Wrapping up May

Life has suddenly sped up very quickly. Some days seem to drag on forever, especially the super rainy ones, but somehow it is hard to believe that I'll be leaving China in a mere 18 days. How are you supposed to wrap up the past 2 years of life in an entirely different country/planet in about 2 weeks?

Everyone and everything is growing dearer to me as the days wind down. This week I had a lot of meals and time to hang out with my friends. On Wednesday Jodi and I headed downtown to eat "hot pot" with "Lisa" and "Hannah," two sweet Chinese girls whose family owns the bustling Nanchang noodle restaurant in our neighborhood. We hung out with them for nearly 3 hours and talked the entire time in Chinese! They don't speak any English. I was so surprised at how well we all communicated. That has been my dream to carry on conversations with Chinese people, ever since I got here. That's just one of the many opportunities I've had this semester to be in situations where speaking Chinese was vital for an extended period of time. Thanks, Father, for helping me!!

I've also had a lot of other meals and conversations with some of my close Chinese friends. One of my friends and I talked about, in depth, what it's like to really be a Chinese believer in China these days. Ask me this summer, if you'd like to know more! It's certainly different than during her parents' and grandparents' generations. Her grandparents spent months in prison for their beliefs.
Thanks as always for your thoughts! I'd like to continue to spend good quality time with my friends, while preparing myself for life back in the U.S.

Lastly, I thought I'd provide you with a link to an interesting article, "16 Items They Only Sell at Chinese Walmarts." I'll give you a few of my favorite items, but you can click on the article to read more about each item and see interesting pictures. :)

1.) Crocodiles
2.) Bulk Rice
3.) Turtles
4.) Rib cages
5.) Assorted Dried Reptiles
6.) Frogs
7.) A large selection of chopsticks
8.) Beef Granules
9.) Dried ducks
10.) Pig Faces

So not only will I miss my Chinese friends and the culture, but I'll also miss the crazy Walmarts!


Eating hotpot with Chinese friends.


With Jodi, Lisa, and Hannah. I'm the giant white person, in case you couldn't tell. :)


Our friends Wendy and Karen. This is how they ride their bike to class. Pretty talented, huh?


Fresh, fresh meat for sale at the local supermarket.

Marching on

Hello, America!

It's a brand new, sunshiny day in Nanchang. Things are finally drying up after torrential rains and plenty of flooding. Some of my friends who teach on the other side of Nanchang said people were wading in water past their waists! And there was a landslide just south of our city, which derailed a train and killed about 20 people...

Did you ever think that Americans were patriotic? Times that by about 25, and that's China's patriotism. Sometimes I'm amazed by how much they love their country. One of my classes sang the Chinese national anthem for me, and the words are quite...moving. Here's an English translation of their anthem, in case you were curious: So imagine lots of students singing it with a lot of fervor and passion.

Arise! All who refuse to be slaves!
Let our flesh and blood forge into our new Great Wall!
As the Chinese nation faces its greatest peril,
All forcefully expend their last cries.
Arise! Arise! Arise!
Our million hearts beat as one,
Brave the enemy's fire, March on!
Brave the enemy's fire, March on!
March on! March on! On!

And on that note, I thought I'd talk about how we are marching on in the face of an imminent departure from China. I only have 3 weeks until I fly to Shanghai and then on to America, a land which is becoming increasingly unfamiliar to me. I'm afraid I'll arrive in America and I won't remember how to speak, I'll drop food all over the table, and I'll answer every question quite indirectly in a very China-y way...

But I'm also excited! I'm anticipating a harmonious and happy future, to borrow the words of my students. Actually, I don't really know what the future holds, but I know it's all in His hands!

And we march on...