You Would Have Been Enough

When I moved to China, I fully anticipated remaining in my English bubble. Glancing over those terrifying characters, I felt immediately that I would never be able to make sense of what appeared to be an intricate system of squiggles (Admittedly, over one billion people speak this language, so its not quite as unintelligible as I first thought). But it didn’t take me long to fall in love with the beautiful pictures their words painted. Unexpectedly, the idea of language and words began to capture my heart. Our morning Isaiah study revealed incredible nuances to me as well…how I have wished I took the odd Greek or Hebrew course at university…there is so much more to be found within each sentence than I ever thought possible! Words like 阿巴父 (Aba Fu), 道 (Dao), Abba, Nazar, Veritas…the power of language hit me in a way it never had before. And then, dear YiChang Beth (whose blogs are a constant source of inspiration and piracy to me) posted a note about a word. A fellow closet linguist! When I saw her post and studied the word, I felt there could be no better expression to sum up my first ten months in China.

The word is Dayenu. "Day" in Hebrew means "enough" and "Enu" means "our." The word Dayenu (:דַּיֵּנוּ) means, "it would have been enough for us" or "it would have sufficed." It is used in a traditional Passover song that talks about being grateful to God for all of the gifts he gave the Jewish people. It basically states, had God only given one of the gifts, it would have still been enough. The song appears in the haggadah after the telling of the story of the exodus and just before the explanation of Passover. Here is an excerpt: If He had split the sea for us, and had not taken us through it on dry land — Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had taken us through the sea on dry land, and had not drowned our oppressors in it— Dayenu, it would have sufficed! If He had drowned our oppressors in it, and had not supplied our needs in the desert for forty years — Dayenu, it would have sufficed!

I feel like there are no more words…Dayenu Father, Dayenu. How He took care of me! I wish I had time to dive into a list of all the ways he wiped away my fears within my first few days in this country, how He worked His wonders right in front of my face while I was too busy looking elsewhere, or the countless blessings He heaped upon my heart in the strangest of ways. Dayenu Father, Dayenu. YOU would have been enough…yet you gave me a hundred other people to love, to call brother and sister. The life that other’s expected of me, or that I had planned for myself, would have been enough…but you had something so much greater planned. Seeing one person open their heart, abandon themselves and turn to you would have been enough…yet you had so many more to bring into your kingdom - you allowed me to witness it – play a part in it. Being the lowliest servant in your courts would have been enough…Dayenu…but you made me the daughter of the King.

If there had been no beautiful mountains, no classrooms full of endearing students, no exotic places to explore, no incredible dishes to eat around tables with friends…Dayenu. If there had been no songs lifted up to heaven in the blending of many tongues…Dayenu. If there had been no Angelyn and Brian, no Zoe and Dacy, no kindred spirits…Dayenu. You brought me to this place, this country, with no expectations but that you were going with me. The knowledge that you were here…Dayenu. But like the doting Abba that you are, you chose to give me more than I could have imagined or asked for. This year, with its highs and lows, still ended with your child coming to what should not be a startling realization. Her Father longs to bless her. You have, Abba…but may I never spend so much time focusing on those blessings that I forget you are DAYENU, my enough.

The Curse of the Beijing Olympics

Most of the American ideas of China surround magnificent mythology, the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon legends...these are of course, sadly, not always true. But the one aspect of Chinese cultural that we do tend to get right is the superstition. And never has there been such a shining, ridiculous example as in the Curse of the Beijing Olympics. This is so fascinating, check it out!

Some might disagree but they are the most superstitious people in the world. Perhaps it’s the lack of organized religion, but the Chinese are quick to link natural disasters, accidents and violence to a combination of divine intervention and heavenly anger. Now China’s online “net citizens” are linking Beijing’s Olympic mascots to a string of misfortunes in the run-up to the Games. Four out of the five “fuwas” - literally friendly toys - are being tied in to the natural and human disasters visited on China during the turbulent build-up.

Jingjing - the Panda - an animal closely associated with Sichuan Province, epicentre of last month’s terrible quake.

Huanhuan - the Olympic torch - the round the world torch relay was a PR disaster of awesome proportions.Yingying - the Antelope - native to Tibet, the location of the March riots and the military crackdown. Nini - the Kite - the kite city of Weifang is located in Shandong, scene of April’s deadly train crash that killed 72 people. Beibei - the Fish - a Chinese sturgeon found only in the Yangtze River. Is this the location for China’s next major disaster as many are guessing.

“The scariest part of the message is the question it raised,” said website editor Chen Wei after seeing the postings. “You never know what Beibei (the sturgeon) has in store”. In other words the worst may be yet to come. I won’t say I believe it, but I do feel a little worried about the unknown.”

Now there is also concern about the number eight. It’s supposed to be a lucky number. So much so that China’s Olympic Organizers have chosen August 8, 2008 as the opening date for the Games. But the online doom and gloomers point out that this year’s snowstorm, the worst in a century, struck on 25/01 and if the numbers are added up they total eight. The same applies to the date of the Tibetan riots 14/03 and the earthquake 12/05.

The website reports: “The conclusion: counter to conventional wisdom, eight brings bad luck and untold disaster is in store for August 8, 2008. The very date chosen for the Olympic Opening Ceremony because of its supposed auspiciousness.”

Chinese culture is steeped in superstition, with numbers playing a major role in birthdays, wedding dates and naming. Six, eight and nine are considered lucky numbers. The pronunciation of nine means everlasting, particularly in relationships, while six means things will go smoothly. Telephone numbers, license plates and even residential or business addresses which use any of or a combination of those numbers are extremely popular and often cost more. Conversely, anything involving the numbers four and seven are avoided as much as possible. Four sounds like the Chinese word for death. Seven translates as “gone” which can also mean death, while one can signify loneliness.

Top Ten China Moments...continued

6. Hospital Exposure
So…there is nothing like getting on a plane and moving by yourself to a foreign country all by yourself…and then having to take your shirt off in front of a bunch of strangers! When a foreign teacher moves to China, they have to undergo a medical examination at a provincial hospital, to ensure the school is making a “good investment”. Let me just tell you…Chinese hospitals are a treat. So here I am in a hospital with my FAO assistant Helen, watching people scrambling in line to get their blood drawn through a window, and suddenly I am being told that I have to follow these three foreign girls (Brittany, Jessi and Sarah – my first memory of you!) into a room, and take my top off in front of them, as well as some Chinese doctors. While there are about 20 Chinese guys on the other side of this partition. Oh, and after that you have to pee in a cup over a squatty potty (your first) with some other foreigners (Priscilla - wink wink) When in china…

7. in the Square
Every city in China has something called People’s Square – a big courtyard in the center of town that is populated by people from morning tai chi classes, to afternoon bazaars, to late night dancing. It’s really the city hub, and basically 2,000 people sit around People’s Square all day to see if any of the other 1,999 people are going to do anything interesting. in our particular Square, we have a fountain that shoots up from the ground at 8:00 pm every night. People will stand around and gawk at it, while children run through it in the summer, trying not to get wet. But where is the fun in that? That’s exactly what Angelyn and I said…So one October night found Angelyn and I parading ourselves through the fountain at an excruciatingly slow speed, taking a few turns around just for good measure. (To the fantastic chagrin of the Chinese – waiguoren fung le!) Soggy and Proud, we then traipsed into UBC Coffee to slosh on their couches and eat frozen ice cream. I knew I would love her forever for doing something just that ridiculous and pointless with me. Another memory I treasure in the square was when the Wuhan crew rolled into town, and we joined in the square dance party…with all the other 60 year olds in the city! They taught us some cool Chinese step, (and those ladies can step!) then carole and I amazed them with our fantastic electric slide abilities! We might not be able to talk together, but the language of dance is a powerful tool! Think I might need to do that again in a few weeks…Carole?

8. Midnight Track Walks
Sometimes you just got to move…and let me tell you the masses will come out to watch a foreigner exercise. So we often hop the track fence late at night and take a few laps around – whether for exercise purposes, or just to enjoy the cool calm that is Shiyan at nighttime. There are always a few scandalous couples laying out in the field, or the rare avid jogger, but usually you can feel very alone there. Especially if it is below freezing outside! One of my favorite track walks happened late one November night. Angelyn, Brian, William, Priscilla and I (was there another person? I am so forgetful!) felt the itch, and had to get out. It was midnight, freezing, and beautiful. Bundled up, we took a few turns around, and then went and sprawled out in the middle of the field. I can’t remember what we talked about now…but I remember the cold ground permeating my jacket, watching our breath swirl up to the sky, the countless stars, and the laughter of friends. And I distinctly remember lying there thinking about how much I loved those people, how my father had kept his promise to me, and how I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt so at peace.

9. The Finer Things Club
Office fans will appreciate this one:” The finer things club is the most exclusive club at qi yuan, so naturally that’s where I need to be” . Not much to explain this one (club policy), But let’s just say I’m glad to have a friend who appreciates the finer things in life, like white wine, baked brie, and poetry.

10. Brian and Angelyn
When compiling my top ten moments in china list, I elicited the opinion of Brian, who immediately said, “The moment you met me, and every moment after that we spent together”. And he was right! We argued about the first time we met (in the hall/on the stairs/in my living room), but I remember he came with a pitcher of water and toilet paper. I remember Angelyn came with a bunch of bananas. Most of my china moments stemmed from the introductions of these two people, who have been my family over the last year. Whether we were stalking a miserably lonely cat, sitting silently in chengdu starbucks (book in one hand, coffee mug in the other), screaming at each other in a particularly feisty game of taboo, sitting on a mountain top on Children’s day, waxing philosophical or just quoting the office – all are favorites. 我爱你们我的家!

*Disclaimer: There were so many moments to choose from, they could just not all be named. Lest you notice a cherished moments absence, take these runner-up’s to heart. My mind can hold so much more than my blog! Runner’s Up: Revenge of the Ice Nerds, Christmas English Talk Radio, Xian Tuk Tuk, Russian Hat Dancing, 1st Culture Shock, Christmas Caroling on the bus, Resurrection Eggs, Tom’s World, Massages with Reike and Helen, Soho and, of course, Sparky at Thanksgiving…wanting to eat his own hand.

Also, due to compilation rules…all southeast Asia moments were disqualified due to geographical discrepancies – may I just say for the record here – PANCAKE!

Top Ten China Moments

As I am looking at the last few weeks of this year, I have so many memories that I want to share with you. The day to day makes this place great, but the exceptional moments make it so much more. I wanted to share with you a Blog of my Top Ten Moments in China. There are so many, 10 was settling, I assure you. So Here is part One of my Top Ten China Moments.

1. Karaoke Girl
There is a photo forever burned in my brain, of a fantastic moment captured in time that I will forever share with Angelyn and William. The perfect end to a fantastic thanksgiving is of course, KTV. The perfect end to a KTV adventure full of Edelweiss and Pretty Women, it turns out, is spotlighting a rather annoying little girl take a rather magnificent tumble. It’s only funny until someone gets hurt, then its hilarious…William, Angelyn, only you can appreciate my number one moment!

2. Brian, the Manly Man
The story has been blogged, but how can I not reiterate here how Brian, the Manly Man, came to my rescue against the imaginary psychopath invading my home. His catlike reflexes and quick response time, and choice of weapon, will be missed…who will protect me next year? No one else would ever jump off a fourth floor balcony for me. Anytime I hear someone banging on my door, or see a folding chair, I will think of that night and Brian Neal with the greatest fondness.

3. Zoe’s R-v-l-t—n
Not actually being present for this moment is of no consequence to me…the telling of the story itself brought me such great joy that the moment makes my top ten! In short, one of our very wise sisters discovered that you can read a lot of things in the international English news that you just can’t find on a Chinese search engine. When she posted this fact on a Facebook note, and then postulated that perhaps people were keeping things from her (and someone should check this out), she found her post to have mysteriously disappeared the next day. Outraged, she declared (at a whisper) that there needed to be a r-v-l-t—n. She was told, you know, r-v-l-t--n's have to start with the people. When asked if she was ready…YES.

4. Suzy’s Naked B-pt-sm
one of our seekers, suzy, took a very important dip a few weeks ago. Here in China, We refer to that as “swimming”. (Just want to keep you up with the lingo) I took two of our other seekers, Michael Scofield and Kevin to watch, I thought it would be a great opportunity to talk about what it all means. Anyway, we are in the cab on the way over, and I notice they are talking rather animatedly in Chinese…when pressed to tell me what they were saying, Michael Scofield leans in really close and asks me…”Is she going to be naked?” I of course, burst out laughing, and assured her that she would be fully clothed, to which he replied…”I’m a little disappointed”.
When we got to the event, we went into the bathroom to secure our seats (that sounds a little odd to me too). At this point they started to get a little worried…”Are you sure she is not going to be naked?” But as soon as we began, you could see the wonder start to come into their eyes and all thoughts of nudity went out the window. We have a very small “tub” where we hold the swimmings, one that requires the swimmer to get into the fetal position in order to be covered. I was explaining this to them, when Kevin said, “Like in a mother’s womb…she will come out like a baby…with her new body and new life”. And he smiled with such understanding. Wow, YES!

5. Yichang New Years
The Yichang crew is well known for their amazing ideas: The Great Wall Swing out, Carnival, Camping trips on balconies…their daily life causes immense jealousy among other foreigners, so anytime we can take part we jump on that immediately. Tradition now dictates that foreigners from the far reaches of Hubei travel to Yichang for the fantastic Apple Chopstick ball drop! The apple drop of 2008 transcended all previous in greatness, But things didn’t stop there; in fact, they started with a pretty incredible video/picture scavenger hunt! That time spent with Katie, Amy, Jeremy includes many of my favorite moments rolled into one; from a Titanic reenactment to the conquest of the brave Spanish conquistadora.

This One's For The Girls

For those of you with your eyes tied to the calendar, I am leaving China in 21 days for a summer in the states. This year flew, but I'll reflect on that later. With the end of the year, of course I am spending a lot of time in introspection - successes, failures, growth, digression, etc. The more I think back on this year, the more I am struck with how I was shaped by the incredible women He gave Shiyan, both Chinese and Waiguoren. To say that these women, these powerful daughters of light, have changed me is the gravest understatement. I wish you could know them all as I do, my words are ridiculously inadequate. So this one's for the girls...

Every Saturday the six foreign women get together for Girl's Brunch. I look forward to this time all week, one hour turns into 3 or 4, and it passes too quickly. This week was my last one, and I'm sorry to say I didn't realize it at the time. Had I stopped to think about it, I would have treasured every word. I would have laughed a little harder at all the clever things you said and pondered more deeply the troubles of your hearts...even if they went unsaid. I would have had my hair washed with you, just so we could be together for a little longer!

I should have insisted that you had been there Darla, and told you about how much we miss your selfless spirit when you are gone. Priscilla, I should have put my book down and talked with you while we had our nails done. I wish I had talked less and listened more as Angelyn and I walked to breakfast. I wish I had thought to ask Jaime to share some pearls of wisdom on patience and gentleness, she obtains the spirit that I long for. I should have taken a photo of 50's Megan cause she looked so darn gorgeous, and then talked with her about all the ways we are going to make next year better. I should have taken pictures of the six of us together, so that I could carry it in my photo album and not only my heart. So I could take the picture out and say: These, these are the women who got me through this year. Who challenged me to be vulnerable and loving, and who listened to me ramble nonsensical ideas for hours on end. These are the women I want to be like, and you would be so lucky to know them.

Jaime, Darla and Priscilla - I am going to miss you so much! I'm horrible with goodbyes, so please excuse me if my "tough exterior" takes over. I love you women, you are amazing and 10 others couldn't replace a one of you. You are going to be such powerful witnesses wherever you go, but Shiyan is going to be so quiet without you. (Especially you, Priscilla!)
Angelyn and Megan - If you had tried to leave me, I would have tied you to your apartments and paid CPC guards to keep you from budging. ;o) Next year is going to be another adventure and I can't wait to see the ways you continue to grow and change, hear more of your stories and revelations, and be surprised by the ways you challenge me to be better than I settle for. 我爱你们!

There are six foreign women here, but they fill only half of my heart. Oh, if you could only know the Chinese girls I know. Zoe, Halley, Dacy, Alice, Orange, Sarah, Jasmine, Willie...the list could stretch out for quite a while. I have gotten to watch them continue to grow into stronge and unique "women". (don't tell them I called them that!) Thank the Father that language barriers are no match for His will when He wants to bring certain hearts together. I have seen His Son in each of them. I wish so many great things for them: courage to be bold about their faith, love for themselves, love from the godly men they all seek, and understanding of all their Father has offered them in Him. These next two months are going to be so sad and lonely without their sweet smiles, their individual catchphrases ("HI", "thank you for saying that", "Ni shi fungla!"), and their HUGS. I can't imagine if I were leaving them for good. I'm so thankful that the Father allowed them to love me better than I could have.