Thanks for your many wonderful thoughts that helped me get through the past week! The week could have potentially turned out differently. I was tired, studied out, and discouraged. But the Father got me through exams, quizzes, papers, projects, and work. I tried my best, and so far it seems that I'm still in grad school. :) He filled me with diligence, peace, energy, and encouragement for others.
This past week I also had to sign up for next semester's classes--already! In case you couldn't remember (I barely can), I'm studying Public Affairs with concentrations in public management and nonprofit management. And while a part of me wants to think ahead to the future for internships, a way to return to China, etc., I can't live in the future.
In fact, I've been having little snippets of memories flood back from my time in China:
-I've been reading a great book called "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan," by Lisa See. It's about 1800s China, and all the things involved with being a proper woman in China: footbinding, childbearing, sickness, famine, obedience to elders and males, and modesty. I recalled being in Reborn's home and listening to her dear Grandma explain the painful process of having her feet bound. It was so painful, but also a great source of pride for her. Her parents also told us stories about famine, and how they had to eat bark to survive. Women no longer get their feet bound, and famine hasn't happened in China for a long time now, but I can see strong connections in others ways with traditional and modern China. Many of the same thoughts, beliefs, traditions, social structures, and motivations persist today. So many things my students told me now make a lot more sense.
-I read an article on the BBC about Chinese people creating video games to vent their frustrations with the authorities: One game, Peddlers vs. City Enforcers, "pits street vendors against officials trying to remove them." Immediately I remembered walking down the back alley of our school where illegal vendors sold their goods. Illegal vendors are everywhere in China, but only sometimes are they punished.
I'm not sure if I ever wrote about it in my blog, but one day as I was walking in the alley, I saw the uniformed "enforcers" arrive. Most of the vendors saw them coming, packed up their bicycle carts, and silently disappeared down deeper alleys. One older woman wasn't so fortunate. She couldn't get away in time. The enforcer zeroed in on her, angrily tipped her bicycle cart over, scattering her few goods everywhere. Then he began beating her as he yelled. Everyone else stood silently by. My presence as a foreigner didn't help either. In fact, my very presence could get her in more trouble, so I quickly got out of there. Thank goodness Watermelon Lady wasn't there.
-Every day I see and talk to my Chinese classmate, "Grace." While she is far richer and better educated than my precious baby students, she is still sweet and very Chinese. When I see her clothes or hear her accent, I always think about all my friends in China. Then I am motivated anew to befriend and love my fellow international students.
-This morning I saw a typical-looking Chinese family talking a walk. The mother wore a reflective visor over her face to protect her skin, even though it was cloudy. Their child was naturally a boy. I thought about all the elaborate gear women wear in China to keep their skin white. That was one thing that I never had to worry about in China--my pale skin was prized like "tender tofu," according to my students.
-Remember the camping dilemma? My friends still went camping, but I decided to go to a missions dinner at my church last night instead. I was the only person under 40, but it was an amazing time to meet other people who also have a passion and heart for missions. There were also about 10 missionaries that shared. My church supports at least 50 full-time missionaries, which is incredible.
I sat next to a man serving all over the world, primarily in Thailand and southern China. I talked with another older lady who serves in southwestern China. She and her husband have been there since China reopened in the early 1980s. We both talked about the amazing pace of change there.
Perhaps the most exciting was a man I talked to who is with Navigators International Student Ministry on our campus. He said that there is such a need for help at their English conversation clubs. He also said there is a need for a woman (like me!) to meet one-on-one with some of the female international students. There are many Chinese students, in particular. Wow. What do you think? That's exactly what I did in China, and I miss it. It seems like such an answer to prayer to be involved with international students that way.
-Summer internship hunting has also got me thinking about China. I started applying to places in the federal government, but my heart's still in China...
Thanks for your thoughts! I love you all and am praying that you will be renewed with His strength this upcoming week.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
America 101
There are some aspects of American culture that I'm still adjusting to that I've noticed in the past few days. The first one is church. I attend a church that is extremely missional and internationally focused. The congregation is made up of tons of internationals, the sermons and worship are amazing, and it seems like God is really glorified. I'm just still amazed and thankful that 500 people can openly meet in a building like that...
Another aspect is the fact that it's okay I don't have a boyfriend in America. In China, my students were very concerned about this, especially when I reached the advanced age of 23. Yesterday, my Chinese classmate and I were discussing my lack of a boyfriend, which transported me back to China in my thoughts.
I saw her talking to a tall Chinese guy, so I asked her in Chinese if that was her boyfriend. Of course she got all flustered and turned the question on whether or not I had a boyfriend. I said, no, I didn't, and she couldn't believe it. Then she switched to English as we walked into our classroom, and our classmates could clearly understand us. She said, "What about 'George'?" with a knowing look. "You sit by him a lot."
Yes, I do sit by George a lot, who could probably hear our conversation by now. But how could I explain that George is gay and thus couldn't be my boyfriend? This would be awkward, and she would be confused--in a traditional society like China you don't really run into that situation much. So I just tried to manuever the conversation in another, less potentially embarrassing direction. I just told her that I liked to sit by many different people...
Then I experienced yet another side of America that doesn't exist in China. I went to a political debate last night with some of my friends, including the aforementioned George. It was sponsored by IU's School of Public and Environmental Affairs, where I'm a student. It was held downtown in a cozy old theater from the 1920s. The theater, the people, and the debate seemed all very old-fashioned.
I sat in the balcony to listen to the three candidates for Congress. At first it was rather boring, but then the candidates and the audience were interesting to watch and interact.
The Democrat: He is the incumbent, and has been around for millions of years. He's pretty old school, and got riled up a lot for no reason. He seemed rather conservative for being a democrat, and had all the right, expected sayings.
The Republican: He is a Naval Academy graduate, a lawyer, and a little too smooth. He also said all the right things, but never really said anything at all. He also got very worked up. And his suit and tie matched the democratic guy exactly.
The Independent: He isn't married, and you could tell, because he wore a splotchy looking gray suit with a purplish tie. He was pretty much the comedic relief. I probably agreed with him more on the issues than the other two candidates, but he wasn't as well-spoken. He also kind of went off the deep end towards the end of the debate, when he dramatically called for the Democratic congressman's resignation, who was standing right next to him. The audience just laughed.
The Moderator: He had actually coached the University of Kansas last year, which won the national debate championships. Now he's teaching at IU. He was pretty cool, and didn't get too ruffled when the audience and candidates did unpredictable things.
The Rest of the People: The theater had a lot of media, which was the only thing that reminded me we weren't in the 1940s, because of their laptops. The audience was an interesting mix of people from the university, farmers from the surrounding areas, and people from the small military base nearby. They all embarrassed me, because at some points they would applaud loudly, or boo, or stomp their feet on the floor, even though the audience was told to be well-behaved. I didn't understand, especially because the candidates weren't really that different from each other. Two police officers dressed in uniforms like Mayberry, watched the audience to make sure they didn't go too crazy.
All in all, it was a fascinating exercise on American society and politics. Now I have to finish studying for yet another midterm, which isn't a rarity in American or Chinese life...
The Buskirk-Chumley theater downtown. What a name!
The outside of the theater.
The debate.
Another aspect is the fact that it's okay I don't have a boyfriend in America. In China, my students were very concerned about this, especially when I reached the advanced age of 23. Yesterday, my Chinese classmate and I were discussing my lack of a boyfriend, which transported me back to China in my thoughts.
I saw her talking to a tall Chinese guy, so I asked her in Chinese if that was her boyfriend. Of course she got all flustered and turned the question on whether or not I had a boyfriend. I said, no, I didn't, and she couldn't believe it. Then she switched to English as we walked into our classroom, and our classmates could clearly understand us. She said, "What about 'George'?" with a knowing look. "You sit by him a lot."
Yes, I do sit by George a lot, who could probably hear our conversation by now. But how could I explain that George is gay and thus couldn't be my boyfriend? This would be awkward, and she would be confused--in a traditional society like China you don't really run into that situation much. So I just tried to manuever the conversation in another, less potentially embarrassing direction. I just told her that I liked to sit by many different people...
Then I experienced yet another side of America that doesn't exist in China. I went to a political debate last night with some of my friends, including the aforementioned George. It was sponsored by IU's School of Public and Environmental Affairs, where I'm a student. It was held downtown in a cozy old theater from the 1920s. The theater, the people, and the debate seemed all very old-fashioned.
I sat in the balcony to listen to the three candidates for Congress. At first it was rather boring, but then the candidates and the audience were interesting to watch and interact.
The Democrat: He is the incumbent, and has been around for millions of years. He's pretty old school, and got riled up a lot for no reason. He seemed rather conservative for being a democrat, and had all the right, expected sayings.
The Republican: He is a Naval Academy graduate, a lawyer, and a little too smooth. He also said all the right things, but never really said anything at all. He also got very worked up. And his suit and tie matched the democratic guy exactly.
The Independent: He isn't married, and you could tell, because he wore a splotchy looking gray suit with a purplish tie. He was pretty much the comedic relief. I probably agreed with him more on the issues than the other two candidates, but he wasn't as well-spoken. He also kind of went off the deep end towards the end of the debate, when he dramatically called for the Democratic congressman's resignation, who was standing right next to him. The audience just laughed.
The Moderator: He had actually coached the University of Kansas last year, which won the national debate championships. Now he's teaching at IU. He was pretty cool, and didn't get too ruffled when the audience and candidates did unpredictable things.
The Rest of the People: The theater had a lot of media, which was the only thing that reminded me we weren't in the 1940s, because of their laptops. The audience was an interesting mix of people from the university, farmers from the surrounding areas, and people from the small military base nearby. They all embarrassed me, because at some points they would applaud loudly, or boo, or stomp their feet on the floor, even though the audience was told to be well-behaved. I didn't understand, especially because the candidates weren't really that different from each other. Two police officers dressed in uniforms like Mayberry, watched the audience to make sure they didn't go too crazy.
All in all, it was a fascinating exercise on American society and politics. Now I have to finish studying for yet another midterm, which isn't a rarity in American or Chinese life...
The Buskirk-Chumley theater downtown. What a name!
The outside of the theater.
The debate.
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