tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-61323717710284143252024-03-13T04:29:00.452-07:00China ChatterChina Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-80623135925746604852013-06-14T22:13:00.000-07:002013-06-14T22:13:32.817-07:00Is It Worth It?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S-IHIjUMm4k/Ubv35CD7zcI/AAAAAAAABqY/HUuI0J5CVF8/s1600/images-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-S-IHIjUMm4k/Ubv35CD7zcI/AAAAAAAABqY/HUuI0J5CVF8/s200/images-5.jpeg" /></a></div>Everyday we have opportunities to make choices; some big, some small but every choice has the potential for gain or loss. We weigh the risks, calculate the possible benefits and then come to a conclusion about whether or not to take the leap. Some people are natural risk takers. Their personalities scream for excitement and adventure, while others avoid taking even the smallest risk unless they have factored in all the variable. As for me, I usually fall somewhere between “I’ll try anything once” and “What’s the worst that could happen?” As for a biblical comparison, I can certainly be as impulsive as Peter and as stubborn as Paul; but my heart is usually in the right place and my motives are generally toward toward doing the right thing~in spite of my impetuousness. As an ex-pat living in China, I ask myself this question many times a day.<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Today was one of those days when “Is it worth it?” became very real. While crossing the road on my 40 minute rush hour bike ride to work, my reading glasses popped out of my purse and landed in the middle of a busy intersection.</span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> I heard the thud as they landed and realized that I was going to have to make a quick decision. Do I get off my bike when I reach the other side of the road, turn around and make my way into oncoming traffic to get my glasses or do I leave them and wait 2-4 weeks to get new ones sent from the States? If you know anything about China’s traffic, you know that to go after them would mean literally risking life, limb and the possibility of being a foreign fatality. The alternative didn’t look much more palatable since I have lots of papers to grade at the end of the semester. Decisions, decisions!</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">I looked at the yet unsquished glass case on the pavement, considered how long it would take for me to snag the glasses, and weighed out whether or not I could be nimble enough to maneuver my way between the oncoming cars. “Is it worth it?” I asked myself again, but In a matter of seconds I decided it was~ so I hopped off my bike, pulled out my game face and <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XyBPwtdYnGo/Ubv2YjaHFoI/AAAAAAAABp4/a-6yIRuQJuk/s1600/Unknown-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XyBPwtdYnGo/Ubv2YjaHFoI/AAAAAAAABp4/a-6yIRuQJuk/s200/Unknown-2.jpeg" /></a></div>used my car dodging ninja skills to narrowly avoid the oversized buses, bazillion bicycles and steady stream of honking cars all racing my way.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">As I snatched up the glass case, I felt both a sense of relief and horror over what I had done. I had cheated death and avoided becoming the ever dreaded “flat foreign”. Success was mine but at what cost?</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">As I reflect back on those few minutes, I am keenly aware that every decision has a price. The Bible says in Luke 14:25-31 that we are to “count the cost” of discipleship and know what you’re signing up for. I have counted the little costs and inconveniences of being here and I’ve also calculated the bigger costs of being without my family, living in a polluted environment, and making myself known as a Christian in country where foreign believers are not always welcomed.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VB2Ykd1RqKc/Ubv3Wfpqk3I/AAAAAAAABqQ/f5uI5UmztyQ/s1600/Unknown-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VB2Ykd1RqKc/Ubv3Wfpqk3I/AAAAAAAABqQ/f5uI5UmztyQ/s200/Unknown-1.jpeg" /></a></div> I have counted the physical, financial, mental, emotional, and spiritual and every other kind of cost it takes to be in China long-term and in a not so impulsive way, have decided to be more of a Paul than a Peter on this one. I count it all but loss (Phil. 3:7-14) Is it worth it? Definitely! Sometimes a little sadness creeps in, but all in all~no regrets!</span>
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China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-83278071557140602222013-02-14T05:11:00.001-08:002013-02-14T05:11:47.947-08:00Humble Pie Anyone?<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GhrkQptlZvM/URzdnMGmaDI/AAAAAAAABlI/oVg-j4x4kWg/s1600/Cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GhrkQptlZvM/URzdnMGmaDI/AAAAAAAABlI/oVg-j4x4kWg/s400/Cookie.jpg" width="300" /></a>It never fails. Just when I start to turn a corner and feel successful about something I am trying to accomplish, BOOM! I self-sabotage! What the heck is that all about? I know the things I should do and the things I shouldn’t do, yet for reasons unbeknownst to my conscious self I always end up doing the wrong thing and sidetrack or completely derail the things I want the most. Case in point~ Today I invited my small group over for a brunch so that we could have fun eating, hanging out and reconnecting after a long period of not seeing each other because of the Chinese New Year holiday break. I made a delicious breakfast casserole from scratch and had assorted juices as well. One couple brought french toast, another friend brought crepes with fruit, and there was banana bread, too. It was like a never ending table of awesomeness. As my eyes beheld such scrumptiousness, my appetite grew larger than life. I gave into the temptation to have a hearty helping of everything, fully aware but not caring that my very healthy diet of 6 weeks would be annihilated in 25 minutes.<br />
Then to add to the devastation, I had already made the dough of mass destruction for Valentine's Day sugar cookie that I promised to bake and decorate with my “other” granddaughter Sami who came with her dad. She was super excited to try this new thing. Half an hour after we finished eating, we pressed out, baked, frosted and decorated 2 dozen of those little gems, most of which we ate~save for the plate I sent home with her for her sick mommy.<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-80cZXxYyl0M/URzfdPVvlhI/AAAAAAAABlQ/dd5wnHMFwQo/s1600/images-6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-80cZXxYyl0M/URzfdPVvlhI/AAAAAAAABlQ/dd5wnHMFwQo/s320/images-6.jpeg" /></a> So with a belly full of delicious remorse, I laid on the couch all afternoon watching movies and wallowing through the regret of my impulsivity. Good thing I’m not a closet bulimic because it would’ve taken a whole day of purging both body and soul to remove my guilt.Why is it so hard to say no to the wafting scent of bacon that seems to wave me toward the plate? How come no one else around me seems to have the same compulsive desire to keep shoving food into their face long after they are satisfactorily full? I honestly don’t know. I suspect that despite my 14 pound weight loss since the first of the year, my old nature is still very much in play. I can only keep it in check so long and then it rears its ugly head again. Isn’t that the way sin always is? Gluttony is a sin. One of the 7 deadly sins in fact, and sin alway has consequences...like regret and fall out that I’m sure I will see in the next few days on the scale. But even more that this, I think it comes back to human nature. We are all sinful. We all have a nature that wants our own desires, our own way, and we often impulsively or in a premeditated way do whatever it takes to get what we think we want, even when we know full well it’s not what we should do. It’s about dying everyday to my self will and there’s no way I can do that alone! That’s why grace and Spirit empowerment are so very important. It’s hard to be gracious with myself when I know I'm responsible for my own mess. It’s hard to be gracious with others when they too are being selfish, greedy, prideful or just plain dumb. Thank God, He freely gives the grace my heart really needs and hungers for and the Spirit to help me in my struggle to be under his control...not mine. I don’t deserve it, but he offers it anyway. Sometimes I think He uses my character defects to give me a taste of humble pie and grace in the same serving. Today, I’m glad that neither of these items on the menu has any additional calories!<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vMPsp4k3eXs/URziaARRHoI/AAAAAAAABls/b5I-9n2ijZA/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vMPsp4k3eXs/URziaARRHoI/AAAAAAAABls/b5I-9n2ijZA/s320/images-4.jpeg" /></a>China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-77925946236005421792012-07-16T09:44:00.000-07:002012-07-16T09:44:54.499-07:00Shoulder Shennanigans<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-meoDUQ96Ty0/UAQ-sHJILeI/AAAAAAAABjI/ygChkA2DnBk/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="136" width="136" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-meoDUQ96Ty0/UAQ-sHJILeI/AAAAAAAABjI/ygChkA2DnBk/s400/images-4.jpeg" /></a></div>You'd think a rapidly developing country like China would have a somewhat comparable health care system to that of the US~ at least in a big city of 12 million like Tianjin. Unfortunately, I have often been sorely mistaken by my wishful thinking. About 10 months ago I started having pain in my left shoulder. I have a pretty high tolerance for pain, so I figured I just slept on it wrong or it was some sort of pulled muscle and I ignored it. After 3 months of increasing pain, my PT friend from the States checked it and gave me some exercises to do but she didn't seem too concerned.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MQl4kXRLgsg/UAQ_FDOsagI/AAAAAAAABjU/jORFzfbW7Lg/s1600/images-5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="226" width="223" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MQl4kXRLgsg/UAQ_FDOsagI/AAAAAAAABjU/jORFzfbW7Lg/s400/images-5.jpeg" /></a></div>The pain persisted for another 3 months until I'd finally had enough. I sought help from a Chinese doctor friend who was also a PT. He started doing therapy for me twice a week, but nothing changed. Then I got an MRI which indicated that something was not exactly right, but showed nothing specific. Two more months of therapy and still no big improvement. I was getting frustrated and so was my doctor. He suggested that I see a friend of his to use simulation machines and another kind of therapy so I agreed. As of today I have been seeing this doctor for 2 weeks. He's really nice, but he speaks no English, so I am trying to teach him phrases as we go. You never really think about the little things that are important for a doctor to know how to say like, "Does it hurt? More painful, less painful or about the same? Move over, turn over, lie down and sit up." Just as important for him to understand are the English phrases, "It's better, it's worse, not too bad, holy *@%!, and for the love of God, STOP!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kOUn7mNJtJY/UARBAjuFmDI/AAAAAAAABjs/7wP491VJdpk/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="194" width="260" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kOUn7mNJtJY/UARBAjuFmDI/AAAAAAAABjs/7wP491VJdpk/s400/images.jpeg" /></a></div>
Today the therapist said he was going to use a machine to "loosen my meat," a phrase directly translated from the Chinese-English dictionary on his IPhone. OK, I thought. I had seen a couple of other Chinese patients there with the vacuum modulator hooked up to their shoulders and backs, so I figured it had to be relatively safe. I decided to give it a try. He proceeded to put 8 round suction cups around my shoulder and in my armpit. They felt strange going on but I figured it was just part of the deal. I was then unpleasantly surprised when he turned on the stimulator and my skin was sucked up into the cups while my muscles were repeatedly given electrically pulsating shocks...for 20 straight minutes. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_nv9OGAAbV0/UARDOOFOx9I/AAAAAAAABj4/mxMxSB1kf3M/s1600/IMG_0174.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="300" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_nv9OGAAbV0/UARDOOFOx9I/AAAAAAAABj4/mxMxSB1kf3M/s400/IMG_0174.jpg" /></a></div>It wasn't a 10 on the pain scale but it felt like someone was digging their thumbs into my pit and vibrating. Not fun. After 20 minutes, he came back to unhook me and discovered that my body is apparently not as tough as Chinese bodies. I had serious red marks and suction marks where the equipment had been. He seemed a bit shocked, but because he had no English, he had no words to say. He looked like he wanted to crawl in a hole and disappear. I wish my Chinese was better, but when it comes to medical Chinese, I'm as clueless as he is in English. I didn't have a mirror to look at the damage at that time, but I knew it was bad by the look on his face and the pain in my pit. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sS6DbvQj2KI/UARDmDIgpaI/AAAAAAAABkE/8wKRlRlfuDk/s1600/IMG_0196.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sS6DbvQj2KI/UARDmDIgpaI/AAAAAAAABkE/8wKRlRlfuDk/s320/IMG_0196.jpg" /></a></div>10 hours later after arriving home from a full day of work, I finally took a look. I was more than a little shocked. Even after that long, the red was still there and the bruising was very visible. If this happened in the States, there would be a malpractice law suit or at the very least there would've been some warning beforehand about the possibility of this happening. Not here! There are just looks of horror and people pretending that they don't see it or it doesn't look that bad. Unbelievable! So now I have two problems. My shoulder is still frozen and still hurts, plus now I have bruises in places that I didn't have before and they are also painful. What's a girl to do? Not sure, but one thing I do know. The octopus armpit stimulation/sucker is going to be the one getting a shocking punch in the pulsator if it ever tries to come near my pit again!
China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-458153032979992452012-04-19T03:13:00.000-07:002012-04-19T03:13:10.197-07:00Complete Hair-acy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GLqzO25TR38/T4_gVl0QtOI/AAAAAAAABi8/gEZ-xWRiOfY/s1600/IMG_4935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="267" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GLqzO25TR38/T4_gVl0QtOI/AAAAAAAABi8/gEZ-xWRiOfY/s400/IMG_4935.JPG" /></a></div>They say that a woman's hair is her glory. Well, I don't know about all that, but it is one of the most important parts of being a woman. How you care for and deal with your hair says a lot about you and your style or personality. My hair is unusually thick, naturally wavy and unruly most of the time, so I don't often just let it dry naturally. It explodes into a big hair afro which looks like a nest ready for some mother bird to lay her eggs in. I usually give it a quick blow dry and resort to straightening it every time I wash my hair. Thankfully, this is only twice a week because the air is so dry here that doing it more often would lead to breakage. I grew up as a toe-headed blonde and although I have changed my hair color many times over the years, I have returned to my roots (so to speak) and have decided that dying my hair blonde is so much more natural than allowing the gray to take over my head. The style I am most comfortable with is an easy to care for, one length, long bob. I can pull it back into a pony-tail and not have to mess with it too much. I say all this to set the stage for my story. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JwXZFQZsIbc/T4_V1avubII/AAAAAAAABiw/J-ZMoofGSH8/s1600/images-2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="245" width="206" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JwXZFQZsIbc/T4_V1avubII/AAAAAAAABiw/J-ZMoofGSH8/s400/images-2.jpeg" /></a></div>
When I first came to China in 2003, I had no fear of getting my haircut. Ignorance was bliss until my first experience at a countryside salon where I was sheered like a sheep in spring, much to the shock of my Chinese students who couldn't cover up the fact that they were both horrified and embarrassed about the haircut I received. I dubbed it the "Chemo-Barbie" look. Five years later when I returned to live long-term in China, I vowed never to get my lovely locks cut in China again. I was determined to wait 3 years and only cut it again when I returned home to America for a visit. After 2 years of growing my very thick hair and looking like a complete hippy, my American friend, Natalie convinced me to go to the place where she had her hair done. I resisted at first, terrified that I would have another scalping experience, but after a few more months of coaxing, I decided to take the plunge. Natalie went with me and held my hand as 2 young hairstylist work on my in synchronized fashion, each taking one side of my head. I could only close my eyes and pray that when I opened them again, I wouldn't have my former "chemo-barbie" look. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_6isxRQpnv8/T4_TzRlLxHI/AAAAAAAABiM/svyLmCNu9U8/s1600/images-3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="225" width="225" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_6isxRQpnv8/T4_TzRlLxHI/AAAAAAAABiM/svyLmCNu9U8/s400/images-3.jpeg" /></a></div>Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised at what a nice job they did. I was all too happy to pay the $6.00 and be on my way. Since that time I have only had my hair cut twice, each time at that same place and each time holding my breath recalling my first unpleasant experience. Both times have been fine...until today. Last week I colored my layer free, long pony-tail styled hair and felt confident that when I went to the salon today, the stylists would do as well as they had done on the two previous occasions. I walked into the salon, told them exactly what I wanted, they shook shook their heads, smiled and assured me that they understood...and proceeded to do exactly what <i><b>they</b> </i>thought would look better on me! Not at all what I wanted! <b>Apparently when I said, "I want you to give me a tiny trim, thin it out, and I <b>don't<i></i></b> want layers," it meant "Make me look like an 80's Malibu Barbie!"</b>
For the love of God! How is it that those two things are the same? I know I said it very clearly, but after he took the first big chuck out of my hair and I realize that this first cut would be the measuring stick by which all the other cuts would be gauged, there was nothing I could really do about it, except resign myself to the inevitable dissatisfaction of paying for a haircut that I despised! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_jjSugwWWA/T4_UYSUCm8I/AAAAAAAABiY/6lUo_zb11U0/s1600/images-4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="217" width="232" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-U_jjSugwWWA/T4_UYSUCm8I/AAAAAAAABiY/6lUo_zb11U0/s400/images-4.jpeg" /></a></div>
Walking to the place where I parked my bike was (for me) like the walk of shame. As if I'm not obvious enough as a foreigner, my hair looked like the second story of my tall body that had taken on a life of it's own. You know it's bad when the puff that is your hair is flipped up at the ends and sprayed so heavily that even the wind from the bike ride home won't mess it up. In my head I was screaming, "Hair-acy! Hair-acy" It was ridiculous! So here I am, kicking myself for letting my need for manageable hair override my better judgement about getting my hair cut in China. I know it's just hair and the layers will grow back. At least he didn't cut it all off, so I think I can still get most of it into a ponytail~and I still have a straightener. Good thing it's only another 7 months 'til I get home!China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-7097180130321605112011-07-01T03:57:00.000-07:002011-07-01T03:58:14.343-07:00A Close Call With Reality<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zykaynyyGWQ/Tg2gtnSCJvI/AAAAAAAABeY/fLAWV3co6zQ/s1600/images-3.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 238px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zykaynyyGWQ/Tg2gtnSCJvI/AAAAAAAABeY/fLAWV3co6zQ/s400/images-3.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624328215154796274" /></a><br />There’s no way around it. As a foreigner living in China, I will always have attention drawn to me~simply because...well for one, you can see my white skin and blonde hair glowing from 100 yards away. Secondly, I am almost always taller than the average male here, not to mention that my blue eyes are like the blinking lights of the old K-Mart blue light specials. It’s twice as bad in the countryside. You might as well bring a blue smurf into the center of town because the locals’ jaws literally drop as you walk by. You can feel their stares continue to blaze into your back long after you’ve walked away. No matter how hard I want to live my life inconspicuously here, it will never happen. For the most part, I have grown accustomed to these things and they usually don’t bother me. Sometimes I even forget how different I am and I get careless. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rzPPegrmgos/Tg2hDR61U2I/AAAAAAAABeg/qZzk2gAZhf4/s1600/Unknown.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 198px; height: 254px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rzPPegrmgos/Tg2hDR61U2I/AAAAAAAABeg/qZzk2gAZhf4/s320/Unknown.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624328587377464162" /></a>That was the case today. It’s been really hot here, so when I’m home alone in my own apartment I strip down to the least possible amount of clothing I can wear and still have time to throw on a presentable cover up just in case someone unexpectedly knocks at my door. This afternoon I was really hot and tired and wanted to try and get in a quick nap before heading off to my part time job at the pre-school. Unfortunately, I ran out of bottled water today, so I called the water delivery people to come and exchange my empty bottles for full ones. I knew it would take them a few minutes to up to a few hours to get here, so I grabbed the jugs out of my kitchen, stuck the coupons in the top of the bottle and prepared to put them outside my door for an easy, impersonal exchange. I opened the door and snuck out to the stairway half naked quickly attempting to put the bottles in their usual spot of exchange. I guess I must’ve been in too big of a hurry because I dropped one of the jugs and it went thumping down the stairs to the landing of the apartment below me. After being in and out of China for the last 8 years I should’ve know better, but I just wanted to get that doggone jug, put it on the steps and get my nap started. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-99fESySoJXE/Tg2hl3W7YUI/AAAAAAAABeo/kbFJvcXp2R0/s1600/images-2.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 207px; height: 125px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-99fESySoJXE/Tg2hl3W7YUI/AAAAAAAABeo/kbFJvcXp2R0/s320/images-2.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624329181542965570" /></a>I scampered down the stairs, scooped up the jug and just as I was turning around a big gust of wind blew through the open window in the stairwell. I was horrified as I watched the door to my apartment slowly start to swing closed. I’m sure you’ve seen similar scenes in the movies, where a disaster unfolds right before the eyes of the only person who can stop it and they are just inches away from prevent the inevitable. The panic was intense!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oNXvyf791Dk/Tg2iD3PkVKI/AAAAAAAABew/3xSE1Q2kItM/s1600/images-4.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 256px; height: 170px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oNXvyf791Dk/Tg2iD3PkVKI/AAAAAAAABew/3xSE1Q2kItM/s320/images-4.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624329696908170402" /></a> In my mind I was doing the slow motion scream, “NOOOOOO!” realizing that if that door did indeed close, I would be locked out of my apartment with nothing on but a T-shirt and skivvies! A foreigner in China dressed (or not dressed) like this would certainly cause an uproar...not to mention a probable spot on the nightly news highlighting the promiscuity of foreigners in China! In my desperation to save myself from such a fate I made a dive for the door, willing to sacrifice my fingers and my body to the cement stairs, rather losing all my dignity and taking the walk of shame to my neighbor’s apartment to ask for help. T<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/qQOEYf4WQiU/Tg2iZVTk4yI/AAAAAAAABe4/pK591Jbk9Do/s1600/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 210px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qQOEYf4WQiU/Tg2iZVTk4yI/AAAAAAAABe4/pK591Jbk9Do/s320/images.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624330065755300642" /></a>hankfully, I was able to grab the door just before it slammed shut. Now as I sit here recalling the event and writing it all down, I really do have to laugh. Seriously! Can you imagine the stories in my neighborhood about the crazy, foreign lady with the pink bikini underwear? Good Lord, that would’ve been embarrassing! Thank you God for your grace...especially, when it’s hot, I’m tired, and a little impulsive!China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-39432239366148435472011-06-18T18:58:00.000-07:002011-06-18T19:10:39.483-07:00Happy Father's Day!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4qiNmDB8Jgg/TfyaGKD5uMI/AAAAAAAABdo/snXN0WqzncU/s1600/images-6.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 162px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4qiNmDB8Jgg/TfyaGKD5uMI/AAAAAAAABdo/snXN0WqzncU/s400/images-6.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619535865622149314"></a>Maybe it’s just that I’m getting older, but lately I’ve been really appreciating my dad more and more. When I look back on my childhood, I can honestly say it was pretty darn good. Back then, most dads were the primary bread winners and moms either stayed home and took care of the kids, or had part time jobs. A dad’s role was to bring home the paycheck and take care of things around the house. By the standards of the day, my dad was awesome! He worked really hard to provide for a wife and 5 kids and I never, ever remember going without things that we needed. The cars were always taken care of, the lawn always got mowed, and never once did Dad come home late after work because he was drinking at the bar with his buddies! Every Sunday (twice on Sunday) and every Wednesday without fail we were in church. Although there were many times I complained about not being able to do the things other kids did on Sundays, it was good for us kids, and taught us to value God, family, and taking a day of rest. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6FeekVALSuA/TfyhlAuiYaI/AAAAAAAABeQ/9cJviITSRks/s1600/Family.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 268px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6FeekVALSuA/TfyhlAuiYaI/AAAAAAAABeQ/9cJviITSRks/s400/Family.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619544092273959330"></a>Dad went above and beyond what a lot of fathers did for their kids. He attended our sporting events, took the boys hunting, saved like a mad man so we could all have a college education, and took us on a family vacation each year. After 50 plus years, we still go to Minnesota every summer to spend a week together fishing and having fun as an extended family with our own kids...and their kids! So many traditional family values have gone by the wayside in today’s world. Some dads don’t take any responsibility for their kids, while other dads are single parents through no fault of their own. Dads are pulled in all directions to be more and give for while being marginalized by society as a whole. As a result, many have forgotten what it’s like to be men, to be leaders in their families without being tyrants in doing so. Was my family perfect? Heavens no! I probably complained more about my dad and his ways of doing things than any of my siblings; but at some point, I grew up and realized that my dad was my dad. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WvPbbp6nsq0/TfyfohJuZLI/AAAAAAAABeI/HV1T0apxzhc/s1600/DSCF0018.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WvPbbp6nsq0/TfyfohJuZLI/AAAAAAAABeI/HV1T0apxzhc/s400/DSCF0018.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619541953494279346"></a>He had his ways of doing things and that was not going to change. He had his way of loving, even if it wasn’t what I could understand at the time. He had his way of disciplining and as much as I hated having the fear of God (and my dad) put in me, it was probably what kept me out of a lot more trouble than what I got into. The Bible says, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, and I reasoned like a child, but when I became a man (or grew up) I put away childish things. (I Corinthians 13:11) It took me a lot of years to realize I was a pretty lucky kid, and I had a pretty great dad. We often express our emotions toward our moms, because~well, they’re moms, and we can do that. Dads usually only get appreciated this one day a year. I know my dad won’t always be here with us, so there’s no time like the present to say the obvious. Here’s to you, Dad. You’re an exceptional man and I’m thankful that I’m your daughter!China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-67903412553702559652011-06-18T03:20:00.000-07:002011-06-18T03:51:00.832-07:00Life is Fragile~Handle With Prayer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KYNOJkFBst4/Tfx8pRN33oI/AAAAAAAABcw/5uqSP3Jt8EM/s1600/images.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 225px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KYNOJkFBst4/Tfx8pRN33oI/AAAAAAAABcw/5uqSP3Jt8EM/s400/images.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619503483489607298" /></a>I was pretty shook up yesterday when I came up on an bike v. electric scooter accident while walking home from school. The woman was lying on the ground, unconscious, and bleeding with dozens of people standing around her watching and only one guy holding her head against her backpack. The first miracle was that she was wearing a helmet, which was trashed and at the side of the road next to her. I ran as fast as I could toward them and told someone in Chinese to call the police and the hospital. Fortunately, in this day and age everyone has a cell phone. I tried talking to her as she came in and out of consciousness, but every time I got eye contact her eyes would suddenly roll back into her head and she would be gone again. I didn't even know if she could speak English, but I knew that no one else standing around could. I went into crisis mode. The police and ambulance arrived quickly and several passersby helped paramedics put the 28 year old foreigner into the ambulance. I hopped in the ambulance and frantically dug through her backpack hoping to find some ID so I could at least know her name, where she was from and maybe even who to contact. I was so relieved to find her UK passport with her name on it. She obviously had a serious head injury and since we were near the SOS clinic for foreigners, the ambulance took her there first. Another miracle~she had once been a patient there and they had all her emergency info on file! The doctor jumped into the ambulance and I got out. They took her to the Number 1 Hospital immediately, and that's all I knew. All I could do was pray and hope that she would be OK. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mRqRaTvF85c/TfyB_8RuERI/AAAAAAAABc4/I-JX6EHObSc/s1600/images-3.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 232px; height: 218px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mRqRaTvF85c/TfyB_8RuERI/AAAAAAAABc4/I-JX6EHObSc/s400/images-3.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619509370563727634" /></a> <br />This morning the principle of the school where Ashley was teaching called me, thanked me for helping and said she was she was stable but had a broken cheek bone, and a head injury with some bleeding in her brain but they thought it would eventually absorb. She was still in and out of consciousness and didn't remember anything. They were planning to move her to Beijing, but needed to get a statement from me for the police report. As I walked into the 16th floor ICU I was met by her boyfriend, 2 other friends, a translator, and a police officer, all who looked concerned and wanted to know what happened, so I filled in the blanks. As is typical in Chinese hospitals, Ashley was in a big room with 6 other critical care guys and had all their family member in there, too. The guy next to her had just died an hour earlier. In spite of her condition, I was thankful to see Ashley looking more coherent than the day before. At least she was able to open her eyes and talk a little. After giving the police officer my statement, I went back into the room and asked her boyfriend if I could pray for her, and I did. <br />As far as I'm concerned, Ashley is lucky to be alive. The helmet saved her life, the SOS clinic records made treatment and notification of her significant others possible, and the guy that accidentally hit her didn't just run off like most would have after injuring a foreigner... All miracles! I am sure this will be quite a recovery process for this young woman, but I keep praying that she will recover and that she will see the hand of God in this incident, protecting her from what could've been sooo much worse. I normally don't wear a helmet when I ride, and hardly ever think about walking everywhere in crazy traffic. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pyjq1s1RTGY/TfyCZ1z_FKI/AAAAAAAABdA/RN_8FqG1BoI/s1600/images-2.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 194px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Pyjq1s1RTGY/TfyCZ1z_FKI/AAAAAAAABdA/RN_8FqG1BoI/s320/images-2.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619509815504999586" /></a>This has been a wake up call for me, too! We never know what today will bring. We focus on our daily happenings, our petty troubles, or our dreams for the future when the truth is, we aren't guaranteed a tomorrow. We only have today, and that's all; so let's make sure we live it well, and have our eternity settled. It's the only thing we can guarantee ahead of time.China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-77471377943323221362010-12-07T08:45:00.000-08:002010-12-07T10:17:13.161-08:00The Art of Coming Home<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TP53ablmtNI/AAAAAAAABcI/oxxjB2L-fIk/s1600/images-4.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 225px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TP53ablmtNI/AAAAAAAABcI/oxxjB2L-fIk/s400/images-4.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548003086932817106" /></a>It probably seems weird to most of you that an overseas worker like me would find it anything but thrilling to be back in America during the holiday season. What could be better, right? Christmas trees, presents, family gatherings, time with friends and all the other trappings that the season brings. In some respects this is what I have been dreaming about for the past 2 years of living in China...wanting to be home with my family for this blessed season. But in another respect, just being home has been a big adjustment. It's very overwhelming! Some call it re-entry shock. In October when I first arrived back in the States, I was keenly aware of how different everything was. It was similar to what I experienced when I first went to China and was barraged by the sights, sounds, and smells that were so different than I was accustomed to in the States. Since this is the first time I've been home in more than 2 years, I experienced that feeling of being a foreigner all over again...except in my own culture of origin. I was taken back by the vast amount of space in America and the lack of people to fill that space. Many times I felt as though I were walking through a virtual ghost town compared to the crazy overcrowded-ness of living in a city of 12 million. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TP54HcFFUKI/AAAAAAAABcQ/8RO_q8cGht8/s1600/images-5.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 228px; height: 221px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TP54HcFFUKI/AAAAAAAABcQ/8RO_q8cGht8/s400/images-5.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548003860158959778" /></a>It was so quiet that I felt like I was in a library and had to whisper. American food is still amazing, the ease of which I can do things and get around is fabulous and I never have to struggle to find the words to express myself. People in America are generally super nice and polite. They open doors for you, say please and thank-you and would never think of telling you how fat you are or giving you unsolicited advise about how you should lose weight and be more healthy. On the other hand, being in America has reminded me of the things I haven't missed very much. Americans seem to be oblivious to almost everything except what's in their own little world. As opposed to the Chinese way of communal thinking, Americans are driven by individual desires and opinions...and the amount of waste and self indulgence I see is staggering. Maybe because I'm here during Christmas this is more pronounced, but I am still having a hard time wrapping my mind around what it means to be "Home." Being in China has changed me forever. I'm different and I know it.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TP54h58nWSI/AAAAAAAABcY/yrDEOgjr6mw/s1600/images-1.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 219px; height: 230px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TP54h58nWSI/AAAAAAAABcY/yrDEOgjr6mw/s400/images-1.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548004314853103906" /></a> Sometimes I feel like a human yoyo, up and down in my emotions, my thoughts about being here, my questions about when to return and what it will look like for me to be back home in China. I love being here, but I also miss my friends, my work, and the feeling that I am where I belong... at least for this season of my life. In spite of the fact that I also love my kids, family, my friends, the special people in my life, my freedom, and my country. It's like being caught between two worlds- and I love them both for different reasons. I know I'm not alone in these feelings. I'm sure a lot of military people, global workers, and foreign students have experienced this as well. Hopefully, I will continue to enjoy this time and fully appreciate this gift I've been given. Please remember me and all the others who aren't here and wish they were.China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-59832773364980554052010-09-17T09:08:00.001-07:002010-09-17T09:08:23.194-07:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TJN1i5VyPKI/AAAAAAAABaY/3oE4eV-PVLY/s1600/images.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 223px; height: 226px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TJN1i5VyPKI/AAAAAAAABaY/3oE4eV-PVLY/s400/images.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517883210827185314" /></a>As a kid, I used to love a game called, "Follow the Leader." It was fun because everyone got to have a turn taking the group whichever way they wanted to and all I had to do was follow. In some areas of my life I am a leader and in some areas I am a follower. Both take discipline and skill. One of my dearest mentors, Susan, said something to me once that has always stuck with me. She said, "Until you learn how to follow, you will never be a great leader. The skills you will learn while following, will be the same skills you will learn to lead with." At the time I'm not sure I totally understood what she meant, but looking back I know she was absolutely right. As a follower, I had to learn to observe the leader and listen well to what they were saying. I had to be able to understand the task that was given to me and be willing to submit myself to the leader's requirements and direction. I had to learn humility, flexibility, and trust even when I thought I had a better way. Learning to submit to authority was one of the hardest lessons that I had to learn~and I had to learn it over and over again to drill it into my thick head. Leading also requires listening, observing, understanding the task at hand, being flexible, and willing to humbly submit myself to the authority, the requirements and direction of the One who is over me! As a Christian leader I cannot possibly expect anyone to follow me if I don't lead with integrity, and that only comes from following the One who is the definition of Truth. Paul said best in <span style="font-weight:bold;">I Corinthians 11:1</span> when he said, "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ." I mean, who could be a better example of servant leadership than Jesus? He was not only a great teacher, he was the epitome of leading by example...(<span style="font-weight:bold;">Philippians 2:1-11)</span><br /><br />I have been very blessed to have had some of the most amazing mentors throughout my life~beginning with my mom. She was, and still is the godliest woman I know. She taught me what it meant to follow hard after Christ on a daily basis...not by preaching it to me, but by living it day in and day out in the midst of life being life. My best friend, Becky, also showed me what it meant to be consistent, faithful and persevering in turbulent situations. Over the years I have watched many, many pastors, like my brother Corky, Jefferey D, Jeff P, Dar VW, Brothers Travis, Windel, and Al. They have inspired and encouraged me to become the woman of God He created me to be. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TJORr7xGzCI/AAAAAAAABag/56VTEGgAUr0/s1600/images-6.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 185px; height: 272px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TJORr7xGzCI/AAAAAAAABag/56VTEGgAUr0/s400/images-6.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517914152423050274" /></a>Those who know me best have said that I never do anything half way. My motto is "Go Big or Go Home!" When I have a true passion for a cause, vision or idea...watch out! I am unstoppable. For me a life without passion and purpose just isn't worth living. Let's face it. I'm a big hyper kid with big ideas, big dreams and a limitless God who inspires me to be better. Whether it's being an overseas worker, or a good friend to someone in need, spearheading a development project for the less fortunate, or quietly leading those around you to a deeper understanding of faith, it's important to keep your eyes, ears and heart in tune with the One who will leads you into all truth. I am determined to leave that kind of leadership legacy for the next generation. Nothing less will do.China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-31208610583677327952010-09-10T19:51:00.000-07:002010-09-10T23:14:44.471-07:00A New Season<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TIsXFUvxyGI/AAAAAAAABXg/YA16q5Y1OEw/s1600/images-4.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 259px; height: 194px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TIsXFUvxyGI/AAAAAAAABXg/YA16q5Y1OEw/s400/images-4.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515527548881193058" /></a>Wow! It's been a long time since I've updated this blog. The summer has already past and now we are in the middle of fall. Even the farmers know there's something to be said about taking a break and letting the ground lie fallow for a season. It helps the ground replenish it's nutrients and become rich again. This quiet season hasn't actually been fallow, but during all the summer busyness of traveling, studying and making connections for further projects, I have also taken a good deal of time to internally reflect about what I have learned in the past two years of living here. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TIsZyHjCENI/AAAAAAAABXw/mkUQG_yUi9w/s1600/images-7.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 273px; height: 184px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TIsZyHjCENI/AAAAAAAABXw/mkUQG_yUi9w/s400/images-7.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515530517455442130" /></a>In my attempt to more succinctly define my understandings of the Chinese culture, people and belief systems, (and my role here) I've had to undergo many paradigm shifts. For those of you new to that phrase, let me make this easy. When you look at the picture on the right, what do you see? A duck or a rabbit? Whatever you see, it's right! Both can be seen depending on how you look at it. A paradigm is like the model or structure that all your previous ideas have been filtered through. It comes through the paradigm of culture, education, experiences, and personal core beliefs. When I came to China my paradigms of how to live life here and interact with the Chinese were pretty much already determined. I had my ideas and a course of action. Now after two years of real life in China, my single vision "paradigm" lenses seem to have been replaced by bifocals, enabling me to see much more clearly from close up and far away. My paradigms have shifted. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TIsczORRp4I/AAAAAAAABX4/JElVc_WfU8w/s1600/images-2.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 285px; height: 177px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TIsczORRp4I/AAAAAAAABX4/JElVc_WfU8w/s400/images-2.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515533834974766978" /></a>Perhaps the reason my thoughts and ideas are changing is because China is changing so fast. The name of the game here is flexibility. It is important to be both grounded in non-negotiable truths and flexible enough in your thinking to allow for those truths to be expressed in a culturally relevant way while still maintain their integrity. Sound complicated? It is...but it's no different in the West! I'm serious! Things are not traditional there anymore either. It takes a lot of creativity and flexibility to relate to people who don't have any frame of reference for dialoguing with you on the deeper issues of life. This much I do know. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TIsd0VlHZ8I/AAAAAAAABYA/c_uFpZeBQvE/s1600/images-8.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 207px; height: 244px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/TIsd0VlHZ8I/AAAAAAAABYA/c_uFpZeBQvE/s320/images-8.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5515534953628526530" /></a>Truth doesn't change but expressions and forms expressing those truths will always be changing. We have so many traditions and sacred cows; ways we are convinced are "right" when the truth is, they are probably greatly influenced by our culture and history. I think our friend Paul said it best in (I Cor. 9:19-23) when he said, "I have become all things to all people.... Living truth with integrity is not an easy task and I am humbled by the challenge to do it in China. I also know this. China is changing me as I have a role in changing China. Maybe this is what's actually mean in the Lord's Prayer when it says, Thy Kingdom Come. When that day arrives there will be no "them or us" no "Western way or Chinese way" there will only be one way-His Way! And I think we all might be surprised at what that might look like. :)China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-52570307293046107712010-04-27T06:34:00.000-07:002010-04-27T07:31:38.075-07:00Land of The Free~Home of the Brave<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S9boQBN2spI/AAAAAAAABU8/o7-I96X3Ts8/s1600/Matt.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S9boQBN2spI/AAAAAAAABU8/o7-I96X3Ts8/s320/Matt.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464810559762772626" /></a>Four years ago today, 5:55am, Sgt. Matthew Webber (right) left this world and went to meet his Maker. It wasn’t without agony and torture that he woke up every day for 5 month in the critical care burn unit of a Texas military hospital, enduring the excruciating pain of wound care, amputations, surgeries and physical therapy. With no means to control his situation, and no way to change it, he fought for life, honor, and dignity. Flanked by his vigilant mother Jayne, who stayed by his side for endless hours everyday advocating and speaking for him when he couldn’t, and kept company by his younger brother Andy, who left Michigan to be there with him, Matt knew he was never alone. He was coached on by his ‘real dad’ Vince, who had been there for him since he was a tot, and had the endless love and admiration of his youngest brother, Josh, who never stopped believing that Matt would come home someday and ride the pontoon boat with him and Matt’s dog, Sarge. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S9bolwQclaI/AAAAAAAABVE/_1puVB2JxVo/s1600/Bush+at+Brooke.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 198px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S9bolwQclaI/AAAAAAAABVE/_1puVB2JxVo/s320/Bush+at+Brooke.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464810933167363490" /></a>The cards, letters, prayers, visits by family and close friends did wonders for Matt’s spirits. He wanted with all that was in him to recover and be himself again. He refused to give up or give in to what others said was the inevitable. President Bush came to the hospital on New Year’s Day to see the 3 men left in Matt’s company, all who were all critical condition. He wanted to personally speak with them, give them their medals and meet with their families, Matt adamantly refused....not because he was angry about his condition or his sacrifice, but because doctors had removed his right arm and Matt knew he wouldn’t be able to salute his Commander-in-Chief. I was there at the time and remember thinking, "No, Matt! It's you that needs to be saluted!" It blew my mind. Just the night before, Jayne and I had smuggled New Year’s Eve party hats and blowers into his room, watching with him as ‘The Ball’ dropped in Times Square on the television, telling Matt that this was a new year and it would be a new beginning. <a onblur="try{parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S9bpb2MYaII/AAAAAAAABVM/eFQDywANPX8/s1600/flag+fold.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S9bpb2MYaII/AAAAAAAABVM/eFQDywANPX8/s320/flag+fold.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464811862473861250" /></a>As the ball began to drop, we counted down the seconds ‘til midnight, and tears poured down my face watching him mouth the words,... four, three, two, one...and in my heart I cried out with everything in me for God to do a miracle and raise him up from this horrible situation. He fought for another 4 months before he died, but just the same he died. So now when I see what is happening in America today, the political wrangling, the finger pointing, the erosion of our constitutional rights, the corruption, I often shake my head. It breaks my heart. Young men and women fighting with all their hearts to defend a country and freedom we all say we cherish, and yet we take so for granted. I love my country now more than I ever have, because my nephew, Sgt. Matthew Webber’s blood was spilled on behalf of the freedom I hold dear. I will never forget his bravery, his sacrifice, his agony, or the dignity with which he dealt with his suffering. I will never forget his courage, his never-die attitude, or the sparkling blue eyes that twinkled every time I walked into his room. He couldn’t speak to me then, but he didn’t have to...his life spoke volumes and everything I needed to know about him I understood.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S9bqHIgbFCI/AAAAAAAABVU/QFl8OKKwb6Y/s1600/0003.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S9bqHIgbFCI/AAAAAAAABVU/QFl8OKKwb6Y/s320/0003.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5464812606124135458" /></a>This day, and every anniversary of Matt’s death will be recognized as the day we lost a great man, a patriot, and the best kind of human being possible. I know I speak for many when I say that my comfort in all this is knowing I will see him again. After first seeing Jesus, that will be the highlight of heaven. Matt is gone, but will never be forgotten!China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-90092539254089536932010-04-10T06:57:00.000-07:002010-04-10T07:56:57.647-07:00...And Today's Transportation Is?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S8CJlwpzmLI/AAAAAAAABUM/MOHB5Thn9I4/s1600/Lexus+LS+600h.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 144px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S8CJlwpzmLI/AAAAAAAABUM/MOHB5Thn9I4/s200/Lexus+LS+600h.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458514030181456050" /></a>For overseas workers like me, traveling is such a natural part of the lifestyle that we don’t really think much about it. I am used to finding the cheapest way to get from Point A to Point B, often times using the ‘shoe leather express’. In America the standard mode of transportation is a car. It’s a right of passage for every 16-18 year old to obtain their license. In fact we think it’s a little weird if they don’t have one.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S8CMJMNgJZI/AAAAAAAABUc/Vo1I4O0m-bc/s1600/DSC_0387.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S8CMJMNgJZI/AAAAAAAABUc/Vo1I4O0m-bc/s200/DSC_0387.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458516837897610642" /></a> In more populated cities public buses or subways are options, but I think that it’s much more common to own at least one vehicle...and we pride ourselves on what kind of v ehicle that is. When I left for China I sold my car and haven’t driven since. By the time I come home for a visit, my license will be expired and I will not have been behind the wheel for more than 2 years. I am used to riding my bike everywhere, using the basket to carry my daily necessitiesand calculating the time it will take to get from one spot to another. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S8COJKGheaI/AAAAAAAABUs/7mPX0xhKI6w/s1600/alternative_transportation.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 140px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S8COJKGheaI/AAAAAAAABUs/7mPX0xhKI6w/s320/alternative_transportation.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458519036354722210" /></a>I only take a bus or a taxi when it’s too stinking cold to pedal, even with 2-3 layers of clothes on or when the destination is too far to bike and I have too much junk to carry. Planes on the other hand are the preferred choice when the time is short and the destination is long. I have taken overnight trains (18-24 hours) and have lived to regret it. I mean seriously! How do big, tall Americas sleep on short, narrow, hard sleepers designed for Chinese travelers? Not very well! I have ridden in rickshaws, motorized trolleys, on ferries, in the back of cattle trucks, and on bullet trains. The goal is the same no matter what you take...try to get to where you’re going safely, cheaply and quickly~if possible. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S8COr9PNySI/AAAAAAAABU0/0PLE9X_jBW0/s1600/_-90.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S8COr9PNySI/AAAAAAAABU0/0PLE9X_jBW0/s320/_-90.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458519634196941090" /></a>I have been doing a lot of long distance traveling lately and to be honest I'm exhausted! Today in fact, I left a small island outside of Hong Kong, walked 25 minutes to a ferry, took the ferry to Hong Kong Central where I grabbed a taxi to a long distance bus going to the airport. I had a 4 hour flight to Beijing but still had to boarded yet another airport shuttle back to Tianjin where I could taxi back home. The whole ordeal took me 16 hours! Can you imagine? Am I incredibly thankful for ways to get to where I need to go? Of course! Think about how difficult travel used to be for overseas workers. Many left home and never made it back alive. Yes, I sometimes complain that life isn’t the easiest having to monkey around all the time with the logistics of travel, but the truth is I’m still lucky. In an emergency I can get home on an 18 -24hr. flight and that’s way better than coming home on the slow boat from China.China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-84709799655550383992010-04-07T20:19:00.000-07:002010-04-07T20:49:14.991-07:00Training, Traveling, Tears<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S71N1jz79hI/AAAAAAAABTM/DtxZh6IKoxQ/s1600/IMG_0971.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S71N1jz79hI/AAAAAAAABTM/DtxZh6IKoxQ/s320/IMG_0971.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457603905984394770" /></a>It’s been a year and a half since I left the US and up ‘til now I have not experienced culture shock as experts have described it. Of course, I have had some adjustments to make, but have adaptable fairly quickly to nearly everything that has come down the pike. I really thought I was the exception; the one to escape the cycle that I was warned about when transitioning to another culture. Culture Shock...the sense of euphoria and wonderment in a new culture followed by a slow descent into disappointment, discouragement, loneliness, grief, and disillusion with the culture, and finally the upward ascent again into embracing the reality (both good and bad) of your new situation.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S71QlSB5piI/AAAAAAAABTU/xDjZ6reU2xU/s1600/fb0001+copy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S71QlSB5piI/AAAAAAAABTU/xDjZ6reU2xU/s320/fb0001+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457606924868101666" /></a> Secretly, I had believed that none of this would apply to me because I was 100% sure that I had already accepted and embraced China for the good bad and the ugly. I had already grieved the loss of family and friends when I left, so what more could there be to experience? That illusion was shattered this month after Ryan and Holly came to China to be part of a film/photography project promoting JianHua. I was the unofficial translator for the group, so I spent 3 weeks preparing travel language, familiarizing myself with specific areas of the country and planning some events following the project. Meeting the kids at the airport, I felt a rush of emotion seeing them for the first time in many months. All I could do was hug Ryan and cry...a mixture of joy and sorrow for the time I have missed with him and Holly, with Dave and Lacey all wrapped up in his embrace. Our traveling time was a combination of ups and downs, laughter and frustration, health and sickness. It was a refreshing rain to my thirsty soul that longed for some family time. It wasn’t until they left that I really understood the meaning of grieving in a way that I have not experienced before. In the aftermath of their departure, I suddenly realized that my role in my kids life was completely different. I was no longer ‘Mom’ in the sense of being the actively nurturing, protecting, guidance giving parent of former years, but I was now a detached outsider from the daily routines of their married life. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S71RlcLdzCI/AAAAAAAABTc/8rSCgcPgPCE/s1600/us0001.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S71RlcLdzCI/AAAAAAAABTc/8rSCgcPgPCE/s320/us0001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457608027104201762" /></a>Although they miss me and I missed them, they have in a very healthy way moved on, to to invest in their marriage and I to invest in my calling to China. It has been hard for me to wrap my mind around this fact, especially after spending most of their lives as a single parent. Fortunately, I had planned a short 3 day respite at Bethany House in Hong Kong before returning to Tianjin which turned out to be a godsend. There were pastoral staff there to talk with, there were quiet times for personal reflection and no one there to bother me or judge me for the things I was feeling. I know that I have not been the exception to the rule when it comes to culture shock...it has just taken me a little longer than others to feel it. When will I ascend from my grieving into true acceptance and serenity with this new 'Mom' role? I’m not sure, but if the experts are right, it will eventually happen. Until then I have no choice but to rest and trust that in due season I will again adjust and know that it is as it should be...and it will be well with my soul.China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-76919309651584962052010-03-06T22:02:00.000-08:002010-03-06T23:25:05.755-08:00Happy Birthday-Chinese Style!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S5NEQLLk8wI/AAAAAAAABS0/ze6rmRKWsP8/s1600-h/DSCF0427.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S5NEQLLk8wI/AAAAAAAABS0/ze6rmRKWsP8/s320/DSCF0427.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445771419091006210" /></a>I love celebrating birthdays in China. They are usually fun and festive, plus when we celebrate with Chinese friends we get to mix cultural traditions and you never know what you're going to get. Last Friday night, some friends and I celebrated with my friend "Vera" as she turned the big 30! Generally, Vera is pretty career driven and intense in her interactions with people. She has to think, think, think all the time....but this was her birthdays so we decided to take her out to play. Her best friend bought a beautiful looking bakery cake decorated with fruit fish and other delicious looking dainties. Actually, Chinese cakes look amazing, but they are nothing like western cakes in taste. They are rather bland because most Chinese do not like a lot of sweet tasting foods. The first time I had baked goods in China I was sorely disappointed with the lack of sweetness. I really expected it to taste as good as it looked. The Chinese characters written say 'Shengri Kuai le!' meaning 'Happy Birthday!' and a lot of the add on things are made out of dark and white chocolate so you can eat them. Sometimes there is an unusual Chinese-style candle that is placed on the top of the cake and when you light a single wick, it unfolds into a big, pink plastic flower and plays the happy birthday song over and over until you want to grab it off the top of the cake and stomp on it...OK, not really, but it is pretty annoying!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S5NFDpUeARI/AAAAAAAABS8/hym3OKV7W5c/s1600-h/DSCF0430.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S5NFDpUeARI/AAAAAAAABS8/hym3OKV7W5c/s320/DSCF0430.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445772303354691858" /></a> We got to sing the Happy Birthday song to her in both English and Chinese, but there were no candles to blow out. In this case, Vera really wanted to blow out a candle because she had heard that you get to make a wish and apparently she had a big wish she wanted to ask for. We weren't sure if it was cute, funny, or sort of sad when she asked my friend and I how she should fold her hand and close her eyes to get her wish. So much of Chinese culture is tied up in rituals of 'praying to the right god/goddess' in a specific way to get your wish, that it seemed a pretty typical question to ask. We told her it was just for fun and not like a prayer, so she relaxed and pretended to blow out her imaginary candle anyway. In Chinese tradition the person having the birthday must eat long noodles boiled or rolled in sugar to signify long life. Great care must be taken to slurp them down whole without biting them to make sure that your life is not cut short. People eat peach shaped buns filled with lotus pate or red beans, which tradition says will bring long life. Jiaozi (dumplings) are also eaten which will make ones womb futile for child bearing. Like most people in the US turning 30, Vera lamented this milestone as a sign that she was growing old. In Chinese culture, turning 30 marks the age of being a 'true adult'... and that's when the real seriousness begins. The pressure to marry and have a child starts between the ages of 24-28 when young people have finished their university or graduate studies. Parents begin complaining, badgering, and hounding their children to find a suitable mate and give them a grandchild. It intensifies from there-so by age 30, it can be unbearable. Vera was especially concerned because she didn't have a boyfriend or any possibilities in sight. We assured her that she wasn't old and said this was something we could pray with her about. Even though prayer a new concept for her, she is learning more and more about these ideas and is closer and closer to taking them as her own. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S5NQH7PMlSI/AAAAAAAABTE/MOgUryPzQk4/s1600-h/DSCF0443.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S5NQH7PMlSI/AAAAAAAABTE/MOgUryPzQk4/s320/DSCF0443.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445784471511799074" /></a>After we ate dinner, we made a spontaneous decision to go to Karaoke! You have never seen anything like Chinese Karaoke and the crazy videos that go with it! Everyone has to sing and everyone has to clap for the singer no matter how ear piercing the sound is! That's part of being in community and everyone knows it's all in the name of fun. We had a blast that night and I got to see a side of Vera I hadn't seen before. She actually seemed to be a happy person, instead of the 'ever-serious thinker.' Maybe she needs to celebrate more often...Maybe we all do!China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-42117920687195010572010-02-14T00:00:00.000-08:002010-02-14T00:48:53.325-08:00Happy Chinese New Year!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3ezoQHlvxI/AAAAAAAABSg/QYRogNO7fKs/s1600-h/Tiger.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 236px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3ezoQHlvxI/AAAAAAAABSg/QYRogNO7fKs/s320/Tiger.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438012579176103698" /></a>Since Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year were on the same day this year, I decided to do two separate posts to honor both equally. Chinese New Year rotates around the lunar calendar and there are 12 animals represented in the Chinese zodiac. Every 12 years is a rotation and this is the Year of the Tiger. Many Chinese are very superstitious and have long standing cultural traditions which they religiously follow at this time of the year. People prepare for the new year by sweeping and cleaning the house. They wash their bedding to get rid of all the bad spirits, and welcome the good ones; much like our spring cleaning with a superstitious twist. They do whatever it takes to get home to their families in this annual mass migration of sorts. Most everyone buys new clothing to indicate the change of seasons from winter to spring, even if it is still really cold outside. It is more about the hope of forcing the spring to come by buying things associated with spring. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3e0LZ2hs8I/AAAAAAAABSo/8QOOODhNqvk/s1600-h/DSCF0367.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3e0LZ2hs8I/AAAAAAAABSo/8QOOODhNqvk/s320/DSCF0367.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438013183084311490" /></a> If you were born under the Year of the Tiger, it would be especially important for you to wear red underwear all year to guarantee prosperity and good luck. Last year my teacher and I discussed that we were both born in the Year of the Ox, last years's lucky animal . Even though she is young and educated, she took great pride in telling me about (and showing me) the red chord she wore around her waist and NEVER removed to ensure that she would not have any bad fortune this year. Before Chinese New Year last year, I actually tried to buy my size red underwear as a joke, but no such animal existed. I did however get a kick out of watching the store clerks faces when I asked about it. Giving red envelopes (hong bao) with money inside to co-workers and relatives, eating jiaozi (Chinese dumplings) at midnight and lighting off massive firework displays to scare off the evil spirits and welcome all things good, are all time honored traditions in the Chinese culture. Of course, I bought few choice rounds of fireworks from the local street vendor. I had to do my part in adding to the celebration. Just before midnight, a couple of my foreign friends and I rode our bikes through the streets of Tianjin watching the amazing flurry of spectacular firework displays all simultaneously launching an intense barrage of pyrotechnics. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3eyBz2JZ4I/AAAAAAAABSY/aaTfb9VtOKk/s1600-h/DSC_0071.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3eyBz2JZ4I/AAAAAAAABSY/aaTfb9VtOKk/s320/DSC_0071.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438010819240093570" /></a>It was a sight to behold. We could see at least 18 different shows at once, lighting up the skies above us...and those were just on our side of town! While stopping periodically to view one of these from a closer range, I could feel the debris falling on my head like rain and was choked by the massive amount of smoke that filled the air. I donned my face mask and covered my head, but still managed to get covered with soot and flying ash. To be honest I love this kind of over-the-top spectacle. It makes me laugh with joy and amazement in what I would call the Chinese version of “Shock and Awe.” It begins with loud firecrackers for hours before and intensifies up to the moment it hits midnight. Then it’s just an all-out war zone. Fireworks are non-stop for about 40 minutes and then start to dissipate over the next 5 hours. It really is an amazing sight. It was an illustrious start to 2010. The things is, we never really do know what the new year will bring, do we? <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3ev9pnNenI/AAAAAAAABR4/9nHWXd9JXsE/s1600-h/chinese_new_year3.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 230px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3ev9pnNenI/AAAAAAAABR4/9nHWXd9JXsE/s320/chinese_new_year3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438008548750359154" /></a>We can prepare and hope, or do certain things to try and sway the future to be prosperous for us, but in the end, it’s not about what we do. It’s about what He’s already done. When we recognize that we have a future and a hope in spite of the good or bad that may come in our future, then we have peace. So even if you don’t celebrate Chinese New Year like I do or like the Chinese, I wish you peace and contentment in this new year, knowing your future is not left to chance.China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-44471032205410940532010-02-12T19:03:00.000-08:002010-02-12T19:28:10.976-08:00Happy Valentine's Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3YZgyXwjYI/AAAAAAAABRI/W7VvjFrt4tE/s1600-h/images-1.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 125px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3YZgyXwjYI/AAAAAAAABRI/W7VvjFrt4tE/s400/images-1.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437561651164384642" /></a><br />Cheers to all of you who find yourself again in the midst of celebrating that time honored tradition known as ‘Valentine’s Day.’ This post is a tribute to all those who are ‘in love’, are considering love, or who are in love with the idea of being ‘in love’. Let’s face it~ Love wins! As a Christian, I believe that this is because we were created by One who is the very essence of love...it’s in our DNA. Everyone wants to be loved and to have someone in their lives that they can give love to and receive love from. It’s in our nature. Love is what makes us laugh and cry, brings joy and sorrow, and causes us to do both the stupidest and most courageous things imaginable. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3YZxqETp1I/AAAAAAAABRQ/0qlVxzBKa9c/s1600-h/images-2.jpeg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 125px; height: 125px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3YZxqETp1I/AAAAAAAABRQ/0qlVxzBKa9c/s400/images-2.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437561940993091410" /></a>Love is what fuels our passion and allows us to sacrifice for family, friends, and even people in need that we’ve never met. Love is a healing balm after a devastating tragedy. It’s a high ideal that inspires us to be more and embrace more life than we ever dared to. Love is a choice that pushes us beyond our own selfishness and challenges us to risk far more than we have the emotional or physical resources to give. Real love, true love understands that its source doesn’t come from human will or determination. It doesn’t come from altruism, from a pure heart from within our own humanness, but rather from the One who is Himself, love personified. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3YaKMqIsWI/AAAAAAAABRY/9y0H8pKgCw8/s1600-h/images-3.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 116px; height: 116px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3YaKMqIsWI/AAAAAAAABRY/9y0H8pKgCw8/s400/images-3.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437562362595422562" /></a>As He pours into us, we can pour into others. If you don’t know or receive from the Source, then you don’t know true love...only a form of it which will inevitably run out or be compromised by human frailty. I have been very blessed to have come from a family who knew this reality. My parents have been an example of true love for the past 53 years of their marriage. They have walked it out in front of 5 watching children and thousands of other people in those 50 plus years, and are still happily doing it today. Can I say that they did it perfectly? No. Can anyone? Were there times of gritting their teeth and choosing to love in spite of themselves...I’m sure! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3Ya8AyrtEI/AAAAAAAABRg/z73ZW1SxsvQ/s1600-h/M+and+D.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/S3Ya8AyrtEI/AAAAAAAABRg/z73ZW1SxsvQ/s400/M+and+D.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5437563218403505218" /></a>But in the end, what I see are parents who spend just about every waking moment together. They live together, laugh together, take care of each other, finish each other’s sentences, and wouldn’t have it any other way. They are the proverbial “two who have become one.” Without their knowledge of the Source of their love, would they have made it 53 years? Maybe, maybe not...I can’t say for sure. What I can say is that because they do know where true love comes from, they have lived well and loved well. They have left a legacy of love that their children have also followed with 20-30 year marriages of their own. So here’s to you Mom and Dad! Well done...and Happy Valentine’s Day to two true sweethearts!China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-56456971434564300182009-12-25T18:38:00.000-08:002009-12-25T20:11:26.793-08:00Christmas is for Shopping...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SzWClbD5A-I/AAAAAAAABQI/tANHyrbU5g4/s1600-h/091224+Lighted+plastic+-+compressed.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SzWClbD5A-I/AAAAAAAABQI/tANHyrbU5g4/s320/091224+Lighted+plastic+-+compressed.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419381306041107426" /></a><br />Every year that I'm in China over the holiday season, Christmas becomes more and more commercialized. In 2003, there was barely a mention of Christmas. It was all about the upcoming Chinese New Year. Now you see Christmas trimmings, huge Christmas trees and lights everywhere-especially in public shopping areas. There is even a section of DaHu Tong (A huge wholesale shopping district) which now sells all kinds of gaudy Christmas junk! "What do most Chinese think about Christmas?" I asked my local friend. "Don't you know?" she responded in disbelief. "It's for shopping and giving gifts...and of course for going out with your boyfriend on Christmas Eve to Bin Jiang Dao! That's fun!" I will admit that it is nice to have a little Christmas spirit here as opposed to nothing at all, but Christmas as we know it in the West is nothing like Christmas in China. This year our organization was asked to ge<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SzWI0ZjR70I/AAAAAAAABQY/tNmGps7oAco/s1600-h/091224+Santa+Tea+-+compressed.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 167px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SzWI0ZjR70I/AAAAAAAABQY/tNmGps7oAco/s320/091224+Santa+Tea+-+compressed.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419388160403697474" /></a>t associates sing Christmas songs on a huge stage on the busiest shopping street (Bin Jiang Dao) in Tianjin just before midnight. Having been on this street last Christmas and witnessing the craziness of an all-out New Years Eve type of party with 10,000 of your closest Chinese friends, I was not anxious to do that again. But since this was for the organization and we would be receiving both money and publicity for JHF's Special Education Program, I agreed to participate. It was a freezing cold night with 40 mph winds to boot. Because there is no snow here, the organizers has snow machines going to simulate the effect. Unfortunately, the flakes were made of soap, which I didn't find out until after i tried to catch a snowflake on my tongue! Yuck! There were jugglers, magicians, and even Michael Jackson look-al<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SzWKAK5RubI/AAAAAAAABQo/XpUNB5jUBEo/s1600-h/police.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SzWKAK5RubI/AAAAAAAABQo/XpUNB5jUBEo/s320/police.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419389462139484594" /></a>ike dancers making merry on the stage. In the crowds. people donned their Santa hats, costumes, devil horns, Halloween and Mardi Gras feathered masks and blinking bunny ears in preparation for a good time. Just before midnight, our "choir" took to the stage to perform. Knowing as foreigners we would have serious "crowd-drawing" power, the officials sent their best 24 Kong fu riot police to stand in front of the stage and hold back the would-be rowdy crowds. When we sang JingBells and the crowd got excited- joining in the singing! We followed up with Joy to the World and whipped up a frenzy and when we got to We Wish You a Merry Christmas (in both English and Chinese) the crowd went wild! We were rock stars, man! Screaming girls, flashing cameras and the TV station filming for a showing at a later date. We counted down the seconds (10, 9, 8....) until 1 and then the cannons shot off millions of little pieces of gold confetti into the air as people shouted "Merry Christmas!" We had to leave the stage for a few minutes and then came back for an encore of Silent Night in multiple languages. People were swaying back and forth holdingup their cell phones, and battery operated lights as if they were really believing the message. This was anything but a Silent Night! These are the times when I realize how foreign I am in this culture and how foreign my beliefs are as well. Sometim e<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SzWDFGgX49I/AAAAAAAABQQ/qBmTIYJT9RE/s1600-h/santas.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SzWDFGgX49I/AAAAAAAABQQ/qBmTIYJT9RE/s320/santas.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5419381850279240658" /></a>s I ask myself how these two world can ever be on the same page with the deep things of life, but that's when I remember that these are not new questions. They have been asked for centuries. This is the very message and mystery of Christmas. Those things that are beyond human understanding have already been taken care of. There is a perfect plan, a perfect child, a love that makes all things new and in the fullness of time it will be seen. In most every culture Santa has his place but...Joy to the World the Lord is Come!China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-41103956192941838992009-12-13T03:34:00.000-08:002009-12-13T03:50:13.736-08:00CHRISTMAS GIFT GIVING<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SyTOIgCsWKI/AAAAAAAABPA/o4Te5krOKoY/s1600-h/braceletparty-67.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SyTOIgCsWKI/AAAAAAAABPA/o4Te5krOKoY/s320/braceletparty-67.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414679297441683618" /></a><br />Although I can't be home for Christmas to enjoy all the celebrating of the season, I have come to the conclusion that Christmas can be celebrated anywhere at any time. Yesterday was the first Christmas party I've ever hosted in China. I invited all the teachers from my school and any of their friends that they wanted to bring. Since my apartment is relatively small, I wasn't sure if it could hold everyone, but I was willing to see just how many we could cram into my living room. This is never a problem for the Chinese. They are used to being crammed into small spaces! Fortunat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SyTNO3lNkeI/AAAAAAAABO4/pxoz3U__6Lo/s1600-h/braceletparty-27.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SyTNO3lNkeI/AAAAAAAABO4/pxoz3U__6Lo/s320/braceletparty-27.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414678307328070114" /></a>ely, there were only 12 of us in total, but it made for a fun time. We had a blast acting out "The 12 Days of Christmas" as we sang the song karaoke style! We had a scavenger hunt race to look all over my apartment for pictures and texts from the Christmas Story and then, after sequencing everything in the right order, we listened as one of the women read it aloud to the group . After some yummy snacks, we made gorgeous glass bead bracelets. This was my Christmas gift to them, drawing analogies about making their bracelet to how they were each created with specific gifts and talents which make them beautiful, and valuable and loved. We laughed, shared, and got answers to questions. We ended the afternoon a "White Elephant" gift exchange, which wa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SyTTcOSCKmI/AAAAAAAABPQ/YYtHLPus1rU/s1600-h/braceletparty-61.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SyTTcOSCKmI/AAAAAAAABPQ/YYtHLPus1rU/s320/braceletparty-61.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414685133829712482" /></a>s actually pretty funny because no one quite understood that "White Elephant" gifts are supposed to be useless, ugly, used things, so people actually brought some not so bad stuff! I will say it was a ton of work putting all of this together, but the truth is, I loved it ...and the result was really great! A lot of gals heard new ideas that they had not heard or understood before and were really touched by the stories and my gift to them. It is easy for me to get sad about not being home with my family, not being<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SyTUjWJPBQI/AAAAAAAABPY/TD-8-srMRUM/s1600-h/whitheelephant1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 118px; height: 118px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SyTUjWJPBQI/AAAAAAAABPY/TD-8-srMRUM/s320/whitheelephant1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414686355711001858" /></a> able to celebrate with fellowships, and feel lonely being here with only a few other foreigners; but I am really thankful for these opportunities to share the meaning of Christmas with my teachers and other Chinese friends. The greatest gift was already given to me and I am grateful that I have this gift to share with them. It's an amazing gift that money cannot buy...and it's not a "white elephant."China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-67597752433546522232009-12-08T17:42:00.001-08:002009-12-08T17:42:04.430-08:00<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI2MDMyMjgwMjc3NiZwdD*xMjYwMzIyOTE3MjQxJnA9NzQ4ODEmZD*mbj1ibG9nZ2VyJmc9MSZvPTdkMzU5MTc2Yzk3NTQyYTNiNzM4MDFhMDNhMzJiMjFlJm9mPTA=.gif" /><div style="background-color:#e9e9e9; width: 425px;"><object id="A874994" quality="high" data="http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=T6ji4SX6ShwCPCgR&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=JibJab" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" height="340" width="425"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="movie" value="http://aka.zero.jibjab.com/client/zero/ClientZero_EmbedViewer.swf?external_make_id=T6ji4SX6ShwCPCgR&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=JibJab"></param><param name="scaleMode" value="showAll"></param><param name="quality" value="high"></param><param name="allowNetworking" value="all"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="FlashVars" value="external_make_id=T6ji4SX6ShwCPCgR&service=sendables.jibjab.com&partnerID=JibJab"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param></object><div style="text-align:center; width:435px; margin-top:6px;">Try JibJab Sendables® <a href="sendables.jibjab.com/ecards">eCards</a> today!</div></div>China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-77337191558807582682009-11-06T23:17:00.001-08:002009-11-06T23:17:17.519-08:00Noodle Guy<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="260" height="195" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=d7ea298301&photo_id=4082511048&flickr_show_info_box=true"></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"></param> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=d7ea298301&photo_id=4082511048&flickr_show_info_box=true" height="195" width="260"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chinachick61/4082511048/">Noodle Guy</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/chinachick61/">chinachick61</a></span></div>This guy was showing us his stuff as he made noodles outside a restaurant in Bazhong, a small country village in Sichuan, China. He is probably the owner of the restaurant and not doing this aa a "tourist" thing-because there aren't any tourists in Bazhong...just foreigners like us who come occasionally to do an English camp for the children. This is his job everyday and he's a master at it!<br clear="all" />China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-10383791664874905402009-11-06T21:10:00.001-08:002009-11-06T21:10:59.512-08:00River Rafting in Guilin, China<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="260" height="195" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=d564c47aaa&photo_id=4081565959&flickr_show_info_box=true"></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"></param> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=d564c47aaa&photo_id=4081565959&flickr_show_info_box=true" height="195" width="260"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chinachick61/4081565959/">DSCF0264</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/chinachick61/">chinachick61</a></span></div>What beautiful scenery in southern China's, Guilin and Yangshuo areas. Living in Tianjin, a city of 12 million, this was a real breath of fresh air...literally! Now this is what I consider "real China."<br clear="all" />China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-16642836989899222222009-10-20T09:08:00.000-07:002009-10-20T09:45:36.416-07:00Swine Flu or Not- Any Flu Stinks!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/St3iL-4Ie5I/AAAAAAAABOI/2x6MlZwqYoU/s1600-h/Swine-Flu--56348.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 316px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/St3iL-4Ie5I/AAAAAAAABOI/2x6MlZwqYoU/s320/Swine-Flu--56348.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394716624144595858" /></a>I just had a bout with one of the worst cases of flu I’ve ever had. Two and a half days of non-stop misery, including all the trappings of a typical flu. My head felt like it was about to come off of my shoulders and no matter what position I was in, I could not get the rhythmic thumping to stop throbbing inside my skull. The most moving I did was from the bedroom to the bathroom to the couch and back. I was too weak to even make myself food...as if I had an appetite! Was it the dreaded H1N1? Who knows? Two weeks ago our school was shut down and all the students were sent home because of a couple confirmed cases of H1N1. The officials did the typical thing of taking every student’s temperature before they could enter the building. We all lined up to do our duty, sometimes a little too playfully for “such a serious matter,” but I think everyone felt that it was slightly overkill on the part of the powers that be. I experienced shades of this in 2003 when 25,000 students around me were quarantined because of the fear of SARS. Unfortunately for me, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/St3jMFXBIcI/AAAAAAAABOQ/WGUga05Hnss/s1600-h/DSC_0093.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/St3jMFXBIcI/AAAAAAAABOQ/WGUga05Hnss/s320/DSC_0093.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394717725396378050" /></a>that meant I had to go back to the US before I had expected to, which for me was more devastating than having SARS. So this time, I decided to just relax about it, do what I was told and stay home for the 2 weeks. Who’d of thought I would end up feeling like I was hit by a bus! In China when people get sick, they get some standard advise from everyone around them. “Drink more water! Eat some medicine! Get more rest!” If that doesn’t work within a couple of days, people don’t go to private doctors or clinics, but head directly to the hospital. Private places are much too expensive and the hospitals are relatively inexpensive. Just the opposite of the way it is in the States. The standard operating procedure when you walk in the door of the hospital is to register with the department that deals with your specific problem, choose the doctor you want to see-usually based on how much money you want to spend for care, and then have an IV stuck in your arm to hydrate you. You also, will be given “special” medicine to make you feel better. I have no idea what that medicine is, but people expect that if they go to the hospital, these two things will definitely happen. Can you imagine going to the hospital in the US and saying to the doct<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/St3ouj6XPDI/AAAAAAAABOg/dEzpr3EkhXc/s1600-h/thumbnail-1.aspx.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 160px; height: 148px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/St3ouj6XPDI/AAAAAAAABOg/dEzpr3EkhXc/s400/thumbnail-1.aspx.jpeg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394723815271382066" /></a>or, “Ok, where’s my IV and my medicine? Come on. Hurry up, I’m sick you know!” My friend knew I was really sick ( an possibly delirious) when I decided that if I wasn’t better by the 3rd day, I was going to the hospital to get an IV and some medicine! Never in a million years would I have believed that I would say that, but maybe this H1N1 is as bad as they say. As of today, I am definitely on the mend. No, I didn’t need to go to the hospital to be hydrated or eat some of that mysterious Chinese medicine that everyone demands, but I am certainly glad that’s over and I can get back to feeling human again.China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-60003259779606007082009-09-29T07:23:00.000-07:002009-09-29T08:14:10.246-07:0060 Years of Communism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SsIfuzafFwI/AAAAAAAABN4/DQC-kZ99eTo/s1600-h/hand-made-flag.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SsIfuzafFwI/AAAAAAAABN4/DQC-kZ99eTo/s200/hand-made-flag.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386902993224275714" /></a>On November 1st, all of China will celebrate National Day. This year is the 60th Anniversary of Communist Party and that is a very big deal! Preparations have been going on for months to make sure this is the biggest celebration ever. You thought the 2008 Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies were elaborate? They pale in comparison to what has been planned for the celebration in Beijing. Security around Beijing (and all over the country for that matter) has been stepped up considerably in the past several months. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SsIdVQQSEJI/AAAAAAAABNY/ID0oq5gmXO0/s1600-h/facebook.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 157px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SsIdVQQSEJI/AAAAAAAABNY/ID0oq5gmXO0/s200/facebook.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386900355266252946" /></a>Popular internet sites like Facebook and YouTube have been blocked as well as tons of blog sites. The only reason I am able to access mine is because a friend of mine purchased a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for me that gives me a US ISP address so I can get around the Great Firewall. The truth is, I’m a little confused by all this. China has become more and more open to media influences and is beginning to establish itself as a developing, stabilizing power on the global scene. So, why the need for such heavy handedness when it comes to the media? I realize there is always some nut job out there that wants to disrupt significant events by doing outrageous things, but please! Shutting down the internet? Having check point miles and miles away from Beijing to ensure that nothing <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SsIcRBAklHI/AAAAAAAABNI/WzbbAAlszsQ/s1600-h/Ring+Dancers.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 132px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SsIcRBAklHI/AAAAAAAABNI/WzbbAAlszsQ/s200/Ring+Dancers.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386899182942721138" /></a>happens? Who is this massive celebration for if no one can get into Beijing to see it. Is it for the people or just for the broadcasters to give the world an image of what a "new China" looks like. I have heard Chinese both applauding the government and criticizing it for this showy display of progress. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SsId74CVkUI/AAAAAAAABNg/kvv4A3s2nGc/s1600-h/822-China_Anniversary.sff.standalone.prod_affiliate.81.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 134px; height: 200px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SsId74CVkUI/AAAAAAAABNg/kvv4A3s2nGc/s200/822-China_Anniversary.sff.standalone.prod_affiliate.81.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386901018780209474" /></a>It gives some a sense of pride in the accomplishments that China has made over the past 60 years. For others, it is an enormous waste of money and resources when the country has so many more pressing issues to deal with. Personally, I think China has changed a lot since the first time I came here in 2003. The development of industry and urban sprawl is mind boggling. Since I live in the city, I can get almost every foreign food import my little heart desires...as long as I’m willing to pay the big bucks for it! Travel is easier. I can now live in a Chinese community rather than an ex-pat development and most of the time people are pretty friendly to foreigners. It’s too bad there is still a feeling among officials that controlling things is the only way to get results. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SsIfOEfzFgI/AAAAAAAABNw/Q0YsMDWJ5ak/s1600-h/chinese+airforce+drill.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 138px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SsIfOEfzFgI/AAAAAAAABNw/Q0YsMDWJ5ak/s200/chinese+airforce+drill.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386902430874277378" /></a>Of course, there are still plenty of limitations on things that people are and are not allowed to do. Let’s not forget that China as we know it today is only 60 years old! It has a long way to go in catching up with developed nations that have been functioning as such for many years. Will it happen overnight? Not on your life! With 1.32 billion people it is a big boat to turn and China is being very cautious about how fast and far she wants to go. I think China should be given credit for the progress that it has made, recognizing that the road ahead will require many more changes if progress is to be maintained. Will China ever arrive in its standing as an equal among other developed nations? I believe it will, but I doubt it will be in my lifetime. Although I disagree with the Communist ideals on many levels,<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SsIgId8Gz_I/AAAAAAAABOA/Hp3c848Pfew/s1600-h/Fireworks.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 273px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SsIgId8Gz_I/AAAAAAAABOA/Hp3c848Pfew/s400/Fireworks.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386903434136309746" /></a> I say that we should let China have its day to celebrate, stop being so critical of all that is wrong or things that have not yet changed and encourage China’s leaders to step up and continue making progress. Happy 60th Anniversary, China! Zhongguo Jiayou!China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-60138218686537518622009-09-20T02:43:00.000-07:002009-09-20T07:08:43.089-07:00"Character" Education<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SrX_6gfUvrI/AAAAAAAABMg/7g1EoHj3YT0/s1600-h/Mandarin-Chinese-300-Beginning-Characters-751453.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 182px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SrX_6gfUvrI/AAAAAAAABMg/7g1EoHj3YT0/s200/Mandarin-Chinese-300-Beginning-Characters-751453.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383490310210109106" /></a>I have to be honest and say that for most of my first year of studying Chinese, I was completely clueless. It was all Greek to me! Haha! Seriously, I wondered if I was wasting a lot of time and money trying to learn a language that was far beyond my ability to learn and frankly, I was a little worried that it would never happen for me. By faith (and probably a little stubbornness) I just kept studying, listening, and believing that somehow, someway, it would all come together. Now that I have started my second year of language learning, I am happy to say that I really enjoy learning Mandarin, which is a big relief! I also love the opportunities it gives me to have deep level talks with my teachers. That is really a plus! <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SrX_Q7vz5ZI/AAAAAAAABMY/A-jpfm0_TUQ/s1600-h/house_character_pig-roof13.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 184px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SrX_Q7vz5ZI/AAAAAAAABMY/A-jpfm0_TUQ/s200/house_character_pig-roof13.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383489595972511122" /></a>Actually, Chinese characters makes a lot of sense in the way that they are formed-certainly a lot more sense than how English words are spelled or put together. For example, the Chinese word for home is Jia (written in Pinyin-the Romanized spelling of the character in Chinese) The top part (or radical) of the character represents the roof of a house. The lower part (or radical) of the character represents the pig which is found on the land where the house is. Put the two radicals together and it means “home.” It’s the place where your house and your livestock are. This makes reading and remembering characters easier. If you can learn the radical then you can figure out a lot about a characters and its meaning. Of course, I can remember and read a whole lot more than I can write, but <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SrX8lElA5vI/AAAAAAAABMA/Ii9ap_FVw3s/s1600-h/stroke+order.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SrX8lElA5vI/AAAAAAAABMA/Ii9ap_FVw3s/s200/stroke+order.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383486643405645554" /></a>understanding how characters are formed is helpful, and makes learning Chinese interesting, and kind of fun! Writing is a whole different story. Each character has a specific stroke order which must be done correctly, to form the character correctly. This is a very tedious process which takes hours and hours of practice. I know this is something that I really need to do to be proficient, but in the past I have been resistant to the idea. I tried it early on, but after several months of frustration I gave up. I decided that speaking was difficult enough, and although reading was within reach, writing was a totally unrealistic goal. Well, believe it or not I am slowly feeling prompted to change my mind on this. I think I was so overwhelmed my first year with transitioning to a new country, that the task of learning every facet of Chinese was daunting! I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the possibility of actually writing. I mean, come on! Success for me was speaking enough understandable<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SrX9N0LjRBI/AAAAAAAABMI/jWItKM-ZG1w/s1600-h/History+of+Chinese+character+tattoos_1.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 141px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SrX9N0LjRBI/AAAAAAAABMI/jWItKM-ZG1w/s200/History+of+Chinese+character+tattoos_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383487343378514962" /></a> Chinese to survive and get my everyday needs met! Phooey on whether or not it was pretty. A win was a win! Now I’m at the point where I realize that survival Chinese is not good enough! Yes, I can usually remember how to write my name in characters, but big deal! If I really want to be part of this culture and live here indefinitely, I need to embrace language to the fullest! No, I probably won’t be getting a Chinese character tatoo any time soon, but at least I will be able to read what is written on other peoples’ bodies! And if by chance I did decide to get one, I would get something meaningful, not something stupid that I couldn’t even read! So much of a culture is wrapped up in communicating both orally and in writing! Imagine what it would be like to live your life as a functional illiterate. That’s what it’s like for me right now! I can’t read a newspaper, a menu, street signs or a simple notice on my door. It’s really hard! Not only that, but think about what it would be like being illiterate in America. Think of all the things you would never know about <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SrX-q1TXbHI/AAAAAAAABMQ/KkLLIM3g-p8/s1600-h/Chinese-Love.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 193px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/SrX-q1TXbHI/AAAAAAAABMQ/KkLLIM3g-p8/s200/Chinese-Love.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383488941407562866" /></a>American culture and American people if you couldn’t read the great books of literature like the Bible, the poets, and the historic accounts of how our nation was founded! Yes, I have been re-thinking this whole language idea. If I am here to love and serve the people of China, then I need to really show it in my language learning. For me, this is the true meaning of “Character” education! It will definitely develop my “character” as I literally learn to read and write Chinese characters and i am in the process of writing my own legacy here by the way I live my life...so keep encouraging me to "Write on!"China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6132371771028414325.post-78434786819240472142009-09-13T08:32:00.000-07:002009-09-13T09:21:29.303-07:00The Futility of "Why?"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/Sq0bWV_K1pI/AAAAAAAABLQ/qfagG8JcY9Y/s1600-h/curious-ginger-cat.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/Sq0bWV_K1pI/AAAAAAAABLQ/qfagG8JcY9Y/s320/curious-ginger-cat.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380987200450778770" /></a><br />It’s always been in my nature to be curious, to discover the ins and outs of how things work and to question why this is so. In this respect I’m like a perpetual 3 year old, always pushing the envelope and I suppose getting on peoples’ nerves by asking sometimes unanswerable questions. Well, if it’s true that curiosity killed the cat, than I really must have 9 lives, because living in China has given me tons more opportunities to seek answers for some seemingly strange behavior.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/Sq0Rk3-RJNI/AAAAAAAABKY/onLRkktV0IM/s1600-h/worldview1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 144px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/Sq0Rk3-RJNI/AAAAAAAABKY/onLRkktV0IM/s200/worldview1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380976454975694034" /></a><br />They say that every behavior is communication and I know this is true. Behavior communicates our deepest values, beliefs, our underlying cultural assumptions and our personal ideas. Different cultures have different ways of expressing these things and believe it or not, within the context of the culture, these behaviors usually make sense.<br />The trick for me (and every other foreigner) is to put aside my own cultural framework and try to see the world with a different set of glasses. Not an easy task! <br /><br />I want to know why~<br /><br />1. People write on their hand to show me the character they are talking about instead of writing it down on a piece of paper, so I will have it available when I need it again… especially since most of the time I don’t know the characters anyway.<br /><br />2. It is OK to hold a baby over a public sink to urinate when everyone will have to use the same sink to wash their hands after they go to the bathroom. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/Sq0WFLZWNeI/AAAAAAAABK4/fNbIANd_XqY/s1600-h/Crush.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/Sq0WFLZWNeI/AAAAAAAABK4/fNbIANd_XqY/s320/Crush.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380981407991870946" /></a><br /><br />3. I have to take part in the “Human Amoeba” process of getting on a train, being pushed and shoved everywhere, when everybody has a ticket with a numbered seat already waiting for them to sit in. <br /><br /><br />4. It’s OK to tell me how fat I am, but it’s not OK to openly talk about relational issues, an impending death of a loved one, or to cry in public.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/Sq0WqziWt0I/AAAAAAAABLA/vA5f24D4XAA/s1600-h/getting-directions-495.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 226px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/Sq0WqziWt0I/AAAAAAAABLA/vA5f24D4XAA/s320/getting-directions-495.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380982054422230850" /></a>5. People think it’s OK to publicly hack, spit, pee, pick their nose, fart, or launch snot rockets wherever or whenever they feel they need to. I mean seriously! Who does that? <br /><br />6. People would rather send me in the wrong direction, than admit that they have no idea where the place is that I just asked them about. <br /><br /><br />Can I explain all the reasons behind the behaviors that seem to drive me crazy in this new culture? Definitely Not! But I have come to the conclusion that it is futile to be constantly asking “why?” After being in China for just over a year now, I have switched my questioning strategy to something much more practical. More and more I am beginning to ask, “What?” ….and I don’t mean “What the @#%& is this all about?” I try to ask myself what this behavior means in this context. What does it say about China, the culture, the belief system and values? <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/Sq0aG_dROII/AAAAAAAABLI/R8MGBpPnTKo/s1600-h/Question+Mark.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_vgTGQfSwqVQ/Sq0aG_dROII/AAAAAAAABLI/R8MGBpPnTKo/s320/Question+Mark.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380985837193345154" /></a>What are the assumptions I’m making from my own cultural framework that are making this behavior difficult for me to understand or accept? What am I supposed to learn about Chinese people and what am I learning about myself in the process? I am sure of one thing. I will never figure out all the whys or whats of any culture…my own included, but I know that if I am going to call this my home I sure need to keep trying!China Chatterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04003504702878722494noreply@blogger.com0