Follow the Leader (听从领队)

Commence overdue post about recent China adventures.

Three weeks ago, a whole buncha American teachers based in Shanghai, Beijing, Wuhan, Hangzhou, and Shaoxing descended upon Yinchuan. We hung out in my city for a day or two and then continued on to Shapotou, where some much anticipated camel-riding in the desert took place. This is an annual trip, and it always happens the first week of October, during the National Day Golden Week (aka holidaaay!). Yinchuan is the closest to the desert (well, it's sort of in the desert already), so everybody always makes their way here to group up, first, and then they all get on a bus and head into the desert together -- a 4 hour ride south west.

The trip was awesome before I even left for it. While I am the farthest away from any of my fellow teachers, I had the luxury of not having to take a 15+ hour train ride to get here. My fifteen compatriots arrived in Yinchuan at different times on different days, so those who had already arrived had time to kill. I am still far from an expert tour guide of this city, but it was pretty neat having visitors here and showing them the new stomping grounds. 

Seven girls ended up staying in my apartment. Only one ever slept on the floor. Much four star, very comfort. Wow.

We left on a Tuesday and most of the group arrived on Sunday, so we spent that Monday exploring. Honestly, our sans-plan meandering was one of the biggest highlights for me. We saw some of my favorite street vendors, I showed the gals where I work, and we ended up meeting the other half of the group at Zhongshan Park for frisbee in the afternoon. The frisbee was fun, but the real entertainment happened when all we were doing was sitting on benches and waiting for a few latecomers to arrive. As I've stated previously, many people see my dark hair and think that I am part Chinese -- or at least not completely foreign. Some stare at me, but seem not to give me much thought. Throw in 7 or so other foreigners with blonde or light brown hair into the mix, however, and there was definitely more attention.

MUCH more attention.

I knew this park had a zoo, but by golly, I never thought I’d ever be one of the exhibits. 

I actually think this picture is really cute.

So much shade.

Anyway. As mentioned above, we eventually played some frisbee, and then we found a stadium in which to play some football. It was a lot of fun and actually got pretty intense for touch football. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but my heart was happy after being surrounded by friends all day long. 

Thus brings us to Tuesday morning, when we left for our desert camping adventure. On our 4-hour bus ride we saw a couple touristy areas — lavender fields and sand hills and decorative arches, oh my! — as well as arguably the crudest toilets in Ningxia. We finally did get to the desert, though, and it was pretty cool. Some of the group played frisbee in the sand upon arrival, and others decided to take a walk across the dunes. I was part of the latter group. Please note that I felt no regrets in my decision to break from the frisbee tradition as it enabled me to sing and dance to songs from The Lion King while standing atop the highest sand dune in the area. It was a very special couple of moments, I assure you.

Tuesday night we had dinner, and then we went to Inner Mongolia’s version of Medieval Times. It was fun and weird and unforgettable.

Waiting for the black and white knight.

Following the show, a bunch of us drank beer and played Catchphrase at the local “saloon.” Soon after, half of us went to bed while the other half walked across a few dunes and found a spot on which to lie down and stare up at the stars. We were quiet for some time, each of us lost in thought and awe-struck wonder. It was an incredible moment. Before long we had a pπayer circle. I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced a more perfect moment in its simplicity. To be so exposed to G0d's creation, all at once humbled by the sheer size and depth of his masterpiece and desperate to soak up every ounce of its awe-inspiring grandeur. It was a beautiful, beautiful hour.

Thanks for capturing this awesome shot, Heidi!

Fun fact: that Tuesday was, in fact, my birthday. I neglected to tell anyone on my trip up until the pπayer circle because I didn't want to be that girl making a big deal out of her birthday. It made me feel a little off at times (especially when I kept forgetting it was my own birthday), but it was strangely peaceful and humbling, knowing this lovely thing was going on around me and I had good company and I could just enjoy it as is. My day had already been pretty spectacular.

Wednesday came and so did the camels. That morning we took a trolley, of sorts, to an area of the desert where we were to begin our camel excursion. Camels are HUGE. They are very tall and have very round bellies. It is a slightly nerve-wracking and hilarious moment, when your seated camel stands up with you on its back. Suddenly you are five feet taller, and at the mercy of a desert creature, no less! Luckily all these animals really do is follow each other and expel gas (among other things), so any nerves you feel are generally those of excitement and surprise.

We rode on the camels for four long hours. Any longer and I’m not sure our butts or thighs would have forgiven us. But it was most certainly an incredible experience. 

Kyle the Camel

After riding the camels, we wandered over to an area of the “entertainment zone” of the desert that offered a scenic view of the Yellow River with mountains in the background. There was plenty to do in that area: one could zip line, bungie jump, sled down a giant sand dune, or duck into a few of the shops for some souvenirs. Some of the gang and I decided to zip line across the river while two of the guys bungie jumped. When in China… ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

For dinner that night we ate an entire smoked lamb (WHOA), a traditional delicacy of Inner Mongolia and Ningxia. It was quite delicious. I also tried lamb brain that night. Definitely not bad. (Alex, I think you would like it — it reminds me of pâté!) Once we were full and satisfied with dinner, we retreated back to our tent area. For the rest of the night we lit Chinese Paper Lanterns, drank terrible Chinese liquor, and played Mafia. Having not slept very well the previous week, I was definitely hoping it was me every time the narrator of our game announced a new murder victim. ...Pretty sure this is the only time I've ever been able to say that. (Not to mention the only time I've ever publicly wondered, "But why did the medic have to save me?")

Yellow River lookout point. Genghis Khan chilling on the right.

The next morning we got up, organized our belongings, took one last walk to the scenic outlook, then bounded back onto the buses for our four hour ride "home." Upon arriving back in Yinchuan, we showered up, did some laundry, and went out for one last group dinner. Everyone had left by the next day. I was sad to see my friends go, but felt spiritually and mentally rejuvenated by their visit. The good feels during and following our time together just means I need to take some time to travel to other F0C cities, I think...!

It was a great trip. The first of many great trips during my time in China, I'm sure. I'm so thankful for the experiences I enjoyed with my friends, though, and for the important reminders they provided me.

One thing that stood out to me in particular during the trip was how the camels moved; or, rather, how they followed each other. I couldn’t help noticing that, even when the terrain changed, the camels never looked at their feet. I’m sure there’s some physiological explanation for it (not to mention the fact that they were all connected by reins tied to their faces), but our camels didn’t seem to watch where they stepped. They never looked down, opting only to look ahead and follow their leader without fear. The imagery of this really resonated with me. How admirable is it that these creatures continue onward, placing their trust and faith in the one leading them (even when their riders are afraid)? Sure, there was the occasional steep sand dune that challenged the elegance of their steps, but the camels never hesitated and never stopped. If their footing was ill-placed, they simply corrected themselves based both on how the leader was walking and on how the leader was leading them. Because they trusted in the one that had gone before them, their own steps were sure and confident. 

Is this not unlike the way we should follow our Sav¡or? He has walked this earth, he has sacrificed his life for ours, and he has gone ahead to prepare a home for us in Heaven. The B¡ble tells us so. We need only have faith and trust in his love and the journey he has taken before us, for us -- then and only then will our steps be sure and confident, because we know our path will lead us to Him.

"For we live by faith, not by sight." (2 Cor 5:7)

Like I said, man. It was an awesome trip.

••

Mandarin Word of the Day: follow (me)
Chinese characters: 跟我来 (跟 = with, to follow; 我 = me; 来 = to come)
Pinyin pronunciation: gēn wǒ lái

Life in the Classroom (生命课堂)

About time I showed up around here again, right? It's pretty amazing how quickly my weeks get filled up over here in Yinchuan. It's a catch-22: I have more to write about, but less time to do the writing! C'est la vie. I have a pretty good excuse for this last week, though -- I traveled to Shapotou, about three hours southwest of Yinchuan, to camp out in the desert and ride camels with other American teacher friends! I'll write all about that in my next post, but for now I would love to tell you all about how my teaching is going.

As many of you know, I earned my Teaching English as a Foreign Language certification last year, but I have never formally taught before. Sure, over the years I've tutored, led the occasional Sunday School lesson, trained employees, babysat -- but I've never had a formal teaching gig. This is, of course, because I've never really wanted to be a teacher, despite being told on many occasions that I would be a great teacher. *Shrugs* Maybe I'll fall in love with it, maybe I won't. Who knows what will happen; I haven't been here that long yet! What I do know, though, is that I will continue to take this job very seriously -- whether or not I reach Professor Dumbledore or Miss Honey or Mr. Fee(hee-hee-hee)ny status! I must remember that, just as my transition to Chinese life and culture will take time, so too will my transition to teacher-dom take time and patience. Not just with the kids, but with myself. Above all, I am thankful that I have this position in the first place, for it is this teaching of children in the classroom which allows me to instruct others in Chrstian d0ctrine outside of the classroom. 

My classroom.

My first (Satur)day of teaching by myself was three weeks ago. My first class was in teaching English to some five to seven 2nd and 3rd-graders. The class was not terrible...but it was far from great. I was nervous because I've never taught children before, and doubly nervous because the parents of some of the "trial kids" were sitting in on the class to check me out and see just how worthwhile it would be to enroll their kids in my class. No pressure, right? Oy!

At the end of my first class, my translator, Jack, instructed me not to smile so much. "It makes you seem unprofessional," he told me. I was dumbstruck. I had previously heard that smiling in the classroom is not a good idea for the beginning of the year, but that, I'm told, is because you want the kids to see that you are serious, and because you want to set an expectation for discipline in the classroom. Later on, you can smile -- you would just want to set the proper expectations for classroom behavior in the beginning of the year. In my case, however, Jack was trying to explain that my smiling made me seem nervous, inexperienced, and unprofessional, which would put off the parents from wanting to enroll their kids in the school. "I mean, I am nervous and inexperienced," I thought. "This is literally my first day! But sheesh, how can I not smile? This is the complete opposite of how I thought a new teacher should make a first impression!" It was perplexing at first, but when my second class (teaching the same material to more 2nd and 3rd graders) started twenty minutes after the first, I found that barely smiling led me to behave more seriously and confidently. Incidentally, the second class ended up going much better than the first. I have since allowed myself to smile a little more, but I am learning to balance my friendliness with solemness to keep the kids under control. 

My second day of teaching was a week later, on Friday. See, the timing of my arrival in Yinchuan was rather fortuitous. I basically arrived in the middle of a bunch of on-and-off holiday time. So, while my normal work schedule is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (yep, only three days!), I did not work a full "week" until a few weeks after I arrived. Anywho, on that Friday I had my first one-on-one class with a 12-year-old student named Zhu Kai. I decided to give him Jacob as an English name. He was extremely shy and quiet that first session, but I still got him to read through a children's book -- some book about a lazy turtle (pshh, lazy turtle). I quickly realized that his reading level is extremely low, and that he needs a lot of help with his speaking and hearing, too. This first class left me nervous for how difficult it would be to help his reading and speaking when we can hardly understand each other, but since then, he has become more comfortable and more eager to speak English with me, even if that means stumbling through his words. Patience and encouragement are key!

Zhu Kai, aka Jacob. He likes football, computer games, and exploring. He's a great kid!

Friday night I had another regular class of teaching 2nd and 3rd graders, but they are at a higher level. There are definitely a coupla troublemakers in this class! I think it's hilarious (and occasionally frustrating for me, as I am trying to maintain order in the classroom) that the most easily distracted, most frequently interrupting, and most mischievous kid in class is also the most advanced English speaker in the class. (Yes, I'm talking about you, Susu. Now put down that sandwich -- wait, where did you get that sandwich from in the middle of class?! -- and stop going so far ahead in the workbook!)

After Friday I had my second Saturday of teaching, which went even better than the first Saturday of teaching (and included a third class, Storytime with preschoolers!), and then I had my first Sunday of teaching. I started that day by going to wrship, then taught an English Literature class to high schoolers, and then taught another regular class to 2nd and 3rd graders. I really love my English Literature class. The students are older and have a better grasp of English, and they are old enough to have opinions and want to share them. Right now we are reading through Charlotte's Web. It's an old one and gets a little tedious sometimes, but I'm having fun with it. Occasionally I really have to poke and prod at my students to get them to comment on something, but all in all, it's a great class.

In summary: I have two classes on Friday (with a staff meeting inbetween), three classes on Saturday, and two classes on Sunday. Not too shabby! It doesn't seem like much, but it definitely keeps me busy as I must also take the time to plan my lessons before classes come around. And, since my first couple of weeks, I have started to fill in my schedule with B¡ble studies and English Corners. 

Huh. You know what I just realized? As of two days ago, I have been here a month. Go me! I know more Chinese than ever (not a hard feat to accomplish when you are starting from literally nothing) and can take the bus by myself. I'm a big kid now! And what's really great is that I think I am fiiiinally beginning to develop a routine here. It feels good. Real good. :)

Some final notes/observations:
- The power of assigning English names to children is both amusing and exhilarating. I named a kid Gordon the other day. Because he looks like a Gordon. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- I work in a training school, so kids come to me AFTER they've had an entire week of regular/primary school. Woof.
- All it takes is one Chinese student looking at you with confusion and astonishment after telling her in Chinese that you do not speak Chinese to make you feel like a complete moron. (Wait, which one of us is the teacher again?)
- It initially seemed really weird to me that I would have a translator who speaks Chinese to students in order to explain what I'm saying in English; it just seemed really counterproductive, especially after what I had learned from experience in my TEFL certification class. But I dunno, it works.
- I might be teaching these children English, but they are also teaching me bits and pieces of Chinese. Thanks to class time, I'm becoming more familiar with reaction words and basic questions/phrases in Chinese like "what's it mean?" and "I don't understand" and "I need to go to the bathroom." Ha.
- Chinese kids are really, really, reeeeeeeally cute. Combine that with their smug and proud looks of accomplishment after correctly answering a question, plus the knowledge that I am positively impacting their lives and helping to create more options for their future educations and careers? Yeah, this teaching thing ain't so bad.

**

Mandarin Word of the Day: teacher
Chinese characters: 老师 (老 = old, experienced, wise; 师 = to teach, teacher, model)
Pinyin pronunciation: lăoshī

Observations (观测), Part 2

Hey, gang! 

I can't believe I am already in my third week here in China! In catching up with friends and family back in the States, it seems crazy to be able to use the phrase "a few weeks ago..." -- time sure has flown!

Since my last entry, many things have happened -- things that have not only kept me busy, but also things that have given me much inspiration to write! I have been wanting to write a new post, but there are so many different things to write about, I'm not sure where to start. I've therefore decided to begin simply with a part 2 to my first post of Observations from last week. Ready? Let's go!

15. Mandarin/Communication. After just three weeks of barely studying the language, I am now fluent! Wow! Everyone understands me all the time! .....Just kidding. (Again, I'm hilarious.) I do know some helpful phrases now, though. I can tell taxi drivers where to drop me off when I am going home; I am starting to get a grasp on numbers, which is helpful when paying for things; I am slowly memorizing more vital phrases for the day-to-day; and I'm really good at telling people "Ting bu dong," which means "I hear, but don't understand." (I should probably just make that my Chinese name.) The thing is, though, as well as I say some of these phrases, most Chinese people see my foreigner face and automatically assume they will understand nothing I say. So, even if I state my community name to a taxi driver in perfect Mandarin or request to buy three apples without a bag from a vendor, many Chinese will still look at me like I'm an idiot. (The jury is still out on that one.)
16. Curiosity about foreigners. I mentioned in my last post that people stare, but my understanding of why they stare has evolved a bit in the last week. Sure, some will stare because I stick out like a sore thumb and clearly do not belong here. Others, however, will stare at me not so much because I look odd but because they are trying to figure me out. I've met a couple new Chinese friends in the past week who ask me right away where I am from and where my parents are from. They seem very interested in knowing what I am. In fact, many people are fascinated by my being half Mexican. (Fun fact: to be a "mix" makes you really cool, at least among the people I have met.) One friend, Lincoln, thought that I might be part Chinese because of my dark hair. "Well...no."
17. Ethnicity/Background. When I told Lincoln that my mother is Mexican and my father is German among other things, he asked where my parents are from. Upon that my mother was born in Mexico and that my father was born in Illinois, Lincoln became confused. "But he is German?" It took a few minutes for me to explain that my father's family is German (again, making a generalization for simplicity's sake) but that we have lived in the United States for many years. It seems to be an odd concept to many Chinese people, to be one ethnicity but live in a place different from your ethnic homeland. 
18. Individuality. Although the younger generation is starting to deviate from this convention, many Chinese people don't like it, and they don't want it. Most want to be the same, and it is strange and distasteful if you strive to be different. (Baby, I was born different. ^_^ ) I'm thinking this has a little bit to do with a certain way the country is g0verned...
19. Rain. Yinchuanren have such an aversion to going out into the rain that you'd think they were afraid of it. 
20. Meals. You know the grandma characters in family sitcoms or movies who always ask and say "Are you eating enough? You barely ate anything! Here, let me make you a sandwich," when they see a younger relative/person? Yinchuan is FULL of 'em! Honestly, I think there must be a conspiracy to get me to gain weight here. No one will ever let me be finished with my meal! I understand it's out of love and concern, but I'm telling you, ain't nobody wanna see my stomach explode.
21. Manly "protection." Ugh. This one is unfortunately going to take some time. The men here see it as their natural duty to protect women -- and not in a charming, chivalrous way. To me, a foreigner, this show of care and safekeeping feels more like babying! Even if I am several meters away from the traffic lane, a male coworker will literally put his arm around my outside shoulder to bring me farther from the traffic, as if I am unable to sense when there is a giant blob of metal hurdling towards me. And, even if I love the cold and also have a brain that can not only sense when a cool breeze becomes too much but can tell my arms and hands to put a jacket on myself, my male coworkers will instruct me to put on my jacket. "It is cold, Megan. Please put on your jacket." Literally. Again and again until I actually put my jacket on. At meals they will offer and continue to grab food from a dish for me when it is physically right in front of me and I don't want any yet. I'm sure the women here are used to it, but as a strong, don't-need-no-man-to-protect-me, independent woman, I am not a fan of this incidentally patronizing show of care. TYFL. (Thank you for listening.)
22. Traffic, part 2. Traffic signals and designated lanes are merely suggestions.
23. Pedestrian Lane. You know that saying, "Dance like there's nobody watching, love like you'll never be hurt, and sing like there's nobody listening"? If that were a popular motto in Yinchuan, they would have to add "walk like nobody's watching." I am thankful to have played my commuter card in Chicago for several years, both by walking and bike-riding, because that experience has trained me well to survive in the pedestrian lane. See, on the busiest streets of Yinchuan you have your normal car lanes, and then you have one big side lane separated by a big curb. My fellow Chicago bicyclists would rejoice at this...until seeing a horde of motorcycles, shopcarts, and sometimes a car coming towards them in the same lane. There is no order to this lane, only disorder. But the thing is, this disorder is normal and impossibly harmonious. Disorder is the standard. There are no expectations of people riding or walking in a straight and consistent line. If a motorist suddenly stops to check out the fruitstand or bucket of fish on the side of the lane (#drivethru), it's not a big deal to other motorists and cyclists. They show no emotion; they simply slow their vehicle and find another way around. Fish in a river, I tell ya. But it works!
24. Transportation/Efficiency. In another post I'll have to tell you about the lack of efficiency in the Yinchuan p0lice station and medical center (oy vey), but when it comes to getting multiple people from point A to point B, Yinchuanren mean business. One time I saw three people and two dogs on one scooter alone. Why make multiple trips in comfort and security when you can defy gravity and safety standards in one?

^^An extreme of the human stacking I see every day.

And, for those who have been wondering, yes, the loogies are still disgusting. 

I've got a couple days of freedom ahead of me, so in my next post I'll catch you up on my first few days of teaching, my adventures at the hospital and police station, and the time when I hosted my first dinner and devotion night (spoiler: it was great!). Thank you all for reading, and talk to you soon!

**

Mandarin Word of the Day: unique 
Chinese characters: 独一无二 (独 = single, alone; 一 = one; 无 = without, nothing; 二 = two)
Pinyin pronunciation: dúyīwúèr

Observations (观测)

I have been wanting to write another post for a few days now, but I have thankfully been very busy! I have been exploring the city, meeting new people, and doing some good ol' fashioned learnin'. Since many of my readers (hi, guys!) have never been to Yinchuan, let alone China, I thought I would use this post to talk about some of the cultural differences I have observed so far. Let's begin!

1. Loogies. I don't know if this is a "small" city thing or a general China thing, but the men here hock loogies like it's their job. The louder the hock, the better. On the bus, in the car, walking across the street -- wherever there is ground, there is loogie potential. It is, in short, disgusting.
2. Traffic. To no one's surprise, it is crazy here. Traffic flows like fish in a river. When a driver wants to turn into traffic, he doesn't wait. He makes the turn, assuming that other cars will make space for him when he enters the lane. People are used to it here...but they still honk. Oh, do they ever honk. (Had I never lived in Chicago and been exposed to various degrees of chaotic traffic patterns, I would probably never leave my apartment.)
3. Parking. There is no curb too tall for a car to drive over in order to snag (and often create) a parking spot.
4. Bathrooms. Public toilets are holes in the ground. The nice ones will have a porcelain frame around them, but even that would be flat and flush (hyuck hyuck) against the ground. Some places do have Western toilets, like my school and my apartment, for example. #thighsofsteelhereicome
5. Toilet Paper. Plumbing is bad in smaller cities like Yinchuan, so, if you want to keep your toilet in working order, you better throw that used TP in the trash bin after you wipe yer tushie.
6. Street signs. There is some English on street signs here, actually -- major street signs, anyway. There is also Arabic. Yinchuan, the capital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is one of very few parts of China where an ethnic minority (Hui people) hold the power of governance. The Hui people, a Muslim minority, composes one-third of the local population. Drive up any street in Yinchuan and you will likely find a Halal restaurant or a mosque or both.
7. Staring. You likely already know this, but it's very, very, very weird for locals to see foreigners in such a small Chinese city like Yinchuan. I actually haven't had an enormous problem with this so far, but I have indeed noticed several people turn their heads around to look at me when we pass each other. (A few of these people have been on bicycles or scooters when turning their heads around to stare at me. I have decided that if I end up causing an accident, I will take it as a compliment.)
8. Grocery Shopping. Oh, there are plenty of small differences in grocery shopping, but they aren't anything major. I will mention two things, however: 1) there is a separate checkout line for people with Halal items, so as not to contaminate any food with counters that have touched non-Halal items; 2) the ladies at my grocery store must always be either super bored or working on commission. If I am in any beauty aisle, multiple clerks will hover around me like a helicopter parent, gesturing to various products and rambling in Chinese, undoubtedly trying to get me to spend more money. It's a little obnoxious, but so far I have just smiled at them and continued searching for a good brand. It's hard to decide when everything on the bottles is in Chinese! (But "shampoo" and "conditioner" are written on the bottles, thankfully.)
9. Fruits and vegetables and other things. There are many different fruits and veggies here! I have seen sunflower seeds still in their giant sunflower heads, and I have seen several fruits and veggies I don't even recognize. I have tried: agaric mushroom, enokitake mushroom, lotus root, and a few other roots. The textures are all very interesting. That being said, I will not be eating enokitake mushrooms again any time soon. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
10. Dairy. Milk and yogurt in China have magical powers and can survive outside of the refrigerator for an extended period of time. 
11. Kitchen. If you want an oven or a microwave, you have to go buy those yourself. Ovens are small and portable. My boss equipped my apartment with a microwave, but the first and only time I used it, I noticed smoke coming out of it after 2 minutes. I will no longer be using my microwave.
12. Hot Water. You know how you are served cold water in a glass when you sit down to a meal in the States? In Yinchuan (and most of China, I expect), you are given a small cup of hot water. Alternatively, sometimes you are given hot drinking soup. People here believe that drinking hot water is good for you. Even my roommate offered me a mug of hot water when I complained of a small stomach ache last week. At first it seemed strange to drink hot water with no flavor, yet here I am, typing away with a mug of hot water next to me...
13. Schooling. Kids here have it way harder than kids in America. They have longer hours, more homework, and what seems like greater pressure to do well. There is no expectation that they should have time to play outside. There aren't even any playgrounds here. The other day I shadowed a teacher as she taught her last English Literature class to high school students. (Side note: I will be taking over this class and am very excited for it! These students have a great grasp of English and it will be refreshing and fun to discuss literature with them.) Before we began class, my coworker made conversation with the five students and asked them about their homework loads. You see, I work in an English Training Center. That means that students who come to us have already attended a full day of school. And, as implied before, the Chinese school system is very strict. Case in point: a real sentence that one of the students said was "I am lucky, I only have 26 pages of homework tonight." Oy. 
14. Kids. No difference here, they are still adorable. What makes them even more adorable, however, is the fact that many kids know more English than adults -- because they are learning English in school -- so they will leap at the opportunity to practice their English if they see a foreigner. I was walking around in a park the other day and had the following encounter with a group of Chinese girls:

(Chinese girls and Megan have already walked past each other.)
Chinese girls: "Hai-looooo!"
Megan: *turns around* "Hello!"
Representative of Chinese Girls: "Where are you from?"
Megan: "Chicag--err, America!"
RoCG: "Ohhh! America. You are very pretty!"
Megan: "Wow, thanks! So are you!"
RoCG: "I do not speak English. Sorry." (Note: she said this in perfect English.)
Megan: "Oh, but your English is really quite good!"
RoCG: "Bye!"
Megan: "Oh, uh, ok! Bye!"

This will become a very normal conversation for me, I think. 

And to think I've only been here a week! Just think what more I will have to say after a year...or even just a month! Stay tuned. ^_^

**

Mandarin Word of the Day: different 
Chinese characters: 不同 (不 = not, no, negative; 同 = alike, together, same) 
Pinying pronunciation: bùtóng

Welcome! (欢迎!)

I gotta say, it's pretty amazing what a good night of sleep can do. Yesterday was a full day of meeting people, opening a Chinese bank account and phone plan, and continuing the settling-in process. By the end of the day I was exhausted! But after a solid 8 hours of sleep, I'm feeling pretty rested this morning. The cup of coffee sitting next to me definitely helps. ^_^

Speaking of which, my apartment is pretty cool. It definitely has a unique and fashionable Chinese flair to it! My room overlooks some trees and a couple of outdoor exercise machines (which is a thing in China, btw). I have loved waking up to the sounds of people starting their days and greeting each other in Chinese. My room looks pretty put together, now that I have unpacked everything and have put a few decorations out. I didn't bring much, just a few things to remind me of home.

admiring the new neighborhood

I am very fortunate to have a LOT already in my apartment. I have inherited countless appliances (helloooo coffee maker!), books, shelving units, school supplies, and kitchen utensils from two of the other American teachers who will be leaving Yinchuan to head back to the United States very soon. I'm sad to see them go, as they are my strongest "lifelines" here, but I am very grateful for all the immense help they have already provided!

One thing in particular which Anna and Becky have been helping me with is simply knowing what to call things. The community in which I live is called Jintai Huayuan, located along Kangping Lu (Lu means "road"). Last night they took me to a cheap restaurant nearby and were of immense help with the menu. I really have to figure out my favorites quickly so that I will have at least one thing I can say when ordering...!

noodles, beef, and greens...can't go wrong!

On the topic of knowing what to say... You know that G0d REALLY has something in store for you when you are given a roommate who does not speak English. Ha! I didn't know what to expect, but Yang Yang is very nice and has a good attitude about our situation. All I can say is thank goodness for technology and translation apps! Here is what one of our conversations looked like on our first night together:

Me: I am going to bed now.
Yang Yang: [Chinese phrase] Ah... *pulls out phone* *types* *shows me phone*
Me: "I teach you Chinese." Oh! That sounds great. And I teach you English!
Yang Yang: Yes...but first I learn you Chinese.
Me: It's that bad, huh.

As I mentioned, yesterday was my first day of going out into town. My boss drove me around when we were going to the bank and the phone store, so I was able to get an idea of how the city looks. It really is pretty small, despite being the host of some 2 million people. There are a few main roads by which people can orient themselves, and a lovely view of some mountains to the northwest. Right now I am most concerned with making sure I enter the correct apartment, let alone the correct apartment building, but I am confident I will eventually be able to use natural roadmarkers to make my way around town.

I'm still on my "you just arrived in China and are probably crazy tired and confused" break, but tomorrow I will be going into school to shadow some of the morning classes. I will be shadowing for a little while (perhaps a week?) but then will get around to teaching my own classes. I don't really know what to expect, but time will tell.

As for today, I'm going to do a bit of guided exploring with Anna and Becky. We will incidentally be making our way past the brand spanking new Starbucks, so I might have to check it out...you know, for research. Will report back later! :) Until then, here is a good summary of some information about Ningxia, the region in which Yinchuan is located, for those of you looking for some basic facts about my home for the next ten months (taken from this website)!

Ningxia is one of the five autonomous regions in China. It is the only provincial-level ethnic Hui region and the best place to experience the country's Muslim culture. The capital, Yinchuan, is not only the political, economic, and cultural center of the region, but also a famous historical and cultural city.
◆ Geography
Ningxia is located on the northwest Loess highlands pierced by the Yellow River. The Great Wall runs along its northeastern boundary.
Ningxia borders Gansu Province to the south, Shaanxi to the east and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region to the north.
It is a relatively arid region, including the Tengger desert in Shapotou, but the ancient Yellow River irrigational system ensures the northern part is well watered – earning it the nickname of the ‘land of fish and rice’ in the North.
◆ Administrative Divisions
Covering an area of 66,400 square kilometers (about 25,600 square miles), Ningxia is divided into 5 prefecture-level cities (Yinchuan, Shizuishan, Wuzhong, Guyuan, Zhongwei).
◆ Economy
Ningxia has one of biggest pastures in the country. It boasts rich mineral resources, such as sodium, magnesium, ammonia, lime nitrogen, tantalum and niobium. The Shan Gan Ning Natural Gas Field is one of the largest in the world.
Its GDP in 2009 was 133.46 billion yuan (US$19.5 billion), with a per capita GDP of 21,475 yuan (US$3,143). Ningxia is the principal region of China where wolfberries are grown.
◆ Diversity
Ningxia is home to Hui people who make up about 36 percent of the regional population of 6 million and Hui people mostly live in Tongxin, Guyuan, Xiji, Haiyuan and Jingyuan counties as well as Wuzhong City and Lingwu County irrigated with water diverted from the Yellow River. There are also many other ethnic minority groups in the region.
◆ Climate
Ningxia has a temperate continental climate of long, cold winters and short, hot summers; temperature is lowest in January, averaging from -10 to -7 degrees Celsius and highest in July, averaging from 17 to 24 degrees Celsius. Annual rainfall averages from 190-700 millimeters.

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Mandarin Word of the Day: adapt 
Chinese characters: 适应 (适 = to suit, comfortable; 应 = to accept, to respond)
Pinying pronunciation: shìyìng

Home (家)

(I wrote the following post last night -- err, at 4am China time.)

Although it still doesn't seem real to me, I am officially moved in -- and currently snuggled up in the bed of -- my new apartment in Yinchuan, China. My flights went smoothly, I slept sporadically, I'm pretty sure I had three dinners in one evening (whatever my body currently thinks a single evening is), but praise be, I got here safe and sound. My new boss came and picked me up at the Yinchuan airport, after which he treated me to (third) dinner at 2am. (Now accepting pr@yer requests for my internal clock / body.)

As I wait for the melatonin to kick in, I wanted to write about something I thought of the other day. On Saturday my dad and I went to see the new Star Trek movie. I don't really follow this new series, but something struck me with this one. At the beginning of the film there is a montage of scenes depicting life on the USS Enterprise. Over this montage you can hear Captain Kirk (voiced by Chris Pine, who just has such a nice head of hair, you know?) give a little spiel during a captain's log entry about how, essentially, he is three years into a five year mission, and he's starting to have some doubts.

The more time we spend out here, the harder it is to tell where one day ends and the next one begins. It can be a challenge to feel grounded when even gravity is artificial. But we do what we can to make it feel like home. ... As for me, things have started to feel a little episodic. The farther out we go, the more I find myself wondering what it is we're trying to accomplish. If the universe is truly endless, then are we not striving for something forever out of reach?

"If the universe is truly endless, then are we not striving for something forever out of reach?" How depressing, right? Kinda makes you feel bad for the guy.

The captain's entry made me think about my own mission in Yinchuan. There are a lot of people in China -- far too many for so few of us to reach all of them. Just like Captain Kirk's, our task seems endless. But the difference here is attitude. Captain Kirk is viewing his mission as a job, a quest of obligation. Our G0d-given mission here on earth, however, is one of love. It is not a task, it is not a chore, and it is certainly not hopeless. It is our privilege, our joy, and one of the most important instructions we will ever get, straight from the Big Guy himself: "Therefore go and make discip1es of all nations" (Matt 28).

There's an old magnet on my parents' refrigerator that reads: "G0d put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I am so far behind, I will never die..." Is this not an attitude completely opposite of Captain Kirk's? How uplifting is this outlook! What a blessing it is that the Big Guy Upstairs gives us a spirit of productivity and provides lifelong work for us to do -- work that pleases Him, and work that will bring others to Him. This is our joy! Cultivating His fields, as it were. Sure, we do not know how far out these fields go or how long it'll take to reach all of them, but we'll never know how tall any of His plants may grow if we do not tend to them one by one.

It is easy to lose hope and to seemingly float away from your cause when the future is unknown. It is easy to question what you're even trying to accomplish when it seems like your job will never be done. But that's the thing. If we delight in the L0rd, what we do to praise Him will never seem like work. He will never forget us; see, He has written us on the palm of His hand! Our work will never be done, and that is a blessing. And in serving and loving the Father all the days of our lives, we are working towards the ultimate paycheck: one day joining Him in the perfect and eternal home He has prepared for us!

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the L0rd, because you know that your labor in the L0rd is not in vain. (1 Cor 15:58)

G0d is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. (Hebrws 6:10)

That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living G0d, who is the Savi0r of all people, and especially of those who believe. (1 Tim 4:10)

**
Mandarin Word of the Day: mission
Chinese characters: 任务 (任 = to appoint, assignment; 务 = a matter, to be sure of)
Pinyin pronunciation: rènwu

Finally! (终于)

At long last, I have an answer to the one question I have been asked over, and over, and over for the past year:

Monday, September 5. 

It's way sooner than I expected, but I know His timing is perfect. Praise Him, I'm one (giant) step closer to my journey!

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Mandarin Word of the Day: patience / patient
Chinese characters: 耐心 (耐 = to endure, 心 = heart)
Pinyin pronunciation: nàixīn

Introduction (介绍)

Hello! Welcome to my blog. This is, naturally, where I will write about my upcoming adventures in China. Still with me? Cool. You're doing great.

It's been a long road getting to this point. For over a year I have been trying to get myself abroad to teach English to Chinese youngsters, but life has had other plans. I grew frustrated and impatient at times, but I am thankful for the opportunities I have been gifted during this uncertain year, and remain ever grateful for the important reminders they provided.

As I write this I am in waiting. Literally. I've been camped at the front door all day, waiting to intercept the DHL courier with my VISA paperwork before the dogs see him and go bark raving mad. I know the courier will come, though, and I know I will get my VISA, and I know I will finally make my way to China. That's the thing about waiting. It doesn't have to be terrible. We know that the Big Guy Upstairs has "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jer 29:11). We need only have faith.  

I will be leaving for China in the next few weeks. In the meantime, I will continue to organize my thoughts, arrange my suitcases, pray like mad, and soak up as much time with family and friends as possible. (They're pretty rad.)

Stay tuned for updates, and feel free to sign up on the right side of this blog (where it says "follow by email") to receive an email whenever I make a post. Thanks for your continued support, love, and encouragement!

Now if you'll excuse me, a man in a yellow DHL van just pulled up, and I believe he has something for me. 

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Mandarin Word of the Day: faith
Chinese characters: 信心
Pinyin pronunciation: xìnxīn