Jessica in the Far East

Bits and Pieces

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 15 May 2009 00:54:00 +0000

Angelyn and I have a current list running of Things to do Before We Leave, from eating crawdads on BBQ street to finally going to the Shiyan sauna. We are also on the hunt for something that is truly "Epic". We feel this need to leave our mark on the city in a big way - it seems like we have gotten close a few times. The discovery of Tribal Leisure Bar was nearly epic...the tree sitting was almost exactly epic. Showing the Passion of the Christ as a classroom movie, that would be epic. When it happens, we will know. But until then we will grab every opportunity, and if it ever stops raining we will be unstoppable. Things that we have done recently:

Our dream of tree-sitting finally became a reality. Last Sunday Barry, Angelyn, Megan and I climbed (with the helpful aid of a few friends) the trees that line the street at the bottom of the hill, and gave the Chinese a reason to stare aside from our white skin. It was childish, crazy, and as great as we thought it would be! We all took sunflower seeds up in our pockets and there was a Sound of Music singing moment.

Angelyn, Katherine and I went to the Chinese dentist (aka, the hospital) and had our teeth cleaned - not at all scary to open your mouth and allow it to be violated by a woman you can't understand when she tells you NOT to swallow the water.

Megan, Angelyn and I went to Cherry Valley to pick strawberries and cherries with two teachers from Megan's school. The locals were just shocked when we climbed our own cherry trees and picked them ourselves. And per your suggestion Heather, I did wear pigtails.

I had a particularly nasty run in with a student that left me a little shaken. After class, Trent worked his magic and cheered me up by taking me to buy turtles! After we rescued 5 turtles from a really rough turtle wrangler, we bought some paint and proceeded to give them some flair. Trent had this dream of releasing them into the pond outside his house with painted shells so we could find them. We painted them perfectly, then proceeded to watch as Kicks attempted to mount Red and then carry pink footprints across the rest of their backs as he made his way through the group.

Trifecta - painted with a tri-color target on his back was the beast of the group
Star - never came out of his shell
Rosie Red - always the lady
Kicks - given a soccer ball pattern on his back because of his constant need to kick me with his back left leg
Giggles - had no personality

It was too late to release them, so I came back the next day to do so. In that time, Kicks had carried paint from turtle to turtle and they had all turned into weird Bubble-Eyed Monsters (see photos) Turns out its a defense mechanism in the turtle's body to protect their eyes, but Trent and I thought they had all gone blind from eye infections! (The guilt was overwhelming, I was seriously questioning our ability to ever be parents) In an attempt to save Kicks - even though he was the instigator of their mutations, he was still my favorite - we cleaned his shell and decided to keep him for a while. He is now lost somewhere in my house.

So when Jessica attempts to read "waterproof" in Chinese, turns out she can't. We released the 4 turtles into the water, which they all immediately left water trails of orange, white and pink behind their sinking bodies. We worried for a minute that perhaps these particular Chinese turtles don't swim and we made a terrible mistake...until Trifecta surfaced and made a desperate attempt to try to get back up to Trent! They were adorable, we had such a sense of pride watching Star make his way out into the scary water world.

Here are some PHOTOS - strawberries, turtles and the UN.

Yes, the UN.

Trent's students are amazing. Last week we were invited to UN Meeting, and we were not really sure what to expect. Turns out, it was a staged-comedy of a United Nations Council Meeting, to which even North Korea was allowed to attend. It was completely organized by the students, not one teacher was present. They did a fantastic job!
Highlights:
*Screaming match between "good" and "evil", left and right side of the table, (America, Britain, France, India, Japan and South Korea) versus (China, Russia, South Korea, Pakistan, Iran and Saudi Arabia)
*Peace speech made by the Saudi Arabian representative to the background tune of Amazing Grace
*Trent's 15 year old student Teddy sitting behind us translating into English verbatim every word said. (Later, he became my favorite person by being the first Chinese to ever ask to see my engagement ring)
*Somalian pirates breaking into the meeting carrying guns of brooms and a squirt gun to hold the United Nations Council hostage.
*The head of the Somalian pirate ring marrying the UN Council Secretary to form a binding peace treaty. You can't make this stuff up!

Build houses and settle down

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:17:00 +0000

I was just looking over my blog and realized how long it has been since I have recorded anything of personal substance. To be perfectly honest, its been hard to find words to put here - so much is happening, at the same time as absolutely nothing.

What I mean by that is, my life in China is exactly that - a life in China. This place is my home, and I exist in a comfortable routine. Aside from the occasional weekend getaway, each new week has looked exactly like the one before it, and I anticipate the next to be strikingly similar. I teach class Monday-Thursday, have weekly dates for Mahjong and my book club, Tuesday night is date night with Trent, and Sunday is family day. I grocery shop and have bills. My point here is not that my life bears an uncanny resemblance to that of a retiree, but that it is normal. I realize it has become hard to blog because in my mind, the usual Wednesday morning of running, study and crunchy rice is nothing of interest. I live here.

Its ironic. From the beginning, when I made my decision to come to China, this place was presented as a temporary home. Much like a new university to attend, or a summer internship, it was a place to be for a while...nothing of permanence. I was told I didn't have to learn Chinese and I could make the decision to renew my contract on a year-to-year basis; basically, that I could do HIS work in China as long as it suited me. I didn't bring many great comforts from home across the ocean, because I knew I would be returning to them shortly. No change of address forms were filled.

I'm reminded of a lesson from Jeremiah that Megan shared with me a while back, 19:5-7
"Build houses and settle down: plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there, do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper."

How confusing it must have been for the Israelites to invest their work, livelihood and children in a temporary home. (In exile, even!) It would seem that their original intention was to wait out God's timing in a state of transition. But HIS intention for us seems to be different...almost like an investment in our emotional health. Not just to be in a place for a time, but to live completely where you are, in the place HE has made for you to thrive. To give it your heart, to do HIS work in that place, and to allow some semblance of a life grow, even if just for a moment.

...And then to be prepared to say goodbye. I believe the phrase is, "This world is not my home". The same willingness which I have to say "see ya lata" to this world, is the same faith I have to have to go to the next place HE is taking me. I laid down my roots. I built a house and settled in Shiyan. I have a fruit lady. Honestly, its breaking my heart. As I told Angelyn the other day, "Maybe I'm not doing as well with the whole moving thing as I thought."

I have memories of Carol dropping by on a random Wednesday evening, Florance giggling at my front door, and Juice Lady asking me for the upteenth time if I have had dinner yet. This place is treasured, from my bright yellow-walled bedroom, to my roach-infested bathroom with the China smell, and the delicious smelling tree out my frosted window. But I am assured that it is time to move on, that HE is calling me to the next chapter, asking me the leave the house I've built and go in search of a new home. I feel blessed in so many ways, the greatest being that I have a person to be at home with, anywhere. I've got options, and a conviction that HIS work is to be done in the midst of any of them.

Common Misconception Response #6 - Final

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 10:22:00 +0000

Misconception: All Chinese are clever and study all the time

Dear Lady,
I'm glad tor receive your letter. I am happy you said we Chinese children are clever in the last letter, but it is not because we study in class all day long as you think. I think this is your misconception about China.
The education between our two countries is different. Though for one thing, it may be the same I think, that we study in school for at least 10 hours everyday. Isn't it? The distance between us isn't how long we study, but the way we learn in class. In class, all of us have the same textbook, and what the teacher teach us is all from it. We need to read some important passages many times until we can recite it. We also need to learn the passage wrote by ancient people, which is different from now. Certainly, there are a lot of formulas of physics, math, and chemistry we need to remember. So we must do many exercises. Because everyone wants to enter a good university, we should get a high score in the entrance exams. It's very hard. We must work hard for it, so we spend most of our part time on studying.
I think above is the reason you have the misconception about China. We are all clever the difference is just which concept we express. I wonder if you have desire to learn more about China. If you have, I'm glad to help you whenever you have met difficulties.
Love Monica

Misconception: Asian parents exercise more control and less warmth with their children.

Dear Jamie,
Nice to meet with you! I must tell you, I think the former part of this sentence is right in some cases. In some cases, when children are young, their parents send them to attend many interesting classes like piano, drawing, or swimming, and always make certain decisions despite how their children might think. They think it is good for our future, so we must do it. Although every parent want their children to succeed, but sometimes is what they do to prevent their children from growing up happily.
But the last part, I don't agree with that. No parents don't love their children, oppositely, Asian parent give too much love to their children. But now, the attitudes changing. Many parents try to touch their children the correct way. They ask their children to earn money by themselves so that they children can learn that they should value their happy life and so on. So things are not always the same.
Sincerely, Zoe

***Note: It seems like Zoe may have misunderstood a little, though she reveals a lot here. In the little exposure to the Chinese family I have, the use of control is revealed in constant pressure to succeed. Working hard in school, getting good grades on the college entrance exam, getting into a good college, getting good grades in college so you can get a good job that makes a lot of money. This mentality appears to be universal in all Chinese families, but the children characteristically view this attitude as the parent's expression of love, and attempt to honor them through their success. Many of my students tell me they want to make a lot of money so they can take care of the parents who love them so much. Verbal expressions of love, "I love you" are few and far between in the Chinese family.

Common Misconception Response #5

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 09:49:00 +0000

Misconception: All Chinese people are in the Communist Party

Dear Jennifer,
I just know that you think we Chinese are all in the Communist Party! I think its really a misconception. On one hand, our population is 1.3 billion, but our Communist Party member's number is only 70 million. These figures show that not all the Chinese are in the Communist Party. In China, there are also some other political parties like Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, China Association for Promoting Democracy, China Democratic National Construction Association, and so on. As we all know, Wan Gang, the Minister of China Science and Technology department doesn't come from the Communist Party, he is a member of China Zhi Gong Party.
On the other hand, if you think that all the Chinese people are believe in communism, maybe you are right. China Communist party is the administration party in China. All the people are influenced by Communism since they are born. So, to sum up, not all the Chinese are in the Communist party, but most believe in communism.
Yours, Eric

Misconception: Chinese people only eat rice and fish every day

Dear Sir or Madam,
I think you have some misconceptions of Chinese food. Now I will show what Chinese people eat. Chinese food can be roughly divided into Northern and Southern styles of cooking. Northern dishes are relatively oily and the use of vinegar and garlic tends to be quite popular. Wheat plays an important role in Northern cooking ravioli like dumplings, steamed stuffed buns, fried meat dumplings are just a few of the many flour based treats that are enjoyed in the north of China.
Representative of Southern cooking styles are Sichuan or Hunan cuisine, famous for their liberal use of chili pepper. Within the whole of Southern cooking, the Jiangsu and Shejang regions emphasize freshness and tenderness, while Guangdong cuisine tends to be somewhat sweet and always full of variety rice and by products, including noodles, cakes and congee.
In Chinese cooking, color, aroma, and flavor share equal importance in the preperation of every dish. Normly, any one entree will combine three to five colors, selected from ingredients that are light green, dark green, red, yellow, white, black, or caramel colored. Usually, a meat and vegetable dish is prepared from one main ingrediant and two or three secondary ingrediants of contrasting colors are then cooked appropriately, incorporating the proper seasonings and sauce to create an aesthetically attractive dish.
In fact, many of the plants used in chinese cooking, such as scallions, fresh ginger root, garlic, dried lily buds, tree fungus, etc have properties of preventing and alleviating illnesses. The Chinese have a traditional belief in the medicinal value of food and that food and medicine share the same origin. This view would be considered a forerunner of nutritional science in China. Notable in this theory is the concept that correct proportions of meat and vegetable ingrediants should be maintained. One third of meat-based dishes should be vegetable ingrediants and one third of vegetable-based dishes should be meat. In preparing soups, the quantity of water used should total 7/10 the volume of the serving bowl. In short, the correct ingrediant proportions must be adhered to in the preperationg of each dish or soup in order to ensure full nutritional value.
Yours, Jerry

***Teacher's Note: I spent time to type out the audaciously copied email above to give you all a little treat! Enjoy my student's shameless attempt at plagiarism and apparent belief in my naivity...it didn't take long in my teaching career to learn that most of my students can't put a grammatical sentance together...and words like ravioli, liberal, medicinal, aesthetic, and adhered are generally forgery flags! Now to determine a punishment...

Common Misconception Response #4

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:51:00 +0000

Misconception: All Chinese are polite and giving

Dear Ragan,
China is known as the country of "ceremony and propriety" since ancient times. Trying to be polite is one of China's fine traditions. In China, parents or teachers begin to teach kids manners in primary school or earlier. They teach them how to call their elders, or have respect for others. And parents and teachers always make a good example for them. In this way, they respect this kind of education at their childhood. And in their hearts, to treat others politely is good moral character. Giving is another character that is above polite. It is a refined accomplishment. It is set up by the way that someone studies in life and tries to be that type of person. There is an old saying in China, if you want to get success, try to give at first. In our daily life, you can be polite, but it is hard to be giving. Only reach a certain level of self-cultivation, then you can realize the beauty of giving.
From Andy and Alex

Misconception: Chinese women must be quiet and obedient

Dear Brian,
It's our honor to write you about the Chinese culture. We are very glad that you are interested in our Chinese culture. But we are sorry to tell you that your saying about Chinese women is a misconception. Let us tell you the truth.
In the past society, the women may have to be quiet and obedient. Because there are many rules for women to obey. They can't go to school, especially go out to be a leader. They have little rights. Also, there is a saying, a woman without intelligence is a respected woman. Under this social environment, women have to obey their fathers, mothers, husbands and families. They have to serve for them, and not speak one nonsense word. So they always give us a quiet and obedient impression.
However, with the development of society, people's views of women and women's social position have changed a lot. In modern society, we advocate that women have equal rights to men. They can go to school to read and write. besides, they have their own careers. Modern woman are very different from the past. They have their own opinions about things. They can express out their views freely. They can sing their own songs from their hearts freely. So they are not always quiet and obedient, they have the right to give advice. They are confident, considerate and intelligent. They can go out of their family to run for their dreams. Some of them are even becoming leaders. If you have any questions, you can write to tell us.
Yours, Grace and Debbie

Common Misconception Response #3

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 02:15:00 +0000

Misconception: There is a lot of pollution in China

Dear Mary Ann,
We think that what you said is a misconception. Now, let's tell you what is true about pollution in China. In the past, there were many environmental issues. One of these is the serious pollution of the air and water. The polluted air, which mainly comes from factories and cars, and the polluted water, causes some diseases. What is worse, rubbish was increasing with the growth of population.
But now, the condition has been greatly improved. The government has done a lot to protect the environment. Legislative steps have been introduced to control air pollution, to protect the forest and sea resources, and to stop any environmental pollution. For example, in some cities, they have returned land for farming and forestry. More and more trees are planted. More dustbins are fit beside the street. What's more, most people have been conscious of the importance of protecting the environment and the take the lead not to through the litter about.
In our opinion, the government should take even more concrete measures, though the condition becomes better. First, it should let people fully realize the importance of environmental protection through education. Second, much more efforts should be make to put the population planning policy into practice, because more people means more pollution. Finally, those who destroy the environment intentionally should be severely punished. We believe China will become a perfect place to live one day.
Love, Karl and Red
***Note: I live here...this is NOT a misconception. China is extremely polluted. I have never heard more people talk about protecting the environment, and never seen more people throw trash on the ground. A clean strip of land is quite literally a shock to my senses. Interesting note, I asked Karl what a "severe punishment" would entail per their suggestion. He recommended prison, or a 20 rmb fine...approximately 3 dollars.

Misconception: Chinese use bikes and scooters more than cars.

Dear Rodney,
I've heard that you think Chinese people use bikes and scooters more than cars. Maybe you believe that cars can hardly be seen in the street. But the truth is a little different than what you thought, let me explain it to you.
In the past, around 30 years ago, the car industry in China was not developed. Cars were quite expensive to common people. Only those who owned a great property could afford cars, and cars were not so important as they are now. They were only used by big companies and enterprises, instead of individuals. Private cars were the insignia of honor or rank. So at that time, common people rode bikes very often.
However, China has grown a lot. We brought in many skills and technologies from abroad, Also, we have joint ventures and our own car factories now. So automobiles are not that far from common people any more. It is said that by the year of 2009, China has 130 million private cars. The price is reasonable and we become richer. Private ownership of cars in China is not a long shot, owning a car is not a dream to us. Cars become more and more popular to us now.
As for me, I still like riding a bike. Because bikes are environmentally friendly and very convenient in many cases. Bikes can reach some places which cars can't. Therefore, cars may dominate nowadays, but bikes and scooters cannot be sbstituted for the moment.
Sincerely, Kevin
***Note: I asked my class of 30 how many of their parents owned cars, and only one person raised his hand. However, I have lived in China for two years and do not have enough appendages to count the number of times I have nearly been run over. Cars are prevalent, but the sheer number of Chinese in the country makes it so - I would say the average car is for business purpose, not family ownership.

Common Misconception Response #2

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 17:10:00 +0000

Misconception: There is no difference between Chinese and Japanese.

Dear Beth,
It's normal for you to say that Chinese and Japanese have no difference. But I have to tell you that this idea is totally wrong. We do share the same characteristics in appearance, but we have plenty of differences which you may not know. Let's take food for example. Difference parts of China have different flavors for food. Sweet in south, salty in north, sour in west and hot in east. We eat many kinds of food. Cantonese, Sichuan cuisine and so on. Japanese eat seafood especially fresh fish a lot because of its loction. To make it convenient, Japanese chopsticks are longer and more pointed than Chinese chopsticks. We pay more attention to the taste of the food, while Japanese like beautiful utensils to hold the food. The eating habits, Japanese always do acting appointments, they should decide how much they would spend before the meal, then give the money to the host. In China, except for the banquet, all the payments will be taken into the host's arm, even if it is the dining between colleagues. One treats this time, and another will treat the nxt time.
To be honest, Chinese education is not very successful. Students cope with all kinds of exams everyday, it feels like we are led by the nose. To some people college entrance examination is the most important thing in their whole lives, more than their marriage. In the eyes of public, students in brand-name university are definitely more superb than those from normal ones. Japanese educational services pay high attention to students' comprehensive quality, especially to their competitive spirit, practical ability and interest cultivation. The culture of China and Japan is not the same thing, either. We have Confucious, Mencius and so on. We are influenced by their thoughts so we are friendly to others most of the time. Japan is influenced by many foreign factors, including Chinese culture, but western culture affecs them in a large extent. They have turned those to their own culture. I should say that Japanese are really good learners. That is the brief explanation, I hope it will help you.
Yours, Ferrer

Misconception: All Chinese are born knowing kung fu and other martial arts

Dear David,
How is everthing going? I know you must like China very much, you think that we are born knowing how to do kung fu, or some other martial art. But I want to say that this is a misconception. You say that someone knows how to do Kung fu, or some other martial art. That's true. But not all of us can do it. And we are not born knowing how to do it. If you come to China, you'll find that most of us can't do Kung fu. Someone maybe do it because they want to strengthen their bodies.
So, why do you have this misconception? I think that nowdays many directors like to produce movies about Chinese Kung fu because its mysterious and can attract many people. If you want to come to China, do not hesitate. China is really a beautiful country and all of us like peace and harmony. Welcome to China!
Your friends, Fredz and Daisy

In Other News...

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:48:00 +0000

*The sun is coming out, Shiyan is never more beautiful than in the spring.

*This weekend the foreign women in Shiyan went to Xiangfan and spent 4 hours on a bus driving to A Hot Springs - totally worth the road blocks and rain. We relaxed, were steamed in a giant turkey like roaster, and most importantly...laid in a pool full of fish who ate our dead skin. It was creepy and amazing. Katherine, the animal tamer, was swarmed and beloved...the rest of us cringed and dealt with our 20 fish, while she had over 200 from her hips down!

*Trent and I are playing hookie (okay, I'm playing hookie, he has three weeks off) at the end of the week and taking a boat tour of the Three Gorges Dams. I am so excited about it, its one of the things that I really wanted to see when I came to China. This dam is such a treasured accomplishment in China, but there are so many potential downfalls that its quite contreversial. It endangered or eradicated countless species, the pollution levels are overwhelming and climbing, the 600 kilometer reservoir has flooded 1,300 archaeological sites, and will irrevocably alter the beautiful Three Gorges as the water rises. Erosion is causing sediment slides and they have had to relocate millions of people from homes near the reservoir.

*The men of Shiyan had an awesome retreat this last weekend, which brought tons of seekers together. I am so excited by the answered pr-y-rs this year has brought, there are incredibly inspiring Chinese walking through our doors every week. He is SO good.

*I am exactly half way through the semester...only 8 weeks of classes left!

Common Misconception Response #1

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 08:26:00 +0000

Thank you all so much with responding to the Teacher's Aid blog post. I compiled a list of all the ideas you had about China...everything from all Chinese men having long mustaches, to all Chinese belonging to the Communist Party. My students were fascinated by the ideas that Americans had of them and their country, and anxious to set the record straight. Here are a few of their responses in Dear John letter form for Mandy specifically...there is more to come...

Misconception - All Chinese are really smart, especially in math and science

Dear Mandy,
Hello! Actually, most Chinese are not smart. Take me as an example. I'm not good at math and science. At the same time, I'm not one of the ones who is very smart. I think if someone have interest in something, he or she will good at it. Besides, hard-working is very important too. Even if you are not very smart, but if only you work hard...the harder you work, the more improvement you will get. In fact, Chinese are just like Americans. Its the same, some people will indeed be smarter than others. But its just a small part in all the people. On the other hand, Chinese people also enhance a passion on other subjects besides math and science. Such as music, nature, history and so on. And they are very good at these.
Sincerely, Jack and Jason

Misconception - All Chinese are short and thin

Dear Mandy,
I'm sorry to tell you that I'm not so in agreement with your idea. I will tell you the truth as follows. Chinese persons' average height may be shorter than American, but that does not mean that all Chinese are short. The famous basketball star, Yao Ming, is much taller than other players. There are many taller persons that come to our eyes in many international games, such as Li Ning, Zhang Yi Ning. There are many people that are short in China, so are there many in America and Africa. The value of an individual is not based on the height. Its based on how much he does for the soceity. Many Chinese are thin, for they eat a lot of vegeatbles. They treat their body seriously. They want to keep fit. They are healthy, but not all of them are thin. Some are fat too. Some athletes are required to be strong and fat. They do a lot and are famous in the world.
Yours, Mory
***Side Note*** I learned recently from Angelyn's research that Chinese women are taller on average than American women. We concluded it may be due to the varying heights in minority communities that bring the American average down, white women on average are much taller than Chinese. Men are actually nearly the same height. Interesting - I compeletly bowed to this misconception!

If you really want to understand what I do here...

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 13:04:00 +0000

What do the Students think is my Job? When one asks students to describe the foreign teachers job, they reply with one or more of the following:

1. To teach us English

2. To teach us correct English

3. To teach us Oral grammar

4. To tell us about foreign culture

5. To Improve our English

6. To correct our pronunciation

7. To get paid a lot of money for talking talking talking

I received this ARTICLE from Angelyn, my fellow teacher. As soon as I read it, I knew I had to share it with you. I think it will give you a really interesting insight into what I do here, and the expectations our students have of us. (Teacher, what is the secret to learning English?) Sadly, I have no magic wand, and neither does this man. It is obvious that this teacher is more than a little frustrated with what he probably feels is a no win situation...I can relate. I love my students, but there are certainly days...

Meanwhile, I received a lot of wonderful "common misconceptions" from my readers, I will be sharing them on Monday and be sure to let you know their responses. Thanks for your help!

Teacher's Aid

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 10:17:00 +0000

Please help! My culture class is currently studying common misconceptions that people develop around America and Americans based on the representation of media. Its been extremely enlightening to them to learn things like:

*The majority of Americans are not blonde or blue eyed
*The poverty rate in China is lower than in America
*Americans eat vegetables

The next part of their assignment on this topic requires some assistance from my American friends. I am wondering if you could respond to this blog post with some beliefs you have about China or the Chinese people. Many of you have never visited China, and all the knowledge you have of it is in effect, media driven. Even the reports I give you are tainted by my point of view. The assignment will be for them to take the misconceptions or generalizations made about China and respond - either in defense of the misconceptions, or in expansion of the original assertion. I think this is going to be a great opportunity for them to learn about an outsiders perception of China, and a challenge for certain.

Don't hesitate to make a statement that may seem inflammatory or contrary to the guidelines I have previously given - in culture class, everything goes.

New Term, New Identity Crisises

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 01:58:00 +0000

Each new semester offers me great amusement as my students pick their English names. Inevitably, my classrooms are full of Bobs, Bills, Amys, and Michael Schofields, but there are always the random, unique, or extremely misguided choices to enjoy. Perhaps it makes me a bad teacher, but I often let them use whatever name they want so that the laughter in my head aides my sanity in a difficult teaching day. Here are some fun ones from this semester:

Jusicate
Bruss Li and Forest Gun...
Cooler Black
Mongo and his partner Jabulani
Muge
July, October, May and February
Toru
Coco, Debbie and Lily...who are all male
Tete
Dobby, and the partner who obviously won the arguement, Harry
Mukhter
David Bush, and his classmate W Bush, and his other classmate Obama

When the Mama came to China

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 23:16:00 +0000

Two weeks ago, my mother came to China and I saw what life in China looked like through a little emperor's eyes...and it is hard to go back!That's not the point of this story though...

The day that Angelyn and I returned from Paris (a trip to be blogged about at a later date, I promise), my mother and my second cousin-possibly-once-removed-but-its-all-very-confusing Jeanie were also on a plane to Beijing for a 10 day tour of my home. Well, to be factual, Jeannie was on a plane to Beijing, and my mother was on a plane to Tokyo, which would be something to complain about if not for the miracle of flight. (Thanks Lucy, funny!) They both arrived eventually, and began a whirlwind 24 hours in Beijing. We stayed the night in a hostel that looked a bit like a pink light palace to my mind, but delighted them with tiny doors and China dogs. We traveled to the wall, and though Jeannie was incredibly sick she managed to at least sit on it - dream fulfilled. We walked around Tiananmen square, and I got to watch my delighted mother get hit on by a Communist guard. But time was up, and I had a guy I was anxious to get home to, so we boarded the train to Shiyan.

Only my mom story: I had warned my mom and Jeannie that on a China train, and any public restroom in the country, there is no seat to greet you, but a hole in the ground which you have the pleasure of squatting over. These women were troopers, and were all for experiencing China in all its glory. For my mother, that meant nearly peeing in a drainage hole in the corner of an open sinkroom in front of a train attendant! Luckily, she was averted but in her defense, there was "a hole in the ground"!

We arrived in Shiyan to 5 days of rain and cold, not the best weather for everything we had wanted to do, like exploring the city and climbing Wudang mountain. I was disappointed, but it ended up being the perfect excuse to stay inside and spend more time chatting with each other, and having in depth discussions with all my wonderful Chinese friends. They got to meet our Chinese family, my favorite class, friends like crazy Christina, and most importantly to any China experience, Florance. They played mahjong with Mike, got to help teach class at Trent's school, rode a crazy bus, and nearly died in a freak hot pot explosion. They got to spend time with our foreign friends, including Xiangfan Carie, and have their hair and nails done for ridiculously cheap. And my mother finally got the wish of her heart fulfilled when she got to see split-pants in action.

Thursday night we took the overnight train to Xi'an, one of my favorite cities in China...and not just because they had a Starbucks...where I was spoiled from hostels forever when I discovered there are hotels in China with BATH TUBS. We spent two days there, going to the Terracotta Warriors (no LingLing boys, one pyramid sighting) and exploring the Muslim Quarter. As expected, they went a little crazy with all the bartering, and I was running around like a crazy person, shouting "How much?", "Too much", and "Make it cheaper!". Trent and I received our first engagement present, a coveted Terracotta Warrior Chess set, though at the time I had no idea what it was intended for as I was still wearing my girlfriend label - that came off Saturday night.

You know the story, but what you don't know is how fantastically my mother exercised her acting abilities to help pull off the proposal. She lied about having my ring, convinced me she didn't know a thing, and actually pulled out tears for a fake goodbye to Trent in Shiyan! She got me dressed nicely for night on the town (though still couldn't convince this wanderer to wash her hair!), and then she and Jeannie dragged me through a sea of at least 4,000 Chinese people to stand in a spot where Trent could find me. The woman deserves an Oscar.

It was so incredible to show some of the people I love my home. And I was SO proud of my family! They were the perfect guests, reveling in China's unexpectedness, eating and loving everything they could get their hands on, and really embracing our Chinese friends' personal stories. They were intrigued, full of questions, and ready to experience everything...and giving out hugs like candy to everyone who said they looked young! There was no McDonald's on their agenda, no Western toilet requirements, and no complaints. I was bursting with pride, and so sad to say goodbye! Love you crazy Ladies!

God's Sense of Humor

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 01:59:00 +0000

As my fiance would say, "He's a jokester"

I know I am far behind on blogging, and there are a million things I would like to catch you up on...my European vacation, the new semester in China, my mother's visit to Shiyan...but all of those things of the "past" kind of fade into the back ground when you are looking at the rest of your life.

Last weekend, Trent asked me to marry him and, of course, I said YES!

STORY
My mother came to visit last week and unknown to me, she brought with her a gorgeous ring that he had picked out for me. (I know everyone says their ring is beautiful and we all think...uh huh...but mine really is...). She and my cousin visited for a week, and at the end of the week I took her for a few days in Xi'an, an ancient city in another province that is one of our favorites. Trent had told me he couldn't come because he had to teach a class on Saturday morning.
We spent two days there, and the last night we were going to this big musical light show that happens every night in front of a pagoda outside of town. There is this enormous square fountain with multicolored lights and water that comes out in patterns to the music playing - I had never been and from what I saw of it, it was really beautiful. We went there, and my mother eventually manipulated me into standing in the middle for a photo. ...and there he was. I was shocked, but managed to hear his incredible words, watch him go down on his knee, and squeak out a yes!
He turned me around, and all of our friends from Shiyan were there - cheering and preparing the champagne...they had all made the long trip from Shiyan to celebrate with us, which was so special to me. To have my mother there, my China family, and the man I love asking me to spend my life with him - it was perfect.
So inevitably, you will all want more details...of which I have none. Eventually I might have some photos of the night from Angelyn (I was understandably preoccupied) I have no news on weddings, life plans, or even location for living - our lives are very up in the air right now! But I can tell you that God has a sense of humor. To take two people, who knew each other in every other way than romantically for years, place them in countless situations together and keep them blind, and send them to the opposite ends of the earth, only to bring them back together in the most unlikely of places...to see something different in each other, fall in love, and choose to stay that way...He's pretty clever. We are very happy, and trust it because you can see His hand.

More Proposal Photos

Pure Exhuastion

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 17:55:00 +0000

Four weeks in Europe.
Four countries, if you include a touchdown in Russia.
Too much money down the drain.
Too many memories made not to be worth it.
Over 1,000 photos taken.

Less than one week back in China.
One mother in the country.
One cousin in the country.
8 billion water drops from the sky
Too much laughter.

16 teaching hours on the horizon.
16 weeks of repetition ahead.
Too little sleep submitted to jet lag.
1,000 butterflies anticipating something incredible to come...
So much left to be said...another time...

Before I Go...

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 01:06:00 +0000

Where has the time gone? In less than 8 hours Angelyn and I will board a train to begin our 3 day journey to Paris, France! Finally fulfilling a dream, I will spend the next three weeks traveling through France and Spain. I will try to blog if its a possibility, otherwise, you'll hear from me in a month. When I return, I'll be bringing my mother and cousin back to Shiyan to see my home.

School is on break for another month for the spring festival - the students are gone and the campus is quiet. Friends have slowly been saying their goodbyes and making there way to equally exciting places, from Budapest to Malaysia. China is shutting down, travel is insane as 1.6 billion people travel to their hometowns.

Its been nice staying around town a little longer than usual. We were able to complete a plan two years in the making and spent a few days in Hong Kong with our good friend Carole before she moves back to the states. Hong Kong - expensive, busy, beautiful, and CLEAN. View: On The Island - Hong Kong Photos

Most importantly, I was able to see my darling friend Dacy get married, and experience a little bit of post-Christmas snow. View: Off To A Great Start - January Photos

Its 2009, and this year is already full of blessings, excitement and challenges. Viva La Vida!

Just in case you snobby Americans had any unrealistic expectations

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 10:13:00 +0000

The following is the booking confirmation email I received after booking Trent and I a hostel in Hong Kong...it just cracked me up so I had to share it with you. If it helps to envision this more clearly, we paid $10 American dollars a night each, to sleep on a plank of wood behind a curtain in a room with 12 other people and 2 laundry machines.

Friendly Reminder: We ask our precious customers to read the whole passage below thoroughly so that you will solve most of the possible problems or have a clearer picture about our hostels, or even hong kong hostel-style.

1. The Hostelbookers.com company does not have the categorization-of-room-ty pe function on their website at present (they are establishing now). We can only sell our standard rooms on their website. So we fail to differentiate our deluxe rooms from other hostels.

2. Foreign customers from America and Europe easily have wrong expectation because the hostel in their country are large with a comparable low price because their country is large also.

3. As above, they always think the rooms of hostels in Hong Kong are very tiny. That's what I always observe form the reviews on the website. They think they should receive similar rooms in Hong Kong as they got in their country with the same price. They don't understand that the land in Hong Kong is among the highest in the world.

4. Customers, after traveling to the mainland China, always complain that our rooms are tiny as compared with what they get in China. They don't understand that China is a still developing country. Their land is a lot cheaper than that in Hong Kong. Though Hong Kong is returned to China, they two own two separate and different systems. This is the famous policy 'one country, two systems'.

5. Customers doesn't know that the room rates are fluctuated and decided by the market. I sometimes come across some customers asking why the room rates at certain period is a lot higher that what he got in the past. I have given up answering this kind of foolish questions (not offending).

When students imitate Ghostbusters for a grade

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:19:00 +0000

Scene 1
Ghost 1: Oh! I'm thirsty. I want to drink some fresh blood
Ghosts 2: Oh! I'm hungry. I think children are delicious. It's time for supper now. Let's go and look for some children.

Scene 2
Child 1: What's wrong? Why are all the lights turn off?
Child 2: Brother, I am a little afraid. Oh! Look, what's that?
Children 1,2: Father, Mother, these are two ghosts in our house. Help!
Father: Don't worry. We will find them out. What did they look like?
Child 1: They are long black hairs which covered their faces.
Child 2: When the wind blowed away their hairs I saw their white eyes and long teeth.
Child 1,2: Oh! That's terrible! We are afraid.
Mother: Oh...my God! I need a cross which can protect us. Ghosts always afraid of it.
Father: Stay calm! I better take my gun. Okay! Lets go and see what happened.

Scene 3
Father: Heads up! I will shoot anyone who moves. Who are you? Where are you from? What are you going to do?
Ghost 1: We are lonely ghosts and live in the underground world.
Ghost : Though, what we look like is terrible, we don't want to harm you if you can afford some fresh blood and meat.
Mother: Oh! I killed a turkey just now, there is some blood and fresh meat. I think you'll like them.
Ghost 1: Thank you! You're very nice. In fact, we are angels in heaven. The God want to see whether you dare to help someone who looks terrible and frighten you.
Ghost 2: Now, our task is over. Your performance is perfect. May God bless you.
Ghost 1,2: May your family be happy forever. Bye-bye!
Family members: See you!

AIDS can't be transmitted by mosquitoes

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 13:16:00 +0000

Chinese Aids Video-Musical that plays on our K5 bus...
...its hilarious and educational.
Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTkPyw7DmiU

Meanwhile, today I saw a little Sharpe dog wearing an American army outfit, complete with a plastic gun on his hip, old people in a square performing a new years dance for each other, and a row of pigs hanging in the street...I love China today.

Tis the Season for Overwhelming Yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:37:00 +0000

(For recent, December photos, click here)
You would think that outside of America, in a country where the vast majority of people have NO IDEA what the Christmas season really entails...that one could enjoy a nice relaxing holiday season. One would be wrong...December is filled not only with holiday happenings, but final exams, spring festival preparations and all the usual day to day activities. Oh yeah, and lets throw in some puppies! Amidst all the craziness, I once again neglected to write on the last three weeks events until the last minute. My apologies are becoming redundant, so lets forgive with the spirit of Christmas cheer and move on.

Three weeks ago, two of my favorite former students (current friends) called me to say that they had an emergency and wanted to see me immediately. They arrived in my home, I left the room for two seconds, and when I came back there was a puppy sitting on my couch! An adorable, shovel faced China puppy! Squealing, I scooped her up and smothered her with love, only to see another little brown ball of fur come bounding at me from across the room. TWO puppies! Turns out, Lawrence and Christina had been plotting the perfect birthday present, and wanted to give Angelyn and I something to attempt to fill the void in our pet lives after the loss of Lucy. So that is the story of how SimSim Bashful and Trixi came into our lives. They have destroyed my house, doubled in size, and kept me up at all hours of the night...and we love them! Angelyn and I are once again extremely proud parents, and developing conniving ways of keeping them, despite the insistence of our waiban that you...and I quote..."Can't have dogs, because their smell is harder to get rid of than cigarette smoke" (Yeah, like 2 packs a day for 10 years smells better than our Pantene Pro-V pampered pups)
The day we got the puppies, we had already broken the apartment code of conduct, so it seemed like a good time to climb the mountain behind our house and illegally cut down the traditional Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. Barry and Trent were our mountain men, and toppled the tree that Barry and I carefully selected. However, our eyes were bigger than my living room, and the Charlie Brown tree became a gigantic force to be reckoned with. After some giggling hysterics on my part, we set to work pruning the beast and she is currently lit and fulfilling her Christmas destiny. Sadly, she is doing it postmortem, as the puppies consistently drank her dirty tree water until she passed...some 10 days later.
Barry and I have had our hands full these past few weeks judging various speech and song competitions. It is the 3rd Annual Foreign Language Cultural Festival, which is a truly terrifying time for the foreign teachers, as its the time our students get serious about showing off their English chops, and the caliber of our teaching is on display for all the world to see. Its hard not to compare yourself to the other teachers by way of your students' skills. Barry and I had some moderately friendly banter on the pronunciation of the other's students, or their singing abilities, and whether or not they waved at us from the stage (and how many times). The Singing Competition was 60 students, singing one minute each of an English song, and sitting there in the front row I could finally see why Paula and Randy love the first few rounds of American Idol so much...it was absolutely delightful to listen to 15 students butcher Yesterday Once More (Katherine, you would have died). We got through it by making jokes with each other, criticizing the other's scoring methods, and unfairly rating our own students much higher than the others. But the real highlight of the event was the finals of the Speech Competition. Oh, if only I had video for you of the opening act...6 girls in "juicy double" track suits bouncing, grinding and shaking what their mothers gave them to "Hollerback Girl" in front of 200 students, 50 faculty, the dean of their college, and the president of the university. The speeches were what was to be expected for the most part...until I heard a voice that made me perk up and feel...at home...that would have been the boy who spent weeks memorizing Barack Obama's entire victory speech and then used it to form 98% of his dissertation on "Flying with My Dream". His intonation was flawless, I was so impressed with his gumption I had to give him a 90. Cheating, plagiarism, these things are nothing in China...and by the time he was finished it was clear no one else had a chance.

I turned another year older. Some of my sisters stayed over the night before and we had a sweet old-fashioned slumber party complete with goodies, hair dying, boy talk, and a photo shoot. My birthday was a day filled with breakfast...mimosas, potato pancakes, bagels and quiche. I got all my birthday wishes: I was not required to do a thing that I didn't want to do, time with friends, a nap, a good book, a Christmas movie, and a full night's sleep with no dogs to wake me (Thank you Breelands!)
Lawrence was one of my very first students, and has since become a friend of mine. A few weeks ago he traveled to Beijing to apply for his visa to America. We spent a lot of time preping him for his interview, trying to form his answers so they could be assured he wasn't just looking for an American wife, or that he wouldn't disappear into the crowd and never return. Luckily, his puppy-dog like excitement and smile won them over and he got it! He left yesterday for Wuhan to catch his plane to Columbus. He has been accepted to Ohio State University's engineering program, and I'm so excited for him. We took him out the night before he left for some classic Chinese food and one last round of KTV - turns out he's wild for it and I think he'll be heart broken to know its not so popular among the Waiguoren. Knowing that he'll probably have to wander into some western bar on a Wednesday night to sing "Man, I feel like a Woman" in front of 30 drunk, ambivalent strangers to get his karaoke fix kinda breaks my heart. He has all the nervousness and unrealistic expectations of anticipating his life in America, so we spent a lot of time talking about what he would find there. We encouraged him to plug into college ministry, or to find a Chinese family to worship with, and to make friends with those who would build him up and love him as a brother. He just recently began expressing interest in the Word, and I am really hoping he finds people in the states to lead him into the light. It was hard to say goodbye to him. I never realize how protective and mother hen like I get over these young adults...until I have to truly put them in the Father's hands.

As of now, I'm in the midst of finals craziness, and have another to give this afternoon. Tonight John, Megan, Trent, Angelyn and I will board a train to meet our Xiangfan friends in Xi'an for a pre-Christmas get together. Hot springs, the Muslim quarter and Starbuck's toffee nut latte's...here we come.

(Although, this trip has a high standard to live up to...and I will be thinking of your dear friend!)

Birthday Musings

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:34:00 +0000

Its way too early on a Saturday morning, still dark and quiet on campus, but the childlike excitement of a day that holds birthday possibilities stirred me from my sleep. As I lay in bed, my mind is turning over a list that I stole from a dear adventurer's blog...a test if you will...taken on the eve of my 24th year to analyze just how full my life has been (according to some people).

True to form, a list of my creating would look a little different: completing a triathlon in lieu of a marathon...climbing a great mountain, like Fuji, instead of just a mountain...traveling to a more exotic location like the Galapagos islands over New York City. The list I dream includes skydiving, but not bungee jumping, writing a book about my mother or the sexuality of a Christian woman, and living in a picturesque town in New England where everyone knows your name and your business and where your children think they are miserable. But I'll bow to their list for the moment, if not for the incredible realization that at 24, (a seemingly, looming, mature age...) my life has been really full.

I followed the Father to China, where I've traveled places I only dreamed about, met life-changing kindred spirits, and fell in love with my G-d again. I've been to college, something I take for granted, and been a part of a community that was full of servant hearts. I have had the love of my family, good friends, and good men. I've gone in and out of valleys in my spirit and climbed to the mountaintop. I've lived in the nation's capital, stood in the Supreme Court, and spoken with the President-elect of the United States. I've ridden elephants, drunk snake bile, and snorkeled in the crystal water of the gulf of Thailand. In one month I will be standing in the Louvre, looking with eyes of saucers at the greatest masterpieces the world has known. I have three homes, where I feel safe and hate leaving every time I move to the next. My life is an explosion of blessings.

Today, at 24, there are moments when I feel my age is a gross understatement. When I stand in the classroom, reprimanding a group of young adults and speaking with clear authority...when I listen to other women my age complain about clothing or immature men...or when I walk alone through a dark street in a foreign country...I feel like I have an old heart. And there are moments, when I'm giggling with the Chinese sisters over couple face...when I'm overly-excited about the next Harry Potter book...or when I get still get nervous talking to that special someone...I feel like my youth and inexperience radiates from my face.

Regardless of my "true age", today has found me with a smile on my face, surrounded by the people I love, not doing a thing that I do not want to do! (The only birthday wish I ever have) As the next year stretches before me, I have absolutely no idea what it holds. I have never had so many possibilities, or been so content with following any path. This year, I want to love better and deeper, with the abandonment and "idiocy" of Christ. I want to worry less about money, and more about the quality of the time I spend with those who need me. I want to be nicer to my mother, because everything that I am and want to be is because of her - I don't tell her that enough. I want to do crazy things for the sake of doing them, and learn when to close my mouth to truly listen. I have a good feeling about this...

Someone's Bucket List

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 22:30:00 +0000

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (drums)
4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (give me a month!)
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France (give me a month!)
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (Canada baby)
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied.
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke.
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (give me a month!)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class.
59. Visited Russia (give me a month!)
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (I've tried many times)
65. Gone sky diving (see bunge jumping above....)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone.
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life.
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (when I was 12 or so and the lake was awesome...)
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a mobile phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

In Hindsight

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 08:52:00 +0000

I had really been feeling smug and proudish regarding my resolution to blog weekly. Yet in my haughtiness it appears I overlooked an important fact...the blog is only as good as the information given. As I review November I realize that while I quipped eloquently on numerous occasions (as I often do), I neglected to fill you in on the actual going-ons around Shiyan at that time. So, as I hear hindsight is 20/20...better late than never?

First Finer Things Club finished our second book, Jesus for President. The girls and I had some fascinating discussions around the ideas presented, and were convicted by the ideas of community, love and separation from the world's system. There were some low points too, but all in all, by the end of each night we generally felt just as frustrated, just as inspired, and just as assured that our writing abilities could easily lead to publishing according to certain standards. We coupled FTC with a project Angelyn and I "cooked" up, (pun absolutely intended) New Soup November. Thanks to a gift from the mother, we dined on everything from pumpkin bisque to mexican-tortilla soup. A tradition that was so delicious, it couldn't end according to the calendar! FTC has just started The Brothers Karamazov, despite my insistence that two Dostoevsky novels in one year was too much for any person we dove in and I am actually really loving it. Going in with an understanding of the insanity of the Russian naming system, and Fyodor's classic wit, makes a vast difference.

November brought the 3rd World International Wushu Championship...and yes...we tried to explain that you should probably not name anything Third World if you want people to show up but they just wouldn't listen. Well, foreigners came anyway and as a lot of our students were volunteers, October found them in a state of panic, reading up on Liberia or attempting to learn Hungarian in a week. We just sat back and gave pointers on foreigner hospitality and waited for our "honored guest" invites that we had all been promised. Well, they never came, but thanks to the giving nature of Halley (a sister), Megan and I were able to attend one of the last competition. We oohed and aahed at the foreigners, but were generally bored by the whole thing...you can really only watch so many people gather their Chi before you get bored. It did have a slam-bang finish though, when they brought out children with swords and big sticks, fighting two against one - that was the bloodshed we were looking for! Extremely dramatic death scenes and all the kicks-to-the-chest a Kung Fu fight should have.

There was an election...surely you heard about it. Barry had a student who memorized Barack Obama's entire victory speech, and I got to hear him perform it at a speech competition yesterday - plagiarism or not, that little guy really inspired me! (He won too - in China, cheating is nothing compared to passion and a Y chromosome)

The women in the family got some much needed R & R and spiritual rejuvenation in Xiangfan for a Ladies Retreat. Carie and Brittany pulled the whole thing together themselves, and we were really blessed to have a more mature Chinese sister from Wuhan come to lead the girls. She was incredible, and they were thrilled to have the chance to learn from her. So the foreigners and Chinese were able to split and we were really encouraged with a study on prayer, and some much needed lab. HE is really working through the people in Xiangfan, two of their girls decided to follow HIM after the weekend. AMEN

Despite Brian's insistance, some people understand that every day truly is my birthday. After weeks of keeping me in suspense, Trent surprised me with a weekend birthday trip to see a musical! (Yeah, he's really good) We hopped on a train Friday night to catch the Saturday evening showing of Aida, and it was phenomenal. As my roommates from college know, I am a little crazy for musicals...one prime example being that I had the Aida soundtrack downloaded and memorized 12 hours after I found out what we were doing...so it was the perfect gift. We were able to spend the weekend at Andrew and Jamie Hill's, two foreigners who lived in Shiyan last year and are now working in Beijing. On Sunday morning we got to meet with their family, and I was really encouraged by the opportunity to see what a mature, flourishing Chinese family really looks like. In the afternoon we picked up a Toffee Nut Latte and spent hours walking around the 798, the modern art district of Beijing. I had been to the city 3 times, and I had never loved it so much! I recommend this part of town for anyone who goes to Beijing, I will definitely be back myself. The city was going to tear down the dilapidated warehouse district, but instead gave it to the art community and its completely free to visit. They gutted them all and now its city blocks filled with galleries of painting, sculpture and photography that really pushes the boundaries of what we believe is "kosher" in China. Theatre, Coffee, Art, Asians...it was like for one weekend I was home in Seattle and my soul was replenished.

Which brings us to Thanksgiving 1, and yes, there is a part two. We had a small, foreigners only, Thanksgiving this year because the responsibility of so few of us cooking for 60 Chinese people was too overwhelming. The morning held the annual Shiyan football game and this year I got to be on the winning team... which was shocking, since I was wearing a Tech shirt...and also had nothing to do with the unfair team number advantage. We played at a the middle school's field, which literally sits on top of a mountain and we had an incredible view of the city. Trent and John deep fried a turkey, because if you can't dump a bird in a vat of oil in China, where can you? We had way too many desserts and of course everything was fantastic. After gathering the energy to move again, we had a friendly Taboo - battle of the sexes, and my winning streak continued. Truly, its not fair for anyone to stand up against the mind-meld of Jessica and Angelyn. We ended the evening with some Office, and began the Christmas season at promptly 10:00 pm with a viewing of Meet Me In St. Louis.

Thanksgiving 2 is a tradition that Angelyn and I began last year, which was to go to Wuhan on for their big foreigner Thanksgiving that they hold on Saturday. Two Thanksgiving, two days of intoxicating foreign food, two chances to be with people we love - its just too good to pass up. So we made the trip to Wuhan, and convinced some of our Xiangfan friends to come with us. Though this year didn't include a trip to Tom's World...we were able to spend some much needed quality time with our friends and meet some of the other teachers from around China. Being a returning teacher definitely left a different impression on me this year, meeting newbies, giving advice, and reminiscing about faces that we "Old China Hands" were missing.

Wow...I'm shamed by my rambling, but mostly just overwhelmed with how blessed and full my life is here. When I was preparing to move to China, and even this summer as I visited the states, people were constantly commenting on the selflessness of following the Father to a foreign land. But if you follow my life here at all, or if you could see the day to day interactions I get to have with some of the most beautiful people I have ever met, you would know how far from selfless it leaves me. My life has exploded since the day I set foot in China, I have never been happier, more fulfilled, or challenged. As my dear sister Harmony says, "HE is so GREAT".

Photos from November Days - Click HERE
Photos from Beijing Trip - Click HERE

Love is a Choice

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 00:07:00 +0000

I stole the following from Brad...who borrowed it from Rick Warren. It was just too good not to share with you, as it challenged me in my continued struggle to love more deeply, naturally, and fully where people need to be loved, and not at my own whim and comfort. Its a continued process, drenched in prayer and trust that I'm going to get there by His power.

Meanwhile, I'll be blogging later about Thanksgiving, apartment fires, and two rambunctious puppies given to me and Angelyn...ah November, what a month!

...That you may love the L-rd your G-d, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the L-rd is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers... Deuteronomy 30:20 (NIV)

*** *** *** ***

Love is a choice and a commitment. You choose to love or you choose not to love.

Today we’ve bought into this myth that love is uncontrollable, that it’s something that just happens to us; it’s not something we control. In fact, even the language we use implies the uncontrollability of love. We say, “I fell in love,” as if love is some kind of a ditch. It’s like I’m walking along one day and bam! – I fell in love. I couldn’t help myself.

But I have to tell you the truth – that’s not love. Love doesn’t just happen to you. Love is a choice and it represents a commitment.

There’s no doubt about it, attraction is uncontrollable and arousal is uncontrollable. But attraction and arousal are not love. They can lead to love, but they are not love. Love is a choice.

Likewise, you must choose to love G-d; he won’t force you to love him (Deuteronomy 30:20). You can thumb your nose at G-d and go a totally different way. You can destroy your life if you choose to do that. G-d still won’t force you to love him. Because he knows love can’t be forced.

Request

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:04:00 +0000

Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray also that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
(Ephesians 6:19-20)