Parents' Visit to China

Let the madness begin..........

So I began the madness that is class this past week. I was really glad to be back in the classroom - I'm telling the truth. I missed my students, and I'm teaching many of the same students this semester. So, it was nice to actually walk into a classroom at the beginning of a semester with students who already knew me. No self-introductions needed until Friday with my new senior culture classes. I am teaching 4 freshmen classes this semester - all of the freshmen are mine!!!! I'm totally excited about it! I love teaching freshmen. They just give off a fresh, new, and invigorating vibe that helps me to love what I do so much. Of course, I love teaching my other students too, but I teach them content courses, which is a lot more subdued than a conversation class. We have moved to our new teaching building, which is out in the boondocks of our campus. It takes 15-20 minutes to walk to the student dorms or canteens. It's out there! Our students are complaining of the walk, or 'long march'. The building is really nice. Our classrooms have movable desks and chairs! That's so exciting for when I want to do group work for students to talk to one another! Some classrooms come equipped with technology, which is really convenient for when I want to use powerpoint. Plus, we have two really nice spaces for an office and our English library. I like the new building a lot, even if it is far away from everything else on campus. I think we're going to take some of our bikes out there so that we can go get lunch and come back before classes begin in the afternoon. Of course, being the first week of class, it was crazy and hectic. Schedules had to change, classes moved without our knowledge, getting used to hiking to the canteen and back - being late to a class because of it, and remembering how to teach. Ah, the joys of the first week. But, things went really well overall. I was just so excited to see my friends and students again. I've been able to eat with several of them, and am scheduled to eat with them next week as well. Anyway, that's about the biggest thing going on around here. Oh, Lydia's mom and aunt from Beijing came to visit this past week as well. Four women sharing an apartment and one bathroom. No one got hurt, thank goodness!! It was really cool having them around, especially Lyd's mom. She is so cool!!! Plus, I get to go visit her when I'm in California for classes cause she only lives like 20 minutes from my campus!! Yeah!

Tea with Monks

So, when I was feeling better and able to get out and have some fun, Debbie, her cousin, and I went on a small hike up a local mountain to the village and temple that resides at the top. It's a local scenic spot. I can't remember the name of the place, but it was pretty. It was a few minutes outside her city of Lu Jiang. There were bamboo forrests and an assortment of different pines. It was a somewhat cloudy day, which was to our benefit because it was just the right temperature for the hike. We climbed the small mountain slowly since I am extremely out of shape and couldn't breathe! It was fun and beautiful! I really enjoyed being out in nature, seeing the trees, listening to the birds and the stream flowing next to the trail. It's something I don't get to hear very often in the hustle and bustle of city life. It reminds me of being at home on the porch gazing out over the water of Lake Murray and listening to the birds, which is relaxing to me. There is a small village on top of this particular mountain with a large Buddhist temple. We went into the temple to check it out. Of course, everyone noticed the tall wai guo ren. Immediately, this older man, who is a monk in this particular temple, began talking to us. He was cute. He was asking questions about where I was from. He thought I was Russian, but when he found out I'm American, he told me that he loves America and that it's a great country! I smiled at him with pride and responded that America is not as nearly as great as China. He accompanied us all around the temple and patiently answered the questions that I had about the different gods represented, the rituals and customs, etc. Of course, Debbie was translating for me patiently and with great skill. I learned a lot about Chinese Buddhism in this particular region of the country. He was so excited about me that he invited us to have tea. So, we went and had tea with him and several other monks. They were asking about where I'm from, what I'm doing in China, and about what life is like in America. It was fun. I got to tell them about our eating customs, what the countryside and farming is like, and the such. It was really cool!!! I asked Debbie if this had ever happened to her before - being asked by the monks to have tea. She said no (she's been here several times). So, it was a unique situation for her as well! I wasn't able to get a picture of the monks that we chatted with, but I got a couple of pictures of the temple. It was really cool to have the opportunity to sit down and chat with these guys. They were completely relaxed - as much as they could be around me - and asked some really cool questions. Of course, they didn't go into the area of my beliefs (they were told what I believe) but were more than happy to chat about where it is I come from.

 Greetings to everyone. I have returned once again from my dear friend's home. I had the honor and privilege of visiting someone I consider to be my best friend in China. I truly believe that we are blessed with only a handfull of truly close and intimate friends in this world and lifetime, and I do believe that Debbie is one of them. I am so blessed to have her as my student, but also as my dear friend. On Sunday, I departed from Wuhu once again to meet with her in Hefei. I spent the first half-hour of my trip on the bus trying to figure out the name of the bus station I was going to. The name was not on the ticket. The ticket only said that I was going to the rather large city of Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province, which has more than one bus station. So, Debbie and I were trying to figure out what to do via text message. She finally sent me text messages in Chinese to show to people around me in order to help me figure out where, indeed, I was going, so that Debbie could meet me there. This nice older man took the time and patience to help me. He went so far as to even use his text messaging capabilities on his own cell phone to type out the name of the bus station in Pin-yin, after I built up the courage to actually show him the text message Debbie sent to me in Chinese. Whew! Then, I arrived at this bus station in Hefei which was rather large with, I dare to say, thousands of people. It was like trying to find a needle in a hay-stack! So, Debbie and I were talking on our cell phones. We were trying to figure out where the bus dropped me and where that was in location to Debbie's position. Frustration! So, I eventually just went up to a random young lady and asked her through hand gestures to talk to my friend to help me out. I'm sure she's told her entire network of family and friends that some crazy wai guo ren came up to her and gave her her cell phone to talk to some random Chinese person. I bet I made her day! Anyway, after about 10 minutes, we found each other! It was great! So, that was just my trip to Hefei to meet up with Debbie! On the way, I could feel my stomach kind of getting upset, like Suan Bua upset. Not good. So, this is the first time I've ever been to Debbie's home and the first time I've ever met them. Oh, you won't believe it, but the Suan Bua Stomach Bug struck again!!! As soon as I got to her house, I got sick as a dog. I was doing.........well, for those of you who have been to Thai Guo, particularly to the Suan Bua, you get the picture. Not pretty. I became well acquainted with the bathroom and stressed her family out. They ended up taking me to the hospital later that night when I could get away from Mr. John for more than five minutes. I had two IVs to rehydrate my body and replace stuff I needed. I began to feel much better, but was still weak and did not want to see, smell, or talk of food for the next few days. I got nauseated just walking in the food section in the Lian Hua. So, that was my first day with Debbie and her family. They took very good care of me and treated me like their own. I am so grateful for them. The rest of the week did get better, and my appetite was pretty much recovered by the end of my visit. But, I felt so bad about getting sick - not like I could really help it. I know that it caused a lot of stress and worry for her family, and for Debbie. But, she was great through it all. I've never liked to be weak in front of people, physically especially, and especially in front of students. I don't like to be perceived in any way as weak. That's some of my pride at work. So, to have to rely upon Debbie and her famliy to help me and for them to see me that weak was truly a blow to my pride. It definitely deepened my relationship with Debbie. She is the only student who has seen me at my physically weakest moment. She stayed with me in the bathroom while I was throwing up, rubbing my back and helping me out by comforting me. Nothing to make you close to someone like being sick. Anyway, I recovered. I had to rest a lot the following day. Of course, we were in the hospital until 2 o'clock in the morning. So, we slept until lunch time the next day. While in her hometown, she took me to her primary/junior/high schools and told me about her childhood and school experiences. She also took me to the house that they used to live in. They moved ten years ago into their current apartment. Her old home is going to be torn down soon. But, while it's still standing, she took me to its ruins and told me stories of her childhood - of the dog she had that would scare the chickens out of their coup, of the times she would play pingpong against the wall, of the flowers in the garden, of her grandfather picking her up off of the sofa to take her to bed when she fell asleep watching tv. It was really great to hear her stories and get to know what her childhood was like. I met her cousin, grandparents, mother, aunt, and some family friends. I was able to see where her mother worked. Her mother owns a little vending shop, literally a booth, next to the bus station. She works there all day selling drinks and food to travelers and anyone who is hungry or thirsty. Debbie tells me that this particular job has toughened her mom up a bit due to the kind of people she must deal with who try to cheat her out of money or give her attitude. Though her job is tough, her face is sweet. Her mom is lovely and gives off a feeling of warmth when she smiles. The family taught me how to play their version of Ma Jiang (Mah Jong). I fell in love with the game! I learned that Debbie's family only plays once a year during Spring Festival because that is when everyone is home. So, they allowed me to participate in a family tradition. I felt so special!!! I love it so much!!!!! Even though I can't speak the language, especially their dialect, playing the game with them helped me to feel like a part of the family, like a part of the in-group because I was involved and sharing something meaningful with them despite the language barrier. Debbie did an awesome job of, number one, speaking English all week, and number two, translating between me and her family and vice versa. One morning though, we both woke up at the same time and she gave me a slightly pained expression in her eyes. I understood it. She didn't want to have to think or speak in English at that point in the morning. It must be hard. I wouldn't know. But, to have to think and speak in a foreign language for almost a whole week with your friend has got to be tiring. She never complained about it and her English was amazingly fluent and easy to understand. She continued to ask me questions about vocabulary and the use of some phrases, while I continued to ask her the meaning of Chinese words, what to call certain objects, how to pronounce certain sounds, etc. It was pretty cool. She is really good at teaching Chinese to foreigners. She also has above average English skills and a great sense of humor (she knows, understands, and uses sarcasm fluently and frequently). So, if you are ever in the market for a great translator with a great sense of humor and can teach Chinese, Debbie's your girl!!!!!  I had a wonderful time with her in her home town, minus the whole getting sick thing, and would love nothing more than to go back and hang out with her again and to play Ma Jiang again with her family!

 Debbie and her cousin, Cherry, in front of Debbie's home.

Debbie and her mother in her mother's little vending shop.

Debbie, her mom, and her cousin.

The family playing Ma Jiang. Debbie and I are in the background. Playing are her cousin, Cherry, her grandmother, mother, and grandfather.

Home Sweet Home

Xin Nian Kuai Le everyone!!! I have returned from my learning and adventures of relaxation and rest in Thailand. It was an amazing time. This was my first January to take APU classes to earn credits towards my master's degree. The first two weeks in Thailand were spent in class. One week per class with intense sessions in the morning and afternoon. The amount of learning that took place was remarkable. It was also a good change of pace. I must say that I truly enjoyed only being responsible for my studies, for being a student again. I didn't have to lesson plan or grade. All I had to do was learn, do my assigned work, and study. It was great and refreshing!! I know that some of you must think that I am a big nerd, but, honestly, to only be responsible for one job was a vacation in and of itself. I learned so much, both about teaching and about being a child of our Father. My professor the first week would open class with a short devotional and incorporated practical elements of application about our faith in our lives as teachers - how not to separate our lives into compartments, which many westerners admittedly do. I feel truly refreshed and more confident about myself as a teacher of English. Of course, we had time to tool around on ocassion and shop. We all were in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which is one of the country's largest tourist attractions in the north. It was nice to blend in with all the other foreigners for a while and not stand out so much. I'm having to adjust to people staring at me again here in Wuhu! I had the opportunity to eat tons of western food as well as Thai cuisine. But, I'm happy to be eating my favorite food of all, which is, of course, Chinese food!!! Shopping was great! Chiang Mai is famous for it's night market/bizarre, where many items of clothing, jewelry, knick-knacks, etc. can be bought for cheap prices. Oh, and one is allowed to bargain!! I think that bargaining is my new hobby and sport!!!!! It's so much fun!! Of course, I usually know what the prices should be, and I try not to short-change those I'm buying from. But, they mark the price way up, knowingly, to see if the person is willing to pay that amount of money. Knowledgeable shoppers bargain. It's not rude or impolite. It's actually expected and tradition. It's quite friendly, and relationships can flourish due to this custom.

After classes, everyone in the organization went to the mountainside resorts just outside of Chiang Mai for the conference. We had the pleasure of listening to and learning from Michael Card. If you have never heard of this great man of faith, I definitely recommend that you Google him. He is a like-minded song-writer, author, and teacher. It was wonderful to hear his insight to the word. His messages were quite powerful and resonate with me still. I'm still pondering the life of JC. If you have the chance, read his book, The Walk: the life-changing journey of two friends. This book will provide you with the insights and lessons that he talked about at conference. It was refreshing to be able to see and visit with all of my friends who are teaching throughout Asia. This is the only time of year we all get together. Unfortunately, I had some health problems this year. First, I got the stomach bug that was going around, which almost everyone at conference had at one point or another. Thankfully, it only lasted 24 hours. But, those 24 hours seemed like several days. Lets just say that I've never before experienced what I experienced with this bug. What you imagine is probably close to what actually happened. Then, I ended up getting something like the flu due to my body's shattered immune system. So, most of conference, I was ill and not able to participate in a lot of the lectures and services. However, I did get a lot of rest, which was definitely needed. I chided my roommate that Father knew that I needed to be sick in order to rest properly. Otherwise, I would have been up all night every night with my friends spending every moment I could with them. The time I did spend with my friends was wonderful and I cherish those moments. Fortunately, I had a room next to the meeting hall where the services were held. I could hear the singing, which lifted my spirits. I took a lot of time to talk with Him. Even though I felt terrible, I felt refreshed in my soul. I've never really had that happen before. His love truly is extravagent, and his friendship intimate. I've never before been in such a state of peace during an illness while it ravaged my body. I was in pain and in a lot of discomfort. I missed the services and being with my friends. But, the time that I had with Him was priceless. Plus, I have an amazing teammate. Tina and I roomed together and she took extra time to take care of me. He used her in such a way that humbled me. JC said that to be first, one must be last - the point is to serve. Tina served me in such a powerful way, both physically and in spirit. So, in a way, I'm thankful for what happened. Anyway, after conference, a huge group of us went to Koh Samui and Koh Tao to chill and hang out on the beach. One half of the group went scuba diving. They had to get certified and take classes and all. I wasn't quite up for it, and scuba diving probably isn't good for my sinuses anyway since I can't really go beyond 6 feet without pain in my ears and head. So, I chilled on the beach day after day reading, listening to music, sleeping, chatting, just enjoying being. It was beautiful. The water was three shades of blue and clear. The sand was white. It was so refreshing. This is where I healed. I'll post pictures soon. Again, this was an amazing time spent with some close friends and Father. It was a time of reflection. The lesson that I have learned is:   Wait. Be patient. Listen. Trust me. Timing is of the Lord. I feel that I am being tested. It's a test of faith - whether I will wait, be patient, listen, and wait upon the Lord, or if I will try to act out of my own initiative and power. Day by day I am having to give much to Him as an act of faith, which is so hard. I like to be in control. But, He has clearly shown my that I am not, even thought many times I think I am. He has clearly revealed to me how weak I am and what I cannot do. So, this semester, I am going to have to trust in Him completely for strength, direction, guidance, understanding, wisdom, and give him my schedule. I'll keep you posted...............