a good joke

This week I gave my students an opportunity to ask me any question they wanted. Most of them asked questions like, How do i improve my oral english? Or, What is your hometown like? But today I found a true jokester. Or maybe it was a riddle, I thought. She asked, what is the difference between a man jumping out of the third floor and a man jumping out of the thirtieth floor? (hmm, interesting question.) I told her I didn't know, and she said the answer is, one man yells AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! and the other man yells AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! Apparently there's a whole slew of Chinese jokes like this one. I laughed so hard at her joke that the class had to ask me if I was alright. This job only gets better.

second week teaching

This is my second week teaching, and the students are delightful. The monitors are giving me the class lists of names, which are delightful in themselves. For some reason, Chinese students pick very strange English names. The most memorable one so far was chosen by a female student who wanted to be called "Dracula". I told her she couldn't be called Dracula, so she chose the name Cherry for herself. Other student names include Echo, Jarry, Yosmine, Anky, Luna, and Chitty. And those are all from one class. The delimma: do I make ALL of them change their names? Sure, Dracula definitely needed to change her name. But I hate taking away their identity so quickly. I just need to find a way to be able to call role with a straight face somehow....
Another delightful part of teaching these precious students is the comments they wrote about themselves on a notecard I assigned them to fill out. For example, Diana writes, "People will remember me easily, even though we are the first time to meet. Why? Because of my short stature: I smile everyday. I have a motto: my stature is short, but my power is endless. If you have unhappy, call me, my telephone is right here waiting for you. If you have something delicious, please! Don't forget me. That's me, I just do myself."
Sarah writes, "I'm a sensitive girl. A girl like the winter. I like the sentence that from Sandra Cisneros: Until then, I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor. I think it's like me."
Phoebe says, "I'm an optimistic and outgoing girl. I like to making friends. I wish everybody is happy."
I could go on, but I won't. Let's just say that I consider myself very fortunate to have this job.

first week in Hengyang

Now I am settled into my apartment in Hengyang, Hunan, in southern China. Though this city is only the second largest city in the province, it is HUGE, especially when we go downtown. Our campus is a bit southward of the center, but it sits just west of the Xiang River. The other day my new team went and had a picnic on the island in the river, which was nice. Night before last the girls on my team went to get a massage. In Hengyang you can get the best hour-long massage ever from a blind man for 35 RMB, about $5.
Today I am getting ready to go to Hong Kong for a couple of days, but I had an interesting lunch experience. I went to the "joint" and asked for them to fry together some carrots, beans, and lotus root. I love lotus root; it's a shame you can't readily find it in the states. The lady served me the cooked dish and a few minutes later came back and said, "it's terrible, isn't it?" "NO!" I protested, "It's delicious!" I finished and paid 5 RMB (less than a dollar for a filling, delicious, and healthy lunch!) to the lady who said, "I'm so embarrassed!" "Why are you embarrassed?" I asked. "Because I cooked so terribly!" the cook said. "You're so modest- It was wonderful, and I'll come again!" I said. And I will. This Hengyang cook was tai qianxu- too modest.

Finally in Beijing!

This is a post I wrote a few weeks ago but just now am having success in publishing it. Enjoy, even though it is dated!

We have been here less than a week and already so much has happened! Our first full day here we were divided into smaller groups and sent out on a scavenger hunt in Beijing. To earn more points, my team decided to go to the snack shop to order fried scorpions. We all ate one- it was crunchy and salty, but really not too bad if you didn't think about what you were eating!
The next day classes started. We have been focusing on learning about Chinese culture norms, unspoken rules, and language differences. The differences between Chinese and American cultures are almost overwhelming. Whereas Americans value directness, Chinese people value indirectness in communication. This is just one example of a stark difference.
Night before last I witnessed the Chinese innovative spirit. Brooke and I passed a resteraunt where a man was barbequeing some lamb kebobs. Unfortunately it was raining, and his shelter was inadequate. So, the embers of the open barbeque were getting wet. The cook was using a hair dryer to fan the flames of the embers. I said a prayer that he wouldn't get electricuted. Amazing.
My posts may be scant because it is hard to cross the Great Firewall of China. Please bear with me. I think of yall and hope all is well!

training in Colorado

Even though it's rather exhausting, training is going well. Meeting this group of new people is a lot more enjoyable than I had expected. Though we come from very different places across North America, we all have a common purpose and similar priorities. One person I have particularly enjoyed meeting is my new teammate Jenn from NY! I can tell we are going to get along great.
Classes are very interesting; we are learning a lot about our organization, and a lot about the Chinese culture and church. While we are taking a lot in, we are also looking forward to getting on the plane to Beijing, which leaves Tuesday. Today we learned a way to overcome jetlag, which involves using 2 fingers to tap on the eyebrows, checks, underarm, and sternum. Sounds cooky to me, but the person who taught us has been using that technique for 3 years and says it really works! hmm, maybe i'll just try tylenol pm.

Goodbye, Michael Jackson

Well, Michael has died, and he left quite a legacy. As I said on Facebook, I liked him as much as the next guy, but this is hysterical:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZVqsSfC-0I

I hope I'm not the only one with a silly sense of humor; I laughed until I cried on that one! Enjoy.

26 days till July 20!

Only 26 more days till I leave for training in Colorado, and boy am i excited. Last week I visited some friends in Atlanta, including my mentor from last year. She happens to be from Taiwan, so she gave me a new Chinese name. Although I really like my old Chinese name, LuoLan, it is time to ring in a new adventure with a new name: Gu (which means 'valley') RuoLan (which means 'like an orchid'). Chinese names often are attached to great symbolism, and mine is no different. The beginning of my eight year "break" from China, most of 2001, was a dark period, a spiritual "valley", for me-- one that I am very thankful to have distance from now. And, according to a website on flower symbolism, orchids are exotic and graceful, and "represent love, luxury, beauty, and strength." I hope I live up to what my name represents.
This summer I have read a lot of books about Chinese culture and society. The one I'm reading now is called Jesus in Beijing, and it is amazing to think about what my heavenly Father is doing in that country these days. It is a movement like no other, and I am honored to be a part of it. Faith in the one true life-giver is spreading like wildfire in the rural areas-- tens of millions have the same Hope I have, and yet their lives are so different from mine. I look forward to befriending another part of China's population- the urban educated- and seeing them come to life spiritually. Oh, what an experience is ahead of us!
I also have questions of a more practical nature- will the Chinese I used to know come back to me? Will I be able to eat Hunan's spicy food? What will the teaching conditions be like? Fortunately, I have been in contact with my new American teammates, who are GREAT. They also have extensive China experience, and I expect that we will be able to encourage each other during our time serving together. So much to look forward to!
I have a tendency to 'live in the future', so my goal for the next 26 days is to enjoy them as they come. My friend Summer and I are going to L.A. for a few days next week for a 'last-trip-together-for-a-while' trip, so my mind will be off of China for a bit. When I get back, it will be all about preparing and packing!

going to China

Hi! Thanks for reading this! I hope this blog will be an effective communication tool for my upcoming journey to China, where I will be living for the next, hmm, phase of my life. I'd like to keep you updated on my thoughts, impressions, and observations while living abroad, and hear your reactions to said entries. So feel free to "comment", anytime. This journey will begin in 6 weeks, beginning with a week-long orientation in Ft. Collins, Colorado, followed by 4 weeks of training in Beijing. Then I will move to Hengyang, Hunan, in the southern part of China, where it is hot and rainy. All this will begin July 20.
My time this summer is being spent preparing for the journey. I am reading several books on Chinese culture and how to teach English. Because I lived in China from 1998-2001, I am somewhat familiar with the basics of Chinese culture, but a lot has changed since then, and I still need to learn a lot more Chinese than I've learned already. Hopefully you will learn a lot about China through this blog, too!