain (as there would have been no other place for him to fit). So we made it to our apartments Thursday evening. It is now Saturday morning (my apologies for a delayed post), and it is currently not raining - a first since we arrived.

This afternoon we have a foreigner meet and greet/planning party at the medical school, and tomorrow will be a sweet Family reunion. Things are starting off great.

2008-07-09T20:39:00.002+08:00

Oh, the joy of flying!

Well, I can check "missing a flight" off of my "not to do" life list. I'm sitting in the Hong Kong airport awaiting our international flight to Los Angeles a day later than intended. Since the actual flight fiasco experience is still fresh in my memory and clouding my mood, I'm going to copy and paste Brian's updated blog with his first installment chronicling the last thirty six hours. It's aptly titled:

Our naivety exposed - expecting things to go well in China
by Brian Neal

Well, it's 7am CST on July 9th. My flight from Chicago to Nashville will leave soon and should land around 9:20. You may be wondering how I'm able to blog while on an airplane. Has American Airlines suddenly become the coolest airline ever? Hardly. I'm able to blog right now because I'm sitting in the Hong Kong airport, enjoying their free WiFi internet connection. I just finished enjoying their overpriced bacon cheeseburger. Now I suppose I should tell you WHY I'm in Hong Kong when I should be practically home. It all started with a dream.

Angelyn and I always dreamed of being treated well by our school. So to pursue this dream, we pestered them until they agreed to drive us from Shiyan to the Xi'an airport. This was a big deal for us because this meant we wouldn't have to bother with buses, trains, or taxis, which would be a big deal with our luggage. China has been changing quickly. Just last year a car ride to Xi'an would have taken 12 hours. Now there's a highway scheduled to open in December that will cut that down to 3 hours (thanks to about 100 bazillion tunnels they dug straight through 350km of mountains). Now the drive is expected to take 6 to 8 hours, depending on traffic and road conditions. To make a long story short, we took the opened portion of the highway for almost an hour, off-roaded on a dirt/gravel road for two hours or so, and spent the rest of the time mostly on two-lane paved roads winding through the mountains of Shaanxi province. While the view was breathtaking and our driver was fun and friendly, the drive ended in disaster. We got to the Xi'an area around 5 (about 3 hours later than expected), and got on the expressway to head to the airport. Somehow (I still don't know how because I saw with my own eyes the signs we were following toward the airport) we ended up on the wrong side of Xi'an. By the time I figured it out and showed the driver where we were on the map (ironic that I used a Chinese map better than the Chinese driver could), we were 70 miles away from where we wanted to be. So we turned back and sped towards the airport. The driver didn't seem too concerned when we saw a sign saying we had another 30 minutes, even though our flight was scheduled to leave in 60 minutes. Plenty of time, he said. Well, we pulled off the highway at 7, found the right terminal and pulled up to the door at 7:10, jumped out, barely said thanks to the driver before running inside, and arrived just in time to get totally lost inside the Xi'an airport. We were flying to Hong Kong, so we had to go into the international terminal, which was set off from the rest of the terminal by a frosted glass wall. We couldn't figure out how to get in. People in there had us running back and forth down the terminal for 30 minutes, handing us off from one person to the next, all of whom had no idea where the international terminal was. Finally, at 7:40 (the exact time our flight was taking off) someone let me through into a roped off area so I could ask his boss. It seems he couldn't ask himself. Turns out, the guy was guarding the rope blocking us from where we needed to go to check in. And he didn't even know it. Even though I said "where is counter 52?" (because that's where we needed to check in) and it was ten feet around the corner where he could SEE IT. Airport employees are smart sometimes. So we missed the flight to Hong Kong, which means we missed the 3 flights after that.

All in all, we arrived at the airport 5 hours later than we were told we would arrive. We spent 400 yuan on phone calls, expensive airport hotel rooms, and expensive airport hotel ramen noodles because we had to rebook tickets and stay the night. I really don't know what to say except that it's a lot easier to enjoy speaking with airport employees when you're NOT running around with over 100 pounds of luggage flopping around you. On the upside, it seems we would have missed our other flights even if we had made it to Hong Kong because American Airlines and Dragon Air are dumb. But I'll have to blog about that another time. There's so much more to this story, you should expect at least one more installment. You won't be disappointed.

2008-07-05T08:14:00.002+08:00

FAREWELL, FRIEND!

One of my all-time favorite movies is Angel and the Badman. It's as corny as the title suggests - a John Wayne film no less. I've watched it many times since childhood which is probably why I love it so much. Anyway, in the film, John Wayne - resident badman - has been shot and subsequently rescued and cared for by a Quaker family. Upon arrival to their home, he's put in bed and though nearly unconscious, he appears restless, like there's something he's missing and needs before he can find peace. The Quaker father runs downstairs, empties John Wayne's gun, returns to his bedside and places it in his hand. John Wayne immediately relaxes and passes out. That gun was so much a part of John Wayne's life, he couldn't relax without it.

Last night for the first time in several days, I slept well. I woke up this morning well-rested and even perky. Did I mention Brian's back? After a week of playing tour guide for some first time China visitors, he made it home late Thursday night. Yesterday was a normal day - him doing his things, me doing mine, our paths crossing for meal times - nothing special. But like John Wayne's gun, Brian has become so much a part of my Shiyan life, it's difficult to feel at home without him. I can't imagine next year making cinnamon rolls without him in mind or meeting any meal time without waiting on him to finally get his shoes on so we can go. Anyway, Brian, I love you, brother.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!

We failed miserably at celebrating the Fourth of July in China. It would probably have helped had we been able to stop forgetting it was Independence Day. Here are the highlights of my first Fourth of July in China: I finished Jane Eyre (a reminder of what famous piece of literature we could have claimed as our own had we not declared our independence from using words such as "hither" and "thither") and later had a dinner of grilled fish - which did not compare in Americanicity with grilled hamburgers or hot dogs but was delicious nonetheless - watermelon, and ice cream. We ended the evening with an attempt to watch Independence Day illegally downloaded from a Chinese website, but it didn't work so we watched an episode of Monk instead and went to bed sans a grand Fourth of July Fireworks Show. But, we figure, we've seen enough fireworks daily in China since we've been here to last a lifetime of Fourth of Julys.

COMING HOME

For anyone interested, I'll be back in the great state of Oklahoma Wednesday afternoon - the 9th. See you all soon!

2008-06-29T23:37:00.002+08:00

LATE NIGHT ARBITRARY NUGGETS OF GOODNESS

Tonight was interesting. I had dinner with Michael Scofield and Kevin. Both are juniors at my school, but I taught Kevin last year, and Michael Scofield comes to all my classes even though he's never been an official student of mine. One thing I love about Chinese people is the curious tidbits of information they throw out as if they're common knowledge. Tonight, for example, I learned that people with type A blood are family-oriented and willing to sacrifice their own desires for the will of their spouse. People with type B blood are more selfish and work-oriented. They're ambitious as well. Type O blood people are, obviously enough, good for everybody. So, Michael Scofield, who has type B blood, is looking for a woman who has type A blood. Apparently, that combination would make for marital bliss. Perhaps there's more to having blood tests before getting married than we originally thought!

We had dinner at McDonald's (almost never a good idea). Recently, there has appeared a small vender stand outside McDonald's that sells chicken wings on a stick. The name of the stand is BT which, as it turns out, is slang for someone who is a really, really bad person. BT has a reputation for serving some of the spiciest food you'll find - so spicy, in fact, that if you can eat three sticks, each with two chicken wings on it, you don't have to pay. They're pretty confident the spice is too powerful for anyone to handle. Having set all this up, tonight Michael Scofield challenged me to eat a stick of the super spicy chicken wings. He and Kevin ate the medium spice, but I, unable to back down from a challenge (which might possibly prove to be my downfall), ate both chicken wings without any kind of liquid relief - per condition of the challenge. It was painful. Tears were flowing. But I was victorious. My stomach, however, has been hating me since.

Tonight is the European Cup Championship game between Germany and Spain. I haven't been watching the games up to this point - mostly because of horrible timing - but I've decided to catch the final game. It shows on CCTV-5 beginning at 2:40 a.m. I'm keeping myself awake by watching movies I've never desired to watch before but all of which belong to Brian and will, therefore, no longer be available to watch in little over a week. So far I've watched The Machinist (disturbing), and I just began Enemy at the Gates.

Thursday as Brian was leaving our campus for the train station, he texted me with a message that a bunch of old people were gathering at the football field for a paddle ball performance. He thought I should check it out. I was reluctant to go out of laziness, but I finally decided make an appearance for about twenty minutes out of mere curiosity. I'm so glad I did! The city of Shiyan is a city at all because of the Dong Feng car factory. So much of the city is owned or influenced by this one company. Every year workers from various factories in town gather together for one fantastic performance. I'm not sure the reasons nor am I aware of the intricacies of what I witnessed. I do know, however, that I was moved by the sheer volume of workers on the field. Each group was dressed in colorful shirts and white pants. They stretched over the entire field and began the performance with a choreographed paddle ball routine. It was like watching a sea of colors dancing in the most fantastic rhythm I've ever seen. After the paddle ball sequence, they ran off the field (these aren't spry young things either - we're talking about workers ranging in age from their thirties to their sixties) only to be replaced rather quickly (and after a rapid wardrobe change) by a group of men and women marching in true high school band-like fashion to the beat of several different types of drums. Immediately after this routine, another group of workers clad in neon-colored shirts and space boots trampled onto the field in nothing short of a color guard performance that would shame countless junior colleges. I was entranced the entire time. I think I was mostly amazed that these folks have nothing more to gain from their hard work and effort than a few hours of performance that was hardly honored by a gloating crowd. They didn't seem to mind. The enjoyment pouring forth from their radiant faces showed that the simple act of being involved in this group, of being active, of showing unity in a completely positive manner was reward enough. I was so proud of Chinese people as I watched this performance - proud that old people aren't out of the game here, proud that people still perform for the sake of the performance and not merely for praise, and proud that unity can be expressed in such an unadulterated and fun-loving form.

2008-06-24T21:40:00.002+08:00

China has made me sentimental.

Tonight Brian and I went to a Xinjiang restaurant. It's been here for as long as we have probably, but today was the first time I went. They served kabobs and noodles unlike any you will find in Han restaurants. The first bite of that lamb kabob took me right back to last August when Brian and I finally reached our resting point in Xinjiang. A lot of things have happened since last August. New friends. New family. New directions. I love the fact that we can't predict where our lives will be in ten short months.

Later this evening I was writing grades when my trusty Harding pen ran out of ink. It was given to me just over a year ago by some sweet friends who visited Shiyan for several days last June. It was supposed to be a "gift" to give to a random Chinese person. We're told to bring little gifts that are very "American" to hand out to people who have touched us while we're here. These gifts range from American coins to American flags to American pins and pens. I don't know too many people who actually give them as gifts once they arrive to China. This particular Harding pen, intended as a gift for some Chinese person who has an affinity for writing utensils, was pawned off on me, and I loved it immediately. It served me for a full year. I trashed it about an hour ago. On to new things...

I'm about the only foreign English teacher left in China still teaching. Or at least that's how it feels. I have class till Friday, and then I'll be finished. I'm just about caught up on grading, a feat which still impresses me. I am becoming better at giving fair grades. When I started I had a difficult time even giving 'C's to the bad students. I guess I forgot that there are a lot of students, generally the ones who deserve them, who don't get upset when they receive 'C's and even rejoice a bit that it's not worse.

I spent the weekend in Wuhan. There are a lot of stereotypes in China. Sichuan Province is known for its beautiful girls and spicy food. Beijing is such a "cultural" city. Xi'an is very beautiful. Shanghai is so modern. And Wuhan? Well, Wuhan is one of the Three Furnaces of China because it is blazing hot. Generally, I enjoy demolishing as many stereotypes as I possibly can (or to at least encourage original and/or personal opinions to surface), but I have to agree that Wuhan is a furnace. Maybe I've been away too long from those hot and muggy August summers in Oklahoma, but I'm no longer accustomed to such humidity. I don't know how people function in such heat. Regardless of this nearly suffocating experience in the Wuhan death trap, we had a great time there. I am consistently blessed by the beauty I see in other people, and there are some beautiful people working in Wuhan.

Jessica's home now. She left on Sunday. John and Megan, William and Andrew and Jaime leave this week. Darla left last week. Priscilla leaves next. Brian's leaving me for Beijing before returning to leave for the States with me. Several of our Chinese Family are about to or have already left for various reasons (or are just incredibly busy). I guess I returned home early enough last year to not be the one left behind. Note to self: it's easier to leave first...

Today was a good China day. There are some days when the very things that annoy you most of the time are humorous or quaint or even adorable. Today was one of those days.

2008-06-09T16:20:00.002+08:00

CHANGE

I realized I have yet to mention the fairly recent installation of hot water heaters at Qi Yuan. It's maybe not the biggest thing to hit Shiyan, but it is the fruit of a long fought battle between the foreigners and the school. For years we've had to arrange our shower times around the "regularly scheduled" and generally undependable hot water availability times. What this really means is that we've had to learn to drop everything and run to the bathrooms as soon as we hear that loud, apocalyptic-sounding groan coming from the water pipes as the heat begins to flow. We've also learned to cope with missed showers (what's one more day?) and handle scalding hot water melting our skin when we do get them. Last month, though, our daily routines were forever altered when the school finally installed hot water heaters in each of our bathrooms. No more looking at our watch every five minutes when we're at someone else's school to make sure we haven't missed the hot water. No more avoiding exercising before 8 pm knowing there's no way to clean up after (well, there's always cold showers available, but, really, why put ourselves through that?). No more feeling shame when friends are unable to clean up after arriving from other cities having spent hours on nasty trains - the filth of which can only be washed away. But now our school has brought us into the modern age, and we are grateful. I say all this after my mid-day shower, a new experience for me.

While on the topic of change, Shiyan is seeing its fair share of it in recent months. I should put a disclaimer here and say that it's possible Shiyan isn't changing as much as I think. Perhaps I'm just getting to know her better. It's been almost two years since I first moved here, and before coming I was warned to not expect to find too many foreign things. It was a warranted warning since I don't consider KFC or McDonald's the western things I would choose to have readily available. Last year we trekked all over the city for butter. This year most supermarkets have it most of the time. We even discovered shortening at a local bakery which has greatly increased the number of foods from back home we can now make. This year alone we have discovered flavored coffee creamers (hazelnut, vanilla, and something else), rocky road and cookies and cream ice cream, Dr. Pepper and Cream Soda (on one occasion and never again, but I'm remaining hopeful), a wine shop with imported brands, a store that sells jeans in real people sizes, and real, fresh milk (again only on one occasion, but it's a beginning). These new finds are a far cry from the warnings we were given to bring shoe-laces with us (as Chinese people don't wear laced shoes?) and underwear and enough pants to survive a year of China wear and tear (I've had two pairs of pants die already, and two more are on their deathbeds). There are still those clutch ingredients we have yet to spot in our supermarkets which will continue to demand our periodic visits to the "big" cities to acquire them (cheese, namely, and other things we don't know we miss until we're standing in the foreign aisle at Metro entranced by such novelties as...Graham crackers and...Nutella). But, give Shiyan a couple more years; she's catching up.

2008-05-20T07:47:00.003+08:00

A Nation in Mourning

Up till now I've avoided blogging about the 8.0 (according to the latest CCTV9 measurement report) earthquake that hit Sichuan Province last week. I figured the news agencies were all over the story, and my fellow China bloggers were keeping folks back home updated. I couldn't think of anything to add. Perhaps a product of our culture or merely a sad commentary on the times we're living in, I often find it difficult to relate to tragic events, particularly when they occur "out of sight". It really wasn't until yesterday that I began to feel the impact of what happened and what is continuing to happen. China has declared a three day mourning period which began Monday at 2:28, exactly one week to the minute that the earthquake hit. William and I were in a taxi heading back to my school from the medical college during this time. At 2:28 sirens went off, and there was a steady stream of horn honking for about a minute. Our driver along with many others pulled to the shoulder and drove the slowest I've ever seen Chinese taxi drivers drive. As we made our way down foot massage street, I was watching the faces of the Chinese shop owners and employees who had come to their doorsteps to watch the procession, and that was when the magnitude of this tragedy finally began to sink in. Anytime anything happens, it's so easy to immediately begin comparing the ways different cultures handle the same situations. National tragedies always evoke national unity (9/11, Hurricane Katrina, 5.12). This is true of both cultures I know and maybe the rest that I don't know. However, there have been some distinctly Chinese methods employed recently in the handling of the aftermath of the Beichuan Earthquake, and I thought it educational to discuss some of the most noticeable ones for those of you back home.

After the quake hit, the Chinese government and people mobilized, and in the opinion of those of us who have watched the presses for any updates, it seems their response has been quite respectable. Every department and every class at our school has rallied together to raise money and donate other supplies to take to Sichuan. Unfortunately, the earthquake caused some serious road destruction, and currently only planes have access to the hardest hit areas. Regardless, students have responded with sincerity and personal conviction to serve the people hurt in the earthquake. Each week my freshmen English majors are to turn in journal entries updating me on the month-long challenge they gave themselves. Last Friday Leon wrote the following:

The Challenge of Love

I know what had happened this week. I know this week is difficult for China. I also know what has happened this year. It’s so bad. I think this year for China is a real challenge. I don’t want to see more people get hurt. Crying is not useful.

I love my family. I love them. I love my classmates. I love my teachers. If they’re all right, I’m all right. I know the bad things didn’t happen first. Don’t be afraid. The earthquake comes one after one. What should we do? Can we bear it? Will we be hurt? I think this is enough. This is life. Maybe yesterday you are all right, today or tomorrow the bad things happens. All will be over. I love my family, classmates and my teachers. Are you all right? Don’t worry. Still I am and will stay with you.

Another similarity between our cultures: tangible death causes us to evaluate life. It must be terrifying to contemplate death when physical life is all there is.

The three days of mourning are interesting. First of all, entertainment is not allowed. Clubs, K-TV, and any other "entertainment" establishments have been mandatorily closed for the three days. Students are told to not engage in anything entertaining. Darla was told by a Chinese teacher not to show her previously scheduled film in class. Yesterday William and I went to play basketball at the medical school. The courts were deserted which thwarted our plans. We had anticipated joining one of the groups already playing since we didn't have a ball of our own, but there was no one to play with. We then came to my school where I have a ball we could use. My school's courts were nearly deserted, as well. There were four other boys playing basketball, and I shudder to think what might happen to them if they were caught. In addition to the no entertainment rule, all television stations are only allowed to show earthquake coverage. My television has about thirty some channels, and only three or four different reports can be seen. Tudou, a popular website that allows free movie downloads, currently has only twelve or so possible downloads - all earthquake footage. Films cannot even be searched on this website as far as we've seen. Speaking of websites, color has been removed from them for these three days of mourning. Everything is in black and white (for example, www.google.com.cn). Oh, and the Olympic torch has, of course, paused to observe this time. One of my students told me that this mandatory period of "silence" is a good method to cause people to stop and think more deeply, to take an introspective look, and to pray for those who were affected. I asked him if people would take advantage of this time. He couldn't say. For as long as human history has been chronicled and for as long as mankind continues, we will continue to mistake visible actions for invisible motives. It's not that I don't respect setting aside three days of mourning. I most certainly do! It's not even that I don't appreciate the methods implemented to bring about three days of silence. It's commendable. And the motives on the side of the government are totally honorable. I'm merely thinking about the underlying idea that people can become what they should be by placing specific requirements on them. I guess I'm really applying this situation to one more personal. There's an idea that sitting in the pew every Sunday and Wednesday makes for a good Follower. The more the outer cup is shiny, the better. Faith, Hope, Love. These aren't things that can be forced into your children, into your friends, or into your families by making certain things mandatory (whether verbally or, more commonly, through social pressure). I definitely want to avoid a soapbox. I know that you will know a tree by its fruit, but I also know that our view of fruit can be skewed sometimes. I think lemons are beautiful fruit, but I'm not such a fan of eating them. Durian, on the other hand, has a horrible wrap for its garlicky, dirty feet smell, but it's some of the tastiest fruit you will find (if you dare to try it). My point is that even if we can identify a tree by its fruit, maybe our view of the fruit itself is not truly representative of the type of tree our Father has asked us to be. So what came first, the chicken or the egg? Hmm, who really cares. The more important question for which there is an answer is what comes first, sincerity and love in one's heart or visible acts of sincerity and love? "First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside will also be clean."

Gandhi once said, "Ask the poor. They'll tell you who the Disciples are." There's a certain amount of truth in that, and the implications are clear. I was just thinking about the mass amounts of aid that are being given and will continue to be given to Beichuan Earthquake survivors. These humanitarian endeavors are amazing examples of mankind's ability to empathize and serve others. Disciples are asked to do more. How are We set apart from others? The lines are blurred quite often because we confuse tangible actions with intangible qualities. Dr. Larry Crabb, author of Inside Out, wrote, "Because we refuse to apply the ointment that burns off the diseased crust (looking inside ourselves and bringing to the surface the pain that keeps us from unconditionally loving others), we settle for natural goodness, for the nice things we do that Believers and non-Believers alike are capable of choosing. We seldom experience supernatural goodness, the release of the energy of Chr*st that is deposited deeply within us through salvation." I'm so thankful for the Chinese government, the Chinese people, and the foreign governments' aid to Sichuan Province. The world knows how to meet the needs of those terribly affected by horrifically large tragedies. But its up to His Children to meet the needs of those terribly affected by the horrors we don't often see: the horrors of abandonment, abuse, animosity...Love is the fruit of the trees we've been called to be. Love motivates purely and acts sincerely. Love doesn't take time off or wait for serious tragedies to occur before acting. Love sees compassionately the needs of others here and now. Clean the inside...the rest will follow suit.

2008-05-12T23:59:00.000+08:00

LEADING WITH A DISCLAIMER

The sheer length of time since my last update should guarantee at least one or two interesting anecdotes. Sadly, it doesn’t. But I’ve promised to update my faithful readers (or reader, maybe) and attempt to pull something together.

Teaching is bittersweet at the moment. I have one class that I’m really enjoying. Around Easter we watched the film The Ultimate Gift. It’s a cute, Hallmark-quality film about a spoiled young man who is offered the opportunity to receive a series of “gifts” that lead up to an unknown “ultimate” gift. The series of gifts included learning such important lessons as the values of work, money, family, friends, learning, gratitude, dreams, one day, and a couple others. I had planned to show the video, discuss what I consider to be the ultimate gift by doing a cultural talk on Easter, and then move on. However, in light of my students’ overwhelming appreciation for the film, I decided to give them an assignment that would require a bit of work on their part. I asked them to choose one of the “gifts” they feel they personally need to learn and challenge themselves for one month to learn it. For example, if they need to learn the value of money, they might choose to live on a limited amount of money for the whole month or to use their money to help others who are in financial straits. Each week they have to write a journal entry detailing the progress of their challenge, and at the end of the month, they will be presenting the lessons they learned from their challenge. While a large majority is taking the easiest approach possible to this project, the few who are taking it seriously are blowing my mind with the challenges they’ve given themselves and the work they’re putting into meeting the challenges. Here are some highlights:

1) Percy – No doubt the least liked boy in class because of the frank and rather rude comments he makes quite often (which he calls “honesty”), Percy chose the gift of friendship and has challenged himself by first cleaning up his personal appearance (Previously he never thought it important to impress his classmates so he grew his hair long and attempted a disturbingly stringy mustache. This, coupled with his infrequent showers, more than put off his classmates. Since the challenge, he has shaved, cut his hair and cleaned up his appearance.) He is also putting forth more of an effort to be friendly, helpful, and less judgmental of his classmates.

2) Felisha – Felisha is a quiet girl who has chosen to challenge herself to pass her P.E. class. As simple as it sounds, this challenge is huge for her. Not only was she not blessed with any athletic prowess, but the P.E. course they have this semester includes running hurdles, laps, and doing various jumping events. Felisha has challenged herself to run more (even though she hates it) and practice each activity more often and more devotedly. She’s already made huge progress. Before the challenge she couldn’t run one lap around the track; now she can run four!

3) Zita – Zita is a very closed off girl. She seldom talks in class, and I’ve only seen her smile once or twice. She’s the only girl who hasn’t taken the opportunity to come to my apartment for a visit (surprising only because everyone else jumps at the chance). Anyway, she has chosen to challenge herself to learn the gift of family. She has a very poor relationship with her father as a result of some negative experiences in childhood. This month she has challenged herself to confront her father and to begin to rebuild their relationship.

I’m excited to listen to their presentations coming up. My other classes are less than exciting. My non-English major classes last only seven weeks, two of which fall on holidays so we don’t meet. It’s hard to get anything done in five weeks. Plus, this semester my students hardly understand any English so having a productive class is like pulling teeth.

EARTHQUAKE

By now most of you have probably heard of the earthquake that hit central China Monday afternoon. We did indeed feel it in Shiyan. Jessica and I were in her apartment killing time before heading to class when things in her living room began to sway. It was a different feeling than the last earthquake we felt a month ago. This one lasted much longer but seemed to be more fluid in its movement than the last one, which seemed to be rather abrasive. I’ve been reading the news, and this earthquake was quite destructive. I haven’t heard the extent of the damage, but many lives have been affected.

2008-04-08T22:08:00.003+08:00

SHANGHAI FAMILY REUNION

Jessica's putting me to shame by the amount of times she's blogged this month so I'm going to try to catch up.

Halley, a sister and third year student from my school, and I took a quick, five day trip to Shanghai last week. My oldest brother and his wife (Ashley and Jamie) were given an incredible opportunity to spend five days in Shanghai so Halley and I booked train and plane tickets there and back (excitement abounds here in Shiyan since the new advent of this incredible Internet based computer system which now allows us to book return tickets from the comfort of our own city rather than the archaic system of depending on friends or friends' friends who live in the particular city we need to return from to secure tickets for us). We left late Wednesday night after a torturous English corner experience and arrived in Wuhan with a pleasantly long layover in Hankou where we enjoyed an afternoon with Danielle and her friend Sunny.

Thursday night we arrived in Shanghai and made our way to a "hotel". I had looked for hostels semi-close to where Ashley and Jamie would be staying, and the cheapest one I found was 70 yuan a night. Halley, however, found a Chinese hotel especially suited for students on a tight budget. It wasn't really a hotel but a large apartment in which beds were rented out to travelers or new residents for a mere 17 yuan a night. It was a fairly nice place to stay, but neither Halley nor I felt comfortable taking showers there. Is it a bad sign when I can go five days without showering and hardly feel bothered by it? In China it's important to wash your feet before you go to bed so I made sure to comply to this cultural standard.

Friday Halley and I met up with Ashley and Jamie, and we spent the day walking and walking and walking some more. I have to be terribly honest and admit that Shanghai is not the most exciting city in China nor is it laid out well for tourists. However, I did really enjoy the architecture in the Yu Yuan Old Town, the parks which were quite lovely, and the famous Shanghai skyline that most definitely does not disappoint, particularly at night.

Saturday Ashley and Jamie did some souvenir shopping while Halley and I met her cousin and went to Fudang University. I didn't have anything of particular interest I wished to see, and Halley was quite excited about visiting this university which, to her, was the equivalent of touring Harvard. Later we met up with an old friend who has been working in Shanghai for a year. Janis tried to show us around a little but ended up proving that more often than not it's the locals who know the least about their city. Let me take this opportunity to segue into my challenge to anyone who is reading this: take time to discover the interesting things surrounding you!

Sunday Ashley and Jamie went to the Botanical Gardens which were quite a ways from where we were staying so Halley, Janis and I opted to visit Century Park. We spent the morning meandering about and even took an hour to ride a three person bike which was an interesting experience. Later that afternoon we were able to catch up with Ashley and Jamie and meet with the Family which was a totally rewarding way to spend a couple hours.

Halley and I left Sunday night after one last dinner hoorah with my family. Even though the Shanghai lifestyle pales in comparison to my Shiyan lifestyle, I was really glad to share a few China experiences with my brother and sister-in-law. I was especially grateful they could meet Halley and Janis because when all is said and done, China is best represented by its people, not its developed cities, not its pollution or crowds or even food (though the food does make for an enjoyable China experience), but by those individuals who represent the reason why I've chosen to come back yet another year.

Traveling with Halley was a great adventure in and of itself. She's so pure-hearted and good-natured. This trip represented a plethora of firsts for her: her first time to go to Wuhan, her first plane ride, her first time in Shanghai, her first subway ride, her first cappuccino, her first time to have a hard sleeper bed on the train, her first time to pray in English. She helped me remember the beauty of finding enjoyment in simple experiences.

2008-03-29T16:57:00.001+08:00

THOUGHTS ON MEAGERNESS

One month. One hundred and sixty nine yuan. Here’s what I learned:

1) We can cook Chinese food affordably. Jessica can make awesome fried rice. Brian does a delicious tofu and onion dish, and I feel pretty confident I can do a reasonable job of scraping together some basic ingredients to make almost anything edible.

2) One finds surprising rewards in taking time to walk someplace instead of taking the bus or driving. Saving time by faster transportation isn’t always the better choice. Walking is good for the spirit. A slow pace is good for the soul.

3) Money can never buy a true family or faithful companionship. I feel so grateful for spending this time with Jessica and Brian who were a daily encouragement and devoted companions. And, though Darla lives on the other side of town, just knowing she was participating in this experience with us was a blessing.

4) I think I’ve realized what I appreciate most about having a sufficient amount of money to cover my daily needs; having money is convenient. Honestly, I’ve never been a big spender. I seldom buy things, and so I really thought being “meager” wouldn’t be a far stretch from the way I generally live each month. But I learned that the most significance I place on money is in terms of convenience: grabbing food to eat at a restaurant is far more convenient than buying vegetables (meat is too expensive!) down the hill, trucking back up to the apartment, cooking, and finally cleaning up afterwards. Making decisions to go into town involve more planning to ensure enough time has been allocated for walking there and back. Visiting friends who live far away becomes much more difficult. Making plans with others involves considering how much money I have to spend and what kind of bind a certain activity might put me in later. Ah, convenience. Sadly, I realized that poor people are also an inconvenience on others. Those without money are not able to participate in the types of activities we generally take for granted: eating out, watching TV, using the Internet, basic traveling, etc. We’ve realized that friendships are more difficult to continue when the relationship does not share a similar financial status. This month we’ve felt a significant decline in the amount of e-mails from back home. While it can be argued that those back home knew our Internet usage would be meager and, therefore, decided it must be pointless to keep us updated on their lives, I think it is important to note that we seldom keep relationships with people from whom we do not receive equal effort and involvement. How many relationships do we actually have in which we are giving more than we are receiving or investing more than the other party (and all the while not complaining about this discrepancy)? So this made me think. Why do we not help feed the hungry or give money to the poor? Is it because we don’t care? Is it because we don’t love? I think, actually, we do care and we do love. Much of the reason for not helping those in poverty comes from the fact that it’s inconvenient. Poverty does not come and find us in our pleasant housing and comfortable neighborhoods. Poverty can’t knock on our doors; it’s too busy just trying to survive. We must meet poverty where it is. We, who have the blessing of financial convenience, must inconvenience ourselves to find the poor, to help them where they are. After a month of being conscious of the small amount of money I have to spend, of the limitations I have on everything I do, and of the inconveniences that come with penny pinching, I am convinced that those living in poverty do not have a responsibility to find us before we should feel compelled to help them. We have a responsibility to find them. And, I think we’ll find the more we help others, the less we’ll think about ourselves and the less we’ll consider serving an inconvenience. I hope!

2008-03-27T23:04:00.000+08:00

A COUPLE FIRSTS

Completely blank. That’s what happens to me when I sit down to blog at a reasonable hour with little to no demands on my time. Midnight is when I find my true inspiration – a fact that plagued me with little sleep during my college years. But it’s nine thirty, I just finished my one hour English lecture (supposed to be two) and my one hour interrogation from fifty some curious students, and I have nothing else to do…so I’m blogging.

Well, Meager March has turned into a month of firsts for me (not intentionally, but well executed nonetheless during a month that could easily have proven to be very boring). The first “first” is that I was electrocuted. I’ve never been electrocuted before – even that time when I touched the “electric” fence while at Cullman, Alabama just to see what it was like. Maybe the electricity was off or maybe we were lied to about it to prevent us from crossing the fence that lead to pastureland filled with terrifying and mean-hearted cows. Anyway, a couple weeks ago I had just washed my hands and had only pat-dried them (which means they were still wet). I then noticed the blow drier was still plugged in, a pet peeve of mine – when things are not put up after being used. So I unplugged it; only, the adapter didn’t come out with the plug, and my wet fingers clumsily touched the prongs that were still barely inserted into the adapter. I got quite a jolt. It was exhilarating, but I wouldn’t recommend it. My hand was a bit shaky after that for a few minutes.

The second, more exciting “first” came Monday night at 11:24 pm. I generally fall asleep before eleven, but this night I found myself tirelessly thinking in bed when suddenly it began to shake. Then I noticed the whole room felt like it was moving. It didn’t last long, and I immediately thought that the Germans above me were causing the racket (a justifiable thought because they’re quite loud actually – often jumping up and down and running and moving furniture late into the night). But then I thought it might have been an earthquake. I’ve never been in an earthquake before so I couldn’t really be sure. I fell asleep contemplating the cause of the shaking but was awoken at midnight by a phone call from Michael Scofield (from China not Prison Break) who asked if I’d felt the earthquake and said a lot of students had congregated outside. He was just checking on me, and given the inherited and fake cheery voice I put on for people who wake me up (so as not to let on that they have just interrupted my slumber), I think he felt assured of my peace of mind of having survived this harrowing experience. I mean, how many people live through earthquakes that measure a whopping 4.3 on the Richter scale and occur 30 miles from one’s location?

I’ve decided to go back to the States for a few weeks this summer. I had originally intended to stay in China during the summer and make my annual trip home during the winter break next year. However, I think it’s best I go home for a few weeks, and since I’ve made that decision, I’m increasingly looking forward to spending time with my family and friends.

My oldest brother and his wife are hoping to visit Shanghai for a few days next week, and I’m planning to take a couple days off from work to meet them there. This semester many of the Shiyan foreigners’ families have come for visits, and it’s such a blessing for all of us.

Well, in an effort to quit babbling while the quitting’s good, I’m signing off for now. Love much!

2008-03-19T00:38:00.002+08:00

Mid-March Update

It’s been a busy month. I’ll try to keep this update concise, but I can already tell it’s going to end up grotesquely long. My apologies!

This semester we’ve each been given a heavy load of classes, most of mine yet to begin. I’m teaching a freshmen English majors’ course which meets twice a week. It’s the one class I really look forward to teaching; the other classes are necessary annoyances filled (for the most part) with too many students unmotivated to do the work it takes to learn English well and yet expecting me to work miracles. But I love my majors. We’ve been spending a lot of time together outside of class, and that’s made a huge difference in class. Barriers set up by the student/teacher relationship tend to be torn down after an afternoon of volleyball and basketball or an evening of horrific, personal animal attack accounts (one girl’s brother was bitten in the head by a pig, had to have six stitches and still doesn’t grow hair on his head in that spot. Stop laughing, Jessica!). In a couple of weeks, I begin another English majors’ class (sophomores this time), which will be followed a few weeks later with four new, seven week long classes.

Meager March is going well. The most drastic changes in our daily lives have involved meal times. We’ve cooked at home a lot and seem to be continuously eating leftovers. There are days when we’re totally meager and days where we cheat a bit (eating some things we’ve stored in our pantry) and days where we’re totally blessed by the kindness of others. (William took us out to dinner at Happy Guy’s this evening since his mom’s in town visiting for a few days.) We’re walking a lot more, choosing a brisk hour and a half walk to the medical school over a forty minute, one kuai bus ride. The exercise has been great for us. We’ve also toned down our Internet usage. Apparently, all my friends and family back home have toned down their e-mail sending to me during this time too because I barely have anything to respond to when I do check my e-mail once a week. (Yes, that’s a plug for all those who read this to send me messages even if I don’t check my e-mail everyday. I still need to hear from y’all!) We seldom watch movies now also which has forced us to find alternative methods of entertainment (sadly, this often results in Jessica, Brian and me just staring at each other and contemplating things like who is the worse person, the one who laughs when the word “paralyzed” is mentioned or the one who laughs when the phrase “do your duty” is spoken; in other words, is it better to be heartless or brainless?). Actually, we’ve been pretty productive or constructive or whatever you want to call it. I’ve read several books during the time we might normally watch a movie, we’ve been spending more time studying together, and I think we have done a better job preparing for class and building relationships with our students this semester as well. So what’s the most difficult part of Meager March? I’d say ignoring the local folks (Happy Guy, the fruit ladies, the street rice people, and juice lady) because we can’t afford their products right now. We feel guilty abandoning them. Also, I’m tired of washing dishes. With our eating at home everyday, I feel like I’m constantly doing dishes (minus the times Brian or Jess help out). But the family dining style of sitting around the table in the evening eating while discussing our day has been a total bonus.

Meager March challenges have been mostly successful thus far. Jessica and I were able to get five of Brian’s students to dress up like the Beijing Olympic mascots, write a poem about him, and present it all to him on his birthday last week. It was awesome, and I must say, Jess and I hit that challenge out of the park with flying colors. (Since I moved to China, I tend to mix metaphors. It’s a growing problem.) Actually, the only challenge I’m personally failing at the moment is the memorization of the book of Philippians. I still have two weeks to memorize it, but I was supposed to be doing a chapter a week and I don’t even have the first chapter memorized yet. There’s time, though.

Today was an especially sunny and warm day. Jessica and I walked to Box Coffee to ask the owners if they would grind some out of date whole bean Starbucks coffee Brian’s had since last year. The owners were really cool about it, and Jessica and I were able to chat a bit with them in Chinese about coffee and, well, coffee I think was the main topic of conversation, but it was interesting anyway. They didn’t charge us anything for the grinding of two pounds of coffee beans. We gave them a bag of coffee that was way out of date, and given their connoisseur-like knowledge of coffee, it was probably slightly offensive to offer them year old coffee, but they were gracious, and the four of us shared a cup of an uncommonly strong medium roast that should have been consumed a long time ago. Come April I’ll be setting up camp in that coffee shop and pumping myself full of caffeine in an effort to gear up from what will prove to be an energy expending month – Active April.

We’ve begun meeting all day on Sundays. We have our Meeting in the morning, enjoy lunch together, and then spend the afternoon playing sports outside or playing games inside (depending on the weather). We then cook dinner, which is always a huge affair. Usually the Chinese family members make dishes and the foreigners add a soup or something else that’s not too difficult to make. We have some amazing cooks in our Family. After dinner we have another study or discussion or singing before dispersing around nine o’clock. It’s an incredibly long and totally rewarding way to spend our Sundays, and I’ve certainly felt blessed by taking a whole day to encourage and be encouraged by the brothers and sisters.

A couple weeks ago on one such Sunday afternoon, we were playing volleyball when I turned around to see a small brown and very well groomed dog doing a front paw stand while urinating, back legs kicked high in the air, on a rock. I yelled out in my surprise, but when the others turned around to see what I was staring at, the dog had dropped back down to four legs, appearing totally normal. I tried to explain what I saw, but, of course, no one believed me. Today, however, I was totally vindicated. As Jessica, Brian and I were walking down the hill to Happy Guy’s, we saw (all of us) the same dog urinating on a dumpster or wall or something with its hind legs kicked high in the air. It’s an amazing feat of acrobatics, and while I don’t blame the others for having not believed my account of this the first time, I feel totally pleased that my story was corroborated by yet another fortuitous encounter with this dog.

I often feel like I witness incredible things in China that are unexplainable in the very least and unbelievable to anyone not privy to the evidence I have stowed away in my memory. A couple days ago, for instance, I was standing on the street waiting for my dinner date when I saw a totally adorable one-year-old kid being carried by his dad up the hill. When they passed me, I smiled at the baby who winked at me and nodded his head. For about fifteen feet, the baby kept winking and nodding his head at me, even returning my wave, until they disappeared behind a building. It was like watching those talking baby movies where computer generation is clearly responsible for the facial expressions on the babies’ faces; only this kid was real, not digitally touched up, just incredibly expressive. Jessica refuses to believe me. “I think you thought you saw the baby wink,” she says. I’m not too worried about proving myself, though. Eventually, we’ll run into the boy wonder again on the street, and as the baby winks at us over and over again, I’ll remember the dog and how the truth always surfaces, no matter how absurd.

Did you know that Beijing can control the weather? Well, not totally, but they spend lots of money on something called “cloud seeding”. Basically, when there are clouds that might cause rain at some point in the future (most likely at an inconvenient time like during the Olympics or before other big events), some folks load rocket launchers with silver iodide and shoot it up into the clouds. The silver iodide concentrates moisture and causes the rain to come down sooner than it would otherwise. Interesting stuff that’s considered unbelievable by some…

Oh, another little tidbit of trivia I’ll add before going to bed: one of my students told me that Shiyan was listed as the third most pleasant Chinese city to live in. For one reason, it’s really safe. I don’t know the other “official” reasons, although I certainly have my personal reasons for why it should be considered the first most pleasant city to live in, but then, I haven’t been to every other city in China so I’m sure I’m a bit biased. At any rate, I thought Mom would be glad to hear that Shiyan is considered both a safe and pleasant place to live.

Grace and peace to you all.

2008-02-27T19:09:00.002+08:00

MEAGER MARCH

Last semester I was doing some research into the beggar/homeless situation in China and found an article entitled "China extends cost of living benefits to homeless, beggars". According to this article from August 2007, the government will offer a basic living allowance to those begging because of poverty. The basic living allowance for those living in urban areas has been set at 169.6 yuan ($23.75). So, if someone living in a city makes, say, 100 yuan each month, the government will give that person an additional 69.6 yuan to reach the aforementioned basic living allowance. I was both immediately struck and convicted by this insanely small amount of money the government has stated to be sufficient for basic living costs. This article was the inspiration for what has become known as "Meager March". Originally the idea was to challenge ourselves to live only on 169.6 yuan for the entire month. However, the specifics of Meager March are very much hazy as a whole because there's no right or wrong way to participate. The most important thing is for the people who participate to discover their own purpose, their own motivation, and their own need for becoming involved. One of my personal motivations for participating in Meager March comes from a realization that I am so abundantly blessed, I've lost touch with an understanding of what it is like to not merely be without things like luxuries but to be especially concerned that even basic necessities might be inaccessible. One of my purposes for participating is to rediscover forms of entertainment that cost nothing but are productive, meaningful and challenging. The great thing about Meager March is that I'm likely to be challenged and convicted in ways I can't even conceive now.

However, Meager March is an imperfect challenge for a variety of reasons. First, we don't pay for our apartments, electricity, water, television, Internet, and phone. If we were in poverty, we wouldn't have these "perks" and 169.6 yuan would be, in my opinion, wholly inadequate to cover all the basic costs one would encounter daily, monthly, etc. In light of this (and to fulfill one of my purposes for Meager March), I will be charging myself for Internet usage (an undebatable luxury) the amount it would cost to use the Internet at an Internet bar. What this really means is I will seldom be using the Internet because I won't be able to afford it. Although there's some debate as to whether the TV should be off-limits during Meager March, I, personally, will be abstaining from or charging myself for television viewing. I also plan to be more conservation friendly by using less electricity and less water. I hope to become more conscious of the actions I take and the decisions I make. Realistically, though, I do realize that I'm still blessed during March with things like a warm apartment and hot running water that I wouldn't have on the government mandated basic living allowance.

That said, 169.6 yuan is still a small amount of money, and there are several things we will be changing about our daily lifestyles to accommodate this decrease in funds. For example, the majority of our monthly expenses probably goes towards food. We eat out for nearly every meal (which is still very economical since food is so affordable here), but for the next month we will be pulling our community funds to purchase cheap vegetables and other foods to cook things like porridge at home. Another very small yet, for the month of March, significant cost is bus fair. It takes only one yuan to ride the bus, but that's two yuan round trip which adds up quickly. Therefore, we will be walking a lot more.

The second reason Meager March is an imperfect challenge is because we have responsibilities here that cannot and should not be ignored. For example, I often use the Internet to prepare for classes. Previously, I mentioned I will charge myself for Internet usage, but that only applies to personal entertainment and unnecessary activity. I consider using the Internet for school something unavoidable and quite necessary so I will not be charging myself for time spent in class preparation. We are also here working for a specific purpose which involves a lot of relationship building. If there is a need to spend money to further the work here, then we will not hesitate to spend liberally.

Meager March has evolved into a beautiful event with participants from other cities in China creating their own purpose for and method of becoming involved. I've heard that some friends in Wuhan have modified Meager March: for every yuan they spend on themselves, they will spend the same amount on others. I love this idea!

A MONTH OF CHALLENGES

We've also decided to make March a month of challenges (as much in an effort to create some entertainment outside of costly activities as to get us outdoors and active so as to avoid "cabin fever"). Here's what we have so far:

Brian to Jessica and me: Coax five students from one of his classes to dress up like the five Beijing Olympic Mascots and sing "Happy Birthday" to him on his birthday - March 11th.

Brian to me: Get two people to buy him the two remaining Beijing Olympic Mascot keychains he hasn't acquired merely by hinting he would like to have them (no asking, begging, or bullying shall be allowed in this challenge).

Me to Brian: It's a secret, but it involves Jessica's class.

Me to Jessica: No make-up for the whole month!! (Except for class)

Amanda to Me: Once a week, send a text message to a friend expressing the way I feel about him/her with lyrics from a song.

Me to Amanda: Choose four things she does everyday and fast from each one for an entire week, beginning with one the first week, and changing to another the second week and so on. For example, she might fast from listening to music the first week. The second week she might fast from eating sugar. Etc.

So my challenge to YOU is to find a way to challenge yourself during March. It's a great way to grow personally and a fun way to step out of the humdrum doldrums that we so easily fall into.

Take luck! I'll be back for Active April...

2008-02-22T01:23:00.002+08:00

THE END, THE BEGINNING OR THE BEGINNING OF THE END?

Hanyu and I are fighting. I wish I could say it's just a mild lover's spat, but with each passing day my frustration grows. After a year of flirting back and forth, we finally had a three week long, whirlwind love affair in January. The amount of time I spent putting into our relationship during those three weeks hardly felt like work as Hanyu was also providing me with new life. Every minute I gave to Hanyu, I was being rewarded with self-confidence and an energy I haven't felt in a long time. Imagine my extreme disappointment, then, when I arrived back home only to feel neglected by the very thing in which I had invested so much faith and hope. Granted, I told Hanyu I needed a little space (10 hours a day/six days a week is enough to make even the most needy person step back for a breather), but I didn't expect to be ignored for two whole weeks! Okay, I'll be honest. Maybe I'm the one ignoring Hanyu, but the excitement in our relationship has left us. Now it seems like Hanyu is apathetic to my attempts at restoring our relationship, and I just don't seem to have the energy to make it work. Not that I haven't tried. Several times I've attempted to reopen that line of communication we once had, but in the end, it's hard to love what doesn't need or care to be loved. Hanyu does, after all, have about 1.3+ billion lovers; what's one more? The worst part about our relationship is that I can't seem to get away from Hanyu. Everywhere I look, everywhere I go, everything I do reminds me of Hanyu and what almost was or what could be. Even tonight I'm unable to sleep because Hanyu is pervading my thoughts. However, as sleepless as I become, as much frustration as I can muster, as much self-confidence as I lose, I know that I won't give up on our relationship. I need Hanyu whether the feeling is mutual or not. I guess, when all is said and done, I want to be able to say I conquered Hanyu. I triumphed. Hanyu is my Mt. Everest, my White Whale, my Shrew. However difficult, however frustrating, however degrading, I will overcome. Or else, I'll take Hanyu down with me...

OTHER THINGS

The new semester begins next week. I'm not sure what I'll be teaching or when or anything remotely helpful in preparing for my classes, but I'm okay with that. I do have several new teaching ideas which I'm excited to try out. Of course, it depends on which classes I'm given as to what I'm able to actually do, but I do feel better equipped to teach a foreign language ever since my Chinese language school experience this winter. My dad thinks every teacher should go back to school periodically to remember what it's like to be a student. He says it helps them become better teachers. I agree with him. He also says we should teach lots of infinitives. I don't know why.

I always thought boredom was supposed to breed creativity, but I'm finding myself in mind-numbing daily rituals which accomplish nothing. I'm so looking forward to a sense of normalcy; I'm ready for the new semester.

Today was China's Lantern Festival which means its the official end of Spring Festival celebrations and yet another day of fireworks explosions. I watched some fireworks from my balcony but the excessive celebration we encounter each year during this time has helped to reduce the excitement I used to feel in watching the big explosions in the sky. We avoided Liuyan where there was scheduled a huge fireworks display, opting rather to stay home and eat chicken legs and mac and cheese (I'm trying to use up some of my on-hand food before next month). In a poor attempt to celebrate Mother Language Day, we put in the movie Sister Act and enjoyed reliving early 90s music and the classical remakes of songs like "I Will Follow Him" and "My God" ("My Guy"). As many times as I've seen that movie (more than I'd like to admit), there were a few parts that seemed to jump out at me this time. One quote which I think is helpful to ponder daily particularly struck me: "God has brought you here - take the hint." It's pretty straight forward so I won't try to wax philosophical, but it might serve as good wake up call to anyone questioning what to do with his/her life (or to anyone NOT questioning what to do with his/her life).

Alright, well, I hope everyone who reads this is doing well. I try to remember you all in my thoughts and prayers. Oh, and Hanyu is the Chinese language...just to clarify things....(-:

2008-02-15T03:25:00.002+08:00

THREE A.M. RAMBLINGS

It was bound to happen. I actually expected it sooner. Tonight a firework went off dangerously close to us as we were lingering outside McDonald's contemplating what to do next with our Valentine's Day evening. Some residue from the explosion fell into my hair, but aside from yet another mild heart attack brought on by these sudden crashing booms, we were left unharmed.

A few of us who are in town decided to celebrate this annual lover's holiday by gathering for a dinner of hot pot. The streets, the restaurants, the stores were all crowded, and I noticed for the first time a lingerie store which seemed to come out of the woodworks for this special occasion. I guess Valentine's Day calls for women to shed their layers of matching, unattractive pajamas for something a little more impractical.

In People's Square people had gathered to shoot off fireworks (recklessly in the direction of people at times) and to light a fire underneath paper lanterns (yes, a fire underneath paper lanterns) which carried messages of well wishes into the sky. They traveled rather high becoming distant lights in the night's darkness. Of the several we watched go up, only one turned into a burning disaster and left a glorious trail of fire in its wake as it gracefully drifted to the ground.

XIANGFAN

On Monday I took a bus to Xiangfan, a city about two hours from Shiyan. My friend Alice had invited me to spend a couple days with her family. I always like visiting my friends' hometowns and meeting their families to look for clues as to what has shaped their personalities. I guess it's the psychological perspective of discovering how both nature and nurture have influenced the person I have come to know independent of these things that's thrilling for me.

Anyway, Alice's parents and aunts and uncles, cousins, etc. were all very kind and welcoming as is my usual experience with a Chinese family. My three weeks of Chinese language school did little to help me communicate with them, however, as what little Mandarin I know is useless in aiding me while trying to understand the Xiangfan dialect. I suppose I depended too much on Alice to translate too. I'm sure I could have made a better effort to communicate, but I clam up when I'm around people (i.e., Alice) who understand English. I actually do much better with people who speak no English or at least no more English than I speak Chinese. Regardless, Alice's parents did their best to include me, an effort that is more appreciated than they could know.

I was also fortunate to be taken on a tour of the city during my two days there. Monday afternoon Alice's dad took us to the Mi Fei Memorial Hall which is a park-like area dedicated to the works of this famous calligrapher from the Song Dynasty. I had to Google all this information later because I didn't really understand anything while I was there. I did for the first time, however, have a new appreciation for calligraphy. After spending a few weeks learning to write characters, seeing both the precision and beauty of Mi Fei's work was astounding.

Tuesday we took a family field trip to Gulongzhong, a beautiful area just outside the city where Liu Bei, founder of the Shu Han Kingdom during the Middle Kingdoms Period (220-280 A.D.) was said to visit Zhuge Liang, a famous strategist, three times for war advice which subsequently aided him in overtaking some opposing forces. The history is interesting enough, I suppose (again, it was lost on me at the time), but the scenery was absolutely gorgeous.

We returned home Wednesday. I had planned to visit another friend in Xi'an, but now I have no desire to fight the relentless mass of people traveling during the holiday season so I'll just remain in Shiyan until school starts. The city's still not back to normal. Our favorite restaurants are closed and the campus is littered with lots of children and no college students, but I imagine in the coming days the community will settle down from the high that is Spring Festival and return to the routine I've grown to love.

2008-02-08T09:51:00.000+08:00

THE CHALLENGE BEGINS

Brian and I arrived in Shiyan yesterday evening. It was an uneventful journey home for the most part which is usually a blessing. We flew to Wuhan from Kunming and exited the airplane at exactly midnight, just in time to catch the fireworks welcoming in the new Chinese Year of the Rat. Actually, you can't really miss the fireworks during this time as they go off for days before and after the actual new year. As we were taking off from Kunming, we could see fireworks blanketing the city. I've never seen fireworks from above before.

Now we're home and not really sure what to do with our time. I've been invited to go to Xi'an to spend some time with a sister and her family there, and Brian's been invited to visit Happy Guy and his family (who will not be back until at least after the 13th, news I'm trying to deal with since it means no Happy Guy's for longer than I want to contemplate). Neither of us, though, wants to think about getting out so soon after returning home so I'm not sure if we will take our friends up on their offers. In the meantime, we have to figure out what to do with our time while everyone is still gone vacationing or visiting family. Today is "Laugh and Get Rich" Day so the only plan we have on our agenda is to watch a funny movie and attempt to raise enough money by laughing for Brian to open his coffee shop. Wish us luck!

2008-02-03T21:22:00.000+08:00

FOCUS/FESTIVE FEBRUARY

The new month brings a new challenge. Originally we had decided on Focus February to encourage us as we studied Chinese (the boys and I at the language school and Jessica as she saunters about S.E. Asia). Having spent the last three weeks intensively studying Chinese, I haven't started this month out too well. I finished my last class yesterday morning and haven't picked up my Chinese book since. It's only been a day, though, and I have every intention of refocusing on my studies as February (and the subsequent months) move right along.

We also decided that upon reuniting in Shiyan we would transition from Focus February to Festive February where every day we would celebrate whatever holiday is listed for that day. I've decided, however, to do my best to spend all of February with a spirit of festivity. So far it's going well. February 1st was Bubble Gum Day so we went to the foreign import store, bought some Twisted Tornado Bubbalicious gum and had a few bubble blowing contests. February 2nd was Groundhog Day so we downloaded the movie and watched it last night. Today is a little more difficult. We can't watch the Super Bowl which is the main event for this day, but we did pay tribute to the Four Chaplains who lost their lives heroically during WWII. Tomorrow is "Dump Your Significant Jerk Day", but that one's lost on me. Somehow, I'm going to have to celebrate Liberace Day!

So Jolly January was pretty difficult. I'd say I failed being jolly more times than I even caught myself. The highlights of my failures would probably be on January 1st when I mentioned a negative thing about one of our English Department folks. It's sad to fail on the first day. The other would be when I talked poorly of David Arquette's acting abilities. It's hard knowing the reason I'm not able to eat sweets is because of a slip up regarding someone such as him. But it was an interesting challenge, one I hope to continue daily.

LANGUAGE SCHOOL - The End

I finished 20 days of classes yesterday morning. We covered 10 lessons, and I supposedly should know upwards of 700 characters. We skipped the first book so I don't know as much as I'm supposed to (or maybe I do?), but I have definitely learned a lot. William said in the beginning that the main thing he hopes to take away from these three weeks is the knowledge of how to study Chinese. I feel like I've been given quite a boost in my Chinese learning. I still can't speak the language worth anything (although, my tones are improving), but I've learned to read a little and to write a little, and that's given me a lot of momentum. I bought the next two books in the series we've been using, and I'm excited to get started with book three.

WUHAN FRIENDS

Wednesday morning three of our friends from Wuhan (Carole, Rachel, and Dennis) arrived in Kunming. They were supposed to arrive a day earlier, but because of the horrific snowstorm that's been ravaging central and southern China, they were detained by a day (they spent 12 hours in the freezing Wuhan train station waiting for their train to arrive and then were delayed en-route to Kunming by another 12 hours). We met them for lunch on Wednesday and took them to Salvador's (our favorite Kunming restaurant) Wednesday evening. It's been such a blessing having them around. I think we were all beginning to drag a bit from our daily study routine and having such friendly faces to visit with every evening certainly helped me through the rest of the week.

They left today to tour a couple famous places in this province (Yunnan). They had planned to leave earlier, but Rachel got really sick and was in no condition to travel. We aren't glad that Rachel was so sick, but it was most definitely great to have them stick around an extra day or two. Carole, whose idea Festive February was, has been helping me celebrate each day, and I'm going to miss having her and her enthusiasm around.

KEATS' FIELD TRIP

Today was my first day free of class, but it was actually quite busy. This morning our school took us on a field trip to the Golden Temple Park. It's near the International Horticultural Exhibition which is really well known for all the different kinds of plants it has, but it's expensive to visit. The park we went to had several Chinese artifacts, pagodas, temples, greenhouses and Chinese people singing in chorus. It was an enjoyable way to spend the morning, and the mild hike up to the temple was good for our bodies which have atrophied greatly in the last three weeks. Kunming has some beautiful flowers, and the weather has been outstandingly pleasant. I don't think I'm mentally or physically prepared to return to the bleak and cold reality of Shiyan.

Hmm, return. Brian and I bought plane tickets to Wuhan. We leave Wednesday and hope to catch a bus to Shiyan Thursday (which is the Chinese New Year). I had hopes this year of celebrating the Spring Festival with a Chinese family, but the wintry weather made it rather undesirable at best (and impossible at worst) to get to where I needed to be in time to do this. Instead, Brian and I will be arriving in Shiyan on Spring Festival Day where we will have to scrounge our cupboards for food since all the restaurants and stores will be closed. I'm really looking forward to being home, though.

Well, the boys still have one more class tomorrow morning. I finished early so that my teacher could return to her hometown for Spring Festival. I have big plans tomorrow morning of going to Salvador's, getting some good coffee, and relaxing with a book for a few hours. After all, it's "Solo Diner's Eat Out Week"!

2008-01-23T22:52:00.001+08:00

SLEEPLESS IN KUNMING

Granted it's not even eleven o'clock and I probably shouldn't be sleeping yet, but with my early class schedule each morning, I've been trying to go to bed by ten or a little after each night. Generally, I get up around six thirty with the intention of finishing the homework I didn't do the day before. It's been awhile since I've been on such a regimented schedule. Anyway, I can't seem to fall asleep so I thought I would blog a bit. There's not a lot to say so I apologize if everything sounds mundane; it pretty much is...

We've found ourselves recently addicted to watching 80 minutes of The Office each evening after dinner. It's taking away from our study time (which proves brutal in the mornings when we're tested over the things we were supposed to be working on the night before), but Canadian research shows that relaxing by watching The Office before studying can greatly improve the absorption rate of the material studied, or so we like to tell ourselves.

Last Saturday evening most, or maybe all, of the students at Keats Language School were taken to a nice restaurant for dinner (care of Keats herself). The students here have varied backgrounds, as one might expect, and come from many different parts of the world. The dinner was quite enjoyable as it's been awhile since we've socialized with other non-Chinese people. Since that dinner, however, we seldom run into the ones we conversed with that evening, with the exception of Susanna, a girl from Canada who is ever ready to provide us with the latest research in learning methods (hence, the aforementioned The Office statement).

It was hard for me to get into studying this week. Monday was killer, and Tuesday took some serious pep talks to get me focusing. Today went well, though, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow's class. There are twelve lessons in my textbook, and Huang Laoshi seems confident that we'll get through them all. We're averaging about one lesson every two days. By the end of this month, I think we'll have crammed an entire semester's worth of material into four weeks (or less, actually, because we're meeting six days a week instead of five). My reading and writing of Chinese have both improved dramatically, but my grammar and oral Chinese are pathetic at best.

Huang Laoshi has been great. She's really patient with me and seems to know what she's doing. She does have these little quirks, however, that make me understand what it must be like to be a Chinese student. Nearly every day she corrects something about the way I do certain things which are seemingly (at least to me) insignificant. For example, in the last week and a half, she has repeatedly forced me to place my writing tablet perpendicular to my body (rather than slanting it at a forty five degree angle which provides a more natural writing position for my hand). She also has corrected the way I write my "4"s, my "t"s, my "F"s and has told me that I recently picked up the bad habit of putting my head too close to my paper when I write. I didn't tell her that I've had that habit all my life. She probably would have replied that this is the reason I'm wearing glasses today. Nevertheless, I appreciate her attention and dedication to instilling in me the "best" way to do things (whether I agree with these ways or not). I merely hope that when I leave, I will take away what I learned about Chinese and not what she tried to change about my performance techniques.

Well, I should probably try to get some sleep. I've got another fun day of learning ahead of me!

2008-01-19T16:01:00.000+08:00

KEATS LANGUAGE SCHOOL IN KUNMING

Brian, William and I arrived in Kunming last Sunday morning. We were greeted at Keats Language School by Keats herself (not her real name) and shown our accommodations. We all live on the fifteenth floor (each in our own little dorm room which includes a comfy bed, desk, TV, refrigerator, bathroom and hot water all day long). After we were shown our rooms, we were taken to a nearby restaurant to eat "across the bridge" noodles, a famous Kunming dish. When you order these noodles, you are brought a huge bowl of hot chicken broth, a bowl of noodles and a plate of raw meats, vegetables, and a quail egg. The chicken broth is so hot that it cooks the other ingredients when they are added to it. It's pretty good. After brunch we returned to our rooms to unpack and rest before meeting our teachers.

After meeting our teachers, they took us to the local Carrefour to buy some food stuffs for the week. There was a small foreign foods section so we were able to buy cheese, salsa, cereal and real milk (well, milk more like we're used to anyway). I know it's only been a week, but I'm not sure what we did in the afternoon/evening of Sunday.

Monday morning class began at 8:30. My teacher wanted to start with learning Pinyin (which I already know) and doing very basic things. By the end of the four hours, we had moved quite a ways ahead from where we began. Every day we have class for four hours in the morning with a fifteen minute break at some point. On the first day of class, I came back from my break, and my teacher, Ao Dan, was very serious and asked if she could admit something to me. I said, "Sure!" Turns out, she really didn't want to stay and teach. She was homesick (she's young, still a college student) and really wanted to go home for the break. She told Keats about this, but Keats told her it was impossible for her to abandon me, and that she would just have to finish teaching. So after awhile, I realized what Ao Dan wanted from me was to tell Keats that she just wasn't going to work out and that I would like to change teachers. Apparently, that was the only way she could be released from her responsibilities. So, on that first day, after class I asked Keats for another teacher. I felt like a jerk because I've never acted unsatisfied about anything or anyone before, but it was the only way that Ao Dan could go home, and she needed to.

Tuesday: Tuesday my studies really began. Keats gave me a really professional instructor. Huang Laoshi (Teacher Huang) speaks mostly Chinese to me (whereas, Ao Dan spoke mostly English), and she's very strict. Well, she's strict, but she's also very patient and kind. She's currently working on her Master's Degree, I think. She's 27, married and has a child. I know she's not much older than me, but it certainly feels like she is.

Daily Schedule (our lives are strictly regimented so here's the rundown):
6:30 - 8:00 ~ Study Chinese, quiet devotional, breakfast
8:10 - 12:10 ~ One-on-one study with Huang Laoshi
12:30 - 1:30 ~ Lunch with the boys (We usually try to eat near the school. There's a huge concentration of Lonely Planet approved Chinese and Western restaurants in our area. We actually prefer the cheap, dirty places but have only found a few of them thus far.)
1:30 - 2:30 ~ Watch an episode of "Band of Brothers" (William brought the series with him, and it's proven to be the daily relaxation method of choice for us.)
2:30 - 6:30 ~ Good Good Study, Day Day Up (A Chinese saying that we use to remind ourselves to study hard. Those four hours for me are generally spent doing homework exercises, writing Chinese characters, and trying to memorize a grotesque amount of words.)
6:30 - 8:00 ~ Go for a walk, get lost, find a place to eat, and then come back
8:00 - 10:00 ~ Study
10:00 ~ Bed and sweet, sweet rest

We seldom stray from this schedule. The days go by pretty quickly. I don't feel like I'm getting enough study time in even though I'm spending upwards of nine or ten hours looking over the material. Crazy!

OUR WEEKEND PASSES HAVE BEEN REVOKED

Yesterday we found out that instead of studying five days a week and having two days for the weekend, we would also have class on Saturday. If we didn't, then we would have class on Spring Festival, and our teachers wouldn't be able to spend that day at home with their families. It's equivalent of making us work on Christmas so we aren't complaining about it.

"SOMEONE PINCH ME" - William

Today after class, the boys and I agreed to reward our hard work with a day of splurging. I don't think we prepared ourselves for what we would encounter. We took a taxi to the Green Lake Park, got lost while trying to find our way out, and then finally emerged near one of Kunming's universities. We found the street that we wanted (we were in search of a coffee house named Salvador's) and walked down "Western Alley". I haven't seen so many international food and clothing shops since I was home this summer. There was a French bakery shop, a Prague cafe, countless coffee shops, and Thai and Indian restaurants. We found Salvador's with little trouble. It's a quaint little place packed full of foreigners. We found a nice spot in the loft and ordered our heart's out (i.e., quesadillas, coffee, and dessert in the form of sugar covered in sugar with sugar sprinkled on top).

Quite satisfied, we left in search of the university book store. We found a Mandarin bookstore instead and bought a few bilingual books. Now that we're learning to read characters, we need some books for practice. We then found a DVD shop with the complete seasons of every show from Doogie Howser to The Office to Seinfeld. Brian bought The Office which I'm happy about because I'm apparently way out of the loop having never seen an episode.

While the boys were buying their DVDs, I spotted a shop across the street which looked a little different than the rest. I was pretty sure it was an import store. As soon as I walked in, I was overwhelmed by things like Smuckers' jam, Airheads, jellybeans, and Bubbalicious. I was so much in my own world that when William yelled, "A&W!", it took a good ten seconds to process what he was saying. We found A&W root beer and cream soda, Dr. Pepper, and Mt. Dew. They had so many things that we just can't find anywhere. It was overwhelming. We were in a daze, but when when the clerk said there was an upstairs too, it didn't take long for William to bolt up the stairs. There we found Pop Tarts, cereal, and several other things that I can't recall. At this point, I was beginning to feel a little sick, and we left pretty quickly after that. It's hard to explain just what we were feeling, but within the span of three hours (beginning with Salvador's continuing through the bookstore and ending with the import store), I nearly cried from joy (or something) several times. Maybe it was just from spending six days straight studying a language so foreign from my own and then immersing myself so completely into something absolutely familiar.

We returned to our school after that to rest before joining the other students tonight for dinner. We're supposed to meet up at six to go out. Tomorrow is our day off, but I think we'll spend it studying since we didn't study today. I have to write a journal entry about what we did today (in Chinese!) and memorize tons of words (their meaning and how to write them) so I've got a lot to do tomorrow.

But our first week is finished.

2008-01-07T10:49:00.000+08:00

FEI FEI AND THE MYSTERY OF THE DISAPPEARING GUARDS

Call it a conspiracy. Call it a coincidence. Call it what you will, but there's a strange something (my students would call it a phenomenon, meaning something unexplainable that happens quite often) that keeps occurring, and I wish to share it with all my faithful blog readers.

I can't recall the first time it happened. Maybe it happened several times before I really noticed it. Who can say? Regardless, I'd like to start by introducing our local guard station and our faithful Pee Wee. After entering the alley that leads to our campus and walking past the outdoor food market and past several local restaurants (like Happy Guys), you come to a guard station which, as I understand, is the official entrance from this particular road into our school. It's not much of a station. There's a small, glassed-in building, large enough for one person to sit and watch passersby while fulfilling his most important role of raising the crossing arm for what little traffic passes through. During the day, the crossing arm remains up, and the guard usually just stands outside watching people walk by.

Last year there was one guard in particular who had the look of an eight year old little boy playing dress up in his father's uniform. He also carried a strong resemblance to Pee Wee Herman and thus became known as Pee Wee. Since we walk past the guards several times a day, we like to create a friendly rapport with them. Generally, this merely includes a little head nod and a "ni hao". But with Pee Wee, it was different. We broke through any and all barriers that might have existed between us and developed a much deeper and more open relationship with him. As this was last year, Derek was still here, and he often joked with Pee Wee as he passed by, saying, "Hello, Pee Wee. Tomorrow I will steal your hat." For some reason, Derek's dream was to take the hat off of Pee Wee's head and to run away with it. This occurred daily for weeks, and Pee Wee always laughed, and everyone was jovial. Then, suddenly and with no explanation, Pee Wee disappeared! No more Pee Wee greeting us gleefully as we passed by. We assumed his dismissal was a result of the amount of time he spent in the guard station singing into the phone serenading, we presumed, his girlfriend. Or maybe he just didn't have that reserved guard look the higher ups were going for. Regardless, we missed him.

One day several weeks later as I was passing by the guard station, I looked up and Pee Wee had returned! I asked him where he'd been all my life, uh, I mean, in the past few weeks, and he said he had been moved to another station. My joy at his return was short-lived, however, and that was the last time I ever saw Pee Wee.

Oh, Fei Fei, yet another beloved figure in our daily lives. Fei Fei was a little kid, maybe two or three or eight years old, who quite frequently spoke to us as we passed by his parents' little convenience shop located about ten feet from the guard station. Fei Fei was playful, cute and talented (the kid could balance on the edge of a trash can and relieve himself while shouting "hellos" at us as we tried to avoid eye contact in an effort to not impose on this otherwise private business). A few months later at the peak of our relationship with Fei Fei, we walked up the alley one day to discover Fei Fei's parents' store empty and demolished (making way for a future iron bowl restaurant and another convenience store). Fei Fei and his family were gone too, along with Fei Fei's happy "hellos".

Is it a coincidence that the people we get close to disappear suddenly and without explanation?

This semester we again befriended the new guards. There are two in particular that we like. One is Handsome Guard who was clearly named by Jessica and me, though I haven't heard Brian object, and the other doesn't have a name, an unnoticed detail which is soon to be dealt with. They're really gentle men, and they always smile and nod their head at us as we pass.

For Thanksgiving this year we made several small loaves of banana bread to give to some of the people we come into contact with on a daily basis (the fruit ladies, the rice man and his wife, juice lady and underwear king, Happy Guy and his family, the Muslim noodle folks, and the two guards). We added a little note in English with a Chinese translation that said how grateful we are for them and that we thank God for how they make our lives in China easier and nicer. When we delivered these little tokens of gratitude, the guard on duty was Handsome Guard. He, like all the rest of our friends, at first refused the bread, but when our Chinese friends explained the meaning behind it, he placed it on his little desk, gave us his dreamy smile, and we left. The next day (seriously), he was gone, and we haven't seen him since.

Here is the irony: I was never able to give the other guard his banana bread (even though we made him a loaf) because we left that night for Wuhan, and he wasn't on duty that whole day. So the guard whom we have yet to name and who did not receive the small gift from us is still employed at the guard station, but the guard whom we did name and who did receive the small gift from us has not been heard from since that fateful day in November.

Is it a conspiracy that those we get close to suddenly and quite dramatically disappear?

Just a few days ago Brian, Jessica and I were walking to Happy Guys for lunch when a group of children ran past us. Among them was Fei Fei! Although he had not aged in the eight months since we've seen him, there was no mistaking his face and exuberant manner. Speechless, I made weird noises to get Brian's attention and then yelled, "Fei Fei", and pointed in the kid's direction. Brian was able to confirm the sighting just before Fei Fei disappeared around a corner. We haven't seen Fei Fei since that unexpected day, but I'm now filled with great hope that one day we will again encounter Pee Wee and Handsome Guard.

As it's "Jovial January" and I'm avoiding negative thoughts, I'll leave you to your own interpretation of these events that may or may not include an evil mastermind named Mr. V (pronounced WE) determined to destroy us foreigners with his impressive and unlimited arsenal of Chinglish.

2008-01-04T09:43:00.000+08:00

JOVIAL JANUARY

CHRISTMAS
Christmas is over and while this tends to be the highlight of most people's year, I hope no one will mind if I glaze over details and do a quick run through of our "Shiyan Christmas".

Generally speaking, we do a GREAT job of bringing the Christmas festivities and traditions from home into our lives in China. The only powers working against us are our schools and the city. Both seem intent on making us celebrate Christmas their way. On the Saturday before Christmas, we attended the city-wide Christmas party. Having made it clear that we don't care to perform any song and dance routines (and having been told our style isn't quite Chinese enough to be adequate for such a special occasion), the school no longer requires anything of us except our attendance. There were several performances - mostly younger children singing, dancing or playing instruments, but a few foreigners in town decided to do their own acts. Shortly into the performances, Bena, an African woman who teaches at William and Priscilla's school, asked us if we would join her in singing "O Holy Night". We can't say no to Bena; she's such a beautiful character. Five minutes later Brian, Jessica, Darla and I were on stage with Bena who is blessed with an incredibly powerful and off-key voice singing the worst rendition of "O Holy Night" that, I would venture to say, has ever been sung. A few days later a call from our friend Zoe confirmed our worst nightmare - the local news station had retrieved footage of our song and was broadcasting it for all to hear! But the city-wide party as a whole was enjoyable enough, and we all received mugs as a parting gift.

Christmas Eve we were asked to go to our school's annual foreign language department Christmas dinner. We were late (also an annual tradition), but it didn't matter because we were given our own private room (while the rest of the Chinese members of the foreign language department were all congregated together in a larger room). It's only mildly offensive to not be included with the rest of department, and since we avoided all the drunken toasts and awkward conversations, it worked out for the best.

Afterwards Brian, Jessica and I came back home to celebrate a quiet Christmas Eve. William came over and we watched "How Santa Clause Conquered the Martians", a gift from my brother and his wife which had fortuitously arrived earlier that day. The movie was perfectly terrible.

CHRISTMAS DAY
In the morning, Jessica, Darla and I cooked a breakfast of cinnamon rolls and quiche. All the single Shiyaners, Shiyanites, Shiyanren (whichever we are) had a very merry stocking stuffer Christmas morning in Jessica's apartment. We really just killed time the rest of the day until the first annual Tacky Sweater Progressive Dinner Celebration began around four thirty. In true western fashion, we completely stuffed ourselves on real food before gorging ourselves with dessert. It was a nice Christmas. For more details, please see Brian's blog at http://bnealinchina.blogspot.com or Jessica's at http://jessicainthefareast.blogspot.com.

NEW YEAR'S
Yichang was the place to be for New Year's Eve. Having the great desire to spend this time with our Yichang (Beth, Amy, Brad, Katie, Kim) and Wuhan (Danielle, Carole, Rachel, Jeremy, Laurie, Megan) pals yet the need to be in Shiyan after being gone so much in the month previous, we decided to leave for Yichang Monday morning (arrived early afternoon) and return the following day (left early afternoon). It's a seven hour bus/train ride...

The Yichang folks do New Year's right (are becoming locally famous for it in fact), and we started the fun with a video scavenger hunt. We had three teams of four people (my team consisted of Brian, Beth, Carole and me) and two hours to shoot several films (a western, a kung fu, a Titanic), video various things (dancing in the square, pushing to get on the bus, singing "Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes" with some Chinese people) and take pictures at specific locations (the bridge, by "Da Shan's" picture, in the international hotel). There were a lot of items, and I'd like to point out that my team was the only one to complete the entire list (even if the split pants baby was a bit of a flop).

We ate dinner at Pizza Hut, a place that some of you who read this are probably taking for granted! Then we retreated to Kim and Katie's place for snacks and to hang out till the New Year. Last year Brad created the "apple on the chopstick" drop to bring in the new year, and they spruced it up a bit this year by placing some sparklers into the apple which bore the Chinese character "fu" (meaning luck or something similar). It was pretty exciting for some reason that escapes me.

After the New Year's salutations died down, we all gathered in the living room and sang praises to our God. It was so powerful to be reminded of the great year we were given and to be encouraged to use this new year in service to Him.

SPRING FESTIVAL
Our winter break is beginning. In one week, we will all be moving in different directions (some for traveling, some for studying, some for going home). Brian, William and I leave next week for Kunming to study Chinese for one month. It will be strange to be a student again. I'm excited about the opportunity, though. Most of us will be gone for about a month or so.

Oh, Jovial January - the newest of our alliterated months. During this month, we are not allowed to say anything bad about anyone, a task proving very difficult at times. If we say something bad, we are not allowed to eat anything sweet for the rest of the day (since bitterness leaves our mouth, we will not be allowed to put sweets into it). Sadly, we failed the very first day, but we've been doing much better since.

2007-12-19T16:02:00.000+08:00

DESTINATION DECEMBER

Who knows why we do anything? I think there are probably a variety of reasons why we decided to travel in December. Lots of things came together to make this particular month the month to take a few days off and get out of town. With my light teaching schedule and the decision to not travel during October holiday, I was feeling the itch in early November to get on a train and see where it would take me. Hong Kong, which has become the Mecca for those of us older folks around here, was on my wish list, and Brian and Jessica both were prepared to rearrange some classes for a week long journey with me. We planned to travel the week before Christmas because my classes would be finished and the other two would be nearing the end of theirs. Plus, we already had an alliterated name for November - No Shave November - which meant "Destination December" was meant to be (and we were meant to wait).

With a destination in mind and date to leave arranged, we came off our Thanksgiving high to tread through the first couple weeks of December. The weekdays themselves are generally uneventful. I finished my classes the first week of December and scheduled movie nights in their place the following week. I had a small group of students from my Monday and Wednesday night classes come those evenings to watch a film. The students who came happen to be my favorite (though they were chosen to come as a reward to their winning an ABC of Slang Balderdash game the week before), and we had a really good time together. They're pretty shy still (I'm their first foreign teacher, friend, etc.), but I'm hoping to continue building good relationships with them. I have high hopes for 'em!

RUSSIAN HATS (or, BIG CITY FUN IN SMALL TOWN FORM)

However uneventful the weekdays are, the weekends make up for it! The second weekend in December, we were visited by two of our awesome Wuhan sisters, Danielle and Carole. They arrived late Friday night, heralding fun train-ride stories involving Mariah Carey's Hero and Communist jacket pillows. It's okay if this doesn't make sense because so often, most things don't! Saturday morning we had a foreign girls brunch/study at Qi Yuan (my school). We've been doing an all girls, all foreigner brunch/study each Saturday morning and moving it around from school to school. It's been a fantastic uplift for me each time we meet. This particular week we were blessed to have some bacon, biscuits and gravy, banana bread and apple cinnamon muffins for brunch (thus noted, because this type of food is exciting for us!). We talked about affirmation and many other things, and I'm constantly reminded each week in these settings just how fortunate I am to be around other deeply spiritual ladies.

In the early afternoon, we went to the local orphanage. We really want to be a blessing to the children there, but it's hard sometimes knowing what we can do for them that will be the most helpful. We hoped to be able to make weekly visits, but the orphanage director just recently limited our coming to twice a month. It was a rainy day when we went this time. I'm not sure where all the kids were, but we were only able to meet with a handful. We sang a lot of songs from our songbook and flirted with the ultra-cute, shy little boy who easily won the hearts of all the girls there.

From the orphanage, a quick trip to the Korean Market provided awesome Russian hats with sweet, furry ear-flaps. We ate a quick dinner at Happy Guys, took some compromising photos in the Russian hats (Jessica, Danielle, and Carole, that is) and rested up before our big night on the town.

Life is a musical here. Or at least we try to make it such. Singing and dancing often happen spontaneously and serve as the answer to any mundane atmosphere we encounter. Saturday night we decided to go dancing. Given my Caucasian genes and restrictive upbringing, my rhythm is basically non-existent, but it was still a lot of fun hanging out, laughing and dancing the night away (or at least the hour or two we were out).

Intent on giving our Wuhan friends a fun experience worthy of the one they afforded us two weeks previously when we visited them for Thanksgiving, we decided to continue our musical weekend on Sunday. After our morning meeting, we went to Priscilla's to watch Hairspray and to take showers. Then we headed over to enjoy an hour of KTV (karaoke). I don't generally enjoy KTV when I go with students or other people (it's too loud and taken too seriously), but with some loud and crazy Americans, we had a blast singing and dancing in our little private room.

After KTV we went to UBC Coffee for some fried ice cream balls. You never know what type of ice cream you'll get, but the funnel-cake crust is delicious regardless. The flavors of ice cream appear to be green, off-white, purple and red. Now, one might say those aren't flavors; they're colors. To which I would respond, orange is both a color and a fruit, and in China, it's a person too! The green is my favorite flavor, I think.

Every evening in People's Square, which is very near UBC Coffee, the old people of the community get together for a little dance party/exercise routine. We, of course, decided to join them after our fried ice cream balls were sitting heavy in our tummies. There were a few different styles of dancing,: the classic, Native American-like, powwow shuffle - the easiest yet least impressive style, the subdued Irish jig - which looks easy, but proves otherwise upon attempting to imitate it, and the Chinese four-step - called that for lack of better understanding of what was happening. The old people were very kind and patient in allowing us to mimic them and even took a little time to slowly show us the steps. We didn't stay too long. As we were leaving, Jessica and Carole decided to teach them the Electric Slide. They drew quite a crowd of interested folks, and a few of the bolder Chinese followed their lead. It was great fun.

Sadly, all good times must come to an end, and Danielle and Carole left us Monday morning. Fortunately, Wuhan isn't too far away...

CHENGDU

After a few hiccups in our travel plans, Hong Kong was put on a back burner (a destination to be revisited next semester), and Brian, Jessica and I agreed to visit Chengdu instead. Chengdu is the fifth largest city in China and is located in Sichuan Province. It's about a twelve or thirteen hour train ride from us. Chengdu is one of those cities in China that everyone will tell you is beautiful and amazing and you must visit it. Afterall, there are pandas there, lots and lots of pandas.

We didn't really plan anything for the trip. With Lonely Planet China in hand, we set off for Chengdu last Thursday night (on Jessica's birthday which we celebrated with banana pancakes in the morning, dinner and cake in the evening and a dart/stress relief board in the, well, forever actually).

Our main objectives in Chengdu were 1) hold a panda (well, that was Jessica's dream which we promised to fulfill for her as her birthday present from Brian and me), 2) eat Mexican food at Pete's Tex-Mex restaurant, and 3) visit Starbucks (although, I'm saddened by this admittance, I do look forward to finding Starbucks in the bigger cities we visit).

From the train station in Chengdu, we lugged our big bags to a taxi and were taken to Pete's restaurant first thing. The food was too amazing to describe. The atmosphere, too, was so great. The whole place had a ski lodge around Christmas type of feel to it. There were a lot of foreigners, and Brian, Jessica and I found it difficult to not stare at them!

From Pete's we found a hostel called Sim's which I recommend to anyone traveling to Chengdu. It's one of the better hostels I've stayed in, and Sim (the owner) is super cool. We did find a Starbucks that evening after we had bought a few books from a bookstore that sold a small collection of English books (several of them classics which was exciting). We spent a few hours reading at Starbucks before heading to our hostel for the night.

Saturday found us making our way to interesting spots in the city. We checked out the Tibetan district and ate some "authentic" Tibetan food. We also went to People's Park because we had read about an underground thrill ride which took you by rickety train past strange wonders and through a shark's mouth. We were so excited about this ride, but our hopes were dashed (the first, but certainly not the last time on this trip) when a self-selling tour guide told us the ride had been turned into an underground ghost town. We decided to check it out, nevertheless, and paid five yuan to walk through this sadly decrepit excuse for a haunted house. We made our own fun, however, by frightening the other unfortunate souls who were also duped into paying five yuan for this thrill-less spectacle.

Saturday night we attended the Sichuan opera which absolutely did not disappoint (minus the fact we were promised VIP seats in the first five rows and paid for such, but were given eighth row seats). It wasn't crowded as I had expected it to be. Included in the variety show were the traditional high-pitched opera that China is famous for, shadow puppets, hand puppets, an acrobatic routine, a traditional Chinese comedy, and the changing faces extravaganza. The changing of the faces (not to be confused with the changing of the guard, though I'm finding my descriptive skills to be inadequate at the moment) was quite amazing. These skilled masters could change their masks in the blink of an eye. I was and continue to be in awe of their abilities.

Sunday we took a day trip to LeShan, a nearby mountain which boasts the largest carved Buddha in the world. We arrived in the LeShan village around lunchtime, and after eating some local dishes (spicy enough to help Brian get his spice back which had been lost in recent weeks), we set off by foot to find this Giant Buddha. Entrance into the park was more expensive than I wanted to pay, but when you come this far, you can't turn back. We paid the 70 yuan and began the short trek to the top of the Giant Buddha. It also didn't disappoint. It's quite huge. They say it's fingernail is longer than the height of an average person. Upon observance, this height is clearly referring to the average Chinese person, but, even so, the carved statue is still huge.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the park, getting lost, freaking out about birds (Jessica), visiting empty tombs and broken relics, exploring a vacant temple guarded by a ferocious dog, and finding our way out. LeShan is pretty cool. I enjoyed my time there. That night we went to an Irish pub and had the best steak burger and chicken burger I have ever had. The music was good, and it was a nice way to round out the day.

Monday we had great plans. Just kidding. Brian and I slept in while Jessica went to visit a monastery nearby. We met up for lunch at Grandma's Kitchen which turned out to be a branch of Grandma's Kitchen in the Jazz Lounge we had hoped to go to that night. (Sadly, the Jazz Lounge would have no live music that night so we didn't end up going there.) Since Grandma's Kitchen was a flop (too expensive), we went to the Cajara Indian restaurant next door where Jessica fell in love with our Tibetan waiter and my love for Bollywood was rekindled. You never know what good may come from altered plans!

We also found another foreign language bookstore and bought still more books to add to our collection. As before, we found a Starbucks soon after our purchases and read for several hours. That evening we went back to our hostel early and relaxed in the restaurant/rec room. Since we couldn't play Mahjong (no suitable table), Jessica and Brian taught me Texas Holdem'.

Tuesday was all about the pandas. We left early in the morning because we had read that pandas are most active between nine and ten in the morning. They spend most of their time sleeping each day (something about bamboo being too fibrous to be of much nutritional value and sleep being the best way to reserve what energy they do obtain from the bamboo). The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding (that's the panda place's name) was surprisingly well kept. It was definitely one of the most professionally maintained attractions I've been to in Asia. We visited the Giant Panda Enclosures, the Young Panda Enclosures, and the Baby Panda Nursery (our favorite site) several times, actually. We just kept meandering back and forth. Near the nursery we were supposed to be able to pay to hold a panda, but for whatever reason, there was nowhere to do this. I'm not sure if our timing was bad, if the camera crew we saw was filming something important and, thereby, monopolizing the pandas' time, or if the place is just disorganized during off-season tourist times, but we left the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding dejected (Jessica's word) and resentful towards Lonely Planet which we feel did not prepare us for the possibility that we wouldn't be able to hold a panda.

The only cure for disappointment met by resentment and sprinkled with a little anger was dessert and coffee from Starbucks. Having thus been slightly (or momentarily) appeased, we spent the rest of the evening reading and counting the hours until we could board our train for our sweet little hometown. While Shiyan may not be the most fantastic city in China, it certainly doesn't boast great things which it will fail to deliver!

It's not that Chengdu is a terrible city, but it lacks personality. It lacks character. I'm happy I visited it, and I'm content to never revisit it. The highlights of this trip definitely consisted of our awesome book purchases (and the time to relax and read them at Starbucks), the food from various countries we partook of, Sim's hostel, some incredibly cute pets which have inspired Jessica and me to get a puppy in the near future, my company (Jessica and Brian, yay, for fun travel buddies!), and these sweet head scarves Jessica and I bought (one scarf which can be used in a variety of ways to completely change the look or fashion for which I am striving, given my mood or the occasion in which I find myself).

We are glad to be home. It's good timing too because Christmas festivities begin very soon. I'm not exactly prepared for them. I feel that this year has reached that point similar to the point at which the sun has nearly set. It's the only time when you actually see the sun moving down. It goes so quickly that if you look away for even one second, you might miss the top of the sun disappearing beyond the horizon. I feel that right now I'm watching the year slipping down so quickly into the horizon that I can't look away or I'll miss it! But that's okay; the new year promises great things.

2007-11-26T09:00:00.001+08:00

ALWAYS PLAYIN' CATCH-UP

I've decided to dedicate this morning (and as long as it takes) to updating my blog, putting pictures on Facebook and just getting organized. Last time I wrote about the free time I was "enjoying", but with the holidays upon us and the addition of various activities, my days are quickly becoming filled. I apologize if my blog is choppy and random, but those seem to be characteristics of my life here too!

The family here is growing, growing, growing! It's so amazing. But with new faces comes a new and different group dynamic. We've been struggling a bit to figure out how each of us fits into the group and how and what our talents are and how we should be working. Recently, we've been studying the life of the Son with some of the more mature brothers/sisters and realized that we've been doing a lot of talking and not a lot of living. So we're planning to begin several community
outreach endeavors. I'll be working with those interested in focusing on the homeless/beggars of the city. We'll build relationships with them and meet what needs they have. In my mind, the most important thing is to treat them like humans and show them the hope that we all have (some family here as well as in the States think that beggars are crooked and dishonest and we shouldn't help them, but I think all of us are crooked and dishonest and our Father didn't withhold hope from us because of it so we shouldn't withhold the hope from others). I'll save you from my rant about this. (-: Anyway, some other sisters plan on doing the same kind of work in the pink light district (aka, red light district). And we have an orphanage in town where we hope
to make weekly visits. In addition, we are all going to focus more on the people we come into contact with daily (the juice lady, the fruit ladies, the guards, coworkers, etc.). It's not that our focus until now has been misguided or wrong; it's just been too narrow!

I'm nearly finished with classes. I have a Monday and Wednesday night class. We meet periods nine and ten, but there's actually an eleventh period which is the last period of the day. Brian and I decided to meet that eleventh period too so that we can finish classes two weeks early. Next week is our last week of classes. There's always a possibility the school might throw some random adult classes our way, but if it doesn't then I'll be finished with school the first week of December, giving me nearly three months of break between semesters. I'm looking into going to a month-long language school in Kunming (southern China) with William. It's expensive for me, but I know the benefits are worth it. The more I want to be involved in the community, the more I realize just how necessary learning the language is. A solid foundation in Chinese should help me in the coming months pick up more of the language.

Xi'an - ROUND FOUR

Last week Darla and I were talking. This is her third year and my second year in China, and we were just discussing some of our struggles when the idea to visit our friend Nancy in Xi'an came up. Nancy's been working in China for almost ten years, and we thought it would do us some good to chat with her and get some advice or perspective from someone who's been here much longer than we have. Given our teaching schedules and the close proximity of Xi'an from here, we decided to leave Thursday night.

It was a fortuitous time for us to visit Xi'an (my fourth visit to Nancy, by the way, which is noteworthy only because I broke the record for most visits!). Five teachers from Wuhan were also visiting Xi'an (and staying with Nancy) and four teachers from Ningbo (a few of whom went to school with Darla) were there as well. Since Nancy had a full house, we agreed to stay in a youth hostel near the Bell Tower with the Ningbo group.

We arrived Friday morning and met up with the Ningbo four - Kevin, Chad, Graham and Emily - to check into the hostel (which I totally recommend to anyone traveling to Xi'an). After a McDonald's breakfast, the Ningbo crew went to visit the terra-cotta soldiers. Darla and I have done the main touristy stuff in Xi'an so we decided to wander through the streets instead. There's something totally freeing about visiting a tourist city and NOT doing anything touristy.

For lunch we went into some hot pot restaurant, but they served us dishes instead of hot pot. The owner (if he was that) sat and chatted with Darla and me nearly the entire time we ate. He was a big fan of America, apparently. It was nice, though. Normally, I'm totally self-conscious about speaking Chinese in front of my friends, but Darla made me feel comfortable enough to use what Chinese I do know, and we had a fun time with this guy. We even took photos with him, and after eating went next door to get the pictures printed so he could have copies to show people his "American friends".

After lunch and feeling a certain confidence in our basic ability to communicate in Chinese, we decided to go to the train station to buy our return tickets. It was one of the most painless ticket buying experiences I have ever had in China, and we felt very blessed to have been able to secure our own tickets without imposing on any of Nancy's friends.

The main reason we came to Xi'an was to visit Nancy so with return tickets in hand, we took a taxi to her school. Nancy has a rabbit named Qingqing who had somehow received a pretty nasty gash on its back so shortly after arriving, we helped Nancy take her to the doctor. The place where we took Qingqing just happened to be very close to Metro - a huge Sam's like store - and since going there was also on our agenda, we split from Nancy after the doctor visit and went shopping. Shopping at Metro is so surreal. There are tons of western food items that we can't even imagine having access to in Shiyan, but all of it's really expensive. When I shop there, I always make a slow run-though of each aisle so that I can process what I'm seeing and avoid compulsive shopping. Then I go through a second time and choose what I think I'll really be needing. There are always a lot of things I want to buy, but I generally talk myself out of most of them. Very seldom do I regret not having something here in Shiyan so a Metro run is generally all about cheese because that's the one thing we really do try to stock up on since we can't get decent cheese in our city.

Nancy has a study on Friday nights so we were able to attend that. It was so great, actually, and the girls who were there were really inquisitive. We stayed there long enough for the five Wuhan teachers - Megan, Danielle, Laurie, Jessica and Jeremy - to return from their day of sightseeing. We only chatted with them for a couple minutes because we needed to catch a bus to our hostel before the buses stopped running. Ironically, it turned out that the Danielle I met in Xi'an would be the person I would stay with the following weekend when I visited Wuhan with Jessica to attend their Thanksgiving dinner. It was nice that I could meet her before crashing at her casa.

Our hostel was really nice, and we met people from various countries. I really enjoy talking with other travelers. In my room, there were a couple guys from Australia, a couple from Poland, and a guy from California who had been traveling since April. They had just arrived from Tibet, and I got some good advice about traveling there (something I'd like to do next summer!).

Saturday morning we went to Nancy's and talked with her for awhile. Our conversation was postponed because we had planned to meet the Ningbo folks in the Muslim Quarter for lunch. They had a twenty four hour train ride ahead of them so after eating and some last minute souvenir shopping, they headed to the train station, and we went back with Nancy to her house. She had another study that evening which we again attended. A former Shiyan medical student is doing her internship at a hospital in Xi'an, and she came to the study. Her name is Lexi, and we were really excited to see her again. She's been contemplating "taking the plunge" and hopes to do so when she visits Shiyan at the end of this month.

Nancy let us sleep at her place Saturday night despite the five Wuhan people who were also there. Darla and I slept in her multi-purpose room (for lack of a better name describing a narrow room with the washing machine, the cupboard, the refrigerator and a coat rack). It was cool because we had more time to get to know her other guests. We left the next morning and arrived in Shiyan Sunday evening.

THANKSGIVING WEEK

What a crazy week! Monday evening Brian and I took both of our classes to eat at Happy Guy's. We had thirty students or so cramped together in one of the rooms. It was fun, though, and the students loved hearing us order dishes and playing Human Uno while we waited for the dishes to come.

Tuesday I did a lot of baking (banana bread), and we had a couple studies in the evening which were more exhausting than I thought they would be. We've split our regular Tuesday study into two groups - one early evening and one early night - for the sake of meeting the different needs of the group. It's a good thing to do, but it makes for a long evening sometimes.

Wednesday brought lots of dishwashing and cleaning for me. I can never seem to keep my apartment clean. Plus, we've been baking a lot. In the morning I made rolls that I think even my grandma would be proud of. In the afternoon, the Chiplets from the Technical school came over and helped Jessica make rolls. They also helped translate into Chinese some thank you notes we had written for some of the people we come into contact with daily, like the fruit ladies, the Muslim noodle guy, the juice lady and her husband, Underwear King, the street rice people, etc. We baked them some small banana bread loaves and put the thank you notes with them to pass out. It was a strange experience giving the bread to these folks because all of them except the juice lady adamantly refused to accept these tokens of our appreciation until the Chiplets explained why we were handing them out. Even then, they were reluctant to take the bread. I hope after reading our notes explaining how thankful we are for them, they will better understand our intentions.

THANKSGIVING DAY

Thursday was just plain ridiculous and awesome. Wind, a great sister who is living and working in Danjiangkou now, came to stay Wednesday night with me so that she could celebrate Thanksgiving day with us. I has so much fun talking with her. She's such a deep and intelligent person.

In the morning, several of the foreigners met at McDonald's for breakfast, something we never do, by the way. It was a fun beginning to our day as well as the first (but not the last) time we would be asked to be quieter in a public place. It was Thanksgiving Day, and our excitement apparently manifested itself by increasing decibel levels.

After eating and some quick shopping for last minute supplies (minus butter which John Calvillo hoards in his refrigerator), eight of us - Brian, Jessica, William, John, Megan, Sean, Alice and I - gathered at the football field for our traditional Thanksgiving Day American football match. William did some weird ancient Chinese method of team choosing, and I ended up on an all guys team while John ended up on an all girls team. For the sake of saving the opposing team's face, I'll skimp on the details of the match. In the end, we all had a great time, and Jessica, John and Megan secured the need for them to stay in Shiyan another year just for a chance to regain some pride in next year's Thanksgiving Day football match. That's all I'll say about that. (-:

COOKING

With the rolls made the day before, we could focus on more important things like pecan pies. I've never made a pecan pie before so I was a little nervous, especially since we can't get pecans here so if I messed it up, I couldn't go to the store and buy more pecans (or more Karo syrup) to try again. The pressure was on... I realize the benefit of cooking what I eat, and that's that I know what went into the final product. Never have I made such an unhealthy, heart attack in a pie pan, dessert before. It turned out well to my relief, and all of it was eaten which saved me from a potential sugar overdose later on.

We had our Thanksgiving dinner at our beloved local hotel where we rented a room for the evening. We had two turkeys which William and Priscilla had brought back from Wuhan the weekend before. Andrew and Jaime handled the cooking of the turkey narrowly avoiding a major disaster. In the past, we asked Family Pizza to cook the turkeys for us because none of us have ovens large enough to fit the birds so we must use restaurant equipment. Unfortunately, we had a communication failure, and on the morning of Thanksgiving we were informed that Family Pizza refused to cook our turkeys this year. Andrew and Jaime kicked it in high gear and made use of one of their student's father's restaurants. We were fortunate to come out on top of this situation.

Food: We also had different kinds of stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, broccoli, deviled eggs, sweet potatoes, apple pie, banana pudding, chocolate pie, blue blueberry muffins, and a variety of other delicious dishes. For whatever reason, I didn't eat much (no dessert, even!) so I'm not sure what else there was.

We had fifty people at Thanksgiving dinner. Most were family, but some were other foreigners in the city. I sat at a table consisting mostly of these other foreigners whom I'd never met before. We had some interesting conversations. Sometimes I forget that our little group of Americans is not the only group of foreigners in the city.

AFTER PARTY FUN

Some people from Wuhan had invited us to go to a big Thanksgiving dinner there on Saturday so Jessica and I had already made plans to leave Thursday night to go to Wuhan and stay with Danielle, one of the girls I met in Xi'an the weekend before. Our train didn't leave until 2:49 in the morning so we planned to go to Darla's (she lives nearer the train station than we do) after dinner and maybe sleep a little before catching our train. Megan and John were also going to Wuhan on the same train for the same purpose, but they were staying with a different couple than Jess and me. That detail's not really important, but I'll leave it just for the sake of being thorough and fulfilling my genetic duty.

After dinner we decided to check out this new coffee shop in town called Box Coffee. We had spied it earlier in the week and thought now was as good a time as any to be disappointed by it. As we were walking outside, Orange asked me to go karaoke with her. Her teacher had invited her to karaoke with him and a few friends, but she didn't want to go alone, and Zoe would only go if I went, and blah, blah, blah. haha She said I only had to go for fifteen minutes so I agreed. Jessica and William also decided to go which turned out to be a great decision. When the five of us arrived, we were ushered into this small, dark room. There was a large TV with couches opposite it, and one guy was belting out some Chinese song. It was so loud. The three of us whities sat down while Orange and Zoe went to choose some "English" songs like "Edelweiss" from the Sound of Music. While we listened to the others sing, we passed time by translating into English the lyrics to the songs. It was pretty funny. There were maybe five adults besides us and one little girl who was about four years old. She was terribly cute and quite a dancer. She kept interpretive dancing from one end of the room to the other. We were quite impressed, so impressed, in fact, that Jessica decided to take a photo of her. There's no way I can verbally do justice to what happened next. I'll tell it from my perspective first. The little girl was in her own little world dancing when all of the sudden a bright flash of light illuminated her in the dark room at the exact moment in which she walked right smack into the side of the TV, her little head slamming with such force against the TV that it propelled her little body backwards, causing her to land flat on her back. It was so shocking (she wasn't hurt, by the way) that we couldn't control ourselves. Jessica, especially, was struggling to contain her laughter because the bright flash of light I mentioned earlier came from my camera which Jessica was using to take a picture of the little girl dancing but which, by some twisted fortuitous act, captured the girl at that most awkwardly hilarious moment in which her body was being thrown back after the aforementioned infamous collision of face with TV. I'll be posting this photo on Facebook when I get a chance.

Shortly after that incident and a quick rendition of "Pretty Woman", William, Jessica, Zoe and I left to meet Priscilla, John, Megan, Jessi (a teacher from Danjiangkou who came for Thanksgiving) and Jessi's mom at the Box Coffee shop. The shop was actually quite quaint, and the coffee was as good or better than the other places in town and half the price. There were very few people there, and we were still excited from a fun-filled day so that our decibel level reached the point where we were asked to be quiet yet again. But we enjoyed our time there.

Jessica and I finally made it to Darla's with William's escort. We kept Darla up later than she probably should have stayed up given she had an early class the next morning, but it was really great for us to have some time to talk. We left her place about 1:30 because we thought our train left at 2:16, which was just a bold-faced lie. (-: We met with John and Megan there and hung out for an extra hour since we didn't leave till about three. We had hard sleepers so we were able to get a good, solid three and a half hours of sleep before arriving in Wuhan...

OH, WUHAN, I HATE THEE, I HATE THEE NOT

There are a few things I'm sure of in life: peanut butter and M&Ms should be allowed to marry in any of the 50 States, "maybe" is the most fitting and, often, most perfect answer to nearly any question, and, until this weekend, Wuhan is where the devil would choose to abide were he to look for a place on earth befitting him. Well, maybe that's a little extreme, but it helps you get the idea of how much I do not care for the capital city of my province.

Wuhan is divided into three districts (if that's the right word, I don't know): Wuchang, Hankou and some other place. Danielle lives in Hankou, but we had purchased tickets to the Wuchang train station so when we arrived, we had to find a taxi to take us to Hankou (the people John and Megan were staying with also live in Hankou). We spent Friday morning with John, Megan, Justin and Rachel (the couple John and Megan were staying with) and Rusty and Brittany (a couple from Danjiangkou also staying with Justin and Rachel. We went shopping at a couple stores where we could find foreign foods. Given the lack of sleep the night before and a full morning of shopping, Jessica and I opted to go to Danielle's shortly after noontime. Danielle has the most unique living arrangement of anyone I know. She lives in a teaching building by herself. Her apartment was at one time a boys bathroom, or at least part of it was, so that her bathroom is itself bigger than my living room. The rooms next to her apartment are classrooms so lots of students frequent her floor during the day, but at night the entire building is eerily empty. Anyway, shortly after arriving, Jessica and I decided to nap while Danielle made green bean casseroles and no bake cookies for the next day's Thanksgiving dinner. I've been thinking for a couple days just how to express how amazingly wonderful Danielle's bed is, and I now realize it's just impossible. The nap was the best nap I've ever had in my life! It was like sleeping on clouds, no marshmallows, or maybe cotton balls, feathers? I don't know. But I'm pretty sure I could happily hibernate for several months if I had Danielle's bed.

Danielle woke us up with promises of no bake cookies, and over the course of three days, I may have single-handedly eaten an entire batch by myself. Actually, none of the no bake cookies made it to the dessert table the next day, but nobody missed them, and we reaped the benefits of Danielle's sly "stick the bag of no bake cookies in my purse before entering the dining room" maneuver.

Friday night Danielle and Jessica (yet another one) took Jessica and me to "walking street" where you can buy practically anything, I think. We bought some noodles for dinner so we would have money for D of the Q (which is Danielle's unbreakable code phrase for Dairy Queen). Dairy Queen in China! It was so delicious. After intaking (which may not be a word, but should be!) so much sugar, we decided to get a little exercise and went to this place called "Tom's World".

TOM'S WORLD

Tom's World is so awesome it deserves its own heading. It's basically this huge game place where you can play anything from whack-a-mole to DDR (dance dance revolution) to arcade games to slot machines. We each exchanged 10 kuai for ten tokens and then went to town. We participated in a bicycle race, a horse race, a dance competition, a basketball shooting competition, and a variety of other games that we were pretty terrible at. Then we went to the slots because I had three tokens left. With one token, I won back my original ten tokens so now we had to find a game equal to our abilities. We were meandering through the various machines when we came upon it: the throwing plastic balls into the trash can game! The trash can had a lid which would open and close so you had to throw as many balls as possible into it when the lid was up. The better you did, the more tickets you would receive which you could redeem for prizes later. We used the rest of our coins on this game when we figured out that if three of us would throw the balls into the can we could maximize our points. The machine only went to 990 points, and we more than got that many points each time we played. After using all our coins, we left that game with 192 tickets, just enough to buy six strawberry shaped binder clips to wear as clippies in our hair. It was pretty much the best way to spend our evening, and it was upon leaving Tom's World and dancing outside the department store to some bad music that my disgust of Wuhan began to subside...

Saturday morning Danielle, Jessica and I met Megan, Laurie and their Chinese friend at their school to collectively go to a beauty salon. The Wuhan girls wanted to get hair cuts, but Jessica and I went for the hour long hair wash/head massage treatment. It's noteworthy to mention that every girl who went into the beauty shop left both satisfied and pleased with their haircuts/hair treatment. I'm not sure that ever happens anywhere else.

THANKSGIVING #2

After our beauty treatment, we went into Wuchang to meet the rest of the foreigners gathering for Thanksgiving. I don't know how many Americans there were in the hotel dining room, but there were a lot. It's strange to see so many foreigners, actually. It's hard to explain. After talking with the Wuhan people, it made me so totally aware of the different China experience I'm having in Shiyan. Wuhan is a HUGE city so they deal with a number of things we don't have to worry about. I love Shiyan, I love the smaller city feel, and I love our group here. I feel so, so blessed!

Anyway, the food was amazing. The people were friendly. I realized I've lost some social skills, and I was surprised to learn that Mahjong is not as ubiquitous as I had assumed. Shiyan represented well at game time. Megan, John, and I (and some Wuhan fella) won at Cranium and Jessica cleaned up at Texas Holdem'. They had a two year old football game playing in the background, which didn't seem to bother the hardcore football fans who still cheered despite knowing the outcome.

Jessica and I snuck out a little early to pay a visit to Metro. We bought more cheese, but this time we purchased kinds we like that most people refuse even to try, like Brie and Camembert. We plan to have a cheese feast this week, and I'm totally excited to find someone else who shares my taste in the, uh, finer things in life. ha ha

SUNDAY

We (or I should say I) slept in on Sunday morning and just hung out watching a movie and relaxing until some of the other foreigners arrived. We had our weekly meeting after twelvish, and it was good to hear other's thoughts about different things. We also had some tasty homemade pizza care of Danielle. Sunday was a "take it easy" kind of day. Our train left around seven that evening so Danielle, Laurie, the two Jessicas and I visited a nearby park. It was a pretty sweet place. As we were walking around, we spotted an abandoned Mahjong table with the Mahjong set sitting invitingly on top of it. Jessica and I decided to remedy the wrong that is no one in Wuhan knowing how to play the game and began teaching the others to play. We played for maybe ten minutes when we were told we had to pay to play. So we left.

Returning to Danielle's place was fun. We played a game of run, hide and chase with some middle school kids who had been following us. I'm sure those kids will be telling their grandchildren about the time some crazy Americans chased them down the street. They were sweet, ornery kids.

Jessica and I got back to Shiyan around one o'clock this morning. Neither of us had to teach early today, but we couldn't sleep in either because traveling does a number on our cleanliness, and we needed to catch the hot water time. We missed the evening hot water so we had to get up before seven thirty when they shut the morning hot water off to catch it today. The things we take for granted...

After today this week promises to yet again be filled with activities. Jessica and I need to go Christmas shopping soon because we need to mail some things home, and it will help us get in the Christmas spirit. Christmas has a lot to live up to after Thanksgiving blew away our expectations of a good time and replaced them with amazing memories of a lifetime. We'll see how Christmas does; I'm holding out hope for it.

2007-10-28T14:21:00.000+08:00

FROM LAUGHTER TO TEARS AND BACK AGAIN

Last week on a particularly warm afternoon, I went to the basketball courts to shoot around. I seldom play any actual basketball games here, mostly because my style of playing isn't compatible with the students' style of playing, but I enjoy shooting around. It reminds me of the glory days when basketball was my answer to all of life's problems. Stressed out? Play some ball. Energetic? Play some ball. Big report due soon? Play some ball. Life was simple.

Shortly after I arrived, loosened up, and phased out the stares of the surrounding ball players, a small cute kid appeared right under the basketball goal. She was was holding a tiny basketball and looking at me. Although she appeared to be about two or three, it's possible she was really six or seven given the inherent youthful looks of the Chinese. Anyway she took my basketball from me and gave me hers. For a three year old, she had better control and more moves than most of the college students I've seen play around here. It was pretty impressive watching her dribble the ball one-handed. For probably forty five minutes we played lots of games, including running up and down the bleachers over and over again (which really means me running up and down the bleachers carrying her while she giggled). It was fun because I don't generally get to play with little kids given the language barrier, though I think that language doesn't matter so much to children. Whenever I would talk to this little girl, she would stop what was entertaining her for the moment and gaze up at me with a crinkled forehead of mild confusion. Once it passed, she would giggle and go on playing.

Apparently, her father works in the campus library because she took me there to see him. He wasn't there, however, and when I told her we should leave, she started screaming. She threw the absolute worst temper tantrum I have ever seen. I tried to pick her up to bring her back to her mom who was near the basketball courts working, but the girl was screaming and crying uncontrollably. I was trying to talk to her in broken Chinese, but she wasn't listening. When I looked up, I noticed that everyone was staring and laughing at the spectacle we were making. I finally had to resort to picking her up like a football and running with her towards her mother who, like all moms, had an acute sense of hearing and was headed our direction to save her baby from the foreigner. I gave the kid over to her, tried to explain what happened, and then quickly exited the situation with what little face I had left.

HALLOWEEN - A GOOD EXCUSE

Every holiday offers us a decent excuse to do something fun or unique (or mostly just easy) in our classes. Last Monday Brian, Jessica and I decided to combine our Monday afternoon classes into two classrooms. In Brian's classroom, our students would be given a Halloween lecture by Brian for one period. In Jessica's classroom, our students would be given the most dramatic reading of The Telltale Heart ever made. William, whose deep, soothing voice has been the talk of the town since he arrived, agreed to read Poe's classic tale for us and in doing so, guaranteed his spot as the most favored storyteller in Shiyan.

As I mentioned before, this week happens to be the interim between the end of one class and the beginning of another so Brian and my usual Monday and Wednesday night classes are not scheduled for this week. That's pretty exciting since it means we don't have to work on Halloween. However, I was being terribly shortsighted until yesterday when I realized just how many days off I'm going to have this week. As I was sitting around considering what to do with my time, it struck me that I could easily take a week long vacation to Hong Kong without having to fight crowds or worry about scheduling. But, alas, it won't work because I can't miss Halloween (my birthday). Since I didn't travel for October holiday, I'm feeling the itch to just choose a destination and take off. I think I can hold off awhile longer; Jessica, Brian and I are looking into taking a long weekend to travel somewhere in the coming month.

SATURDAY NIGHT - SHIYAN STYLE

Last night we had plans to engage in a healthy competition of Taboo. Last week Jessica, Brian, Priscilla and I played a impromptu game where our true colors shown through (and I realized that Jessica is as insane as I am when that little hour glass of sand is running out). Sometime later Jessica challenged John and Megan (unbeknownst to me) to a friendly competition, one they readily agreed to, and last night was the night we were to prove ourselves. However, no night of fun can begin until after dinner so we decided to go into town to find some place to eat. At the bus stop where John and Megan were to meet Jessica, Brian, William and me, there was a stage set up and some guy who looked Mexican was wearing a decorative Mardi Gras mask and talking to a group of curious people who gathered to gawk at the entertainment from the sidewalk. We blended in so well that it took a full ten minutes before the host came down from the stage to talk to us. He said they were celebrating Halloween (hence the masks) and offered us a few masks to wear. He wanted us to come on stage, but we politely declined. We were, after all, waiting on friends to arrive, and Brian was engaging in some kind of marriage exchange ritual with a high school girl and her father. I think there was a promise of a goat, but I can't be for sure; I was distracted by the Chinese-speaking Mexican asking me to be their sideshow.

Shortly after John and Megan arrived, we found a dumpling restaurant. We ordered a few plates of dumplings, and each of us wanted a bowl of soup as well. The three of us girls ordered three bowls of pumpkin soup which they brought out speedily. It was delicious! The boys ordered three bowls of duck soup which they brought out one a time. Each bowl was meant to be shared with a whole table. The bowl of duck soup was so large, it didn't come with a spoon; it came with a ladle! It was hilarious watching these three grown men look stunted next to their giant bowls of soup.

During dinner someone mentioned going to a coffee shop, so the promise of a trash-talking night of Taboo was postponed till a future date. After eating we walked to People's Square because UBC Coffee is hidden strategically behind the grocery store in the Square and other random buildings. As we were walking along the slick, marble-like ground, suddenly fountains of water shot up right next to us. It was eight o'clock, and we had caught the nightly ritual of fountain dancing. I've never seen it before as I'm generally not near People's Square around 8 o'clock. We watched the spurts of water combined with a colorful light show for a minute or two. Then Jessica said, "I'm sort of joking, but really I'm not. I think we should run through the fountains." Everyone ignored her, but I made eye contact with her - my first mistake. Once I saw the mischievous glint in her eyes, I knew I wouldn't arrive home with dry clothes that night. So we put on our Halloween/Mardi Gras masks and sauntered through the fountains. We arrived on the other side of the fountains unscathed but for our drenched shoes and unfulfilled sense of adventure. We then decided to weave in and out of the fountains as we wandered back to the others. This time we were sufficiently soaked and pleasantly pleased with our immature endeavors to remain young at heart. I'm not sure anyone else enjoyed our wet-dog appearance; the coffee shop I imagine wasn't too pleased with our soaking clothes on their couches and neither Brian nor William would accept our attempts at offering them "holy hugs".

Today has been a quiet Sunday. After meeting this morning, I stayed back to rest (and wait out an intensifying headache) while the others went to lunch. They then gathered for a game of volleyball, but I passed on that too. Instead I watched Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket. I know it's a classic, and I can appreciate its statement on the psyche of those involved in war, but it was actually a depressing choice for a simple Sunday afternoon.

Tonight I must prepare class for tomorrow. I only meet with tomorrow's class twice more, and the last time we meet is set aside for their final exam, which I haven't yet prepared for either. Usually, I make plans on Sunday night to prepare for Monday's class, but I generally procrastinate until Monday morning. I don't see why this week should be any different! Plus, I promised Jessica I'd watch Mr. Smith Goes to Washington with her.

2007-10-17T22:06:00.001+08:00

A FORM OF DISTRACTION

Anyone who has read my blog from last year knows that our group in Shiyan became avid watchers of the television show LOST. This year with the arrival of new teachers, we felt it necessary to enlighten them to the joys of this series. It doesn't take long to get anyone hooked, and Priscilla and Jessica have been catching up on the past three seasons for several weeks now, usually in my apartment. Tonight we're down to the season finale of season three, and despite the fact that I've seen it before, I'm stressed out. I'm in serious need of a distraction from the tension which is why I'm blogging within two weeks of my last entry as opposed to my standard two months.

I actually don't have much of interest to report. This week has been like most others. On Monday Abraham, the guy in charge of our class schedules, asked Brian and I to take two more night classes. We already have two so that would put us at four nights a week plus English lectures once a month. When we came to this school, we had a verbal understanding that we would never have to teach more than two nights a week, but Abraham was insistent. After a couple meetings with frustrating results, we were able to solve the problem for him. Unfortunately, the solution involved adding one night class to Jessica putting her at a full load this semester while Brian and I are sitting with a light load. I feel guilty, but there's no possible way Brian and I could take four night classes a week.

Halloween's coming up in a couple weeks. Last year we put on a big haunted house in our apartment building. It was a lot of work, and our apartments were slightly damaged (bloody fingerprints and scuff marks on the walls). This year we decided not to go through all that again. Instead, we are thinking smaller - movie night or small parties. I'm not sure exactly what we'll do, but the most fortunate of circumstances had befallen Brian and me. We actually have night classes on Monday and Wednesday every week, but it just so happens that the week before Halloween, our classes end, and the next set of classes don't begin until the week after Halloween. So we're fortunate enough to not have to teach on Halloween!

Now it appears that LOST is serving as a distraction from my blogging which is quite all right considering I have nothing to write about anyway. I'll try to have something more exciting to write about next time.

2007-09-27T07:19:00.000+08:00

THE LONG AWAITED UPDATE!

I guess it's been a little over a month since I've been back in Shiyan, although it feels like I never left. Things are finally settled after a couple weeks of juggling schedules and disorganization which often accompanies the beginning of the school year. The weather is beginning to cool in the evenings and mornings indicating fall is peeking around the corner which, as I've lamented before, reminds me how I wish Chinese people were interested in American college football. On a crisp afternoon, there is almost nothing I would like more than to attend a football game filled with screaming people - the cream of the American crop. (-: Anyway, I digress...

THE CREW

There are twelve Americans teaching at the three colleges (and one high school) in the city this year. At my school, the automotive institute, we have two returnees from last year - Brian and me, one returnee from the year before - Trip, and a newbie - Jessica. I have to admit that at first it was strange for me to not be the only girl at my school, but I'm readily adjusting to it.

A married couple, John and Megan, are teaching at the technical school where the Lewis family dwelt last year. John's from Arkansas and Megan from Texas so they don't really have a chance when it comes to trash-talking home states!

The medical school remains unchanged. Darla, Brad, Andrew and Jaime have all returned which makes the continuity of things much easier.

That was supposed to be the whole of it until a few weeks ago when some problems arose in Xiangfan, a city about two hours from here where, for the first time, our organization was placing teachers. A group of six people who had trained together for a year was placed at two schools in Xiangfan. Upon arrival it was clear that one of the schools was neither prepared nor making any efforts to accommodate four of the teachers. So two of the teachers, William and Priscilla, were sent to our city to teach in the Dong Feng Number One Middle School (Don't be confused, however, it's really a high school!). Then, to make things worse, after a problem with the health exam, two of the remaining four group members in Xiangfan, an older married couple, were not hired by the school there and were forced to find another job in Shanghai! So this group of six who worked diligently together preparing to work in Xiangfan has now been split into three cities! I'm still amazed at how things turned out, but we all feel extremely blessed to have William and Priscilla in Shiyan. They are a lot of fun and a great addition to our team.

MY SCHEDULE

I'm actually a little embarrassed by how light my load is this year so I'm trying to enjoy it without bragging too much. (-: I only have three, two period classes each week. I teach an American English class on Monday afternoons, and oral English class on Monday nights, and an oral English class on Wednesday nights. Since English corner and lecture nights haven't begun yet, I have five days a week free! Of course, I'm quickly filling those days with activities, but the free time has been nice. I've read a lot, and I enjoy the freedom of being able to say yes to anybody asking me if I have time to do something with them (although, sometimes that backfires on me like the other morning when I told some students I'd play basketball with them at six in the morning! What was I thinking?!).

Tuesday nights and Thursday nights we have weekly studies. Thursdays we always have a ladies' luncheon. Saturdays will be used for another type of ladies' get together, and of course Sundays are always busy.

WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS

Our program has also placed four American teachers in Danjiangkou, another nearby town. Two weeks ago the four teachers, Jessi, Sarah, Rusty and Brittany, visited us in Shiyan, and last weekend Brian, Jessica and I returned the, uh, favor? Well, we have two sisters, Sara and Wind, working in Danjiangkou too so we visited them as well. Also, last weekend the two remaining teachers in Xiangfan came to Shiyan to spend time with the family here. They're a married couple, Will and Brittany. So there's a lot of visiting nearby towns going on during the weekends which is really great. I'm hoping to visit Xiangfan sometime soon. Several of our brothers and sisters are from there, and they have a Wal-Mart which still amazes me.

Tuesday was the Mid-Autumn Festival. It's a time to gather with family and friends and celebrate the moon by eating moon cakes filled with your choice (if you can read the labels and don't have to blindly choose one that may look good on the outside but is filled with an unidentifiable, disturbingly green substance) of fruit, nuts, egg, or even meat. Keeping with my two year tradition, I didn't eat a moon cake on the Mid-Autumn day which I think might be blasphemous but does go along with my sugar fast. About twelve of us did, however, meet in town for a dinner of hot pot. Hot pot is a style of eating where you sit around a big table that has a large pot sitting over a fire in the middle. The pot is divided into two sections, one section for spicy soup and one section for less spicy soup. Then you order lots of raw meats and vegetables and quail eggs and this really good twisted bread and cook the food at your table. It's pretty tasty, though everyone loses at least two pounds from sweat loss by the end of the meal.

Next week, October 1st, is National Day. I'm told it's like our 4th of July, but I'm also told Spring Festival is just like our Christmas, and it's definitely not. We do get the entire week off, however, and most people will travel during this time. I will not. I'm still recovering from the Xinjiang journey of a lifetime, and there is nothing within me willing to fight millions of Chinese people traveling back and forth for a week. It's just a bad time to travel. All of the newbies in town will be traveling, however, most of us returners are either wiser or less courageous or just plain more lazy than the others because we're staying here.

Well, that's all I've got for now.

2007-08-25T05:44:00.000+08:00

SHIYAN - ROUND TWO

Home again. It really feels like I've finally arrived home after several weeks of visiting relatives and friends in the States. Not that I don't feel at home in the States too; there's just something great about being in one's own apartment after sleeping in so many unfamiliar beds. Brian and I arrived here Thursday evening and were greeted by our friend Zoe at the train station. She was a sight for sore eyes, for sure! Of course, we had dinner at Happy Guys where I was reminded of just how good we have it here in Shiyan. Yesterday I spent most of the day organizing and cleaning my apartment. Somehow in my absence, I acquired some of Cindy's and Derek's and Yve's old stuff that they couldn't take home or around the world, respectively. I also had four boxes waiting my arrival to school (all of which I sent shortly before I left the States so they made really good time - as well they should for all the money I spent to send them!). Yesterday evening Brian and I had dinner at Brad and Min's house. Three Chinese girls came as well (two from our school and one from the medical college). I know the three of them so it was fun catching up, and we all had a lovely time (I'm back in China so I can use those British/Chinglish words again). I haven't seen too many family members, but today Alice is coming over for lunch. We'll hang out together and then go to a singing at Brad's where I hope to meet up with the others who stayed here this summer. School is supposed to start the 3rd of September so many of our friends should be returning from their summer holiday excursions soon.

XINJIANG TRAVELS

Brian and I left America on August 7th. We both had previously decided to come back to China early to visit several cities in Xinjiang Province. It's the largest province in China and is in the far western regions of the country. This time would really be the best for us to travel it because of its vastness. The only other time during the year we would have time to visit it would be during our winter break, and it would just be too cold then. We figured two weeks or so would be just the right amount of time so after flying into Xi'an (arriving on the 9th), we spent the night with our American friend Nancy and left the next evening on the train to Urumqi (the capital of Xinjiang). In retrospect, this may not have been the wisest move, rushing into a 34 hour train ride on the heights of jet lag, especially considering we couldn't get beds, but we were both interested in making the most of the time we had before school started back. We also thought that once on the train we would be able to upgrade to beds. But after about 18 hours of being told "no! there are no beds available", I gave up that hope and resigned myself to mentally trying to make the most of 34 hours of sitting on hard seats. It was pretty rough which I hate admitting when our friend Orange (who is from Urumqi) has made that trip many times (and just finished it yet again yesterday) in the same scenario without ever complaining. We did make it, however, thanks to ipods and that self-preserving mechanism in my brain that puts it in hibernation when I'm unable to sleep AND unable to entertain myself. Aside from our ankles looking like bowling balls, we emerged victorious and more or less unscathed.

Since Orange's parents live in Urumqi, they were able to buy us train tickets to Kashgar. Again, there were no beds, but at least this train was only supposed to take 24 hours, I think. We arrived in Urumqi around 7:30 in the morning, and our train to Kashgar was meant to leave around noon. In those four hours, we had to meet up with Orange's mom to retrieve our tickets, and since it was a Sunday morning, we had agreed to meet her at the Chinese church, spend a couple hours there for services, and then return to the train station to continue our journey. I might add that the reason we decided to make the back to back train trips instead of breaking them up with a couple days sightseeing in Urumqi was in the hopes that Orange, who is a medical intern student here in Shiyan, could get some time off from her work to go home (which would only "possibly" happen two weeks from when we first arrived in Urumqi), and we could tour her city WITH her.

We met Orange's mom at the church. She doesn't speak any English, and after six weeks of being away from China, jet lag, and the terribly long train ride, our Chinese was worse than rusty; it was just sad. Somehow we made it through. She took great care of us, and the people at the church were nice. We left there about 10:30, train tickets in hand, and after a meal of noodles, we tried to enter the train station. There were a lot of people scurrying about, and a lady with a megaphone kept saying something about our train, but I didn't know what. Finally, Brian figured out that they were saying our train to Kashgar had been cancelled due to bad weather. We called Orange who called her mom who texted us who texted Orange who texted her mom... We finally agreed to go back to the church; services were over now, and Orange's mom was waiting for us. She took us back to the train station where she and Brian waited in line for maybe two hours (I stayed outside where it was raining. Did I mention we were in the desert?? And it was raining!) to get our money back from our tickets. Then she took us to the bus station to buy bus tickets to Kashgar. I admit it hardly makes sense to assume that the buses would run in bad weather if the train would not, but we just wanted to get on our way. Fortunately, in a land that oftentimes doesn't make sense, the buses WERE running. Orange's mom procured us two bus tickets which were only slightly more expensive than our hard seat train tickets, and we had beds! It was all working out perfectly afterall. The timing was great too. Orange's mom treated us to dinner, and then we boarded the bus to leave Urumqi around five in the evening.

Jet lag set in, and I was out. I woke up shortly when we stopped on the side of the road for what I assume was a bathroom break. Brian who had drunk several cups of tea at dinner (I have made it a habit, albeit not a healthy one, to avoid drinking almost anything for long bus rides. It may not be great for my health, but it certainly keeps me from uncomfortable situations since stops are infrequent and unpredictable), was the first to exit the bus, followed quickly by a woman and her child. As soon as Brian hit the fresh air, I thought his clothes were going to be ripped off him by the strong wind. What I saw was him running in front of the bus, going acrosss the street. What I didn't see was him pursuing his shoe that flew off as he exited the bus. The bus driver made the woman and child get back on the bus. Brian went around the side of the bus, and for a few moments I wondered if he blew away. The bus driver began honking his horn and started edging the bus forward. In my moment of nobility, I considered yelling at the bus driver to stop, anchoring myself to the bus with a rope of some kind and heading a one man rescue operation for Brian, but I figured he was okay so I layed back down. Brian jumped back on the bus looking wind blown and irritated, but strangely relieved...

The bus stopped around 10:30 or 11:30 that night. I got off to use the bathroom quickly. It was a little chilly so when I got back on, I covered up and went sound asleep. I woke up around five in the morning. We were stopped again, and we didn't begin going until around 8:30. I asked Brian why we had stopped for at least three hours that I knew of. He said, "Three hours? Try eleven. We haven't moved since you got off last night to use the bathroom!" Apparently, our buses succumbed to the weather threats as well and were forced to stop for half a day until it was safe to continue. The rest of the ride was uneventful. I slept most of the way. Instead of one night on the bus, we spent two which really pans out to our saving one night's hotel bill. We arrived in Kashgar at seven in the morning and immediately found a place to check into to get cleaned up. We hadn't showered since we left Xi'an several days before!

Kashgar is a great city. I enjoyed it a lot. We walked quite a bit that first day. We saw a huge park, walked past a lake and through a bazaar, then mosied down the streets of the Old Town (which is constructed of dirt and wood and looks dilapidated in the most wonderful way). We searched for the old town walls which were slightly disappointing and then headed back to the hotel. I think we did all that in three or four hours so it was still early afternoon when we returned. In this part of Xinjiang (as in most of the parts we saw), the people seem to exist on a diet of bread and meat. Kebabs are a popular food here, and they are delicious. For anyone not good with geography, like me, Xinjiang borders all those -stan countries, and there are a lot of "minorities" in this area. The culture itself is hardly recognizable to anything mainstream Chinese. It's predominantly Muslim in religion and culture. The men wear their hats and the women their head coverings. There are mosques in most, if not all, of the cities we visited. The food is different, the atmosphere is different, the clothes are different. At times, it hardly felt like China at all.

At our hotel, we booked a two day, one night trip to Karakul Lake. This lake is very near the Pakistan border and at the foot of several mountains which make up part of the Pamir Mountain Range, I think. It just so worked out that a German guy and a Japanese guy were planning the same trip, and since it's cheaper to travel in groups of four than in a group of two, the four of us combined forces to bargain hard with the travel agent at our hotel. Bargaining in Xinjiang in unequivocally more fun than bargaining in other parts of China. Perhaps it's the locals' great sense of humor or easy-going nature, but at the end of a bargain, both parties are jovial and friendly. It took a lot of bargaining, but after losing the Japanese guy who decided not to go with us, and changing our minds as to the exact nature of our tour plans, we finally settled on a deal and were to leave early the next morning.

Brain, Fabian (the German), and I left Kashgar with our driver the next morning around 8:30 Beijing time (6:30 local time) for one of the most beautiful drives I have ever taken. Breathtaking mountains surrounded our panoramic view, and the air which had been hot in the afternoons in Kashgar was fresh and brisk outside the city. The ride took three hours, and at 11:30 we abruptly stopped at a yurt situated close to the road. A yurt is a type of almost tepee-like dwelling where, in this particular location, Kyrgyz people live. For a little money, a Kyrgyz family will feed visitors and house them for a night or two. Since we arrived around lunch time, the family we stayed with sat us down for a meal of rock hard bread and yak milk tea. The yak milk is supposed to prevent altitude sickness which I will pretend that it did. It wasn't long after eating that Brian, Fabian and I decided to begin our walk around the lake. We could have taken a horse or a camel, but we voted for a little exercise instead. The weather changed rapidly here. I was wearing four layers of shirts because I had failed to plan for really cold weather when I was packing for Xinjiang, the province boasting to have the hottest spot in China. As we hiked, however, my body temperature rose so that I was able to shed some layers and enjoy the sunshine. The surroundings were absolutely beautiful. This lake surrounded by large brown hills with snow covered mountains in the distance and glaciers visible from where we were standing was one of the most tranquil places I have ever been. When we stopped walking, the absence of noise was so noticeably thick that it was immediately clear what was missing - insects, animals, people. Colors went from the stark dullness of brown stones to the vivid greens of sparse grass and the various shades of blue the lake became in shifting sunlight.

Fabian and I, perhaps without the consent of Brian, decided to turn our peaceful easy walk around the lake into a more vigorous one in hopes of finding a better view by climbing a rather large peak. It was one of those situations where our energy trumped our common sense. I'm not sure how long it took, but we all made it to the top of this mountain and all feel the prouder for it, I think. It took a great exertion of physical energy, but given our inactivity on planes, trains and buses for six straight days, I think our bodies were craving it.

After descending the mountain and resting in the sunshine for awhile (and getting painfully sunburned), we took a short trip around a bend to get a better view of the snow-capped mountain. We had walked about half-way around the lake already when we decided to turn around and head back. Again the weather in this area changes rapidly, and upon the initiation of our return, we could see the dark sky of the west moving in our direction. It wasn't long before the freezing winds mingled with snow and sleet hit us. I don't know how long we walked in these conditions, but it was pretty miserable. And then, as quickly as it came, the bad weather was gone, and the sun returned.

When we arrived at the yurt, the Kyrgyz family asked what time we wanted to eat, and we told them six o'clock which was in two hours. Still having not totally warmed up, we entered the yurt where we were given colorful blankets to wrap up in. Fabian and Brian napped, I think, while I read. As I was reading, one of the daughters of the family came over and sat next to me. She started trying to pronounce the words so I helped her, and soon, her brother joined us. Their native language is Kyrgyz, and they speak about as much Chinese as I do, but we were surprisingly able to communicate rather well. The family we stayed with has five children, four of which spent the next hour teaching us to count in Kyrgyz and to dance. The girl who first approached me was 12 years old. Brian, if he could remember nothing else, remembered the Kyrgyz words for 12, and so this girl came to be called "0neke" (though I don't know how to spell it), which is 12 in Kyrgyz. Then again, everything became "oneke" to Brian: "thank you", "hello", "come inside this yurt and dance for us", everything. Anyhow, Oneke, the girl, not the other words, showed us the differences between some minority dances, and I showed her the macarena (not one of my proudest moments!), and her two year old brother "Eke" had his own special kind of mucous involved dance routine that was literally the most adorable thing I have ever seen. So that's how we spent time before dinner - dancing, learning Kyrgyz and laughing harder than I have in a long time.

Supper consisted of noodles and tea. After dinner we were invited into their other yurt to "get warm" where we were bushwhacked with odds and ends the family was selling to supplement their income. How could we not purchase something when they had taken such good care of us and when their snot-faced, dancing two year old brought so much laughter to us that our stomachs were hurting? So I bought a purse and necklace partially made out of camel hair, and the boys purchased a few items as well, again after several bouts of bargaining and Brian's consistant refrain of "oneke!"

The next day we were supposed to be picked up by our driver. When the time for him to arrive came and passed, we called the tour agent. Apparently, our driver's car had broken down; we would have to wait three more hours. It was a long wait. We were ready to go. Fabian had plans to leave Kashgar that evening so he needed to get back. It had turned much colder and was snowing. Finally, two and a half hours after we should have left, the father of our family stuck his head in the yurt where we were staying and said, "Kyrgyz bus!" We followed him out to a pickup truck loaded down with three people in the front, six people in the bed, and just enough space for the three of us to cram in the back of the cab with all our backpacks for an uncomfortable ride back. But that's not all. We were following another pickup truck, complete with a man and a goat in its bed, which was in desperate need of a tune up or a complete overhaul or to be used as scrap metal - not sure which - that kept breaking down. Eight times on the way back to Kashgar, our truck pulled over to help the other truck get started again. After one such stop, our driver went to the bed of our truck and pulled a blue tarp over the six people riding back there. They were completely covered by the tarp which I thought was odd, but considering how cold it had been, I thought they were using it as a windbreaker. When the driver re-entered the truck, he put his seatbelt on, made the old woman riding up front put hers on, and then continued down the road for 20 minutes. Then he again stopped, got out of the truck, uncovered the folks in the bed and then jumped back in and drove off, just as the old lady was unbuckling her seatbelt. Apparently, we were smuggling these people through a well-patrolled area!

After dropping off the Kyrgyz people at what appeared to be a family reunion, we returned to Kashgar several hours late where we demanded (and were given) a discount for this truly interesting experience.

The next day, which was Friday, Brian and I left Kashgar for Yarkand. I was expecting a small, podunk town, but it was nice sized. We walked around the old town. It's clear that fewer foreigners stop in this city than in some of the others because we got a lot of attention. The town had a nice feel to it though.

Saturday we took the bus to Hotan. It was about five hours away. The bus ride was all right, again thanks to ipods and good books. We were also blessed with our close proximity to a friendly family. Xinjiang is China-renowned for its fruit, and up to this point, Brian and I hadn't really tried any of it. But on the bus, the man sitting next to me gave Brian and me each a peach. Of course, we had to peel it. Both this man and Brian were peeling their's with no problem, but mine was a laborious effort. When I finally finished, I bit into the juiciest, ripest peach I have ever had. It was delicious, and when I nodded to the man that it was good, he looked at me like a parent looks at an child who has just made a juvenile faux pas, and told me to throw it out the window. Apparently, it was rotten, although I maintain that it was delicious. He then gave me another peach which I peeled in a fraction of the time it took me to peel the first one, and it was also good, though less sweet. Later the same family forced Brian and me to eat boiled eggs. And THAT is why I love Xinjiang people. They treat you like family, and they are hilarious. They seem to really enjoy life.

Our arrival in Hotan was good. We finally found a hotel, no thanks to our map. The main things we had planned for Hotan were to see the Sunday market which was supposed to be spectacular and to book plane tickets from Urumqi to Xi'an. There was nothing within us that could make us possibly be okay with enduring the 34 hour train ride back so we splurged and decided to fly instead.

On Sunday we did, in fact, go to the market, and it was, in fact, spectacular. It was huge. You could buy anything from basic necessities to luxurient carpets to hand-crafted knives to food to animals. At some point, we took a wrong turn and walked a lond distance through a quiet neighborhood. That was quite enjoyable. We made it back to the market, however, because we wanted to see the animals. We never could find the animal market which was slightly disappointing. From the market, we got a taxi to a travel agency. Unfortunately, the taxi driver didn't understand Brian's Chinese and Brian didn't understand his, and he headed towards the airport instead. Brian realized this fact (thank you Lonely Planet for your map, however unhelpful at times!), and asked the driver if we were going to the airport. The driver said, "Do you want to?" and Brian said, "No!" He showed the driver the map and where we wanted to go, and the driver pointed that we were going the right way, but when we saw airport signs, we knew that we weren't on the right track. At this point, both of us started saying that we didn't want to go to the airport. The driver continued, however, until we began yelling, "We don't want to go to the airport!!!" So he looked at the map again and turned around. A ways down the road, he pulled over and asked directions. The guy on the street easily told him where to go and that we had passed by the turn yet again. We finally made it to where we wanted to go, and the driver, who had failed to turn on the meter when we began, tried charging us 50 kuai! I was so angry. We fought with him for awhile, enlisted the aid of a young Chinese passerby who actually spoke really good English but was unable to get this driver to concede, and ended up giving him 25 kuai and walking away. He was not happy and neither were we, especially when the travel agency quoted us a plane ticket price 200 kuai more than what was quoted us in Kashgar! We left without the tickets. On our way to the hotel, we saw a China Southern airline office, stopped and bought tickets (for the inflated price) to leave Urumqi on the 28th which would give us two days with Orange in her hometown. We then returned to the hotel to rest.

As most people can imagine, Brian and I were both tired of traveling at this point. Here was where everything stood: It was Sunday afternoon. Orange would not arrive in Urumqi until the following Saturday (if she could come at all; nearly everyday she was getting mixed signals from her teachers about coming - one teacher said yes, one said no). She did buy her ticket, however, and was supposed to arrive Urumqi in one week. So Brian and I decided we would kill time in and around Urumqi until she arrived, and then she could show us her town. I can honestly say I was not in good humor in Hotan on this Sunday afternoon. After the squabble with the taxi driver and later a squabble with a fruit lady and the idea of basically a week of more travel and more money spending, I was frustrated. Back at the hotel, I was reading which was taking away the tension I had been feeling. After I finished my book, Brian looked at me and said, "Are you ready for this?" An hour earlier, Orange had texted Brian that, although she had bought her train ticket, one teacher was still saying she could not leave. When Brian told me this, I looked at him, he looked at me, and in those quiet seconds, we both exchanged the fact that we just want to go home. So...we went back to the travel agency and through the translating services of Zoe back here in Shiyan, changed our plane tickets from the 28th to the 22nd. Orange was disappointed but we appeased her with promises of returning to Urumqi with her in the near future.

What a weight was lifted from me! Making the decision to come back early was the best one, for sure, but that still didn't do away with the fact that we had a long journey home. On Monday Brian and I boarded another sleeper bus for Urumqi that would traverse the Taklamakan Desert by way of the cross desert highway (by the way, the routes we had been taking up to this point were the remnants of the old China Silk Road - a fascinating history). It took 22 hours, and we were back in Urumqi. We met a Dutch guy named Ruben after getting off at the bus station, and the three of us took a taxi to a youth hostel. We booked a bed and then Brian and I decided to walk around town. It was early in the morning when we arrived, and our plane wouldn't leave until the next morning. As we were walking, Orange texted us wanting to know where we were because her mom was expecting us and didn't know where to find us. After much confusion and texting, we met Orange's mom at a bus stop near her home for lunch. She brought us to their apartment first, gave us lots of fruit to eat, and then we left there for lunch. After picking up Orange's father, we stopped at a nice Uighur restaurant and had lots of rice and kebabs and bread with meat in it and yogurt. We were stuffed, but oh, the day wasn't over. Next, Orange's mom took us to a really nice bazaar where we didn't buy a thing but enjoyed perusing the shops. After a couple hours, we returned to Orange's home, where for the next couple hours, as in good Chinese fashion, we were forced to graze on melons and grapes and cashews and sunflower seeds until we nearly popped. And at the point of explosion, a table was set up, and we were served Orange's mom's delicious fried noodles - a heaping bowl, I might add. We were stuffed and stuffed again.

Orange's mom not only rode the bus with us to our hostel, but walked us to our room, made sure everything seemed to check out, and then left of with a huge bag of a variety of peaches we don't have in Shiyan and well wishes. She is a really sweet woman.

So Wednesday we took the plane to Xi'an - only 3 hours as opposed to 34 by train. We arrived at Nancy's in the afternoon and spent the evening watching movies. Thursday we dragged our luggage - one big, heavy rolling bag, one hiker's backpack, one computer bag and another carry-on bag - to the train station, up stairs, down stairs, down the platform from car 2 to car 15, up the train stairs, into our cubby where we had to cram the big bags under seats or under tables just because they were too heavy to lift. Then I passed out (luckliy we procured beds) in a sweaty, exhausted mass! The train ride took 8 hours which was nothing after all we had traveled. The thought of home consistently kept me going. We arrived in Shiyan at 4:45, dragged our luggage for the last time to a taxi where Zoe (like I said earlier, a sight for sore eyes!) helped us the rest of the way. And THAT details our adventures in Xinjiang - a land of extremes: extreme heat and extreme cold, extreme altitudes, extreme people, extreme conditions on all fronts. And I'm both extremely glad to have toured it AND extremely glad to be done, for now, of touring it.

2007-06-23T22:53:00.000+08:00

LAST NIGHT IN CHINA

This past week has been a bit of a blur. It's not that I was too busy, but the day for my departure approached rather quickly anyway. The week was filled with goodbyes which is not my favorite way to spend my time, but, fortunately enough for me, I'm coming back. I can't imagine how different I would feel if I knew I wouldn't be returning in two months.

Thursday a group of Derek's students came over to cook dinner for us. We were also blessed with the presence of many of our other close friends who came to hang out for the evening or spend the night. In fact, Sara and Jean who both have moved to towns outside Shiyan to begin their medical internships came back just to say goodbye. It was a pretty sweet evening.

Our plane home leaves from Wuhan (the capital of our province and a 6 hour train ride away) on Sunday, but Derek and I decided to leave Shiyan on Friday to spend a day in Wuhan checking out a coffee house (for me) and buying some souvenirs (for Derek). So all morning Friday we ran errands, finished up classes, and spent some last minute time with our Chinese friends. Our train left at 3:58 (to be exact, Angel!) and so we said our last goodbyes to most of our friends at our apartment an hour before. There was a great turnout, and it was such a blessing to see so many friendly and loving faces wishing us well. Derek will not return next year, and, again, I can't imagine what that would be like. It was hard enough for me to say goodbye for just two months!

We arrived in Wuhan last night around 10 o'clock. Another foreign teacher in Wuhan, Janell, lives about 10 minutes from the train station so we took a taxi to her place. She's at a great location and is very hospitable to many of us Shiyan people who have used her apartment on various occasions throughout the year.

I've been getting some advice about how to deal with jet lag. The general consensus is to wear yourself out before flying so that you can sleep very well on the plane. Last night Janell and I stayed up until 4 o'clock talking and tonight the Lewises (who arrived this afternoon) and the rest of us are attempting to pull an all-nighter. They've begun to watch season six of 24. I've only seen season one of this show, and I'm not as into it as everyone else, but I am going to try to stay up with them.

Today was a pretty nice day in Wuhan. Up until today, I have had nothing but rather negative experiences in this polluted, frustrating city. This morning we slept in, but then we met a couple of other teachers for lunch at a Brazilian BBQ place. It's been awhile since I've had so much meat at one sitting. Basically, these waiters walk around carrying different types of meat on a stick and a sharp knife. When they walk by your table, they ask if you want the meat. If you do, then they shave off as much of it as you want. It's an all you can eat place so we more than stuffed ourselves with lamb, steak, bacon, glazed fat and countless other types of meat. It was grotesquely delicious!

The afternoon I spent touring Mr. Mai's coffee shop. It's a coffee house that provides English speaking opportunities (among other opportunities!). It has a really cool setup. Plus, the coffee and desserts were a great treat after being subjected to underpar instant coffee for several months.

Tomorrow our plane leaves around 3 o'clock. From there we fly to Guangzhou and have a five hour layover. Then we'll fly to L.A and, hopefully, we'll all be so exhausted, we'll sleep most of the way (though I've already been assured by Courtny that I can expect to receive no sleep at all). We'll see.

2007-06-16T16:55:00.000+08:00

WUDANGSHAN, AT LAST

I finally made it to Wudang Mountain. Were it not for the automobile industry and Wudang Mountain, Shiyan would probably be just another small village unknown throughout China and certainly throughout the world. However, the Dong Feng car factory establishes Shiyan as an important economic city, and Wudang Mountain ensures it to be a growing tourist destination. Wudang Mountain is credited with the beginnings of Taoism and a special kind of kung fu known generically as wushu. I'm sure I don't know much about the history or anything else important dealing with Wudang; all I know is that if you live in Shiyan and don't visit Wudang Mountain, it's like living in Siem Reap and not visiting Angkor Wat or living in D.C. and not visiting the White House. As important as Wudang is to everything Shiyan, it's surprising to me how few of my students have actually visited it. This could in large part have to do with the whopping sum of money you must pay to go there. For students it costs about 90 kuai and for us older folks a grand total of 180 something. But it's a pretty sweet layout. Last Thursday I canceled class and joined Derek, Brian, Matt, Amber and Dolly for a day of hiking Wudang. It takes about an hour or less by bus to arrive at the Wudang village and after browsing a few souvenir shops at the bottom of the mountain, we began our ascent. The hike was surprisingly both beautiful and very doable. We had all quietly assumed that the hike up the mountain would simply be hours of climbing a steep staircase consisting of uneven and broken steps. We had continuously received conflicting information about how long it would take to reach the top (anywhere from 2 hours to 8 hours!), but we set off anyway. We took a bus a little ways up the mountain and then began our hike up. The trail was really nice. We had significant tree cover and there was a cool stream we walked along. The scenery really was spectacular. We were bombarded by gnats which grew annoying, but it didn't ruin the hike. I'm not actually sure how long we hiked for. We reached a spot where there were a few souvenir shops and restaurants, the first sign of tourist life since we began the hike. We did a little shopping and unanimously decided not to finish the hike. It was already after four, and the remainder of the hike was supposedly like we had envisioned the entire hike to be from the beginning: a rigorous uphill climb. We all felt we had gotten our money's worth (which included a thirty minute kung fu show mid-morning which we were fortunate enough to catch) and were ready to return home. I, fortunately, have the luxury of returning and finishing the hike next year which I plan to do. Wudang was much more beautiful than I had imagined. When people talk about it, they always mention Taoism and kung fu and how important it is to China, but I've never heard anyone mention just how naturally beautiful it is. I'm glad to have visited it, and I'm especially glad to be able to answer everyone who asks from now on that yes, in fact, I have been to Wudang Mountain. I do live in Shiyan, afterall.

2007-06-04T11:46:00.000+08:00

A FEW DAYS AND COUNTING

For those who don't know, I'll be returning to the States on June 25th, only 21 days from today. The Lewis Five, Brian, Derek and I will all be returning at the same time. We will fly together all the way to L.A. where the Lewises will break off from our group, and the boys and I will continue to Atlanta together before our final goodbye. I'm glad we're flying home together. Somehow it seems like a fitting end. But actually I'm trying not to focus too much on my upcoming return home. I've still got two weeks of classes left which includes final exams, lots of grading, and filling out and completing teacher logs and final grades.

A FULL WEEKEND

Last Monday three American friends of Derek arrived in Shiyan. Dollie and Amber are staying in my apartment, and Matt is staying in Derek's. The three are from Harding and had just spent some time in Wuhan before coming to Shiyan. They came at a good time because we've had quite a few activities this week for them to participate in. Saturday night we had a big potluck meal. I think it's actually the first official potluck dinner we've had, and I'm already regretting that fact because the food was amazing. After dining and socializing, the guys and girls split for separate family devos.

Saturday night I stayed at the Lewis house because Courtny's 16th birthday was the next day. She and I stayed up till 4 a.m. watching movies and being stupid. It was fun, though. Sunday morning the family gathered together for a little roadtrip. We went to the nearby Huang Long Reservoir where we rented a boat. It was my first time to go to the reservoir and I was amazed by the beauty of the surrounding scenery. Mountains jutted up all around us, and the water was really clear. After awhile of singing and learning, many of us went swimming in the cool, clear water. We were out there all afternoon, which is evident if you see Brian's red face!

Last night we celebrated Courtny's birthday with taco salad and lots of cake. Then we watched the season finale of LOST which was awesome. We had a full house, or I should say, the Lewises had a full house, and despite Brian's constant threats of dismemberment if anyone talked during LOST, everyone made it through the show entact. I spent the night again last night at the Lewises and decided to make use of their Internet while they go eat lunch this morning. I actually need to head home, probably clean up, plan my classes for this week, and prepare for meeting with students for dinner tonight. Brian and I rescheduled some of our classes to meet in small groups outside of class. Many of these groups have come to my apartment to cook dinner for us (which is pretty sweet because most of them can cook really well), but tonight I'm going to have dumplings at some restaurant with some of the boys in my class who can't speak English... It should be, um, well, a long evening.

2007-05-09T17:43:00.000+08:00

High-rollin’ in Hong Kong

Last week was May holiday which for me and my friends meant it was time to face torturously long train rides. After the three day trek to get back to Shiyan from our Southeast Asia trip, I seriously doubted whether I would be prepared to take on another week of travels. But May came and Brian successfully enticed us to visit Hong Kong with visions of grandeur (aka, the comforts of a metropolitan, westernized society). Brian’s mom’s cousin, Suzanne, and her husband, Daniel, live in Hong Kong, and they were gracious enough to allow us to crash at their apartment for a little over a week.

Brian, Derek and I rescheduled some classes and left Shiyan early on Thursday the 26th. We were able to get beds on the train which really is a pleasant way to travel. I’m always amazed how many hours I’m able to sleep on a train, but I generally am knocked out for the majority of the ride (which lasted twenty something hours). When I’m not sleeping, I’m usually reading or playing cards with the boys. Rummy seems to be our game of choice for now, and we usually generate a small crowd of people interested in learning the foreigners’ game. On our trip to Donguan (the first and longest leg of the trip to Hong Kong), we taught two older ladies how to play Rummy. They picked it up pretty quickly, and we, subsequently, created a bond that would help us out considerably once we arrived at the train station.

From Donguan we needed to take a train or some sort of transportation to Shenzhen which was about an hour away. The idea of fighting for a spot on the train was not appealing, but we seemingly didn’t have much choice. That was until the two older ladies to whom we taught Rummy and who were also heading to Shenzhen told us to follow them and another guy who was on the train with us. These three successfully bargained for a small van that would seat the six of us, and we all left together in a much more comfortable transportation situation.

Once we were dropped off at the train station in Shenzhen, we went through the necessary customs to get into Hong Kong. Brian has been there twice before so he led the way as we took the subway and then a taxi to Suzanne and Daniel’s flat. They have a really nice place. They bought two apartments and converted them into one – an upstairs with several bedrooms (enough for each of us to have our own), a workout room, a family room and a laundry room and a downstairs with more bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, an office, and den, and I don’t know what else.

After dropping our things off, we headed up a mountain path near the apartment which led to Victoria’s Peak. We didn’t actually make it to the peak, but we did get lost, and we did eventually find civilization in the form of a mall at the top of the ridge. Here we rested for a bit at Starbucks and basked in the joy that does come from a Vanilla Frapuccino. We then continued our hike for a bit before returning to the apartment four and a half hours later. It was a longer hike than expected but we had a clear day, something infrequently experienced in this highly polluted city, which gave us a good view of Hong Kong and all its skyscraper glory.

Our days were so relaxing. Each morning we slept as late as we wanted (which wasn’t actually that late thus making me realize how either old or boring I have become!) and then ate breakfast. That last statement may seem obvious and/or pointless, but we honestly don’t have typical breakfasts in China – something I miss a lot. At Suzanne’s we were able to have cereal (amazing!) or toast or waffles while enjoying a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper in English.

Usually after breakfast we would go downtown. We walked everywhere making it possible for us to eat a ton of good food without putting on the extra poundage. We had food from a different country nearly everyday – Australia, Mongolia, Mexico, Vietnam, India, Egypt and, of course, America. We typically would eat lunches out since it was cheaper and we were roaming the city anyway and then would return to the apartment where one of the housekeepers would prepare dinner for us (like meatloaf or steak or tacos). It was pretty amazing.

We also spent a lot of time reading. We stopped at every English bookstore we could find and bought several books, all of which I have since read! Just being in a bookstore was thrilling (I’m a nerd, I know!). Besides book shopping, we didn’t visit too many other stores. Hong Kong is really well known for shopping, but the malls consisted of really high-end fashion stores like Prada, Chanel, Armani, Louis Vuitton and countless others. So, we mostly just window shopped.

Harmony, a Canadian who taught in Shiyan two years ago, lives in Hong Kong. She came to Shiyan a few weeks ago to visit old friends, and I met her then. While we were in Hong Kong, though, we all met up whenever she was free (she teaches at an international school there), and she would take us to several good eating places.

One of the days of our vacation we decided to visit Macau. Macau is a former Portuguese colony that now belongs to China. It’s known as the Las Vegas of China. People mostly go there to gamble, and there’s a huge casino strip along the coastline. The boys and I arrived late morning and visited a few places of interest. The city is not terribly interesting, but we did get to see some parts of town that had a certain Portuguese flair in the architecture and whatnot. We also decided to make a stop at the casinos before we left back for Hong Kong. Before we had left for Macau, Harmony gave me 50 patacas (the currency used in Macau), and I decided to use this amount of money to make one bet at the casino. Fifty patacas isn’t very much money at all so I considered it an entertainment fee of sorts. Surprisingly, the casino would only accept Hong Kong dollars so I kept the patacas and traded in 50 Hong Kong dollars for two chips. I placed the two chips on the roulette table (one between 14 and 15) with no hope of winning yet no fear of losing, and amazingly, lucky number 14 was rolled! I got back 425 Hong Kong dollars! I bet 25 of that and lost and then cashed in the 400 dollars worth of chips and walked out a winner. Sadly, I can’t say the same for the boys…

A couple of days in a row, Suzanne took us to their country clubs for lunch. Suzanne is an interesting woman who seems to have led an interesting life so chatting over lunch was highly stimulating and usually entertaining.

After spending a little over a week in Hong Kong, I felt like it was definitely a city I would enjoy living in for a year or two. I seem to be progressively working my way into living in larger and larger places. Coming from a hometown of about 3500 people, Shiyan, a city of about 500,000, seemed rather large to me. I have this urge, however, to live in an extremely large city for a few years while I’m still young and not settled, and Hong Kong seemed like a fun place to do this. I’m not sure, though, if I liked Hong Kong so much because it’s a truly great city or if it’s because all of the things I’ve been missing for the last 8 months living on the Mainland (things I didn’t even realize I missed) smacked me in the face in Hong Kong. I felt really comfortable in the city and enjoyed the culture a lot. Hong Kong is also unique because there are so many different nationalities mixed together in this one city. That international flavor was really intriguing.

We left Hong Kong on a Saturday evening train and arrived in Shiyan about 23 hours later. It was a pleasant trip, complete with sleeping, reading, eating the nicely packed ham and cheese sandwiches Suzanne sent us off with, and watching old Jackie Chan movies (the latter on the bus between Wuhan and Shiyan).

A TOUCHING MOMENT

Yesterday I met with a class for just the second time this semester. There are seventeen students enrolled, but I’ve had an average of 14 students at each meeting. Yesterday I had a guy named Fisher come for the first time. Fisher sat in the back of the class and participated in the class discussion when I asked him to. Class was going really well. I love the small classes because I can connect with each of my students much better, and they feel more comfortable to speak in front of smaller groups. After I lectured for a bit, we broke into groups to begin preparations for the debates we will have next week. I actually assigned the groups because my students tend to have trouble forming themselves into groups sometimes. So I told Fisher to join these three other people, and he told me that, no, in fact, he did not want to join them. I was taken aback and asked him why he did not want to join them, and he said that he didn’t wish to tell me. Now I was flat out annoyed so I made the spiel about how participation in class was worth a fairly significant portion of their final grade, which is only partially true, and then proceeded with class.

After class I asked Fisher to stay so that I could talk to him. I waited for the other students to leave, and then I approached Fisher who was still sitting towards the back of the classroom. He stood up, moved one seat over, and asked me to sit down. I sat down and asked him, “What’s goin’ on?” He sat there for a moment, and then for the next few minutes in broken English, he explained to me that he has an illness which causes terrible skin problems. While he spoke, he only looked straight ahead – never at me – which gave me a perfect view of the skin problems he was referring to. His neck, ear, and the side of his face (and even portions of his arm that I could see) are covered with severely irritated and inflamed sores. It looked to me as if he had been burned because the skin is raised and peeling in some areas and is extremely red. He told me that he has had this illness for five years and since he developed it, he feels uncomfortable talking with strangers because he is worried that they will be afraid of him. I was floored and a little humbled thinking about how quickly I had judged him as merely being obstinate of my request earlier in class. We talked for awhile about his self-consciousness, and it was so clear to me just how much of a burden this illness has been on him. Not only has he had situations in which people have judged him because of his skin condition, but these situations have manifested themselves into a phobia in which he believes that people should (not just are, but should) be afraid of him.

I told him that I would not require him to join the group, but that it wouldn’t be fair for him to just sit in class while the groups work and still get the same grade. I gave him the alternative of writing one page about his opinion on the topic of one of the debates we will have next week. To my surprise and immediate frustration, he replied that he did not want to do that. I said, “Okay, then what do you want to do?” He thought for a moment and then said, “I would like to talk to the class next week about judging people based on their appearance and not their personality.” Wow! I was speechless. Here was this guy who refused to join a small group in class because he worries that strangers are afraid of his physical ailment, and here he is wanting to stand up in front of 13 strangers and talk to them about the fact that it’s what’s on the inside that matters. I don’t even know this kid, yet I am so proud of him. How much courage would it take to do something like this! So I told him I thought that was a great idea. I asked if he needed anything from me, and his one simple request was that he could speak in Chinese so as to better be able to express himself. Man, how I wish I could speak Chinese and hear what he has to say! After his talk, I too will be lecturing (or perhaps leading a discussion) on the same topic. Fisher believes that after he speaks to his classmates on this topic, he will feel more comfortable joining group activities later in the semester. I hope it’s so.

2007-04-04T14:25:00.000+08:00

ONE OF THOSE DAYS

Life is beginning to really pick up. After we returned from vacation, we had about a month of solid nothingness to do. But more recently, we've all become quite a bit busier - or at least I feel like I have. Last week I began two new classes which meet twice a week every other week. So every other week I have four extra classes to teach! Both classes are sophomore English majors. However, the differences between them couldn't be any more drastic than if one class was comprised of geniuses and the other class was comprised of stones. The genius class is filled with interested, energetic, encouraging students who speak English really well and truly desire to learn. The other class (which I taught last semester too and had problems with) is comprised mostly of disinterested, disrespectful (and, I think, maybe spoiled) students. I've tried everything with the latter class from games to lectures to presentations to being strict to being totally relaxed...Nothing seems to work. Recently, I decided it's because they can't understand me so I planned to create opportunities outside of class for us to meet and hang out so they can begin to feel comfortable speaking English. My first attempt was such a debacle. I played a game in class, and I told the group that one the game that I would take them out to lunch one day. We planned a good time when we could all have lunch together. So yesterday one of my students picked me up in her car (which is amazing since it's really difficult for the students here to get a car) and took me to one of the most expensive restaurants in town. I thought maybe they were trying to impress me and that they would offer to pay (like most of my students usually do), but after we ate maybe eight dishes, I was given the bill of 200 kuai!! I know that may not mean much. Let me put it in perspective. An average dish will cost 6 or 7 kuai. So for eight dishes at a normal restaurant, the bill might come to 80 kuai, give or take some. I didn't bring 200 kuai with me - only 130 - so my students had to pay the difference. Normally, I would be embarrassed about this, but I'm really not in this situation. Derek and Yve think that they tried to take advantage of me since they're students from the class that I say hates me, but I think maybe they're just spoiled and didn't know any better. So this morning I had to teach the class that hates me. Everytime before I go into this class, I give myself a pep talk and try to connect with the students. Everytime I leave the class, I feel so drained and frustrated. Today I just gave up. There was about 15 minutes left in class, and I was tired of talking over them, and I was tired of the blank looks on their faces so I just stopped talking. Normally, a class will shut up if their teacher shuts up and just stares at them. Mine did not. So after a few minutes, I got their attention, told them I was tired of talking, gave them an emotional version of a indirect guilt trip, and then put on some music for the rest of class. I didn't say one more word to them. It's frustrating, but I'll keep trying, I guess.

LADIES' RETREAT

Last weekend we had a ladies' retreat at Rena's house. I think we had about 30 girls, give or take, at different times during the weekend. A few people came from Yichang and a couple from Wuhan. The rest of us were locals. It was just a really nice, relaxing weekend filled with fellowship, food, and fun - the three "f"s of any ladies' gathering.

2007-03-02T19:10:00.000+08:00

SETTLING IN

Classes began yesterday for me. I'm teaching two sophomore English majors classes, two non-major oral English classes, and one non-major elective class. All of my classes are either mid-morning or afternoon classes. Last semester I had either early morning classes or night classes so having to teach in the afternoons is an adjustment for me. My elective class has 69 students in it which is the largest class I've had yet. I think it's too many. It's hard to be constructive with such a large class, especially in an oral English class. At least two thirds of these students have taken one of my classes before which means I need to come up with all new material for them (so much for regurgitating past lesson plans!).

Life is back to normal. All of the students (and our friends) are back from what I understand was a month of dull existence and are already busy with classes. We haven't been very active the last couple of weeks. The weather has been rather dreary so we've stayed inside and found various things to entertain us. Derek has been rediscovering his love for computer games. I've been organizing my computer. And, Brian? Well, perhaps Brian has been the most constructive of us all. A couple months ago I purchased a 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle of a beautiful green forested, grassy scene. The Monday before last I decided to lay it out on my coffee table and attempted to put some of it together. It wasn't long before I realized this was a puzzle from An Kang (the most horrible place in the world). There are only two puzzle shapes which means that every piece can fit together with nearly every other piece. Since the puzzle is all green (green trees and green grass), many of the pieces look like they could fit with many of the other pieces. So even if two pieces fit together perfectly and look like they should fit together, it's very likely they aren't actually a match. On the back of the puzzle is a lettered grid, without which the puzzle would be impossible and with which the puzzle is nearly impossible at worst and unbelievably frustrating at best. Brian has spent the past week meticulously matching each piece with its location in the picture on the box and placing it in its location on the table. He has shown more patience than most people could and at 11:59 last night, he finally finished it! Well, all of it minus the one piece our friend Orange kidnapped earlier in the week. We thought it would be funny (at least to us) for Brian to finally complete this ridiculous puzzle only to realize one piece was missing. I did feel mildly bad about the whole thing, but it was pretty funny to hear how he threw my furniture around looking for that one lost piece of the puzzle! When the notorious piece is finally returned, we will be giving the puzzle its proper farewell by watching it go up in flames. Now as you can tell by this rather long paragraph about the effects of a jigsaw puzzle on our lives over the last week, we have been rather bored since returning from vacation and having no classes to teach!

NEW FAMILY

One of the American teachers at the medical school, Brad, will be getting married in April to a Chinese lady from Nanning (southern China). Her name is Min. Derek, Janis, and I got the chance to meet her when we went to Nanning for our Vietnam passports in January. She doesn't speak English, but she is so nice and friendly (and cute!). Anyway, last week we learned from Brad that she went swimming in January! She will be moving to Shiyan sometime after the wedding, and we are really looking forward to having her here.

Two nights ago, Michael, a student from our school, decided to go swimming as well. He's a really thoughtful guy and very intelligent too. Michael will be searching for a job in the coming months. I think he already has one job offer in Shanghai, but he seems to be looking around for better deals.

2007-02-20T09:07:00.000+08:00

TRAVELING HOME

Our last night in Vang Vieng was less than what we had hoped for. We all got to bed fairly early knowing it might be the last time we could sleep in a comfortable bed for several days. Around midnight, we heard a lot of loud talking that aroused us from our sleep. We soon realized that just outside our room, where there was a nice little balcony, several people were having a party. It wouldn't have been so bad had not there voices filtered directly into our room making it difficult for us to sleep. We decided, though, that it was still early for most people and tried to sleep despite the constant rattling of stupid conversations that people have when they're drinking and socializing on Valentine's Day. Around one o'clock, Tommy got up and asked them to hold it down a bit. There were maybe a dozen or so people outside, but this one particular British girl was the loudest and most annoying. They continued despite our request for "quiet voices". A little later, Tommy went downstairs to see if the owners could do something about this. No one was at the front desk, however, and no one responded to Tommy's attempts to wake them up. Finally, Derek got up and talked reason with them explaining how we had several days of traveling ahead of us and just wanted a little sleep. The guys of the group were really nice and understanding. The girls were still loud. It wasn't long, though, before the group disintegrated and we had some peace. In the morning, the balcony looked like a wreck, dotted with beer cans and white with cigarette butts.

Derek and I left mildly early for breakfast. Our bus was to leave at ten so we had about three hours before we needed to be ready. Not many people were out yet (the result of a party town mentality) so Derek and I found an empty restaurant that had just opened. In the restaurant next door, the song Home by Michael Buble was playing. I thought it fitting since we would soon be heading home. Immediately after thinking this, the song Take Me to Your Heart by Michael Learns to Rock, which quickly became the anthem of China when we first arrived and will forever remind me of this country just because I heard it for two months straight on every street corner in Shiyan, came on. Then I knew it was time to come back. (-: Sitting in the other restaurant about a table away from us (we were sitting outside) was a young lady who is also an English teacher in China. We've met more people on this trip who are teaching in China! It's always fun talking to them and discussing our similar experiences.

The bus ride from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang took maybe six hours, but it seemed much longer. The road was not good and it twisted through lots of mountains so we were able only to move at a snail's pace. There really were not places to stop along the way - only tiny make-shift villages that consisted of maybe four or five huts which we saw rather infrequently - and we probably wouldn't have stopped at all had three quarters of the people on the bus not threatened to riot. The bus driver wisely pulled over on the side of the road to allow these anguished people to find a nice tree to serve as their WC (I've certainly used worse places which were actually supposed to serve as bathrooms AND had to pay money for them!). Anyway, the experience reminded me of old family roadtrips...

We arrived in Luang Prabang around six and quickly (and surprisingly easily) found where we needed to buy bus tickets to Kunming, China. The bus would leave that evening at 10 pm. We originally had wanted to spend a day in Luang Prabang, but at this point, I think we were all ready just to continue heading back. We booked the tickets and then set off to find food. We did have one manner of business to take care of in this town before we left, however. Earlier, in Cambodia, we met an older French woman. She was really eccentric but very friendly, and we found ourselves repeatedly meeting up with her in Phnom Penh, Kratie and southern Laos. During one of our bus rides together, she gave us a letter and a picture of her family with a guesthouse owner in Luang Prabang that they had taken when she stayed at that guesthouse some time before. She asked us to deliver the letter and picture to this particular guesthouse owner, and we could do nothing but comply with this request. We searched for quite awhile to find the guesthouse, and it wasn't until after dinner, when we tried again, that we found it. It was kind of a neat thing to do, I guess, and we got bananas out of the deal which came in handy a day later.

Luang Prabang seemed to be a nice town. We decided to splurge on dinner that night since we had some kip to burn, but even when we bought everything we wanted - nice dinner, dessert, drinks - we still only paid about four dollars! There was a night market filled with all sorts of tourist goods - jewelry, bags, shirts, coffee - and we spent a little time there before going to wait for our night bus.

3 SOLID DAYS OF TRAVELING

We had a sleeper bus so each of us got a really narrow bed - all top bunks - on the 30 hour roller coaster ride we were about to endure to Kunming. We were still winding through mountains, but this driver took the turns much faster than the previous driver. So the entire night we were being tossed to and fro in our little beds, getting slammed against the window and the bar that was the only thing that kept me from being thrown out of my bed (and it only slightly helped!). Somehow we did get some sleep (through the aid of Derek's limitless supply of sleeping pills).

The next day we decided to switch beds. At the back of the bus, there was one large bed that stretched from one side of the bus to the other. We had avoided it previously because we could imagine them overbooking the bus and us getting sandwiched between several greasy men for the remainder of the trip. But on the second day, we decided to go for it, and Derek, Tommy and I moved to this gianormous bed which was supposed to hold five people, but we more than used all the space - selfishly sprawling ourselves comfortably out like spread eagles. It turned out to be a good move since, for the first time since I've ridden any kind of transportation in China, the bus didn't get overbooked, AND since we lost several people at the border crossing (not really sure what happened to them), there were more than enough empty beds for any late comers who hitched rides along the way. The second night was much more comfortable than the first night, though we were still being thrown about and this time with no bars to prevent us from rolling all over the place. When we weren't trying to sleep, it was actually a fun ride.

I wish I could say that after we arrived in Kunming, we were almost home, but that would be a lie. We arrived at seven in the morning to a very cold China. We quickly found the train station, bought our tickets home and then found a small restaurant to eat a breakfast of baozi. Tommy's train to Beijing would not leave until 10 pm, but ours to Wuhan was leaving at 10 am. So we parted around 8:30 - him to find a hotel and us to buy some snacks for another long train ride. We got hard sleepers on the train which was a necessity for what was about to be another 29 hour ride.

It's surprising how much we slept during the thirty hour bus ride and the 29 hour train ride, but when there's nothing else to do, there's nothing else to do. Janice, who had kept herself hopped up on coffee and sugar during the previous week, finally crashed on the train ride to Wuhan. We were traveling on the 17th, and the Chinese New Year would begin on the 18th. We heard that it's practically impossible to travel three days after the new year because all the Chinese who had traveled to visit their families would be traveling during this time. We thought we would be wise and travel DURING the new year since most Chinese people celebrate this time at home. As we were traveling across the country side, we could see fireworks being shot off everywhere. I went to bed early, but at midnight, I heard lots of explosions. I was too tired to watch the celebration, but I heard the next day that we had stopped in a town and a lot of people got off the train to watch the display of fireworks.

We traveled all day on the 18th so we didn't really celebrate the new year. No one my age that I talk to really enjoys the new year anyway because they think it's boring; they just spend three days visiting family. I've been told that the Chinese New Year is like our Christmas, but the more I talk to people about it, the less I think it is. It is about family, that's the same, but level of celebration and the enjoyment factor is just not equal to what we feel, or I feel anyway, during Christmas.

Andrew and Jaime were also traveling back to Shiyan from another city in southern China. They arrived in Wuhan first and bought beds on the 5:15 train to Shiyan. We asked them later to procure tickets for us too, but they were only able to get standing tickets. Our idea that it would be easy to travel on new year's day was wrong! We arrived in Wuhan at 4 and had just enough time to get some Muslim noodles before boarding the next train home. It took about 6 hours, and fortunately, Janice was able to find a seat which she kept for the entire trip. Derek and I stood for several hours and alternated accepting the kindness of strangers who really went out of their way to allow us to sit in their seats or tripled up in some cases to allow us a little section of a seat to rest on. They were so nice to us.

We arrived at 10:45 to a Shiyan which was surprisingly warmer than we were expecting. There were a lot of taxis available since so many other people were arriving too, but since it was a holiday, they had turned off their meters, and we had to pay much more than we normally would of had to. It was really nice to get home. After several days of solid traveling and no shower, however, it was disappointing to miss our hot water time slot, though since we've arrived, we've yet to have hot water despite the fact we're supposed to have it twice a day. Maybe they don't turn it on when no one is here, and they just don't know we're here yet.

Yesterday we had planned to relax, but we actually were more productive than anyone should be when they've just spent a month traveling. Since the Chinese celebrate the new year for three days (though it's supposed to be 15 days, but apparently a little thing called work gets in the way of what used to be a two week celebration), all the shops and restaurants on our street were closed. Many people, including Happy Guy and his family, have gone to visit their families so their restaurants are closed. The streets were really quiet too, and there was hardly any traffic. We went into town where we found a few places to eat noodles and then proceeded to a supermarket to buy groceries. Besides the supermarket and a few restaurants, there were several stands throughout the city where one could buy oil, liquor and fireworks. Those three things must be the staples during this time of the year because everyone we came into contact with was carrying at least one, if not all, of these items. Fireworks are especially popular, and the town sounds like a war zone with loud explosions frequently startling us. Since none of the restaurants near us were open, we bought supplies to cook dinner. Derek and I also were able to buy external hard drives which we'll really need with all the pictures taken during this trip, and I even mailed a couple letters which is a huge accomplishment for me as I often write letters but don't mail them for a couple weeks later. When we got back home, we began what would be a full evening of watching sitcoms and shows. It was a good day!

So through all my travels in Southeast Asia, the one thing I learned is just how unique China is in the Asian sector. I really thought there would be a lot of similarities between the eastern cultures, but I was wrong. When we took the Chinese bus from Laos to Kunming, it was abundantly clear to me just how different the Chinese culture is. We were quickly reintroduced to China at the border crossing where we often saw lots of spitting on the streets, children in split pants and 15 layers of clothing, horrible bathroom conditions with no toilet paper or soap, drive by hellos by people like security check guards, good food (dishes and rice), fast bus drivers in dangerous conditions, and a host of other random bits of cultural things that are "so China". It's weird that many of these things are becoming a part of my identity whether I ever understand them or not!

CHINESE NEW YEAR FEAST

For lunch today Derek, Janice and I visited Janice's aunt and uncle who prepared a traditional New Year's feast. The food was especially delicious, and as is custom anytime we eat dinner in someone's home, we were forced to gorge ourselves. Even Janice, who was supposed to be our buffer and communicative liason, continued to feed us long after we should have stopped. But it was a lot of fun, and it's always cool to meet our friends' families.

This evening we went to Andrew and Jaime's to cook pizza and play a game called Settlers. It's a fun, strategic game that I'm not very good at but is easy enough to play. It's nice settling back into a routine that feels regular. Things are still really quiet around here since most of the students have not returned. The city actually woke up today, and it seemed to be more like it's old self instead of the ghost town it was yesterday. School is supposed to begin next week, but I'm not sure when or what I'll be teaching yet. No worries, though.

2007-02-14T19:13:00.000+08:00

TUBING IN VANG VIENG

Okay, I am way too tired to write, and this internet cafe charges an arm and a leg to use their computers so this entry is likely to be filled with all sorts of mistakes. That's my disclaimer, now onto the fun.

We got a "VIP" bus out of Pakse to Vientiane, which was like ten hours away. It was an overnight trip which is really the only way to travel, I think, if you have such a distance to cover. The VIP bus was surprisingly, well, VIP. I say "surprisingly" because I've learned to not attach western meanings to western phrases in eastern countries. But the bus was a double decker with plenty of leg room, a nice blanket, and a wonderful meal of fried rice with three pieces of candy for dessert. We even were given an American movie to watch, but it was dubbed in Laotian so it was of no use to us. I did, however, prefer the movie to the blaring Laotian music videos that look like they were made in the 80s on a shoe-string budget.

In Vientiane we killed time at a Scandinavian pastry shop (which was amazing) with a young British couple. We've been on a Rummy kick lately, though we really should go back to Spades. Janice somehow always pulls out the most frustrating straights on us. We were all in a better humor when we played Spades.

Anyway, sorry for the tangent. We arrived in Vang Vieng yesterday afternoon. So far all the towns in Laos have been so quiet and relaxed. In Vang Vieng, all the restaurants have lay down benches covered in pillows with tables in the center. They all have TVs too where you can catch an episode of Friends, the Simpsons or any number of movies. A lot of tourists relax for hours watching TV. I know it sounds like a waste of time, but after you've been traveling hard for several weeks (or months in the cases of every Westerner EXCEPT Americans), it's nice to lay down for an hour or two and watch TV. Yesterday we didn't do much but play cards, eat some terrible Indian food, and drink lots of strawberry shakes. I was pretty tired so I crashed at 6:30 (I wish I were kidding) and didn't get up this morning until after seven.

Around nine o'clock today, we rented inner tubes and were taken by tuk-tuk up the river a little ways. We spent about five hours tubing down the river, swimming some, and exploring a really cool cave. The river was pretty slow for most of the ways so we were all ready to be done long before we ever saw the "Tubers Stop Here" sign. We all got a little toasted too. But it was definitely fun and relaxing.

This afternoon we ate some more Indian food, which was good this time, and then became those lazy tourists camped out in the restaurants watching movies - the very ones we criticized yesterday!

Tomorrow we leave for Luang Prabang. I don't know what we'll do there, if anything. It's really time for us to head back to China. It's going to be a long trip home, and the only thing that would make it worse is if we caught the trains going back during the peak traveling time for the Chinese (which is a few days after the Chinese New Year). We're going to attempt to travel on the day of their new year since everyone will be spending this time with their families, and hopefully we will be back home before all the tickets get bought up. Otherwise, it could be a REALLY long trip home!

2007-02-12T14:41:00.000+08:00

LAST DAY IN PHNOM PENH

Well the Northens, the missionary couple we met the night before, showed us the boat (and I use that word lightly as it is more like an incredibly awesome ship!) our last day in Phnom Penh. This fully furnished medical boat is amazing. I wasn't expecting much, but my mind was blown away to see the living quarters and the well designed doctor's examination rooms. It even has an X-ray room and a room specifically designed for lab work. The Northens and all involved will be doing some good work before too much longer (as soon as all the paperwork goes through which can take a long time when you try to do things honestly). The remainder of our day in Phnom Penh was spent walking around and seeing the Imperial Palace and visiting the Central Market, which is by far the largest maze of a market I've ever seen.

KRATIE AND THE FRESHWATER DOLPHINS

The next morning we left for Kratie, a city in northern Cambodia. It took about six hours after stopping for the worst lunch I've ever had in Asia. I ordered beef noodle soup - a staple around here - but whatever I got contained two types of mystery meat. It was pretty bad. I should have been tipped off, though, when, as soon as we stepped off the bus, a basket of large, fried spiders was thrust in my face. Before we left, Derek and I, in a desire to be open-minded, purchased one of the spiders. We only at the legs because we couldn't bring ourselves to eat the body. It wasn't half bad, actually, though my mind wouldn't let forget the image of spiders crawling down my throat!

In Kratie we got a room, unloaded our stuff, and then got motorcycles to the Mekong River where you can see dolphins swimming in the fresh water. The motorcycle ride was really nice as we road through little villages with the cool air swishing across us. At the entrance to the seeing area, we were told we would have to pay twice as much as what our hotel told us we would have to pay to see the dolphins. We had already decided not to take the boat to see them but to stay on the shore and view them from a distance. At the entrance, they told us we HAD to take the boat and pay for it. After much arguing, we were finally permitted to not take (or pay) for the boat and try to spot the dolphins from the distance. We got good pictures, though, of little black dots making little splashes in the water... So we didn't really have a very good view, especially since neither Janice nor I were wearing our glasses, but we showed them by not paying two extra dollars... Okay, so maybe we didn't, but it wasn't really worth it for me to pay extra money just to see dolphins up close anyway. I don't know how the others felt, but the motorcycle ride was definitely the highlight of that little expedition.

Kratie is a really small town so there was nothing to do other than play cards and watch TV. In the evening, a crew of French tourists put in The Killing Fields, and as it seemed an appropriate movie given where we were, we all joined in watching it. I didn't finish because I was tired, but this particular version of the movie was totally edited. I was surprised at how poor of a job of editing they did too. There were complete scenes missing.

THE ROAD TO LAOS

The next morning we left on a mini-bus to Laos. We could also have taken a boat trip, but it was a little more expensive. The mini-bus wasn't so bad though. The roads are notoriously bad going to (and through) Laos, but this road was pretty good until right before we came to the exit point for Cambodia. Then the road got really bumpy and dusty. It seemed like we were on some backwoods trail rather than a road that connects two countries. After a small fee, the Cambodian officials let us exit their country, after which, we, along with several others who had taken the boat trip, loaded up into a small van (there were 15 of us in all plus all our baggage piled into this little vehicle) for a short trip to the Lao border. Again, after a small fee (which was a little higher than normal because it was Saturday and we were charged a weekend "overtime" fee), our visas were stamped and we were on our way to Don Det, one of the 4000 islands in southern Laos.

DON DET

We were taken by boat to Don Det, one of the smaller islands, where, for the first time since we've been traveling, we were not hounded by hotel workers or taxi/tuk-tuk/motorbike drivers to "have a look" at their guesthouses. Instead, we just started walking down this little dirt trail which had some guesthouses on either side (all of which were full) and several huts where Lao families were going about their daily business. We walked for quite awhile, carrying all our things, until we lucked out at what turned out to be a perfect place to stay for a couple nights. We stayed in little huts, complete with mosquito netting over the bed, a hammock on the front porch and no electricity. Our guesthouse had a nice little deck over the Mekong River with the most spectacular view which was so nice, it's really unexplainable. We only had about two hours of sunlight left so we ordered our food (which took a good hour to prepare) and played cards until it was too dark to see. We were given little lanterns to light our way so we could see to take showers, and then we just hung out on the porch in the dark, enjoying the countless stars (which I haven't seen in a long time) and talking.

The next day was just as relaxing. The roosters began their noise around four in the morning, but I didn't get up until 6:30. I spent the next hour watching the sun come up over the trees and river and color the surrounding area. The others slept a little later, but everyone was up by eight which is really early for a day when we had no plans but to relax. Derek rented a bike and went across a little bridge to a larger island, but the rest of us decided to stay in our little area. Tommy and I went swimming in the river. Actually, the current was too strong to swim so we just sat in the water to be cooled off from the strong sun. Janice, who is neither a fan of heat nor of cold, was pretty miserable for about four or five hours, but when that sun began to go down, the temperature cooled off to a perfect degree, and I was quite comfortable.

PAKSE AND BEYOND

This morning after a fantastic, and not so healthy, breakfast of chocolate banana pancakes, we left on a boat to catch our early morning bus to Pakse. There's really nothing in Pakse for us except a ticket to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. The boat ride was really relaxing. The Mekong has quickly found its place in my heart, and I look forward to visiting it again in about two days. The bus ride we had was a little different. It was less like a bus and more like a truck that had benches along both sides of the bed and one bench in the middle. It was covered, fortunately, but it was quite crowded with both foreigners and locals making it difficult to find a comfortable position. We did make it to Pakse, though, and now are waiting for our bus to leave for Vientiane, which doesn't happen until this evening at 8:30. It's an overnight bus, obviously, and I think it takes about 10 or so hours from here to the capital. Once in Vientiane, we're going to immediately try to get a bus to Van Vieng, a town about four hours away, where we can tube all day down the river. After the terribly long and uncomfortable bus rides we are about to endure, I am really looking forward to the tubing!

I kept hearing from everyone who had been to Laos that it's "totally chill", and they were absolutely right. Already, and we've only been here for two days, it's one of my favorite places we've visited. It possesses so much natural beauty, so if you enjoy the "great outdoors", it's the country to see.

2007-02-08T09:57:00.000+08:00

Phnom Penh - The Killing Fields

Tuesday morning Yve departed for Malaysia with Danny. We only briefly said goodbye because she was busily preparing to leave, and I was taking care of other things. I was missing her before she was even gone, mostly because I have the sneaky feeling she won't be returning to Shiyan. I may be wrong, but I think she's finally doing what she initially started out to do - travel the world - and I don't think she'd be happy returning. But it was fun while it lasted, and I have no doubt we'll meet up again, probably somewhere in Australia which seems to be her target destination for now.

Anyway, we left Tuesday morning for Phnom Penh too. The bus ride back was defnitely more pleasant for me than the bus ride to Siem Reap, though I can't say the same for Tommy. As we were being taken from our hotel to the bus station, he realized he didn't have his camera. Usually, he keeps it in my backpack that I carry with me everywhere for safe and convenient storage, but I checked my back a couple times and couldn't find it. So he jumped off the mini-bus, grabbed a motorbike back to the hotel while we continued on to catch our bus. Just as we were about to leave, eagle-eyes Janice spots Tommy on the motorbike, and Derek jumps off the bus to catch him. He just barely made it before we left! But he didn't find his camera so he was really bummed the entire bus ride back and all evening too.

When we got back to Phnom Penh, we took a tuk-tuk to a guesthouse we read about in Lonely Planet, and, lo and behold, the Lewises had just sat down for dinner at the same guesthouse! So while Derek and Tommy went to find a place for us to stay (this guesthouse was full), I sat down with the Lewises, and we caught up on each others adventures.

Not far from this guesthouse, the boys found a cheap hotel with an empty room so we booked it even though it looked really shady. We soon realized just how shady it was when we entered our rooms and saw the pink light bulb above our beds! I don't think I've ever been so uncomfortable in my life!! (-: But we fared the night well and left the next morning for the first guesthouse where the Lewises were staying. The Lewises left that morning for Siem Reap so we really just missed each other.

Oh, and while we were paying for the red light hotel, I reached in my bag and pulled out Tommy's camera. I don't know how I could have checked that bag so many times and missed it each time, but I did. Tommy was so happy to have it back that instead of killing me (like he had jokingly threatened to do earlier had I found it in my bag after he had raced back to the hotel and almost missed the bus to PP because of it), he gave me a big hug and turned back into the fun-loving Tommy we hadn't heard from since before the missing camera experience. But I felt bad and rather stupid for about 5 minutes afterwards, anyway!

Yesterday we went to the Museum of War Crimes. It's a museum set up in the old S-21 prison used during the Khmer Rouge regime. It's a really haunting place to visit, but I feel it's necessary, for me anyway, to see and acknowledge the horrible crimes that were committed during this time. After the museum, we went to the killing fields. It's not quite what I expected. There must be a school very near by because as we walked among the mass grave sites (large holes in the ground where hundreds of bodies have been dug up), we could hear children laughing and playing. It was eerie, but strangely comforting.

Yesterday evening we met with the Family here in Phnom Penh for their mid-week meeting. Derek went to school at Harding with the children of a missionary family here so we were able to arrange meeting with them. There were about 14 Americans, almost all older than sixty or maybe even seventy, who are here mostly on a short term basis to teach English and the Book. They were so welcoming, and it was so awesome to be able to sing and fellowship with them. It was really inspiring to hear their stories too because most have been working in missions around the world for a big portion of their lives. Spending time with them was like finding a piece of home in a really strange land - but I guess it's always like that with the Family.

Today we're meeting back up with the missionary couple Derek had connections with. We're going to have lunch together, and then they're going to take us to see their boat. They've recently acquired a boat that they're turning into a medical missions boat. They're going to travel to three different provinces along the Mekong River and visit poor villages offering free medical assistance (since they have no way of obtaining it themselves). Right now they're trying to get through all the governmental red tape to be able to sail the boat, and they're also in the process of interviewing and hiring Khmer doctors for the job of assisting the villagers. It's a really exciting endeavor, I think.

Tomorrow we plan to leave for Laos. At first, we had decided against going through Laos back to China, but everyone we meet who has been to Laos thinks it's one of the greatest places to see. So now we're really excited about the different things we'll see and do there. We don't have too much time before we have to be back for school so we're trying to make the most of the time we have left!

2007-02-05T16:03:00.000+08:00

ANGKOR WAT DAY#2

Yesterday evening we finally met back up with Derek, Yve, and Janice. Derek and Yve were heading off with two new replacements (I mean friends...) to have dinner as Tommy and I were leaving the Internet bar. They met these two guys, one Canadian named Danny and an Aussie whose name I didn't catch, while touring the temples and had yet to be separated from them. Tommy and I met up with Janice at our hotel and spent the rest of the evening playing Spades. Just as we finished and headed for our room to read quietly before going to sleep, the prodigal friends, Derek and Yve, returned with Danny and the other kid for a jam session in our room. Yve had guitar, Aussie had vocals, Danny had drums (well sticks and mattresses), and I, well, I had a vibrating bed from all the jumping around Danny did. Needless to say, we slept in this morning.

After we finally got around, we rented bikes and headed for Angkor Wat. Yve is really sick again today, but she didn't want to miss the most famous temple and like a trooper, biked out with the rest of us. Along the way, she mentioned that Danny invited her to go to Malaysia with him to meet up with some of his friends. She's rather smitten with this fellow and since she doesn't have to return as early as the rest of us to Shiyan (it's still questionable whether she will be able to or not anyway - long story), she decided she really wants to travel with him. He's leaving tomorrow, and if all works out, she'll be heading out too. Crazy!

Anyway, Angkor Wat was amazing. I have been constantly surprised at how few tourists there are here. It seems like I see them in the city, but when we go to the temples, there's usually only a small clump of tour groups near the main entrances, and everywhere else is more or less empty of them. It's so nice! And there's so much freedom to wander about. There aren't a lot of protected areas to prevent self-injuries which is strange to see coming from the West where we have to put warnings on everything. The architecture and ornately detailed carvings and bas reliefs within the temples at Angkor are breathtaking, and I feel so fortunate to have been able to see them. But, in the end, our bodies gave out. After biking such a distance and climbing several steep stairways and hiking around in the heat, we decided to head back (after realizing we had seen all the other temples yesterday and after playing for a short time with the monkeys, yet again). We have a three day pass to the temples, but two days were enough for me and so tomorrow we will probably head back to Phnom Penh in the afternoon.

2007-02-04T19:24:00.000+08:00

SIEM REAP

Yesterday we slept so late. It was really nice. Around 10:30 we decided to eat brunch and leaving Yve behind to recover from days of fast traveling, the rest of us set out to find this Butterfly Restaurant. I didn't know much about it, but it's basically a nature preserve where you can order terribly expensive and terribly disgusting drinks while communing with a variety of beautiful butterflies. It was pretty cool. All of us enjoyed having butterflies land on us except Derek who could only manage to attract flies...

After the butterfly experience, we began walking down the road to find some landmine museum. It took such a long time walking down dusty roads and through little villages to find it. The museum was created by a Cambodian man named Aki Ra who fought with the Khmer Rouge as a child where he learned how to use all sorts of weapons and handle mines, etc. He then was captured by the Vietnamese and was forced to fight for them until finally, after the war, he was given the job of clearing the fields of mines. Since then he has made it his life's career to clear the mines in Cambodia and has cleared hundreds of thousands of them. In addition, he fosters a lot of children who have been affected by landmine incidents and helps pay for their education through the funds raised by the museum (which is free and only makes money through donations and souvenir profits). The museum is really interesting as it houses tons of landmines that he and his wife have cleared over the years. It's heartbreaking reading the statistics of landmine victims in Cambodia (and around the world).

ANGKOR DAY #1

This morning we rose early (thanks to Yve's 5 o'clock suggested wake-up call!) and had a fantastic breakfast at the new hotel we've decided to stay at. We're paying 11 dollars less a night for a currently mosquito infested room, but the owner is this really cool British guy who has been super helpful and totally up front - a trait I'm really growing to admire of late. Anyway, after breakfast (and waiting 45 minutes for our tuk-tuk drivers to show up), we left for a dusty road trip to explore several temples. Tommy and I had one tuk-tuk, and Derek, Yve, and Janice were in another. After an hour of traveling, we came to the first temple. It was quite impressive. It's hard to explain how beautifully ornate these ancient structures are.

After an extra early lunch, we were on our way to the next temple when our driver pulled over. Something was wrong with the tuk-tuk so while we waited, surrounded by children begging us to buy their scarves or any number of things, the other tuk-tuk driver took the rest of our crew to what I assume (and hope) was the next stop on their tour. Unfortunately, Tommy and I never met up with the others the rest of the day and still have not heard from them though there's suspicion that they went on to see the sunset at Angkor Wat. Anyhoo, Tommy and I had a really fun and exhausting day exploring several temples. They were surprisingly not overrun by tourists, and in many places, we felt as if we were the only ones exploring the ruins at all. It was nice, but around four we were tired and decided to head back. We did force our driver to stop at one point so that we might buy some bananas and feed some monkeys that were on the side of the road. No worries, though! They weren't just random monkeys we spotted; they were there to be fed and were actually quite tame. A couple of them climbed up our legs to grab the bananas. They were adorable.

Since we've been home (and have recovered from a not so nice confrontation with our tuk-tuk driver who tried to scam us), we've enjoyed a gluttonous meal of burritos (for me) and cheeseburger and fries (for Tommy). Oh, and a doughnut for dessert! I figured we deserved some major nourishment after hiking all day up and down stairs and through the woods.

Tomorrow we're going to rent some bicycles and bike out to Angkor Wat and hit the other temples we didn't see today. It will be another long, dusty day, but I'm really looking forward to it.

2007-02-03T10:28:00.000+08:00

SAIGON

Well, I have lost total and complete track of time since traveling, and I'm not quite sure what today is so forgive my following vagueness. Several days ago we were in Saigon for one day. Since we arrived so early in the morning, we didn't actually begin the day of sightseeing until afternoon (several of us needed a long power nap to be able to continue the day). There are a few things to see in Saigon (probably more than we realized), but we didn't have any particular agenda. We did tour the Reunification Palace which is the old capitol building for South Vietnam that was captured by the North Vietnamese when they "reunified" the entire country. It was pretty interesting, and the propaganda video they showed was not so much eye-opening as it was frustrating. We met up with a couple young Australians as we (and they) were trying to find the Palace and ended up hanging out with them the rest of the day. One cool thing about backpacking across countries is meeting the other backpackers, and we've met some really interesting people since we've been here.

After the Reunification Palace, we checked out a Fine Arts Museum which housed a lot of ancient works as well as modern propaganda paintings. It was pretty interesting. They had one little building of modern art which was really good, actually, and fills one with hope that the modern Vietnamese artists have quite original thoughts.

For dinner that night we actually found a Mexican Restaurant (with the help of a British couple staying in our hotel. The couple is traveling the world and volunteering at orphanages and schools along the way. What a cool way to travel the world!). Anyway, the Mexican food was so amazing after a five month dry spell, and Derek even found Dr. Pepper which even though terribly overpriced didn't keep him from purchasing two or three of them!

MEKONG DELTA TOUR

The next morning we loaded up with a lot of other tourists for a bus ride that took us to the Mekong Delta. Here we piled into a boat and began our tour of the Mekong Delta. We first stopped at a little village where they make coconut candy. You can watch the entire coconut candy-making process beginning with the chopping up of the coconut meat into tiny pieces and ending with several ladies cutting and packaging the candy. It's pretty amazing considering how quickly they can make the candy by hand. Janice was in heaven and quickly put a dent in the candy she bought from there. I don't know how such a small person can eat so much sugar!

Our next stop was a honey making village where we were served honey sweetened tea and were given the opportunity to carry a huge snake around our necks. I'm still not sure what the snake had to do with the honey village, but we tourists loved it... (-:

After traveling the river for awhile, we took a bus to our hotel for the night. The next morning we toured a fish hatchery and then a "traditional Cham minority village". It was really just an opportunity for the Cham children to beg for money and for the Cham women to sell their woven scarves. This was probably the most disappointing part of the tour just seeing how tourism has so negatively affected this minority village.

The rest of the afternoon we were on a boat. It was a really pleasant way to travel - much better than by bus. Yve brought her guitar along, and she and Tommy played a little while the rest of the crew joined in singing. We met several other teachers in China, including a group of five Americans who are teaching in Harbin. It's fun talking with them since their experiences are so similar to our own.

Our tour guide took care of getting our Cambodian visas in our passports so all we had to do was get off our boat, get our visas stamped, get back on the boat and sail towards Phnom Penh. It was so simple.

CAMBODIA

Once we arrived in Cambodia, we were taken to the other five Americans' hotel (which they had already booked). It took over an hour to get there. We rode in a large van across a not so decent road (which I understand is like most of the roads here in Cambodia). It's amazing how different the landscape is in Cambodia compared to what we saw in Vietnam. It's much dryer and more unkempt. But it's still beautiful.

We ate dinner at a restaurant not far from our hotel. The food is more expensive here, but the portions much bigger. The people are much bigger as well. When we got back to our hotel, Yve got really sick. She was in the bathroom for about half an hour and then was 100 percent better almost immediately after. It was strange.

Our bus for Siem Reap left the next day at noon (yesterday this was). Derek, Yve and I ate a quick breakfast, and as we were heading back to our hotel to catch the bus, my stomach began to feel really ill. It got bad fast, and we had a six hour bus ride to look forward to. That was one of the most horrible bus rides I have ever taken. I slept a little which was the only time I had relief. About two hours outside of Siem Reap, we made a pit stop, and I lost all of my breakfast right in front of this worker guy who I'm sure hates me now. I made it back to the bus right before it left and felt WORSE after all this so I just laid back in my seat and threw a self-pity party. I also started sweating really bad. It was horrible! Then I fell asleep for maybe thirty minutes, and when I woke up, my fever had broke, and I felt perfectly fine. It was the weirdest thing. Since then I've felt normal.

Last night we got a hotel and found a decent place to eat. We wanted to get our visa stuff for Laos taken care of today, but it's a little expensive here as opposed to Phnom Penh so we may just wait till we go back to PP to get all that taken care of. Today we're just going to hang out in town, and tomorrow we'll begin our three day tour of Angkor Wat. It's rather expensive here compared to what we're used to spending, and the mosquitoes are ridiculous, but the weather's nice and the people friendly so I think we'll have a good time.

2007-01-30T09:49:00.000+08:00

THE BEACHES OF MUI NE

From Hoi An the Lewises and our crew of five took a torturously long bus ride overnight down to Mui Ne, a small coastal town which is becoming an ever increasingly popular spot for kite surfing. Our plan from the beginning was to spend a few days hanging out at the beach and just enjoy both relaxing and simply remaining in a single spot for more than one day.

There's really not a lot to the Mui Ne we saw most of the time. There's one long stretch of road that is dotted with hotels and resorts on the left and shops and restaurants on the right. On the other side of the hotels is the ocean. We spent the first day walking down the strip and swimming a little. The waves were terribly strong, though, and it wasn't long before I was ready to be out of the water. Yesterday morning, however, the water was perfect. The tide was lower and the waves were more gentle.

I realized after the first day that I'm not really a beach person. I get bored quickly, and there wasn't much to explore in the area where we were staying. It seemed that the others felt the same way too so we decided we would leave on the one a.m. bus for Saigon. Since we had the whole day to kill, we rented bicycles and biked down the road a little ways to a little spring called Fairy Springs. The water was really low, and the bed was purely sand so we were able to take our sandals off and walk along the middle of the spring. The spring was in a valley, and on either side of it were the most beautiful, multi-colored sand walls. The sand was blazing hot to climb on, and when the wind blew (which it does frequently in Mui Ne), we would be pelted by thousands of grains of sand. We got sand everywhere - in our hair, in our teeth, under our nails - everywhere. But it was really cool. We walked awhile and found two routes to a rather insignificant waterfall. Yve, Tommy and I took the high road and ended up on top of the small waterfall while Jeremy, Derek and Janice remained below. The top was the place to be, in my opinion, because it opened up into a beautiful oasis of sorts. There were coconut and tamarind trees all around so I immediately took off exploring. I crossed the spring by walking over fallen coconut trees and came upon some rice paddies. I'm not sure how they can have such fruitful vegetation in such a sandy location, but there were fields everywhere. Tommy caught up to me, and as we waited for the others to arrive, a local boy approached us with a coconut. He wanted to lead us somewhere (a persistant ploy to get us to pay him money), but we declined for quite some time. Eventually, when we realized the others weren't coming, we set off with the little boy. He led us past the rice paddies, through a desert-type area to a little ghost town. It was so strange. There was a nice little dirt road with a few tin houses on both sides. Nobody was around. It was so quiet. We walked along the road just a short ways and decided we should head back. As we did, two little kids popped out of one of the tin houses and started yelling "hello's" at us and waving. After we passed by, they went back inside and the town went back to being eerily quiet.

On the way back, we walked on a muddy pathway between two rice paddies, and Tommy got some pretty amazing pictures. Our little buddy stopped us at a tree, climbed to the top of it, and began picking something from it. When he descended the tree and rejoined us, he had two tamarinds in hand and gave one to each of us. The fruit was really sour but strangely interesting.

We soon rejoined the group and headed back down the spring to retrieve our bikes. I had put my flipflops in my little backpack which Janice was carrying which was okay because I planned to bike back barefoot. Tommy and Janice took off a ways ahead of the rest of us, and as I stopped to wait for the others, I noticed a map of Mui Ne. If we went back to the main part of town, I figured we would just sit around and nap a little and do what we had been doing for the last day and a half. Or I could bike the other way and come across a fishing village, a church, and eventually the great sand dunes. I didn't like the first option, and the second option was full of so many possibilities so I told Derek and Jeremy I was heading the other direction. Yve, who is always up for anything, readily joined me and we took off in the opposite direction from town - me shoe-less and money-less and Yve with camera in hand.

The cool thing about traveling this way is that there's no schedule and we can stop whenever we want. We first stopped at this stone walkway that sloped down to the beach because there were hundreds of fishing boats in the water. I think this was the fishing village, but it was so fantastic to see so many boats in such a small area. While we were taking in the view, a couple little girls ran up to us to sell us seashells. Of course, I had no money (and didn't want any seashells) so they stopped trying to sell them to us and began jumping on our bikes for us to take them for rides. So Yve and I spent the next few minutes with between one and two girls riding on our bicycles with us. They were really cute.

Right after that we came to a fork in the road. As we were trying to decide which direction to go, several guys (mostly boys) came up to us. Yve got a really cool tattoo on her right leg while we were still in China, and the guys were fascinated by it. Everyone was congregating around her to touch the tattoo, and then they giggled like little school girls afterwards. It was funny, and the guys were pretty nice, but we quickly moved on.

We road down to the sand dunes where you can rent sheets of metal to slide down the hills. Since we didn't have much money on us, we just rolled down them ourselves. It was awesome! We made friends with the kids who were renting the sleds. One girl spoke perfect English which she did not learn in school (since none of the kids go to school), but rather learned from her three years of working with tourists. I was so amazed. Anyway, we did walk up a huge hill and looked out over the sand dunes. It was pretty beautiful and best of all, free! So, again after giving some kids bike rides, we set off. Instead of heading back the same route, we took a different road which took us through the countryside. There was this little boy who couldn't have been older than ten riding this insanely huge bicycle going in the opposite direction of us, but after passing by, he turned around and began following behind. I motioned for him to race me, and we began this impromptu Tour de France down the highway. He's a quick kid, and I maintain that he had an unfair advantage with multiple gears, but I do stand defeated! Anyway, we kept biking for awhile. The Vietnamese people are some of the friendliest people I've ever met. They always smile and greet us. The men are kind of typical sleaze bags and would make cat calls as we passed by, but the children are great. We did run across a goat farm and walked over to pet some of the goats. It was a little gross since I still had no shoes and was walking on goat pellets, but I sort of got used to that as a kid. Anyhoo - too much information - we turned around shortly after all that and headed back. Our little biker friend went a really long ways with us, even when we picked up two little kids for a quick bicycle ride, our faithful companion stayed at our side. Eventually, he left without saying goodbye, which was a little sad. Yve and I were enthralled with this cow drawn cart, and after we passed it, the boy was gone.

Anyway, we continued towards home, and as we came upon that stone walkway overlooking the fishing village, we decided to stop to watch the sun set. First we grabbed a couple sandwiches (they make the best sandwiches here), and then we sat down on the side of the walkway to enjoy the food and the view. Our friends from before, the seashell selling girls, came over and joined us. They shared their popcorn with us and then brushed off all the sand we still had on us from rolling down the dunes. Then we chatted for a bit, and upon realizing that the sunset was not going to be very spectacular, we left.

Yvonne is in love with the idea of finding and eating a fresh coconut. The first day we arrived, she found a rotten one on the sidewalk, picked it up, opened it and began eating a little of the rotten meat. It was pretty tasteless (yes, I tried it), but she refused to throw it away. She refuses to throw any food away, good or bad. But as more and more locals began pointing at the coconut and shaking their fingers at her and telling her she shouldn't eat it, she finally threw it down.

So on our way back from our bicycle tour, she found another coconut on the side of the road. She picked it up, put it in my basket, and when we returned to the Lewis' hotel room (we had already checked out of our own), she decided - after everyone but she and I were gone eating supper and after one of the "motobike" guys at the hotel told her to throw it away - to break it open on the brick floor in the Lewis' apartment. It exploded and brown goo went all over the floor. I'm still not sure quite what she was thinking when she decided to slam the coconut down on the floor inside someone else's apartment (or what I was thinking by letting her do it!), but she did get it open.

After cleaning up the big mess which I'm pretty sure there are still remnants of on the curtains, we walked down to the beach, grabbed a beach chair and began chomping away on this rotten coconut. Actually, this one was mildly better than the last one. We were really enjoying ourselves when the "motobike" guy from before happened upon us. He again told us how bad the coconut was and why we shouldn't eat it (I think he mentioned the hospital, but I'm not really sure) and then said he would get one for us. So immediately he climbed this tall coconut tree like a monkey, grabbed a big coconut, dropped it to the ground and descended all within the span of maybe a minute. It was amazing. He made it look so easy, but when I tried to climb the tree, I failed miserably. Anway, our friend soon disappeared and returned shortly with a machete and three straws. He went to work quickly cutting away the green outer shell and then drilled a small whole in the top of the coconut with the point of the machete. After dropping two of the staws into the whole, he handed it to us and disappeared again. Yve and I sat down again in the beach chair and guzzled so much coconut milk, I thought my stomach would explode. We couldn't believe how much milk there was in this sucker. We drank and drank and drank and actually couldn't finish it all so when our friend returned, he killed it, as Yve would say, and then he tinkered with the coconut for a couple seconds and it split right in half. What a difference between Yve's salvaged rotten coconuts and a ripe good one! The meat was half an inch thick, and Nam (I think that's this guy's name), cut the meat away from the shell for us. It was so good. Again Nam disappeared and returned with a little bowl of sugar for us to dip our coconut meat it. The three of us just sat out on the beach, listening to the high tide pounding in, eating coconut and talking. It turned out that Nam is not merely the "motobike" man, but his family actually owns the hotel where the Lewis' are staying and where we would always eat breakfast in the morning and drink the worst coffee I've ever had and play cards at night (our hotel was across the street).

Later that evening, after a shower to remove painful sand particules, and a quick round of spades, Yve and I jumped on Nam and his friend's motorcycles and headed quickly - oh, so very quickly! - to an outdoor restaurant where we had delicious syrupy coffee and attempted to converse with these guys. Nam speaks English pretty well, but I could almost never understand his friend, and, stangely and unforutunately, his friend did most of the talking. But we returned before ten where I quickly took a nap on Courtny's bed. Apparently I missed all the fun/partying because Tommy was rather loosened up, to put it gently, when I was awoken to grab my things and wait on the street for the bus to pick us up. It was about 1 a.m. when we went to the street with our baggage. A couple New Zealand guys hung out with us for a bit. They seemed like pretty cool guys, but I didn't get to talk with them long. As we were talking, three American guys wandered over to our little posse for a little chat. All three of them are Peace Corps Volunteers in Mongolia! They are loving their experience so far and totally reinforced my desire to want to join the Peace Corps one day.

Anyway, during all this late night chatting, Tommy wandered off in search of something, and the bus pulled up ready to take us to Saigon. Tommy was nowhere in sight. We hesitated and didn't know what to do so finally Derek dropped his stuff with me and took off running in the direction Tommy had left. The rest of us were dragging our feet and being as slow as we could be to postpone the bus's departure. Luckily, Tommy came over the hill just in time and just barely made it to the bus. But we all got on safely, endured a very long bus ride (even though it was only about four hours), and arrived in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) this morning around 6. Since then we've had breakfast, got a hotel, and rested. We're going to check out the city this afternoon and probably leave tomorrow for a boat trip down the Mekong Delta on our way to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We're not too interested in spending much time in big cities. They're too loud, too expensive and too busy. We don't want another Hanoi on our hands so we're splittin' fast...

2007-01-26T16:59:00.000+08:00

HOI AN

We left Hue yesterday morning for Hoi An. We have these open bus tickets which we purchased in Hanoi. With them, you can travel to Saigon stopping at six places along the way. You can choose how long you want to stay in each place, and then jump back on the open bus when you're ready to leave. It's pretty convenient, I guess, but yesterday we wanted to leave from Hoi An in the afternoon (we arrived in the morning), but the open bus was already full so we were forced to stay over one night. It's not such a bad place to have to stay over, but we were ready to head further south to the Mui Ne beaches.

We haven't done much in Hoi An. Yesterday afternoon/evening we walked around town. It's so touristy and full of shops. I guess one problem with the open bus tickets is that every other tourist buys them as well so we end up seeing fellow travelers at every stop of the way. It's kind of strange, actually. Anyway, after dinner I walked around by myself and found a nice, quiet coffee shop to relax in. I'm not sure what the others did, but we retired early (which is abnormal for us).

Since I went to bed so early, I woke up pretty early and decided to go for a run in the opposite direction of all the tourist shops. I went quite a distance (walking, mostly) and went through a few nice villages. The sunrise was really nice over the fields, and it was such an enjoyable way to begin the day.

This afternoon we again rented bicycles and went to the nearby beach. We didn't stay long because it turned chilly and started raining a little bit. The beach was kind of nice, though, and I think it was Janice's first time to see it.

Our bus leaves tonight at 6 pm, and we've been finding it a little difficult to kill so much time here. I have a strange feeling about Hoi An. It's nice, and I feel comfortable here, but it seems really fake. It's pretty westernized, and I get the feeling the entire atmosphere (cafes, architecture, the laissez-faire attitude of the people) is wholly created for the western foreigners who come here and spend tons of money. Maybe I'm wrong, but that's the feeling I get when I look around and feel more like I'm in Europe than Vietnam. But, like I said, it's nice. I am ready to move on, though.

2007-01-24T22:47:00.000+08:00

HUE - MOTO MANIA

Yesterday we arrived in Hue around 10 am. Hue is a little town in the center of Vietnam. Even though Derek had told all of us that the weather would be warm and sunny when we hit Vietnam, we've had nothing but rain and chilly weather, and yesterday was no exception.

After arriving, haggling over hotel prices, getting checked in and eating, the majority of us (minus Rena and Antasia) rented bicycles, with the exception of Tommy who rented a motorbike, and began riding towards what we saw on the map to be old tombs. Just as we began riding down the street, the rain began. At first it was merely a small drizzle, but as we got further away from our hotels, it came down a little heavier. It was fun, actually, getting totally drenched. The only problem was that I was wearing my glasses so at times it was like driving down the road with no windshield wipers in a downpour making it rather difficult to see.

The traffic in Hue is so much calmer than the traffic in Hanoi, but it's a lot different than cycling in the States. Everyone moves in a fluid motion constantly disobeying what we would think of as traffic laws. But it actually works out nicely, and once we got into the groove of handling ghetto bicycles, we were moving along like the rest of them.

Through our explorations, we came upon old mausoleums and beautiful country side scenes of people farming in flooded rice paddies. It was so awesome. Vietnam is a totally beautiful country. We also stopped at one point at this little outdoor coffee shop on a small pond. There were bamboo huts, sort of (I'm tired so I can't explain things very well right now), and we were able to order some coffee and two fishing poles and fish for awhile. Janice caught a small fish, and shortly before we left, Derek caught a slightly larger fish. The rest of us had no luck, but it was a cool way to spend some time out of the rain.

After we returned from biking, Tommy took me on a motorcycle tour of Hue. There's an old, French citadel and Chinese stronghold in the middle of the city as well as old canons and other historical things to see. It was a fun way to see the city. At one point, he took us down this one way bridge where there was maybe six inches of space between our legs and what would amount to an incredibly painful collision with a metal fence. But he kept the bike steady and became my hero for a few minutes!

DMZ Tour

This morning we left early for a bus trip that took us north of Hue. We saw a lot of beautiful country - green and mountainous. We visited a couple of very small museums showing pictures from the war, and we crossed the DMZ (demilitarized zone). It was pretty interesting because we had an English speaking guide who talked about the war and pointed out areas where American troops were stationed. It was also interesting to hear and see (like at the museum) a different perspective of the Vietnam War. Our final stop was to see these underground tunnels that were dug during the beginning of the war where residents of this particular village lived for, I think, four years. The tunnels were pretty intricate and impressive, but I can't imagine living down there for so long.

We didn't get home until this evening, and we've all kind of split off to do our own thing. Tomorrow we'll begin traveling toward Mui Ne, a small town on the beach, where we hope to chill for a couple of days and soak up the sun. I think all of us are ready to just relax and do nothing for a couple of days, but the next two days will consist of bus rides and lots of waiting.

2007-01-22T08:35:00.000+08:00

HANOI, VIETNAM

We arrived in Hanoi Saturday afternoon. The Vietnam border crossing was less of a big deal than I thought it would be. We had to get off our bus and go through a passport stamping session to leave China. We were worried for about five minutes about Janice, our Chinese companion, because when she handed her passport to the Chinese guy, he took it and began acting all official and mysterious. Janice and Derek had to wait for a few minutes until they let her through, and then we could breathe again. After that, we had to go through all the checks to enter Vietnam (customs and whatnot). We actually entered this building where there were a few windows. Everyone was congregated at the first one, which should have been our first clue, but we just kept walking and would have been able to walk all the way through the building and outside to catch our bus again had we not thought this was too easy. So instead Janice found out from our Vietnamese friends that we had to declare our stuff, get a health check (aka, spend 2 kuai for them to give us a piece of paper saying we're healthy), and send our bags through an X-ray machine. Then we were home free...

On the bus here, we sat next to another American who is studying Chinese in Beijing. Tommy is from LA, but he went to school at UCO and OU which provided for some common ground. He's been traveling with us since, but I imagine we'll part ways before too long. He's nice, though, and fun to travel with.

Hanoi has been rather uneventful. We've walked around the Old Quarter for the past two days trying to avoid being hit by motorcyclists (of which there is an abundance) and worse yet, trying to avoid the mass numbers of tourists. When you've been living in Shiyan City, Podunk Town, China for the last four months, you get used to being the only white face. So it's really weird seeing so many of them here. It's hard to explain how annoying it is seeing them too! Anyway, we did go to this place called the Temple of Literature which was built in 1070 and became the first university in Vietnam in 1076. It taught Confucian thoughts and was a really peaceful spot in this loud, overcrowded city. We also retreated to a large park in the afternoon to get away from the street noises.

There's a really unique performance in Hanoi involving water puppets. We went to one of the performances yesterday. Basically, a few people behind a curtain manuever these beautiful puppets using long sticks. The puppets dance and interact in a pool of water. It's a tradition about 1000 years old that supposedly originated with the farmers in Vietnam who would entertain themselves and others by puppeteering in the murky waters of a flooded rice paddy. It was interesting.

The Lewises arrived in Hanoi yesterday so we met up at our hotel last night and caught up on travel stories. We aren't traveling together, but our travel plans match up more or less so I'm sure we'll continue to bump into them. We plan to meet up for sure on the beaches of Mui Ne in a few days where we will just relax and swim for three days or so.

Today we're going to try to go to Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. We went yesterday, but the line was way to long for us. We're going a little earlier today, and really, that's the only thing we have planned before we leave tonight at 7. Our next stop is Hue. We'll get there tomorrow morning and may try to visit these tunnels that were used as bomb shelters during the war. Whole families lived underground in them. I don't know too much about their history though.

Well, I'm using a public computer and people are waiting on it so I'll try to write more as I have opportunity!

2007-01-19T11:14:00.000+08:00

EATING GOOD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

Yesterday evening we went back to the street where we had eaten lunch earlier and found that it was completely transformed. Tons of tables and tarps and lights had been set up and street food was a-plenty. We walked to the end of the street and looked to see what everyone was eating. We finally chose some fried bread and dumplings with a sweet brown sauce poured over top. The fried bread tasted like, well, fried bread, but we noticed that everyone was dipping it in a bowl of white sauce so we looked around and found the source of this magical looking liquid. Derek bought a bowl and we were quickly disappointed as we realized it was just like condensed milk or something equally unflavorful. But the dumplings were really good.

After this quick, not quite satisfying meal, we mosied on down the street where we saw that the street vendors were grilling seafood (clams, lobsters, crabs, etc.). It looked interesting so we ordered a clam and calamarie on a stick. The clam was out of this world amazing. But since it was kind of expensive, we stuck to just enjoying one and then continued on. A few vendors down, we came upon the other specialty food the Lonely Planet guide book had mentioned we should try: it was like a crepe stuffed with something unidentifible and covered in either a brown sauce or a red sauce that tasted like the sweet and sour sauce found in American Chinese restaurants. I really liked it, but Derek wasn't a fan.

The whole meal reminded me of A Taste of Edmond since we were just walking up and down the street tasting food from different vendors. It was fun and a nice way to sample a lot of different types of foods.

After dinner we headed over to one of the coffee shops to enjoy (or suffer through) one of the worst cups of coffee we have ever had. But it was cheap so I suppose we got what we paid for. It was nice to sit down, too, after two days of walking through this city.

In about an hour, Janice and Yvonne will arrive at the train station where we'll be waiting to pick them up. We have several travel arrangements to make today so that we can set off early for Vietnam tomorrow morning.

2007-01-18T16:10:00.000+08:00

KILLIN' TIME IN NANNING

After spending awhile in the internet bar, we decided to find some food. Nanning and all of Guanxi Province is known, so Derek keeps telling me, for the exotic foods eaten here. There were a couple of suggested dishes in the Lonely Planet guide book so we decided to check them out. The dish we finally ordered contained noodles and some kind of meat along with an assortment of pickled vegetables which were really tasty. It was called laoyoumien (old friend noodles).

The Lonely Planet hardly had any suggested sites to visit in Nanning. Again, everyone thinks it's a rather terrible place to visit. But it did list a museum which sported the largest bronze drum collection. After walking around an intercultural shopping/eating area where we spied a couple nice and cheap coffee shops (to which we will return later), we went to the museum. It cost 8 kuai which Derek is still lamenting over, but I kind of enjoyed the museum. The bronze drum collection was rather boring; in fact, it was a terrible let down, though now we can say we've seen the largest bronze drum collection in the world. I kept reciting this to Derek, but it didn't remove the regret he felt for paying 8 kuai (that's a dollar, by the way). Anyway, besides the drums, we also walked across a "nail-less bridge" which was a first for me, and we explored some house which I'm pretty sure someone still lives in. There was also a room of contemporary paintings which was nice to see. Though most weren't very good, it was nice to see modern art in a nation of antiquities.

2007-01-18T10:49:00.000+08:00

FIRST LEG OF THE TRIP

Derek and I left Tuesday morning for Nanning, a city in southern China. Four of us (Derek, Yvonne, Janice and I) are planning on traveling Vietnam, Cambodia and possibly Hainan (if we still have money) during our winter break which began, for the four of us, the day we left Shiyan and will last until the end of February. Yvonne was detained until today so she and Janice left this morning to meet up with us and will arrive sometime tomorrow. Derek and I came early to Nanning to apply for our Vietnam visas so that when the other girls arrive, we can leave pretty quickly. We also filed for the Lewis' visas because they're planning a similar trip to ours but are following a few days behind us.

Yesterday, after getting a hotel, Derek and I walked quite a distance to find the Vietnam consulate. We didn't find it, but we did find a Wal-Mart which, after eating and taking a taxi to the consulate to apply for the visas, we perused for awhile. The Wal-Mart was surprisingly similar to ours back home, only instead of a smiley face mascot, they had a smiley PIG face mascot. Kudos to Wal-Mart for their adaptation abilities!

Everything we've heard about Nanning is that it's a boring, rather worthless city to visit, but it's not so bad. The streets are clean, the air is crisp, and aside from almost getting runover twice by bicycle carts, the atmosphere is pretty relaxed. Derek and I are going to have to find things to kill time for the next two days, but we found a nice Internet bar that promises to drain a few hours of our time, and we'll probably just explore the city by foot later. There's a rather famous dog market we want to check out too!