Our grad program here is "only" 2 years (it feels a million times longer!), but I'm already ready to graduate in May. Hopefully I'll get more into the swing of things as the semester goes along.
In the midst of starting new classes I finished reading the book, "Don't Waste Your Life," by John Piper. I was reminded about focusing on the awesome privilege of knowing God, being glad in Him, and helping others also know and be glad in Him. Why is it always a perpetually never-ending lesson to remember that life is so much bigger than my own little self-centered world? Pouring myself into other people reaps contentment, which I'm rediscovering.
There were quite a few highlights from this past week as I've thrown myself back into classes, work at city hall, and relationships with other people:
-I was sitting in my urban planning class silently fuming because it seems not challenging at all and pretty pointless. Then I discovered a fellow classmate from Jiangxi province! Most Chinese people I meet here come from the huge coastal cities and not rather "backwater" places like Jiangxi. She said she had a lot of friends attend Blue Sky, where I taught in China. Her name is "Yan" and she was incredibly surprised and thrilled I had lived there. I was also incredibly surprised and thrilled to meet her, and we commenced to discuss all the familiar things from there.
-I received a sweet note in the mail from my adopted family I lived with this summer. In the note they said "We all still have an empty spot in our hearts that only your space can fill." Weep, weep! Who knew we'd all come to care for each other so much? And I miss them--almost as much as my real family. I especially miss their home-cooked meals! Now I have to try and rustle up meals on my own. Rough life!
-Although I complain a bit about being back in school, this is a tremendous blessing and opportunity to study! I should be thankful for all that I'm learning, especially in the neat people I continually meet and for all the reunions I had this week with dear, sweet friends.
-Last night I helped out with an English conversation class at church for international students. I was immediately transported back to my days of "English corner" in China. This was a much more tame version compared to the afternoons at Blue Sky where I was surrounded on average by at least 25 eager beavers who mostly came to stare at the foreigner. The majority of the participants in this particular class are married Chinese couples, and I am already in love with all of them! Now tonight I get to go to Chinese church and I'm bringing one of my good Chinese friends.
For some reason I still feel like my heart is hurting, but I know God is a great healer and redeemer! I'm thankful that He is faithful in redirecting me back toward meaningful pursuits and the knowledge that only He can fulfill. We have an awesome God deserving of praise. Have a blessed and restful Labor Day weekend!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
A fresh start
So apparently classes are starting tomorrow? I've been so busy the past several days settling back into Bloomington life, mostly in a social way. When I first got back I felt sort of down and not too excited. But lots of friends have started returning, and I've also met a lot of new people, so I'm feeling much more upbeat and positive.
I'm starting to recall why I really enjoyed this place and the people-- the abundance of international students, meeting our international neighbors, walking to get ice-cream, going to church and seeing lots of familiar faces, having interesting conversations with people from all walks of life, the mild weather, and the beautiful scenery.
This year I hope to be more involved with our GFM chapter and I also signed up to help in English conversation classes at our church for internationals. These are some of my passions--mostly helping international students or those in need--and I've really missed them! So hopefully God will help me structure my time, work, and studying well so that I can serve well in some of these ways without getting overloaded.
I also got excited about international students when my good old China buddy, Kelsey, came to visit me yesterday. She lives in a different part of Indiana, and is very active with ministering to internationals, immigrants, and refugees. We had an awesome time reminiscing about our Siberian adventure to Reborn's hometown in Xinjiang, and just laughed about everything in general. I was so blessed to be able to see her again!
I'm praying that this year I'll really be able to pour out my energy and life to helping others know God and be glad in Him. And if I pass all my classes that would be cool too. :)
Reunion with my Russian twin, Kelsey!
Jiffy Treet, the best ice cream for $1.92.
Flash back to 2010: Kelsey, Reborn, and me in -30 degree weather in the most northwestern part of China
I'm starting to recall why I really enjoyed this place and the people-- the abundance of international students, meeting our international neighbors, walking to get ice-cream, going to church and seeing lots of familiar faces, having interesting conversations with people from all walks of life, the mild weather, and the beautiful scenery.
This year I hope to be more involved with our GFM chapter and I also signed up to help in English conversation classes at our church for internationals. These are some of my passions--mostly helping international students or those in need--and I've really missed them! So hopefully God will help me structure my time, work, and studying well so that I can serve well in some of these ways without getting overloaded.
I also got excited about international students when my good old China buddy, Kelsey, came to visit me yesterday. She lives in a different part of Indiana, and is very active with ministering to internationals, immigrants, and refugees. We had an awesome time reminiscing about our Siberian adventure to Reborn's hometown in Xinjiang, and just laughed about everything in general. I was so blessed to be able to see her again!
I'm praying that this year I'll really be able to pour out my energy and life to helping others know God and be glad in Him. And if I pass all my classes that would be cool too. :)
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
School sweet school
Left home in Topeka early this morning for what turned out to be a pretty long day. I thought it would be a lot faster to fly to Indiana, but the 9 hour drive would have been almost quicker! I'm thankful to get here safely. For America, it was quite an adventure:
-My neighbors had a flight today, too, so I drove the hour and a half to the Kansas City airport with them.
-I waited at the airport about 3 hours before my flight and read a good book.
-At about lunch time I got on the plane. It was packed to the brim with tons of overweight white guys; many of them were attending a John Deere conference in Indiana. There also weren't enough seats for everyone on the plane, so we got rid of some passengers.
-Flew only about an hour to Indianapolis, where we commenced to circle the airport several times.
-Landed and went to take a shuttle to Bloomington, but all the shuttles were full.
-Befriended some undergrads from England and Texas who looked lost.
-Finally got on a bus after lots of Chinese students kept getting in front of us, since lines don't exist in China.
-Rode the bus for an hour to Bloomington and finally staggered off to wait for the city bus, which was 30 minutes late.
-Jumped on a city bus and sat in traffic as tons of freshmen are moving into their dorms.
-Just got home!
Phew! So now I'm in my apartment alone until my roommate gets here tomorrow. I know I'll be more excited once my friends start arriving in town, but I'm honestly not looking forward to my job or classes, especially after this thrilling summer. Thanks as always for your thoughts!
-My neighbors had a flight today, too, so I drove the hour and a half to the Kansas City airport with them.
-I waited at the airport about 3 hours before my flight and read a good book.
-At about lunch time I got on the plane. It was packed to the brim with tons of overweight white guys; many of them were attending a John Deere conference in Indiana. There also weren't enough seats for everyone on the plane, so we got rid of some passengers.
-Flew only about an hour to Indianapolis, where we commenced to circle the airport several times.
-Landed and went to take a shuttle to Bloomington, but all the shuttles were full.
-Befriended some undergrads from England and Texas who looked lost.
-Finally got on a bus after lots of Chinese students kept getting in front of us, since lines don't exist in China.
-Rode the bus for an hour to Bloomington and finally staggered off to wait for the city bus, which was 30 minutes late.
-Jumped on a city bus and sat in traffic as tons of freshmen are moving into their dorms.
-Just got home!
Phew! So now I'm in my apartment alone until my roommate gets here tomorrow. I know I'll be more excited once my friends start arriving in town, but I'm honestly not looking forward to my job or classes, especially after this thrilling summer. Thanks as always for your thoughts!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Home sweet home
Life flies by so fast! Just last week I was wrapping up things at my summer internship. Now I'm 1200 miles away at home and seemingly in a whole different world. I can say the usual things about Kansas--it's beautiful, slow-paced, restful, a time warp...
After a crazy, tornado-like storm last night, I spent tonight mowing and edging the big, huge yard with Mom. There was such a nice breeze, the early evening sky stretched a million miles before us, and random friendly neighbors we've known for 20 years would come by every 3 seconds to chat. Is this place for real?
While I momentarily felt dejected and bored, I quickly snapped out of it. There are interesting friends and interesting things to do if you look for them. I think I just miss the routine of working and always being challenged every second of the day. That will probably change soon when I'm back in school wishing for less challenge.
I apologize for this very uninformative blog--a lot happened this summer, and I feel like everything's sort of soaking in now that I have more than 5 minutes to stop and think and rest and be. Kansas has always been a good place to be able to reflect, but sometimes I can reflect too much and drive myself crazy. I just need to keep my sights focused on God and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Hope you have an extremely blessed weekend wherever you may and whatever you may be doing!
After a crazy, tornado-like storm last night, I spent tonight mowing and edging the big, huge yard with Mom. There was such a nice breeze, the early evening sky stretched a million miles before us, and random friendly neighbors we've known for 20 years would come by every 3 seconds to chat. Is this place for real?
While I momentarily felt dejected and bored, I quickly snapped out of it. There are interesting friends and interesting things to do if you look for them. I think I just miss the routine of working and always being challenged every second of the day. That will probably change soon when I'm back in school wishing for less challenge.
I apologize for this very uninformative blog--a lot happened this summer, and I feel like everything's sort of soaking in now that I have more than 5 minutes to stop and think and rest and be. Kansas has always been a good place to be able to reflect, but sometimes I can reflect too much and drive myself crazy. I just need to keep my sights focused on God and keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Hope you have an extremely blessed weekend wherever you may and whatever you may be doing!
Monday, August 15, 2011
A working girl retires
It is Monday morning and I'm sitting at a tiny wooden table in my new (but old) apartment in Bloomington, Indiana! Somehow I drove 630 miles in 10 hours by myself all day yesterday to arrive back at school.
It was very strange to gradually drive from fast-paced living by D.C. to the middle of America, where things are slow paced and much less polished. Who knew that people could drive a car other than a Land Rover or Mercedes? Apparently there are people in America who also drive Fords!
Anyway, I arrived at my little apartment I'm sharing with my friend Cindy this next year. It's a pretty tiny, sort of old place, but it's very cozy... and we are surrounded by Chinese neighbors! I think it will be a pretty good year. Maybe I can describe the place more once I get settled in. Today I have to move all of my stuff from another friend's apartment to this place. None of my friends have arrived and Cindy is out of town, so hopefully I can it all on my own. Thankfully I have a fold-up Ikea bed and other tiny, foldable things that should be fairly easy to chuck in my car and carry up rickety steps.
Overall, I had an extremely blessed summer that I wouldn't have traded for the world. Well, maybe I would have, but it was still a great experience. I learned an incredible amount, especially through interactions with so many different people. There are some things that I had to say goodbye to, but there are also so many things to look forward to.
Goodbye to:
-Way too comfortable suburban/rich people living.
-An awesome adopted family and dog.
-Going to work everyday and being productive.
-Making a living and some money.
-Being at the doorstep of D.C.
-The spectacular church I attended.
Hello to:
-New friendships and adventures.
-New classes and loads of projects and papers.
-Going back to work with the city during the school year.
-Job searching for graduation time.
-Heading up service and outreach with InterVarsity's graduate chapter.
Thanks for all your many, many prayers! Oh, and maybe I didn't mention it, but my wonderful mother is back from China! Thanks for your prayers for her too. I'll be heading home to Kansas tomorrow to hang out with her for a whole week.
Okay, I really better start moving stuff now. Maybe I'll be able to recruit some Chinese neighbors to help me?
It was very strange to gradually drive from fast-paced living by D.C. to the middle of America, where things are slow paced and much less polished. Who knew that people could drive a car other than a Land Rover or Mercedes? Apparently there are people in America who also drive Fords!
Anyway, I arrived at my little apartment I'm sharing with my friend Cindy this next year. It's a pretty tiny, sort of old place, but it's very cozy... and we are surrounded by Chinese neighbors! I think it will be a pretty good year. Maybe I can describe the place more once I get settled in. Today I have to move all of my stuff from another friend's apartment to this place. None of my friends have arrived and Cindy is out of town, so hopefully I can it all on my own. Thankfully I have a fold-up Ikea bed and other tiny, foldable things that should be fairly easy to chuck in my car and carry up rickety steps.
Overall, I had an extremely blessed summer that I wouldn't have traded for the world. Well, maybe I would have, but it was still a great experience. I learned an incredible amount, especially through interactions with so many different people. There are some things that I had to say goodbye to, but there are also so many things to look forward to.
Goodbye to:
-Way too comfortable suburban/rich people living.
-An awesome adopted family and dog.
-Going to work everyday and being productive.
-Making a living and some money.
-Being at the doorstep of D.C.
-The spectacular church I attended.
Hello to:
-New friendships and adventures.
-New classes and loads of projects and papers.
-Going back to work with the city during the school year.
-Job searching for graduation time.
-Heading up service and outreach with InterVarsity's graduate chapter.
Thanks for all your many, many prayers! Oh, and maybe I didn't mention it, but my wonderful mother is back from China! Thanks for your prayers for her too. I'll be heading home to Kansas tomorrow to hang out with her for a whole week.
Okay, I really better start moving stuff now. Maybe I'll be able to recruit some Chinese neighbors to help me?
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
A working girl counts her blessings
My time here in Virginia is quickly drawing to a close. Tonight I took a walk with the gorgeous sunset over the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop. The temperature was almost cool, and I could just bask in God's glorious creativity and unfailing love. I was also able to reflect on some of the amazing blessings I've had this summer. My measly expectations for a humdrum summer were blown way out of the water! Here are some the major things I'm thankful for this summer:
-A challenging internship at a wonderful company
-Amazing, intelligent, and interesting coworkers and friends
-A great family that took me in and loved me
-Neat experiences on Capitol Hill for work and for fun
-Plenty of opportunities for hiking, biking, and playing tennis
-Well-rounded meals cooked by the aforementioned family
-Difficulties that helped me grow
And the list could probably go on and on! Here's just a couple of pictures to leave you with of some of these blessings:
The swanky building I worked in all summer.
Jim and Marion, my adopted parents, who are both extremely fun and generous.
-A challenging internship at a wonderful company
-Amazing, intelligent, and interesting coworkers and friends
-A great family that took me in and loved me
-Neat experiences on Capitol Hill for work and for fun
-Plenty of opportunities for hiking, biking, and playing tennis
-Well-rounded meals cooked by the aforementioned family
-Difficulties that helped me grow
And the list could probably go on and on! Here's just a couple of pictures to leave you with of some of these blessings:
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
A working girl speaks
Today was probably the most intense day of my internship experience so far. I feel a mix of relief and satisfaction about everything that happened. I know there were lots of people praying for me, and I could tell. So thank you!
My boss had made me practice my presentation several times yesterday, so I felt somewhat confident. But it's different presenting to my perpetually cheerful boss and in front of stern-faced executives. I wore the only suit and button-up shirt I own, which all felt extremely hot and heavy in the small room. I also had on a pair of new high-heels, which made my knees feel like they couldn't stop shaking (or maybe I was just nervous!)
Anyway, then I commenced to go through my presentation. I'm not the most articulate person, but I think I am somehow disarming with my charm or something, because people seem to be transfixed. Maybe they're just bored or curious about my Kansas accent. All the other presenters got grilled with extremely difficult questions, but with me they were almost ridiculously nice and easy-going.
I can only thank God for how things have turned out this summer! I really wasn't looking forward to moving out here, but now I wish I could stay a lot longer. I've learned such a tremendous amount, especially in analytical and interpersonal skills that I wouldn't trade for anything. I still have another week and a half, but it's certainly winding down. I'll keep you posted on any other developments. Thank you again for your prayers and encouragement!
My boss had made me practice my presentation several times yesterday, so I felt somewhat confident. But it's different presenting to my perpetually cheerful boss and in front of stern-faced executives. I wore the only suit and button-up shirt I own, which all felt extremely hot and heavy in the small room. I also had on a pair of new high-heels, which made my knees feel like they couldn't stop shaking (or maybe I was just nervous!)
Anyway, then I commenced to go through my presentation. I'm not the most articulate person, but I think I am somehow disarming with my charm or something, because people seem to be transfixed. Maybe they're just bored or curious about my Kansas accent. All the other presenters got grilled with extremely difficult questions, but with me they were almost ridiculously nice and easy-going.
I can only thank God for how things have turned out this summer! I really wasn't looking forward to moving out here, but now I wish I could stay a lot longer. I've learned such a tremendous amount, especially in analytical and interpersonal skills that I wouldn't trade for anything. I still have another week and a half, but it's certainly winding down. I'll keep you posted on any other developments. Thank you again for your prayers and encouragement!
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