I Wish I Had A Camera

The people who still blog post fun pictures, but I can't because some thief in Lhasa is running around with my camera. I hope they're taking good pictures and not wasting it. If I had one, I would post pictures of things like:
1. the lighting of the fayetteville square, particularly the very bearded man selling light sabers. it was a very "stars hollow"ish night.
2. all 5 thanksgiving dinners i partook of (2 potluck, 3 with family)
3. the snow from last Sunday.
4. kort (2-yr. old nephew) trying to start his tricycle with car keys.
5. my CG meeting at Hog Haus instead of the guys' house last week as a result of a broken heater and the threat of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Back to School?

I've been spending some time lately doing some shopping. For graduate school programs, that is. I want to teach English to Tibetans but one thing I learned while I was doing that for the first year is that I'm not that good at it. Especially not if I wanted to do anything beyond basic, textbook-led conversational English classes.

So with the freedom to dream big and to actually go for accomplishing some of those dreams, comes discipline. Lots of it. The way I acted as a kid and as a college student both point to how I am not necessarily "wired" to pursue discipline in any shape or form. I like being a student, but not getting up at 7:30am for class or doing homework. I like to read books, but not to finish them. I like to have purpose, but not when it takes too much work.

But now I am thinking through how both job options and just general knowledge would open up if I go to grad school, which would open into ways I could serve the community of people where I want to live. So now I'm looking into programs where I could get a Master of Arts in teaching English as a second language. They are more elusive than I expected. But I am convinced that the work of finding a school, the application process and all that is in between will be worth it if 1) it is in the plan of God (he does have one) and 2) I don't chicken out when things get frustrating/overwhelming/hard.

The current frustration is that to get into either of the programs I'm most interested in require some sort of prerequisite that the education department, in their infinite wisdom, didn't include in my undergrad program. (Or maybe the problem is that I in my infinite wisdom decided on an education degree at the U of A...) I'm waiting to hear whether certain classes qualify as "English classes" but I think I know the answer. So just to be considered for admission into one of the 2 programs, I will either need to take 12 hours of undergrad English classes or 6 hours of Chinese classes. I wouldn't feel like that was a big waste of time, but it isn't free, so.....back to shopping for grad schools, and now for tutoring jobs...

Lately it seems like people are changing their e-investments from the blog world to the world of facebook. As in, people are spending a lot more time updating facebook than their blogs. I would complain about this if 1) I didn't do it myself (because then I would be a hypocrite) and 2) I still lived overseas (now I can keep up with people face-to-face).

In other news, I am addicted to 2 new TV shows. One addiction is Pushing Daisies (which I owe to my cousin). It's about a guy who brings people to life by touching them, and can kill them again by touching them a second time. And, if he lets someone live more than a minute after bringing them back, someone else has to die in their place. So some guy hires him to find out how people died and collect the rewards offered for info related to their deaths. AND, to make things way more interesting, he brought his childhood sweetheart back to life, they fall in love, but he can never touch her again! (It sounds like I'm giving a lot away, but that was all in the pilot episode). The other addiction is Arrested Development (which I owe to my boyfriend). A lot of people already watch it but it's about a dysfunctional family in which the father embezzled money and is in prison, while his only normal son takes over the company and lets the rest of the family live with him. I've only seen 4 or 5 episodes but I think it's worthy of spending a significant amount of time watching (when I don't have other things to do, of course).

And, speaking of "other things", these days I don't have a lot of other things to do. I hang out in the hospital during the week a lot, and spend some of that time wondering what it would be like to be one of the parents who lives in the waiting rooms while their child is being kept alive by machines and medicines. Sometimes I cry for those people, just as I cry for my sister and brother in law (though I am fully convinced that there is a lot of hope for my nephew). However, I am constantly reminded that it is not really machines and medicines that keep babies, and other people, alive, but that it's the Spirit of God... Christ who sustains life and holds all things together.

So, other than holding Leighton's hand and watching TV, these days I hang out with people a lot. I drive a lot. I am researching grad schools for a master's degree in teaching english or applied linguistics. I'm having a lot of luck (which I don't believe in, just for the record) with all of the above except the research, which is alright, since I don't need to make a decision any time soon. I need to take the GRE. I am on a Wendell Berry reading kick that might last as long as it takes to finish all his books. I co-lead a community group that I have only been to once. I miss my students from last year like crazy but I don't know how much longer I'll be in America. I am cool with these unknowns because it is only a season of life, and because it pushes me to rely on the unchangingness of God. I know that unchangingness isn't a word, and that the right word is immutability, but I don't really care.

A Child Sent to Retell the Story

"Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see." -C.S. Lewis

This is Leighton, the miracle who is living and breathing before our eyes. He is my 3 pound, 9 ounce, precious blond-haired nephew. I love him because of who he is, and I can't wait to find out who he becomes.

Nine days ago a neonatologist told us that this little guy's chances of survival were very low. My sister went into labor too early for his system to be developed enough...they thought his heart would give out from all the work because he has hypoplastic left heart syndrome. The options were given to either provide "comfort care" for the baby and spend some time with him, or to pursue heart surgery with aggression and very low expectations. My brother-in-law and sister discussed this through tears as the rest of my family waited outside. The sorrow was overwhelming and I can say now I know how it feels for one's heart to be wrenched.

But then God reminded me, through His Word and through His people, not to give up hope. That He heals, that He listens to our requests and likes to show His power and His love. But most of all, He reminded me that He came to earth and lived, suffered, died, and rose from the dead to heal us of spiritual sickness and death. As I looked for stories of Jesus's healings, what caught my eye was the story of His resurrection.

I held on to this hope as I watched and prayed for my sister, and her husband, and little Leighton. I asked for healing, a miracle...some way, somehow. And the One who breathed life into the first human did His work of sustaining new life once again. My sister didn't deliver him until 3 days later, and the doctors were surprised at both her ability to hold out until then and the extent of Leighton's development. He is doing very well now, with the help of a ventilator that he hardly needs, tube-feedings, and various medicines. His first heart surgery will be Thursday morning, and the expectations for success are high.

And the story "written across the whole world" that C.S. Lewis speaks of is what I hold on to... the love, perfection, incarnation, and resurrection of Christ. To my heart, the miracle of Leighton's life is not only an answer to a request I cried out of love for my little nephew. It is also a retelling of the Story of our gracious God through tiny, barely developed lungs... through half a heart that is pumping hard for life... through a little hand that can grip our fingers and deep blue eyes that occasionally gaze curiously on our new faces.

I'm Not Telling You What to Do, But...

I guess this is about the time to start new things for the year, but it's my first time to NOT be starting school in some fashion so I've been thinking through ways to keep myself busy. I have thought of some stuff to do and I am beginning a series of blog posts of recommendations. This means I've done the research, and sometimes even sent the info request e-mails. It doesn't mean that I've read the books or actually taken the classes I'm recommending so I plan to follow up on some of this. 

So my first recommendation is, of course, a book.

Recommended book: The Reason for God by Tim Keller. I hear from trusted sources that in this book, Keller does a great job of addressing and seeking to answer questions that skeptics have about the Bible. They say it's good both for people who believe the truth of the Bible and people who don't.

Some questions that are addressed in the book are: Why does God allow suffering in the world? Why isn't Christianity more inclusive? How can one religion be "right" and the others "wrong"?

The website for the book, thereasonforgod.com, says, "Keller uses literature, philosophy, real-life conversations, and reasoning to explain how faith in a Christian God is a soundly rational belief, held by thoughtful people of intellectual integrity with a deep compassion for those who truly want to know the truth." 

So, while I am convinced without a doubt that I believe the truth, I have many friends who either don't have a clue what the truth is about or who aren't too sure that absolute truth even exists. I can't imagine going through life unsure of foundational truth about who God is. That doesn't mean I've never had any of the above questions; I have in the past, and I am very interested in what Keller has to say and how the Word of God specifically speaks to them.

I personally am not usually very excited about reading books that seem like they're apologetic in nature and haven't really brought myself to finish any, but I am ready to get my hands on this one and study it in depth with my community group. I'll try to post my thoughts on it periodically.

Culture Shock?

Some people have asked me if I've experienced reverse culture shock since returning to the U.S. I'm not even sure what that is (I know what it means, but I don't know how it plays out) but here are some of the things that are weird about being back in America. 

1) I feel like I'm always spending money... and a lot of it. Stuff here costs WAY more.

2) I ate at a sushi restaurant today and said "Xie xie" to the Japanese waitress when she gave me my food. 

3) I feel like the new girl in town pretty much anywhere I go. I've even forgotten how to get to some of the places I used to go all the time.

4) I don't know what to do with coins when I get them as change. China pretty much only uses paper currency so my change purse is still full of Thai Baht and Macanese Patacas.

5) Where the heck are all the taxis and public buses? 

6) I stand at coffee shop counters, or sit at my table with the menu, for way too long every time just to order an iced coffee or a cheeseburger. There are SO many choices that I am nearly paralyzed every time I have to make one.

7) Everything is so big and empty (comparatively)... Wal-mart, streets, restaurants... everything.

8) I can't tune out conversations people are having around me nearly as easily when they're in English and not Chinese. 

I think there are definitely bigger issues involved in reverse culture shock but I won't go into them. Maybe I'll think through them more later when the little things become normal again.

Shaken up

This quiz answer is totally irrelevant to the topic I gave my students to write about but the student who wrote it hardly ever follows directions so I got this:

"Very suddenly from the earthquake, many people lost they're home. They became homeless. Many children couldn't finish they're education. Who can tell how many mothers couldn't see they're baby's face? How many boys and girls couldn't say the three words 'I love you' to the person they loved so much?"

I can't even really comment on what happened because I can hardly fathom the situation. It could have been here, though. Life is a gift...and "as for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more."

Journal Entries and Local Cuisine are Priceless

Apparently when I say "turn your journals in on Friday" my students hear, "turn your journals in on (insert random weekday here)." I only have 7 to get quotes from right now but there should be more where these come from soon enough.

One of my students wrote a great entry about the coming of spring and how she noticed that a bus driver was actually nice to passengers recently (it's kind nice to know that my thoughts against rude bus drivers aren't just because I'm foreign...) So far she has the #1 spot for best journal quote of the week:

"In my opinion, the buses can stand for a city's image: the attitude of the driver, or if someone will give her seat to an old person or a pregnant man."

I have another (guy) student who writes nearly every journal entry and any assignment I give as a sappy romantic rap song. His first journal entry states that he has seen "Wuthering Heights" ten times. 

In other news, my tutor decided to feed me dried yak meat as a post-lesson snack today. I took a bite expecting it to taste kind of like deer jerky. I was sorely mistaken. I guess I'd forgotten that when my dad makes deer jerky, he adds a little something called "flavor" to it. When my tutor's uncle makes yak jerky, he hangs it in his tent to dry out and calls it done. Imagine...chewy tree bark. I got kind of used to the taste after about 10 bites...then she sent a big hunk home with me (to add to the dried yak cheese and tsampa cake...all of which will theoretically last me until I go back to America because it's made not to spoil and I know I'M not finishing it all off).

Sweeping Generalizations

Student quotes from the night:

Student 1: "Here Whitney, I got you some yellow hair bands to match your hair."

(in case you don't know me, I have brown hair...but, I am American, so it must be yellow...)

Me: "Does anyone know what the word 'offended' means?"

Student 2: "Oh yeah, that's like how people from America think all Asians are Japanese, and when they tell a Chinese person they think they're from Japan the Chinese person gets offended."

Quotes of the Week

These are courtesy of my students' writing:

"Teaching child kids are very naive and always have lots of questions or, I should say, kids always like splitting hairs and making people become crazy."

"The ducks, gooses, and the cranes (at the zoo) looked enjoy swimming in the man-made lake which is not clean. The monkeys also enjoy playing at the fake mountains. However, their ignorance might make their life a bit easier."

"I was hear of you have a party last Sunday. I was also hear of your cooking is so good, but I can't eat your cook. I'm so regret. I hope I will eat your cook next time. I'm really looking forward to come that day."

Profundity

And what a terrible day that must be....

My Next Endeavor

A teammate just ran across an article about how China is organizing cheering classes for Olympic fans. It includes training on the "finer points of cheering, including when to clap." I am planning on looking for a course in my city or nearby, if you are in the area and interested in joining me please let me know.

And, on that note, I just read another article about the squatty-potty crisis with the Olympics drawing near. The article talks about how the venues are installing western toilets, but "it will take some time for this renovation." They better get on it...they have 20 weeks and 2 days to install lots and lots of toilets.

All of the Sudden Life is Crazy Again

But I'll go ahead and post a few Thailand pics and keep trying to make people jealous of my vacation. Yeah, it's kinda weird that it's taken me so long to do this. The main reason is that blogspot.com + China = a headache.

                 

This is Macao, not Thailand. We spent about 4 days here. I am a big fan of the architecture, food, and banyan trees there. It's a really crowded, Portuguese-Cantonese city with a Starbucks and some Las Vegas casinos. 

A Thai fisherman who looked like a pirate took us on his fishing boat to this island where lots of monkeys live. The only English word he knew was "monkey" and when he yelled it they came jumping down to the beach from the trees.

I stayed a few days at a resort with the friends I traveled with, then took a bus down to Khao Lak to visit my friend Bri. The bus experience was somewhat sketchy but relatively cheap. A driver from the hotel took me into town about an hour away and dropped me off at a seemingly random bus stop outside of a bank around 9:30pm. I waited there for over an hour and the only reason I got on the right bus was because another foreign family was going to the same place and their driver had told someone sitting near the stop to tell them when to get on. I rode overnight to where Bri lives, but the bus attendant didn't understand when I told him the street I wanted to get off at so he just told me to get off near the town's bus station. Thankfully an American guy who had been to the town before got off there too, and pointed the way to the right road.

The time is Khao Lak was super refreshing...I just got to hang out, eat good food, go to the beach a lot, and do other fun stuff outside.

       

One day Bri and I took a trip to the Similan Islands, which are amazing. We did some snorkeling and I saw some crazy looking fish. It even caused me to reconsider my decision to never go scuba diving...although we saw a stingray washed up on the beach the day before and I am still scared of the ocean.

This picture is one I stole from Bri, it's our dinner the night we had a picnic on the beach. Apparently the best way to cook fish is to wrap them in foil and just throw them in the fire. For squid, a spit works better. This is the night I ate a Thai green chili and thought my eardrum had exploded.

On my last day in Khao Lak I went on a boat with some of Bri's friends who are squid catchers. First they threw out traps made out of bamboo and wires, and then they went around and pulled up traps they'd set before. They mark them with a long stick of bamboo with cloth tied around it. Anyone who has trouble finding their parked car could never be a squid catcher.

                 

I finally got up the nerve to hold a squid. It didn't ink all over me but by the time we got back there was ink all over the boat and the guys' shirts. And these fish got caught in the trap, they were kinda cool. Another fish that got caught in the trap before that wasn't cool...one of the guys dropped it on my foot accidentally and it stung my toe with its spines. At first I was like, "mai pin rai" (no problem). Then it started to feel like my toe was on fire. For the rest of the afternoon. It actually still itches sometimes so it had to have been a poisonous spiny fish...so my word of wisdom is don't play with fish that have spines.

Anyway...I have been back in Xining for over 3 weeks now and am once again getting used to the dry, colder weather. I actually missed being here quite a bit...not the weather, but the people, and I'm really thankful to be back. This term I'm teaching the advanced English class, which is mainly a combination of really smart and friendly girls from YS and some Amd. villages, and loud, long-haired, super smart but somewhat wild nomad guys from the next province. They ask me thousands of grammar questions a day but in the end, so far, I hardly feel like it is a job at all.

Comprehensive Index of my Thailand Vacation

Number of times I went through immigration: 5

Number of McDonald's double cheeseburgers I ate: 2

Approximate number of people I saw in Hong Kong at one intersection: 156,735

Number of times a driver ripped us off: at least 3

Number of times we almost missed a flight: 3

Total number of hours spent traveling: 30

Number of sunburns I acquired: 4

Number of times I almost swallowed a fishbone: 14

Number of times I ate a green chili and thought my head would explode: 1

Number of stingrays seen washed up on the beach: 1

Most people (including myself) I rode on a motorbike with at once: 4 

Most useful Thai phrase I learned: "Is it spicy?"

Number of times I missed Chinese food: 0

Number of squid caught on the squid catching trip: 32

Average difference between inside temperatures in Xining and Thailand: 20 degrees fahrenheit

Average outside temperature difference: 90 degrees

My new favorite currency: the Hong Kong 10 dollar bill

Number of times the thought "this is pretty sketchy" ran through my mind: 8

So, overall, my vacation was pretty fantastic. Stay tuned for more pictures and details.