This is an email I got from the Foreign Language College this morning. Good luck deciphering it:
Hello, I am here to inform you of the good news. we will have an eight-day holiday for celebrating the Chinese National Day and Mid-autumn Day; that is from Oct. 1st to Oct.8th, among which Oct.1st, Oct. 2nd, and Oct.3rd are three lawful holidays. On Oct.4 th. ,we will enjoy our Sunday as usual. On Oct. 5th we will enjoy the Saturday of Oct. 3rd. Oct. 6th is Mid-autumn festival. Sept. 27 and Oct. 7th will change their roles; that is On Sept. 27th we will have Oct. 7's class,(Wednesday's class), and on Oct. 7th we will have Sept. 27's class(Sunday's class). Oct8th and Oct. 10 will change their roles; that is, on Oct. 8th we will have Oct. 10th's class(Saturday's class), and on Oct. 10th we will have Oct. 8th's class(Thursday's class). The rest days go smoothly as usual.
"I have always had more dread of a pen, a bottle of ink, and a sheet of paper, than of a sword or pistol." -Alexandre Dumas
When my alarm went off bright and early this morning I was excited to begin the day. I got up extra early so I could run down and buy some food from the farmers outside and still not be rushed for my first day of classes. I left the apartment at 7:30 in order to follow our instructions to arrive 20 minutes early to class on the first day. I had to wait a few minutes before someone came to unlock the door, but was still anxiously awaiting my new students for the year. Last year I was ecstatic to find my English majors in the classroom 30 minutes early with their books open, studying. I wasn't quite that hopeful for today's class since they are the somewhat spoiled students who will be traveling to England in two years, but I expected to see a few of them within the last five minutes before class started. At 8:15 I started to wonder if I was in the right building. At 8:20 a guy came in to tell me that the school had decided my class would not begin until the 3rd week. I'm so glad they decided to tell me.
So I went back to my apartment, studied some Chinese, and drank some tea until it was time to leave for my 10:00 class. I showed up to that class twenty minutes early as well, and was confused by the lack of students once again. There were students exiting, but none entering. One cute girl came up to me, curtsied, and said, "Welcome to Yichang." And then she skipped off along her way. It reminded me again of how much I love my job. About five minutes before that class begin I was still trying to figure out the newest lack of students when a man came in the room again. This time it was to tell me that the school had mistakenly put the wrong classroom on my schedule. I dashed up the stairs in time for class and the fun began. I had my students introduce themselves and they were given some time to get to know me as well, and I was asked three times if I have a boyfriend. One student stood up, pointed out the five boys in the class and said, "There are five of us, so I think we all have a chance."
This afternoon Jessica and I ventured downtown to try and buy a wireless router for our apartment so that we wouldn't have to take turns using the internet, and I apparently forgot that nothing is as easy as you think it's going to be. A few hours worth of extraordinarily confusing directions later we emerged with a new router and absolutely no idea how to set it up. We spent even more time following the directions repeatedly hoping that eventually they would magically work, all the while knowing that we were doing something wrong, when Jessica's overly-helpful friend Kiki called to see if we were making any progress, and after hearing our dilemma she sent her brother-in-law to our apartment (at 9:30pm) to help us. We felt so bad for making a complete stranger come to our rescue but there was no talking either of them out of it. Soon his girlfriend joined him, and they squatted over my computer trying idea after idea. The next thing I knew another classmate of theirs showed up to lend a hand, and we felt completely helpless. The students stayed out until they were late for curfew but finally got our internet working at 10:45pm. I can't imagine the depth of kindness in their hearts to make them spend their entire evening helping strangers set up internet. The frustrating part is knowing that I won't be able to thank them enough for such selflessness. I'm so blessed by the Chinese people.
"Develop interest in life as you see it; in people, things, literature, music--the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself." -Henry Miller
Sammie and I arose at 6:45 so that we wouldn’t be scrambling around trying to do everything at the last minute.When we got to the Sydney airport and went to the Malaysia Airlines counter to check in we were told that we owed $600 in excess baggage fees.I knew my bags were a little overweight but I didn’t think that it deserved that kind of honor.One bag weighed 21 kilos, and the other 28.After arguing with the lady at the counter I learned, to my horror, that she meant I was only allowed 20 kilos TOTAL, not per bag.That’s like a pair of shoes and two pairs of jeans.Sammie and I scrambled over to an empty space and started throwing things out of my bag right and left, after wrenching open the broken zipper and praying that I wouldn’t ruin it beyond repair.We threw all the books and heavy things we could manage into my dirty laundry bag and I sent those home with her, so she can ship them to me by boat later, and made our second of many trips back to the ticket counter.Eventually we got my bags down to a fee of $325 and I gave in and paid it because I only had about 10 more minutes to dig through them, and to live in a place for a year, it’s miserable without certain things like warm clothes.
Upon arriving in Malaysia I finally located my gate through all the construction only to discover that it had been changed from C16 to H10, so I had to hop on a tram to get to the other building, which was no trouble since I had four hours to kill.My online itinerary listed my total travel time (including layovers in Kuala Lampur) as 8 hours and 30 minutes.My first flight was 8 hours and 5 minutes, plus another 4 hours in Malaysia before a six hour flight to Beijing.According to the website I was to leave at 2pm Sydney time, and arrive at 8:30am Sydney time, yet only travel for 8 ½ hours.I wonder what kind of education you need to figure the math for that company.
Descending into Beijing I watched the world go grayer as I bid farewell to the sun and felt my spirits fade with the colours.Getting through customs and on a bus to the train station was much easier than I had anticipated, which is not something I get to say often living here.I was feeling really proud of my Chinese-speaking abilities because I communicated quite well while in Beijing, but I realized when I got to Yichang why I was able to understand people so easily.They were actually speaking Putonghua instead of some hick mixture of dialect and Chinese.As soon as I got to Yichang I lost my ability to understand what people were saying to me.
I made it to the train station and was reminded yet again about the kindness of Chinese people.Two girls stopped what they were doing to help me drag my bags to the ticket counter when they saw me struggling with all my earthly possessions.They didn’t speak any English but still helped me buy my train ticket and lug my junk around.It warmed my somewhat exhausted heart.I was really bummed to hear the guy at the ticket counter say that they were all out of sleeping tickets, but I bought a sitting ticket anyway because I had to teach Monday (I thought), with hopes that I could bribe someone on the train to sell me a sleeper.
If you’ve ever ridden on a train in China you know that the chairs were specifically engineered (by a fella named Lucifer) to provide the utmost discomfort.22 hours of everybody trying to outshout/outsmoke each other can really drain the energy you began with, if there was any.Then there are the people who all think that everybody wants to listen to their music…at once.I got so desperate for sleep that I tried to lay down on the floor, which ranks in the top 25 filthiest surfaces since time began.Even that degrading effort was wasted, so I settled for wondering who came up with koo-koo-ka-choo first, the Beatles or Simon and Garfunkel?
As tired as a person can be, I fell into my apartment a full two days after I left Australia and was greeted by air-conditioning, ice cold water in the fridge, and candy on the table.It pays to give my friends the key to my apartment when I’m gone!My friends Zack and Elizabeth knew the perfect way to lift my spirits after a grueling journey.I got my teaching schedule and found out I have another week to get ready, so I didn’t have to rush home from Beijing quite so fast, but it will give me time to kill all the cockroaches and catch up on some rest.
“It contributes greatly towards a man’s moral and intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individuals unlike himself, who care little for his pursuits, and whose sphere and abilities he must go out of himself to appreciate.” -Nathaniel Hawthorne
On my birthday a sweet friend from our church called and asked if she could take Sammie and I out to lunch, but first she needed to run some errands and wanted our help. We happily agreed and met her at 10:30 that morning, looking forward to soaking up some joy from a Spirit-filled lady. We got in the car and she turned around with a big smile and said, “We’re not going to the school. We’re going shopping.” And she handed each of us an envelope full of money collected from many anonymous and loving people at our church.
I was so stunned I could hardly even react other than to gape open-mouthed. My previous post about a vacation gone awry explains why she, and many others, felt like doing something nice for us, as they knew we would need to replace the stuff that got chewed on or stolen. It’s been several days and I still can hardly accept how generous they’ve been to us. Such amazing love knocked me speechless. Truly, this has been the worst summer I’ve ever lived through but our family continues to be blessed. I can hardly begin to name all the acts of kindness and expressions of genuine love that have been bestowed on us, I only know that I’ll never be able to repay it all. It’s humbling.
Several times this summer I’ve complained about not having enough time to see all the people I love. There are so many people I wanted to see and hug, but was unable to. But as tears streamed down my face at least once a day, a few of them spoke not of pain—but of healing. It occurred to me that it’s a blessing that I have so many friends, I can’t see them all. So many precious people in my life make it worth opening my eyes every morning. “I believe there are angels among us, sent down to us, from somewhere up above. They come to you and me—in our darkest hour; to show us how to live, teach us how to give, and guide us with a light of love.” -Alabama
Of all my possessions, very few would catch the eye of any potential thief. Most are monetarily virtually worthless. So, theoretically I shouldn't be terribly distressed if something happens to my material possessions...
Thursday evening before our much-anticipated trip to Colorado, I was at Target with Sammie and somehow managed to lose my car keys in the store. We searched for half an hour and eventually resigned ourselves to the knowledge that we were stranded, and ashamedly called my mom to have her rescue us. I wasn't remotely upset about the episode, knowing at the most it would cost me 2 hours and 5 dollars worth of headache. In the long-run, it wasn't a terrible setback.
Unfortunately that event seemed to set a minor precedent for the rest of the week. After a few blissful days in cathartic scenery with old friends, we set off for our first family outing. Sammie and I had high ambitions of climbing at least a few 14ers, if not the full 5 we set as a goal. Mount Princeton was the first objective inviting us into his lair. We camped along the folds of an eternal stream in the only mildly steep site we found that didn't threaten to eject us from the side of the mountain. Early the next morning we set out in pursuit of his elusive peak. Many excruciating hours, and a hail storm later we finally descended to the previous night's haven only to discover that all was not well in our camp. A bear had visited these trespasser's belongings sometime during the day, and destroyed several vital tools, while mysteriously leaving some intact. He ripped my pack to shreds, chewed my Bible beyond use, and wreaked havoc on tents, sleeping bags, etc.
A few more decent days passed, allowing us to laugh about the damage done by our bear friend, when catastrophe struck again. After spending the night with a cousin in Aurora, we packed our bag and hauled it outside to be loaded in the car. Went back inside to get the keys. Came back outside to a street, a vehicle, and no bag. Somebody who thinks they are getting a good steal is going to be kicking themselves when they realize that all they have is a junk bag full of dirty, nasty laundry, and toothbrushes and other utterly valueless yet necessary items. So Sammie and I had to go to Walmart in the middle of the night to try to find something besides a T-shirt and running shorts (literally the only thing I had left) to wear to our friend's wedding the next morning. I managed to get a skirt that wasn't quite falling off of me, and wore my chacos to the wedding.
Though I left with two full bags I returned home with almost nothing. I doubt seriously that anybody benefited more than a dollar for all the stuff they got, yet it was almost irreplaceable items for me. My Bible with all my notes--and bear slobber-- was among the missing, along with lots of other valueless yet special things. On the bright side my copy of 1984 now has teeth marks in it.
Renunciation of objects, without the renunciation of desires, is short-lived, however hard you may try.
He was born in the summer of his 27th year Comin home to a place he'd never been before He left yesterday behind him, you might say he was born again You might say he found a key for every door
When he first came to the mountains his life was far away On the road and hangin by a song But the string's already broken and he doesn't really care It keeps changin fast and it don't last for long
But the Colorado rocky mountain high I've seen it rainin' fire in the skyThe shadow from the starlight is softer than a lullabye Rocky mountain high
He climbed cathedral mountains, he saw silver clouds below He saw everything as far as you can see And they say that he got crazy once and he tried to touch the sun And he lost a friend but kept his memory
Now he walks in quiet solitude the forest and the streams Seeking grace in every step he takes His sight has turned inside himself to try and understand The serenity of a clear blue mountain lake And the Colorado rocky mountain high I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky You can talk to God and listen to the casual reply Rocky mountain high
Now his life is full of wonder but his heart still knows some fear Of a simple thing he cannot comprehend Why they try to tear the mountains down to bring in a couple more More people, more scars upon the land And the Colorado rocky mountain high I've seen it rainin' fire in the sky I know he'd be a poorer man if he never saw an eagle fly Rocky mountain high
It seems fitting that Pink Floyd provided the backdrop as I rounded the corner on 24th where my brother lost his life.If it hadn’t been for him I might never have learned to appreciate good music.It was he who introduced me to The Wall, Led Zeppelin, some of the Beatles lesser-known masterpieces, and the Who.I remember with painful clarity the first time he made me listen to Queen’s Greatest Hits on the way to Michigan: me grimacing in pain and begging for a shorter CD.I never suspected it would later become my favorite album.We used to have radio wars right up until he left for the Navy.By the time he came home, I had surrendered to the classic rock craze thinking we’d finally agree on something, only to discover that he’d started listening to country while he was away.I guess when siblings fight at home it doesn’t affect how much they miss each other later.
I’m still having trouble believing that it’s real.Because I hadn’t seen him in 10 months I’d almost adjusted to our irregular, infrequent communication.It’s hard to convince myself he won’t come walking in here with a silly grin and some redneck story to tell me.Reality is getting harder and harder to avoid though, as we acquired his beautiful dog and read over the will.The part where he left me his music collection brought a fresh wave of pain, so acute I almost couldn’t breathe.I didn’t know I could hurt this bad.
My purpose for today’s post is to thank everybody who has been my lifeline over these past few weeks.Without the love and prayers of so many of you I don’t know how I would have kept going.I don’t regret going to China but being on the other side of the world from my parents during this time was truly agonizing.I’m infinitely grateful for all of you who called, sent messages, prayed, and hugged me.
"I don't believe an accident of birth makes people sisters or brothers. It makes them siblings, gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood is a condition people have to work at."
