Happy New Year! Welcome 2011!

It's been a big year for me....I did move to China after all. So, thought I would do a run-down of the year (well, since I moved to China)...before that a lot of my year was about making the decision to move here and preparing (and freaking out a little bit).

July

Moved to China

Visited Hong Kong (I wasn't a huge fan...it was too crowded)

Taught at an English Camp

Visited Xilinhot and witnessed a Mongolian Nadaam Festival (also where the kissing with a Mongolian cowboy occured...see my post entitled "A Romance on the Plains with Michael Jackson")

August

Bought Jay Chou concert tickets and became his biggest fan

My friend Tiara visited

Registered for school, and had an eventful health exam which included me passing out

September

Started school

Went to the Jay Chou concert

Hosted my first murder mystery party

Met a demon-possessed woman
Experienced poverty week, where I lived on less than 5 kuai a day

Visited the mountains outside the city limits and saw the remains of the Great Wall

Visited Baotou

October

Visited Chengdu, and the pandas

Visited Shanghai and saw the site of the first Communist Party Congress, and saw the World Expo

Celebrated my first Halloween in China (and appeared as Lady Gaga)

November

Celebrated my first Thanksgiving away from home

Visited my dear friend Silvia in Beijing

Saw Harry Potter!!

December

Had my first freak-out moment with local friends...it bonded us a lot

Got to know my classmates better over Korean food, Christmas parties, and a musical meal!

Things I Am Looking Forward To In 2011:
Visiting Beijing again

Vacationing in Thailand during the school break (well, I'm going to meetings and working for part of it...but it will be nice to be doing that in warm weather)

Seeing The Green Hornet (Jay Chou speaking English....so cute!)

Visiting Taiwan

Developing relationships with local friends more!

Tis the season...

of Christmas parties! I absolutely love Christmas, and while celebrating it overseas definitely has a different feel than at home in the States, it's a really neat time with friends here.

My roommate and I recently hosted several Christmas parties, and decided to do one for our classmates at the university.
Picture students from 5 countries, speaking what is not a first language for any of us, and all hanging out in our living room. You know what? It wasn't awkward at all. I think all of us have been a little homesick recently, so it was a blessing to be able to come together and get to know each other better, and just have a laid-back, great time! I think it was one of my favorite parties that I've ever hosted! :-) We had Mongolia, Korea, Spain, Russia, and the U.S.A. represented!

It was also really life-giving for me, since at my university back home one of my favorite things that I did during college was hosting international students. This time I am an international student myself, but hospitality is something I really enjoy!

As a universal language, music is of course so important. We had singing, dancing, and a great time of bonding!

The Chinese Massage

One of the nice things about living in China is that, to counteract all the bicycle riding, freezing temperatures, carrying groceries home, etc....there is the Chinese massage. Cheap (68 yuan is the deal we go for...that's $10 USD), and amazing. I try to go every month and get the 1 1/2 hour treatment which includes legs, feet, back, neck, and butt (not for those who are easily made to feel awkward).

When they do your feet, they normally can tell you certain things about your health. I've had it explained to me and don't fully understand, but it's always accurate. They can always tell I have digestive problems by massaging my feet.

The process is a bit painful at parts...the main point of it is for health, not relaxation (unless you are specifically getting an aromatherapy massage), but it ends up being relaxing anyway. For a foreigner it's not quite the peaceful experience one might expect because my masseusse is usually curious about me and wants to talk...which is good. A good way to learn more health/body vocabulary in Chinese.

During my most recent visit, it was a little awkward since they started by telling my roommate and I that we were very pretty (not really something I want to hear while being rubbed by a stranger), but they were friendly. My guy gave me some tips on improving my health (such as putting my feet in hot water more often to get rid of toxins).

At the end of the massage things were made a bit more awkward when he commented that I had a good figure but was thin. Thank you Mr. Chinese Guy who has his hands on my butt. I was also informed that I have a bad shoulder and that I need to lift weights (it's true, I have no shoulder muscles).

Also included in the experience: these awesome pajamas. This time mine were about, oh, 20 sizes too big (which I don't really understand since the average Chinese person is pretty small).

But for real, in the dead of winter when I spend my time with muscles clenched and freezing a lot...curling up in huge pajamas while you are served complimentary all-you-can-drink coffee and get massaged....it's a pretty sweet deal!

"Ocean Heaven"

"Ocean Heaven" is a recent film starring action film actor Jet Li...it is a markedly different role for him as the terminally ill father of an autistic young man.



In typically Chinese style, it is a fairly sad movie, but with a pretty good sense of closure (Asian films frequently do not provide the audience with such). Jet Li is excellent, and captures the role very well. Families who have been touched by autism will relate well to the desperation of a parent seeking to provide for a special needs child after his own death. With that, the film also presents a realistic portrayal of the honest struggles, but also joys, of the life of Dafu (the autistic son). Presenting a portrait of anyone diagnosed with autism can be a tricky issue, since an individual with that diagnosis will not fit into a box every time of what a person with special needs will look like, but the film did an excellent job and didn't turn Dafu into a caricatured individual.

If you get a chance, see it!

北京

(View from a traditional tea shop in Beijing)

I recently traveled to Beijing for a weekend to visit a good friend of mine.

Highlights of the weekend:

• Seeing my friend of course :-) I have known her since 2007, and haven't seen her since 2008, so it was great to visit!


• Enjoying a bit of cable tv in my hotel room :-) I learned about plastic surgery in China, and caught up on some news.


• Getting lost on our first night searching for a baozi restaurant (and being told by a man who we asked for directions from, "Why do you want to go there? That food isn't good!" As a resident of the province famous for its baozi, I was a little offended)


• Exploring the renovated hutong area in the Dongcheng district that has been turned into an artsy shopping area with S. and her co-worker. We discovered this photography studio: http://pmtphoto.com/ The website doesn't do it justice...I will be returning if I am in Beijing again!


• Discovering that it is a popular hobby to collect matchboxes...I jumped on the bandwagon with this purchase:

(Jay Chou matchbox collectibles! ha)



• Enjoying a tea house/learning about tea ceremonies (I got a passing grade on my tea performance)


• Being treated to a traditional Beijing dinner (that included some elbows, livers, hearts, and stomach)
  
• Meeting my friend's family, and adorable little four-year-old cousins who had learned some English songs and sang them for me (and called me Julie Aiyi, so cute. Aiyi "auntie" is what children or younger people will call an older girl).


• Walking in the park...seeing the sun was SUCH a blessing!


• Being treated to Beijing roasted duck at the best Beijing duck restaurant in town...I have to say, it was DELICIOUS! The duck was the best meat I have ever had (of any sort) and the deep-fried tofu was divine. I was too preoccupied with tasting to take photos, sorry! http://quanjude.com.cn/e_about.html


• Seeing the oldest church in Beijing...the foundation was built in 1605, but the current building was built in 1904 (there were several, the previous one was destroyed in the Boxer Rebellion).


• Being told by one of our hosts, Mr. Lee, "You should become a call girl". It took a few minutes of clarification, laughter on mine and my friend's part, and blank stares before we figured out he meant "cowgirl" because I am from Texas. Side note: I have been mistaken for a Russian prostitute before. Thanks. lol

• Enjoying the Christmas cups at Starbucks! This is one of the official cues that the Christmas season has started...and I happen to like the slogan this year. :-)

Side note: I collect Starbucks coffee mugs...the collection is coming along quite nicely. :-)

While it was a somewhat exhausting visit, it was super sweet to see my friend and to have the opportunity to explore the place she calls home now. :-) I am blessed.

山楂樹之戀 Movie Review

"Under the Hawthorn Tree" is the latest film from famed Chinese director Zhang Yimou. This tells the story of a young girl dealing with the pressures of having capitalist parents during the Cultural Revolution in China, and the boy that falls in love with her.

The film is unabashedly innocent in tone, drawing us back to a different time in China. Like any good Chinese film, and most of Zhang Yimou's work, it ends in a decidely awful, tragic way...but rather than being akin to something like "A Walk to Remember", a film which allowed us to weep with the satisfaction that characters had some sort of closure, the tragic ending of this film leaves us stinging with the regret that the main characters must feel. This is part of the mark of a good Chinese film, so fans of lighter fare take heed before venturing into the realm of Chinese cinema.

Things I Like Thursday

Winter Essentials:

This face mask. I swore I would never wear face masks, but they really do keep your face warm, and this one is breathable so I don't suffocate. Plus, come on, how awesome do I look?-please ignore the fact that I actually look totally worn out. Also, shout out to Erin C....I really love the scarf!!!)

Malatang. It's basically soup where you choose your ingredients...mine are potato balls, tofu noodles, tofu funnels, quail eggs, cabbage, and mushroom.

Winter is not my favorite time of year....but there are definitely things that make it bearable! :-)

Cultural Tidbit

This video is interesting (read the English lyrics) because it reflects the rise in China's confidence (and is fairly accurate to what things are becoming on a global scale). Also, for those sentences that don't make a lot of sense, they are cultural stories/tongue twisters. I could write a whole long intellectual post about this video and the accuracy of China's perceptions of how important it is....but just enjoy the music of S.H.E. :-)

World Expo

So, a little late with the continued Shanghai posts...but, here is one about the 2010 World Expo.

Our World Expo Strategy: Avoid pavilions with a long wait, and thus see more of the world. It worked. We saw a LOT.

(I even got a "passport" to get stamped in different "countries". Cooler than my real one)

Suprise Favorite Pavilion: Uzbekistan. For real. I want to go there now.


Lamest Pavilion: Lebanon. With Iraq coming in at a close second (apparently China did the pavilion for them...thus it was all cheesy Arabian Nights stuff).

Celebrity Encounter: Suprisingly few foreigners were there, thus in the Pakistan pavilion we were noticed and had a conversation with a V.I.P. who apparently was in charge of Pakistan's pavilion...still trying to figure out who he was. He complimented us by noticing that as Texans we didn't have accents. ha.


Pavilions Avoided: Saudi Arabia (all day wait), India, South Korea (also long waits), America (apparently lame...it looked lame). Also, China (you had to have a special pass to go in...lame).


Weirdest Moments: Both Leslie and I were flirted with on a global scale. Have you ever been asked by a Yemeni boy to write your phone number on his arm? Awkward.

(The outside of Iran's Pavilion)

Pavilions I Am Sad I Missed: Israel, Iran

(Guess which country? Venezuela. Definitely interesting to see how people presented politcal systems/issues)

Other Pavilions I Was Excited to See: Mongolia (represent!), Palestine, Libya, North Korea (because when will I be able to visit either Libya or North Korea easily?)

(Palestine)

(North Korea...the truth seemed just a tad bit obscured...shocker)

Worst Part?: How badly my feet hurt. FYI hiking boots would have been a better idea than sandals..but I was too excited to be in clean, fashionable Shanghai.

Before Shanghai hosted the Expo, I can't say that I paid attention to it...China really upped the ante. If you get a chance, definitely check out a World Expo....cultural festival on a massive scale! Seriously, I have realized during my time in China how much diversity truly is a gift, and it was so sweet to be there! I almost cried when I saw Arabs....

Hidden History in Shanghai

During my visit to Shanghai, I definitely saw some of the awesome things you might expect, like the World Expo...but I also had the opportunity to go off-the-beaten-path a little bit...having heard that there was a good bit of Jewish history in Shanghai, I decided to seek it out (one of my good friends from our city is studying in Shanghai, and she got to come along as well).

Shanghai was a refugee haven during (and even before) WWII and there was a significant Jewish population living there...so interesting. We toured the Synagogue that is now a museum in Shanghai..fascinating!

Shanghai in many ways did seem reminiscent of New York City, and the history nerd in me was delighted to find such a diverse offering of cultural memory to be found there!

Vacation

Hey everyone! Back from the blogging hiatus!

Honestly, things have been pretty rough/exhausting the past few weeks, and it was good to get out of town for 8 days. The first few days we were in the Sichuan province for some language training, and then we spent a few days in the ultra-cosmopolitan city of Shanghai, where I got to see one of my very good friends who is living there for grad school.

So, the next few posts will probably be about some of the things encountered/experienced during our travels. Stay tuned!

Also, in both of the cities I visited, Starbucks was readily available...so now....detox time. It may not be pretty. Just like the photo below:

(Me, sans-morning coffee..yep, pretty scary)

A Good Memory

It's been a rough few weeks...I've had my victories, but spent a lot of time being defeated as well.

I think in times like that, memory is essential. Remembering things we've seen, good things God has done, and even happy/funny things.

I went to the English corner I co-lead last week, and was delighted to see a friend that I hadn't seen in 2 years (I didn't know he still lived in the city). We caught up, talked about all of our old friends, and talked about why I came to China. He said, "I think you have a lot of happy memories here." "I do, I love it here." I said. As I said it, I believed it (and believe me, I hadn't been feeling the love that week). And he said, "China loves you!"

I actually really treasured that comment because it made me remember the sweet times God has allowed me to experience here, and the wonderful people I've met. I really needed to feel/remember some love.

It made me think about my 21st birthday. At the time, it wasn't my favorite, but after the fact, I actually really loved that day. I celebrated my 21st birthday here, and it happened to fall on the day that myself and the other American exchange students were scheduled to perform in an English festival. It was a pretty momentous undertaking, and it rained that night. We performed in the pouring rain, and unbeknownst to me, the organizers found out it was my birthday. Amid shouts of "Julie, I LOVE YOU!!!" (think crazy fans at a rock concert), the whole group of gathered students (hundreds) sang Happy Birthday to me.

(Performing...this doesn't really show the scope of the amazzzing performance. haha)

At the time, I was mortified. Looking back, it was awesome. People were so welcoming to me.

Sometimes it feels different now, being a resident rather than a guest. I am treated more as a resident, which is satisfying in some ways, and in other ways, lonely. Because I may live here, but I don't fit in yet. I am so grateful for the opportunity to love people I meet well, but I am also grateful for those sweet people God brings into my life that love me well.

Glory

It was a hard week. But Saturday brought some sweet refreshment to my soul. We went and climbed a mountain outside of the city limits. Rode our bicycles out to the village, and then hiked. It was incredible to have a view of our city from the high mountain, and to be reminded of the glory of God reflected in creation. We saw sheep running along the mountain crests, explored a cave (which had a pirate symbol painted on it...but no treasure to be found), and got to see some traditional Chinese opera performed in the village theater. A great day.

And, for the history nerd in me, it was pretty sweet to see the remains of the Great Wall that lay just at the base of the mountain range (there isn't really anything there but earth mound now), and the old village, which was built around 1725 and hasn't really been restored since. It's crazy what a little exploration will bring you.

Orientation

We had our semester orientation today (despite already having school for one week). Points of interest from the Dean of the college, who gave our orientation lecture (he speaks English very well, and they stuck Americans, a Canadian, Finnish people, and a guy from Ghana in the orientation):

-Our professor asked us if the custom with Western names (given name then family name) was part of asserting our individualism. In the east, they go by the family name, then given name. I had never thought of it in those terms to be honest...I am fairly certain this practice evolved as a result of calling people "so-and-so the (profession)". But there probably is some truth to what he pointed out. Interesting.

-Smoking is very unladylike. Men may smoke here, but you will rarely see women smoking. He counseled us not to drink alcohol, smoke, or go out late at night. Or walk/ride a bike without being careful...I have definitely picked up on that one, but I have also gotten more daring since being here...you have to be to ever get to cross the street. :-)

-Do not get angry when people cannot guess your nationality. At this point, Mr. Ren looked at Leslie and I and said "You look Russian." We have been getting that a lot lately...Leslie more than me, but when I am with her, I definitely get it (I have also gotten that I look British, French, or like I am from an eastern province here with Turkic-looking people).

-We must tell the school anytime we travel, as they are responsible for our safety. Yes, feels like babysitting, but foreigners are very closely monitored here.

So there you go...advice from our school. There was also some of Chinese history/his personal opinions on the current state of China thrown in. But, it was pretty humbling to have someone so well-educated and accomplished as our advocate here in the city. :-)

Our Concert Experience

Well, Sunday was the long-awaited "Jay Chou" concert experience....as it turned out...it was not a Jay Chou concert (aka not one of his official tour stops)...the concert organizers just hired him to appear with some other performers. As our city is pretty ghetto compared to bigger cities (or Taipei), it was not really that fabulous of a concert...he was great, but only performed 3 songs at the end and was only there for like 30 minutes total...thus we did not get to meet him.



While you may think we would be SO disappointed, I am determined not to lose face on my goal...thus myself and another friend are considering trying to go to one of his real concerts.

Aside from the bummer of not meeting him, it actually was a fun experience....here is the story of the weekend....

The night before the concert, I bicycled out to the venue, and found what looked like the door that would most likely be used by crew/v.i.p.s.....then snuck inside to view the progress. At this point, I got a clue that perhaps the concert wouldn't be like his other tour stops, because they hadn't even finished assembling the stage:

The next day, the day of the concert, after lunch Leslie and I bicycled out to check again to see if sound check was happening yet...nope. All the workers were asleep on the sidewalk outside. Hm. 6 hours to go and still not all the way set up. We headed home to take a nap and prepare ourselves to look like this:

So, at 4:15 we showed up. (Rookie mistake: in China you should show up late to see the good stuff, not early). We hung around, watched the student volunteers get ready, got hit on by a man with a V.I.P. necktag (who I briefly considered humoring, then decided against it...yay good judgement), and were mistaken for Russians. We also attracted attention of our own as people used their concert binoculars to stare at us from afar.

Eventually we decided to lurk outside the V.I.P. entrance like creepers...we did in fact see a famous singer, but at the time we didn't know who she was....we also watched the backup dancers go in. Finally, a security guy who had been laughing at us asked what we were doing, and when we asked him about Jay Chou, he said he was still at the hotel, but that he would come in this entrance. We determined to wait.

Finally, another volunteer came up and told us we should go inside, that Jay wouldn't perform until past 10 and wouldn't come until right before. He also told us we weren't allowed to lurk, and that we could take pictures after the concert....

The concert was good...we figured out it was organized by the local province, because with each performer they would come onstage and give them a gift/performance of something distinctive to our province. FINALLY, Jay came out and performed 3 songs. He was great, and even used numbchucks in one performance, haha. Alas, it was short and as soon as he got off stage they drove him off....

We went to the stage area to explore though...this was when the same student volunteer (we later nicknamed him our nemesis) told us Jay was in a car right near us...we hurriedly unfurled the giant sign we had made, complete with musical notes and hearts, and the words "周杰伦， 我们爱你！美国也爱你” (Jay Chou, we love you! America also loves you!). We then discovered that Jay was NOT here, but at that point countless cell phone pictures were being snapped of us and our sign, so we posed compliantly before exporing the stage (and there encountering more students who wanted to take photos with us). And so it was that we took more photos for fans that night than any of the other performers. Score.

If you are interested, Jay will be coming to the U.S. (Las Vegas and San Francisco) in December.

Jay, you will not escape us...next stop, official concert!

Film Review-Mao's Last Dancer

Thanks to the wonders of the bootleg DVD, I recently watched "Mao's Last Dancer". It's a film about the life of Li Cunxin, a ballet dancer from a small village in China who comes to America to dance in Houston.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of the film for me (aside from the typical education that comes from highlighting cultural differences and someone's assimilation to a new culture) was the portion of the story that showed him growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China, and the affect that this had on dance as an art form in China. Particularly touching is the depiction of Li's dance school headmaster and his subtle rebellion against the communist regime, and the way in which events play out.

The dancing is also beautiful, and so both as a dance film and a cultural/historical piece this film is captivating. I highly recommend seeing it! (It may be a little harder to find a showing in the States, but if you get the opportunity, jump on it!) I really want to read the book as well.

Cultural Mindsets

One of the obstacles to overcome in relating to people here is the idea of the Eastern vs. Western mind. I would say that there is a lot of truth to the fact that there are differences to be aware of and seek to assimilate to, but, as I was discussing with a friend last week, oftentimes it is frustrating to have people brush you off or think that a conversation has irreconcilable differences that are impossible to overcome because of this.


Even my aversion to this, however, suggests my western mindset. We are encouraged to "think outside the box". This is typically discouraged in the typical Eastern-functioning community. I often separate cultural expectations from an actual method of thinking...but many people here do not.


Some of the differences:


-Family. To use an example you will probably tire of hearing of....I was watching a CNN Asia reporter interview Taiwanese star Jay Chou. She asked him why he still lived with his mother at the age of 29. He explained that he would take care of her, and intended to always live with her, even after he married. The reporter laughed in his face and said, "You're joking." He just looked at her and explained that it was a difference between Western and Chinese culture...that Westerners were eager to assert their independence, while Chinese children have a deep understanding of the duty they have to their parents to care for them. This is very true. While young people may rebel inwardly (and very rarely, by questioning) it is very rare to see cases of outright rebellion against one's authority figures. One's family as an example of one's community, hold a very important place in life.


-Schooling. A lot of the mindset in schooling is indicative of ideas that carry over into every realm of life. Schooling, and even thinking, are very much based on knowledge and memorization, not so much on an ability to process and interpret information. Sometimes this makes conversations difficult for us, because we are trying to get the person to realize what implication certain knowledge has on them, but it is difficult for them to move past the mere surface knowledge. They are incredibly intelligent, but it is a lot like asking some people to shatter a window that they have been used to viewing life through.

-Guilt. With all this knowledge of duty, community-oriented society, and the pressure placed on students, the average person carries around a lot of guilt. This is where part of the concept of "saving face" comes in. Face may be all that a person has to hold on to to grant them pride, thus to cause someone to lose face is a very serious thing to do. Hence, you will find here that even thieves are often not called out on their actions.

These are all things we keep in mind, and must learn to adjust to in understanding people we are interacting with....it also takes a lot of wisdom to move someone towards truth without disrespecting their cultural context or values (many of which are very good, and things that the West could indeed learn from).

The Phenomenon of Celebrity

I wrote this for my personal blog, and decided to share it here:

Last week I went to dinner with another American friend. We went to a more off-the-beaten path location in our city to pr and walk, and we ate dinner at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant. Some girls at the table across from us whispered and pointed, and when we looked up and made eye contact, they let out shrieking giggles and hid their faces as their eyes darted back to ours.

Being a "waiguoren" (foreigner), and the interactions created by my alien appearance, are daily experiences. On a good day, they are humorous (if a bit awkward), and on a bad day they make you want to shrink into your own skin. Being labeled isn't something anyone enjoys, and being labeled with something as non-specific as a term which merely points out that you don't belong here is definitely hard sometimes. After all, Leslie and I are fond of reminding people, we are human beings, not aliens or circus performers.

It's weird to say, but being in a location where most people have never seen someone who isn't Ch1nese has definitely made me identify somewhat (on a much more minor scale) with the celebrity experience. Don't get me wrong, we aren't celebrities. We haven't done anything to merit attention. We also don't get preferential treatment in most situations (although there have been some situations where I have). In most of my friendships, I have to earn trust and respect as I would with any friend. I'm grateful for friendships that have bridged cultural gaps and are authentic. I am also grateful that Father uses the draw of my white skin to allow me to form truth-filled friendships that move beyond curiosity. So, for now, it's a humbling opportunity to remember why I'm here, surrender irritations, and take the opportunities to reach out to friendly people.

And let's face it, opportunities to meet elderly men who haven't met an American since they killed them in the war....or working your white skin to meet a local pop star, are great experiences. :-)

Occasionally I break out my big sunglasses and a hat. It doesn't work, but it makes me feel invisible, which as an observant introvert, I need sometimes....

Do I blend in?

Life As An International Student

One of my favorite things about my time as an undergrad student at A&M was the opportunity to form relationships with students from all over the world...I absolutely loved it! I consider it valuable to have the same experience in the reverse role.


This week I had an experience that definitely made me feel completely out of my element though...a health examination at a Ch1nese clinic. In order to enroll in the foreign students language program at our university it's a requirement....so, for the equivalent of about $40 USD you get a VERY thorough (by appearances anyway) health examination. Perhaps it was an interesting peek into the future of my homeland in view of socialized medicine.


Anyhow. The part I was most dreading was the blood tests....even in the U.S. I get really sick when they take blood...I have low blood pressure/pulse rate...so it's always a fairly miserable experience.

So, after being weighed/getting blood pressure, and an eye exam which consisted of me looking at a picture and telling what animal it was (ha), I got a bunch of stamps on my health clearance form saying a bunch of things they didn't check were approved (hmmm), and then we went into a room that was set up like a bank teller's...people were lined up and just sticking their arms through a window and getting stuck. Thankfully, our good friend came with us to help translate/take care of us, so she was able to arrange for us to lay down to get poked.
The nice thing about it was that (although I am definitely not impressed by the cleanliness of the whole situation) they didn't draw very much blood. However, perhaps due to no air conditioning, I got really sick shortly after and turned sheet white. "What did I do to her?" the nurse asked. The fun part of this is that there is no privacy, so there were ten people just staring at me while I laid on the table with shallow breathing. At this point my friend was like, "Maybe you should just eat something and we can do the rest of the tests later.", but I was determined to put the experience behind me.

So, after impressing the local people with my toughness (not) I did the urine sample, got an ultrasound (during which the woman jabbed it around so hard under my ribs that I was bruised), got an ECG (which showed that my heart doesn't beat enough), and got chest xrays. Yep, the whole nine yards. Let's just say, while the convenience of getting all those tests done in the span of a few hours is indeed...interesting....it's not an experience that I hope to repeat again soon.

I am, however, looking forward to starting class next week and getting a feel for what the schedule will be like. We met some of our classmates, who are from Mongolia, Korea and even Russia. I'm definitely thankful for the opportunity for language acquisition, although we have heard our program is intense. More language adventures to share will come soon I expect...

Muslim District

音乐

You can really tell you are immersed in a culture when you start loving/appreciating the music more. So, if you are looking to expand your musical horizons with some fun Chinese or Mongolian tunes, here are my suggestions from a list of songs I am enjoying a lot recently.

My favorite artists:

哈琳 (Halin) A singer from our province, she and I share the same Mongolian name and she has a cd of beautiful Mongolian music that I love!

Here is a video of her duet, “吻你”(Kiss You).



No suprise, of course, is Jay Chou. He is the Asian Michael Jackson. Hailing from Taiwan, he's released countless songs, and composes the music himself...he's pretty legit. Leslie and I are going to his concert in a few weeks, and we are pretty pumped (and also intending to play the foreigner card as much as possible for the chance at a seat upgrade/meeting with him...haha). FYI: Some of his videos are a little sketchy....











There are a lot more options, but those are some of the current faves.

We are also very much enjoying the Chinese version of the World Cup Theme Song by K'naan.


A group of Mongolians also made a version combining the best languages (heh) and it is pretty great. :-)


So there you go, a few suggestions of fun songs to brighten your day/life. :-)

Chinglish

While it is really impossible to top my previous post in terms of humor, a little something we like to call Chinglish is definitely one of the sweet providers of laughter in life here.

A Romance on the Plains with Michael Jackson

I bet you are wondering about the title of this post, eh? Well, it's a long story, but a good one.

I have recently returned from an eventful trip to the grasslands to see the Nadaam festival (think Mongolian Olympics), courtesy of a very generous, sweet friend.

It started with my 2nd ever train ride. We took an overnight ride from our city to the city we visited. We had bunks so we slept on the train. There is something to adventurous about a train ride anywhere...definitely lends to the feel of this trip...the feel of stepping back in time to the days of the Wild West (but in a different cultural context).

We arrived Wednesday morning, and were met at the train station by a young man dressed in jeans, a versace belt, plaid shirt, pointy cowboy boot-esque shoes, and aviators. Too cool for school was our first impression. We later nicknamed him Michael Jackson because he bore a resemblance to the pop start pre-ridiculous amounts of plastic surgery.

We then were met by what appeared to be his crew, who had brought several land rovers. We then proceed to drive for many miles into literally the middle of nowhere. At this point we are all praying to survive, because it seems that our driver is intent upon driving 90mph across the rough terrain.

We survive. Climb out of the car and are immediately handed traditional clothing to wear, and escorted to horses led by young men. This starts the typical scene of photographers flocking like paparazzi to stalk the foreigners, and then much shouting on the part of the young men in Mongolian, Mandarin, and a few words of English if they know any.

(one of our friends and I)

Michael Jackson has dressed in a very authentic cowboy outfit and is riding a gorgeous horse. He begins asking us how old we are, then continues by telling us how beautiful we are, etc. He rides alongside me and a friend translated that he is telling me I am "the most beautiful girl he's ever seen, and that he wishes he could talk to me, but he doesn't know any English". Oh boy.

After an amusing ride in which we attempt to convince our escorts that we can, in fact, handle some galloping, and that the horses in America are in fact much bigger than these horses, we finally come to a halt, unsuccessful in our attempts to negotiate a more exciting ride.

Then Michael Jackson rides over, gets off of his horse, and motions for me to get on it. "Yesss, I finally get to ride a good horse." I think to myself. Naive. As I am climbing into the saddle, MJ grabs my butt. As I am in a precarious position, I can't do anything, but our friend yells at him to "stop pulling tricks". I then sit in the saddle. He motions for me to take my feet out of the stirrups and let my legs dangle over the horse's neck. "Oh no.." I realize what is happening. MJ swings into the saddle behind me, grabs me across the chest, and kicks the horse into a gallop.

I will interject here that while this might have been a Hollywood type moment, galloping across the plains on a gorgeous horse with a handsome (if forward) boy's arms around me, it was not that kind of moment at all. Mongolian saddles are small, and the crest of the saddle dug into my thigh, bruising me every time the horse took a stride. OUCH. I yell at MJ that I am NOT scared, but that my leg hurts, but he thinks I am just being frightened and laughs at me.

Finally, he turns the horse around and we stop back at the group. As I am rejoicing at having survived the experience, he throws an arm around me again, leans around and gives me a huge smooch right on the lips. Which, of course, is photographed by the fifteen photographers standing around. Aiya.

(immediate aftermath of the kissing...not a flattering photo of me. MJ on the left)

Later, as we are hanging out in the yurt (Mongolian house), our host yells at MJ and won't let him sit by us. He protests, and our host whacks him. We laugh. A photographer comes in, and then scoots close to me, and shows me a photo. Yep, there in vivid imagery is what appears to be me making out with a Mongolian boy. "Do you want to buy a copy?" The photographer asks. "NO."

Our host later is mortified, and makes the photographer delete his copy, but I have no doubt that another rendition is no doubt gracing the front page of the local news...ahhh the adventures of a whitey. I love Mongolians, but had never quite encountered just how bold they can be.

(hanging out in a yurt)

Apparently on the way to dinner MJ got a talking-to, because for the rest of the evening he was the picture of perfect manners, even donning a shirt (the boys usually go shirtless) and not making eye contact with me.

We returned that evening on the sleeper bus (a great invention which I'd never seen before) with many great memories, that is for sure.

Culture Days

Ah, prepare to encounter the true heart of a person abroad on what we refer to as a "culture day". This basically means a day when the culture is especially hard to deal with. To be honest, I pride myself on being an adaptable, easy-going, culturally moldable individual, but I recently experienced a whole new array of frustrated emotions....





Long day.


Sick.


Headed out to dinner with a friend I met riding the public bus. Was really looking forward to it. She came to the wrong place. I attempted to explain where, in fact, we were supposed to meet. Due to communication difficulties, we had to reschedule dinner. Frustrated, I decide to grab a taxi and head over to a coffee shop with wireless internet.


Taxi driver takes me to the wrong one. I realize this after I have gotten out of the taxi.


Grab another taxi. While waiting in traffic, driver next to us stares at me, open-mouthed, for 10 minutes. The novelty of people staring and pointing, whispering "foreigner" everywhere you go, has definitely worn off, and I clench my jaw, close to tears.





Arrive at internet cafe. Realize I forgot an adapter to plug in, and laptop dies. Not before I read a sweet update from my mom about my puppy, which, on an ordinary day would make me smile, and today makes me cry. I pout and pray. "Why am I here? I want to be home with my family and my puppy. And I'm tired of my feet being DIRTY"





Read some of Paul's letter to the Colossians. It makes me pout more because my heart is far from where Paul's is as he rejoices in his sufferings. I haven't eaven suffered really. But I still pout.


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I have a good conversation with friends about a topic I love and the reason I'm here.


I hear some Arabic music in the street (I love Arab music) and run into a random Algerian (that doesn't really happen here).


I eat some dinner.


I remember why I'm here.


I put one foot in front of the other again


I laugh with my roomie as we try to get both of us back to our hotel on one bike.


On the way home we run into one of my students in a city of 2.5 million.


A man whose dog we stop to pet asks us where we're from, then loudly proclaims that Americans are the best people in the world. We awkwardly stammer thank you (how do you respond to that?) and get a laugh out of it.


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I have learned on days that I want to scream because there are no traffic laws whatsoever, on days when no one speaks MY language and I am consequently frustrated, that my emotions are not to be relied on. A faithful Father, and finding the humor in life, makes all the difference.

Humor, for instance, in the form of noticing that all the trees here have IVs hooked up to them because it's so dry. :-)

Sights I am looking forward to seeing...

I wanted to share a few photos of faces/sights that I am looking forward to seeing in the city. While transitions are often hard, blessings abound in the new things He is doing as well! Here are a few of the simple things in the city that He gives me joy through:

The Muslim district. I am looking forward to stalking people here (ha). Shown here are people at a mosque slaughtering sheep for an Islamic festival.

Conversations in broken language with the friendly locals. This conversation occured in a park, of which there are many in the city (though perhaps not as green as I am used to seeing!). They are great places to meet people!

Yummy cuisine. My favorite is a Korean import....Korean barbecue. Relatively healthy, and wonderfully seasoned! I don't even like meat that much, but this converts me!

Sweet friendships. I am blessed to be able to reconnect with old friends, and I am eagerly anticipating new ones that are awaiting!

Friends, I hope that in whatever season you are in, be it of transition, waiting, or joy that you find sustainment in Him. He holds all things together, He blesses with every good and perfect thing, and they are not to be found apart from Him. These are things I am speaking to myself, and I hope they are truths that you are clinging to!

A Pre-Departure Update

Hey everyone!

Leslie and I are leaving in 12 days, which is crazy, but I am getting more excited in spite of many little logistical things that need to get done.

We will be spending some time at orientation in a different city upon our arrival, before heading on to our final destination.

We also recently found out that we will have the opportunity to help teach at an English camp for university students almost immediately when we arrive, which is an exciting opportunity for us to meet some friends!

Thanks for remembering us!

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!

My hope is that for people who want a little more than a monthly email update, you can keep up with me and my adventures in E.A. here.

I will be overseas as a language student for a year, and I look forward to being a part of what Father is doing in the city I will be living in.

I will be leaving July 3, and would covet your thoughts and prayers as I prepare for my time overseas. Thanks for keeping up with me!