Have you eaten?

So I have buckled down once again in trying to learn Chinese. My Chinese friend Amy (the one I went to Jingdezhen with) helps me with Chinese every Friday. I am finally starting to improve - very slowly but surely.

When you get over how frustrating the different tones can be, and how every word has its own distinct written character, Chinese can be pretty logical. The grammar's not too complicated, and there aren't a lot of superfluous words. I will give you an example of some Chinese sentences in pinyin and the literal translations:

"Ni chi guo le ma?" Literally: You eat? (Have you eaten?)

"Hao bu hao?" Literally: Good not good? (Okay?)

"Ni you xiong di jie mei ma?" Literally: You have older brother, younger brother, older sister, little sister? (Do you have any siblings?)

"Zhe shi wode nan pengyou." Literally: This is my man friend. (This is my boyfriend).

"Ta you mei you shu?" Literally: He has not has book? (Does he have the book?)

"Ni shi mei guo ren ma?" Literally: You are beautiful country person? (Are you an American?)

"Wo shi zhong guo ren." Literally: I am middle country person. (I am Chinese).

Isn't that really interesting? And it gets more exciting, because each word has its own tone and written character. I am pretty sure if I had been living in Spain or Germany for all this time I would be completely fluent. But I have to remember He has placed me here, even if the language makes me want to run away sometimes. :)

Like I said above, "Ni chi guo le ma," means "Have you eaten?" This is my favorite, because it is the standard greeting across China. Instead of "How are you?" people ask, "Have you eaten?" That greeting alone can give you a glimpse into Chinese culture. In the past, food was quite scarce, and people were doing well if they had eaten a meal.

Today I happened to be reading on BBC how a new "global hunger index" had been published. China has accomplished a lot in pulling many of its people out of poverty, but the hunger situation is still "serious" in China. That is about on par with many African countries. I guess China still has a long ways to go. The greeting, "Have you eaten," isn't likely to fade away any time soon...

In other news, I have started coaching a junior student for the "CCTV Cup" coming up soon. The Foreign Affairs Office at our school sent him to me to work with him. CCTV is the state-controlled television network that has a monopoly in China. The CCTV cup is a prestigious English speech contest held every year. There are first provincial contests, and the winners move on to Beijing for the final.

So this student, "Justin," has probably the best English I've heard at our school. He is pretty intense, but I enjoyed speaking at a fairly normal pace, while using decent-sized vocabulary words. I'm actually really excited to help him. It is something different to do, and it is challenging.

Today he came during my office hours, and I looked over his speech he wrote about science and culture. I offered a lot of suggestions, and we even had lively discussions throughout - about things like nuclear weapons, the limitations of traditional Chinese education, and leaders who speak flowery, but meaningless words. This weekend he will memorize his speech and then we will practice how he delivers his speech. I'll let you know how it goes!

Enjoy your wonderful weekend!

Life on a firm foundation

A highlight of each week is when Jodi and I hold our open houses for students. We invite about 15 or 20 different students to our apartment once a week. They are usually deliriously excited to come. This past weekend we invited Jodi's students over (my old students). It was wonderful getting to hang out with my old baby students and it was great seeing Jodi interact with them. I think they have love in their hearts for both of us. As you can see by the pictures they still seem fond of their former teacher, Miss Laura. They practically suffocated and strangled me from excitement as we took pictures.

And as I learn to love my new students without forgetting my old ones, I've been thinking a lot about boldness. It seems like I suddenly woke up and realized my time is limited here. Yes, I have many more months here at Blue Sky, but then that's it - I'll most likely be going to another part of China next year. Every word and action should be pointing people to Him. Sure, most students seem in love with Miss Laura, but I want them to be in love with the Creator.

People's hearts have been set for eternity, and I don't know if they realize it. Chinese buildings sometime remind me of their mindset. Most buildings are built without enforced building codes. Huge highrises and department stores are hastily constructed from extremely iffy looking, crumbly brick and thin concrete. It is all done by hand.

But then they spend probably twice the amount of time working on the outside of the building, applying glossy paint and fake stone or flashy signs. On the outside it will be gleaming (at least for a few months). But on the inside, it is like a shell that begins to deteriorate almost immediately. Plaster falls down, walls leak, some buildings even collapse. Apparently buildings are built in China with a demolition date already in mind.

And that's somewhat like people. They live only for today, neglecting what's inside of them (their hearts and souls), while taking care of the outside, just trying to keep it all together and running after things that can never truly satisfy. Most of my students seem happy and stylish on the outside, but as I get to know them better, cracks are revealed in their facade. Many of them are discouraged, fearful, anxious, empty, and hopeless. You can't build a house or a life on shifting sand... If only they can know the Father, who is the only sturdy and lasting foundation!

In other news, I'm always fascinated by China's propaganda, which is usually displayed on the streets on red banners. Propaganda doesn't have a bad connotation here. One of the most popular slogans of late has been to build a "harmonious society." I've heard that from my students more times than I can count.

And I was browsing on NPR's website, I found some other slogans that the Communist Party is considering... Which ones do you think are the most catchy?

"Hail the great success of our country's reform and opening-up and socialist modernization!"

"Build a socialist harmonious society and promote social equity and justice!"

"Adhere to the independent foreign policy of peace and unswervingly pursue the road of peaceful development!"

"Adhering to and improving the system of regional autonomy by ethnic minorities, so as to consolidate and develop socialist relations among different ethnic groups based on equality, solidarity, mutual assistance and harmony."

Joining the Bicycle Population

The holiday has wrapped up and it's back to teaching! No more holidays for the next four months. And what a holiday! It was a lot better than last year, because this year I have friends and know my way around town. Since going to Jingdezhen, I've hung out with a few old students and friends.

On Wednesday, one of my old students (who is now Jodi's student), Brian, picked us up in a car. Several other old, sweet students came. Brian somehow convinced his 20 year old cousin to come to Nanchang to drive us around in his cousin's brand new bread van.

Bread vans are relatively inexpensive, thinly constructed "vans" that are popular in China. It is more like riding in a paper box. But, still, it was fun to ride around town with some of our students. The cousin, however, was extremely nervous and didn't know his way around Nanchang in holiday-rush traffic. He was almost shaking, and he forgot to shift gears many times. At one point he dropped us off under an overpass in the middle of the city to find parking, and we lost him for nearly an hour.

However, we finally made it to where we were going. We visited a 1,000 year old temple and pagoda in the middle of the city. The Buddhist temple was quite active, and people wanted us to burn incense. That was a great opportunity to explain why we wouldn't do that. We were respectful, but firm.

Afterwards, we wandered around the annual temple fair (see the "Where's Waldo" pictures of me in the thick of it that Jodi took). We went last year, and this time it didn't overwhelm me as much.

We parted with them in the afternoon and then my old student and friend, Wendy, came by after arriving back in Nanchang on the train. We took the bus downtown, where I had just come from, and we bargained for a bicycle. There was a whole street lined with bicycles for sale on the sidewalks. And there were so many choices - do you want this bike with one gear in gray, or this bike with one gear in black? Or how about this bike with one gear in dark blue?

Bicycles are more prevalent than cars, and they still look just about the same as they did in 1950. I ended up buying a bicycle which the shop owners claimed was made in America. I told them that was impossible, and they weren't too happy I said that. I still ended up buying it, though, because it was the biggest one I could find, although it was still too small. And they threw in a basket and bell. It also comes with only one gear and a rack on the back for a friend to sit on while I pedal. It is a very typical Chinese bike, but I am proud of it.

So we finished bargaining for it just as rush hour hit - in the middle of downtown. I had to figure out how to get it back to campus, which is a 25 minute bus ride away. My only choice was to ride it back. Let's just say that I was thinking to the Father most of the time. So I merged into the steady, thick stream of other bicyclists and mopeds with Wendy perched on the back.

I'm pretty sure I caused a nice spectacle. It's rather difficult to navigate a too-small, wobbly bicycle through crazy traffic in a city of 4 million people with a 110 pound girl sitting on the back of it. For several minutes, I was swerving around trying to get my balance and not run into other bicyclists. There was one point where I very narrowly missed running over a live duck, which was for sale on the curb. I don't know how Wendy didn't fall off because of my poor driving skills. I think Chinese people are born riding on the back of bikes. In addition, everybody was very amused, confused, or practically in shock seeing the giant foreigner pedaling right alongside them.

After about 10 minutes of this, I convinced Wendy to take the bus back to campus and I'd meet her there after a while. So I continued to pedal all the way back to old campus by myself. Maybe I should spare you all the details (especially my parents), but I traversed alongside the Chinese across countless jammed intersections and roundabouts, with buses and cars and motorbikes everywhere. It was pretty thrilling.

I actually ended up getting back to old campus before Wendy, because her bus was stuck in the traffic. And I was so thankful to be alive! So I've also included a picture of my new bicycle with this blog post. On Thursday, the last day of our holiday, Jodi and I pedaled to a nearby lake. Don't worry, I'm being careful!

Porcelain City

And the holiday continues! On Sunday I left on a bus very early in the morning with my Chinese friend, Amy. We headed northeast for a few hours to a small famous city, Jingdezhen. It is the center of the porcelain making industry in China and probably the world.

First, riding buses long distances aren't exactly what you think. Highways seem pretty scarce, because the majority of people still don't have personal cars. That means the narrow roads are filled with bicycles, running children, people playing basketball, oxen pulling old wooden carts, chickens, mopeds, and gigantic trucks hauling coal or rock or chemicals. Farmers also spread out their hay and berries on the side of the road to dry, so the bus also has to swerve around that. And there are always interesting things to look at as we only go about 40 miles per hour at the fastest. On the way back to Nanchang yesterday, there was a car totally engulfed in flames. People just stared at it.

Anyway, we finally reached Jingdezhen, which is surrounded by little mountains. It reminded me of a mini-Nanchang, although the people seemed a lot more polite and friendly. And the city's only industry is making pottery. In Jingdezhen you either make pottery or sell it. There were countless stores and workshops dedicated to porcelain. Even the bridges and streets were lined with porcelain lamp posts.

There are also many rich Chinese from all over China, who drive in to buy expensive porcelain to take back home to Beijing or Shanghai or wherever. Supposedly there are also foreigners who sometimes come in tourist groups, but I never saw any. And I didn't look like I could really afford any expensive fine China, since I came rolling into town with only the clothes on my back--shorts and a T-shirt, which I wore for two days to try to be more "Chinese." So people didn't seem to expect me to buy anything, which was nice.

The visit was pretty successful in huge part to Amy's friend, Chen Long, who is also a student at Blue Sky, but doesn't speak any English. We got to visit his uncle's store and his family's store that each specialize in selling... porcelain! He was a great host and easy going guy, although he seemed overly fond of walking. We seriously trekked for several miles a day. My feet were swollen, but I loved walking everywhere and seeing everything.

And we sure saw everything - museums for imperial porcelain from the Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, most every store in Jingdezhen that sold ceramics, and the huge compound of workshops in the hills that is still active. We saw tons of men and women making pottery. There were also countless kilns for firing the clay.

We had a wonderful time visiting someplace different. It seemed to be a fairly cultured city, although it was still certainly Chinese. Our hotel was really seedy and dirty, and when we ate hot noodles and meat baozi for breakfast on the street, there were chickens running right underneath our feet. We also counted the rats in the bushes for fun while we ate.

Thanks for reading about this little adventure! I really enjoyed it, especially getting to hang out with Amy, and seeing something different. Enjoy the pictures!

The Chinese Spirit

Happy 60th birthday, New China!

China is having a huge party, and I get to witness it. The city is bedecked with tons of red flags, and huge banners proclaiming 60 successful years are also everywhere. (See the pictures). I've also seen plenty of potted plants arranged in the shape of "60" with maps of China in the flowers, too. People walk around with fistfuls of flags, and all the taxi drivers have flags on their windows. Sometimes I forget that I'm not Chinese, because I'm swept up in all the patriotism, nationalism, and pride. It is a great time to be Chinese.

And maybe I'm more Chinese than I thought. One sweet boy, who was my student last year, told Jodi he thinks I am "just like Chinese." I have the "Chinese spirit" inside of me and my mannerisms and how I carry myself are Chinese, he said. This just warmed my heart. Maybe that's why I feel more comfortable in China than in America.

So we have a week off for the National Holiday. Today (Thursday) is the THE big day. October 1st is the day the communist revolution succeeded. This morning on TV we watched the huge, two-hour parade in Beijing, which rivaled the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympics. Every single channel on television showed the parade and has been replaying it throughout the day.

Apparently it was China's largest parade ever. The BBC compared the display of military hardware to the Soviet days, and the pageantry to North Korea's. I can't even explain it. You just have to see it for yourself. I think China wins for over-the-top shows, propaganda, goose-step marching, number of missiles, huge portraits of famous leaders, controlling the weather so it wouldn't rain, and the ability to have hundreds of thousands of soldiers, students, workers, farmers, and children march in perfect unison.

Tomorrow the Foreign Affairs Office is going to drive us around Nanchang, just like last year. Then on Sunday I'm taking the train or bus to the northeastern corner of our province to a famous ancient city called Jingdezhen with my Chinese friend, Amy. Supposedly porcelain was created there. I'm not sure why I said yes to going, since the Foreign Affairs Office advised us to only stay in Nanchang. I think I'm just attracted to adventures and potential for mass chaos. So I'll be there for a couple of days. I don't know how we'll get there or where we'll sleep or what we'll do, but it should be a nice China adventure! Your thoughts are still very welcome!

Closed Doors, Open Doors

This past week was definitely full of challenges and joys. Even in the midst of sleeplessness and teaching extra classes, His presence was apparent. There were some disappointing conversations with students who were following Him or interested in Him, but now have been so distracted and busy that they claim He has no place in their lives. But on the other hand, there have been encouraging conversations with other students about life that I hadn't expected.

I think I'll choose to focus on some of the highlights of the past week, though. Probably my favorite part was the "open house" Jodi and I have weekly. This week half of one of my classes came over. They are students that we call "EGR" (Extra Grace Required). They are intense and awkward most of the time, but He is giving me plenty of grace for them!

It was a wonderful experience. We got to show them fun, love, and hospitality, especially as many of them have never been to a foreigner's home before. We served snacks, played card games, had a hilarious time playing the limbo, and taught them a dance. (See the pictures and video). I also showed them some more pictures of my family and friends. One student was looking at a picture of my sister, Andrea, and said, "She is almost as beautiful as you are!" I thought that was special. :) Overall, it was just a great opportunity to love them. Some of them said it was the happiest day of their lives, and one girl hugged me on the way out, telling me how much she loves me.

Then on Saturday, two of my old students came to eat lunch with me (See the other pictures). We had such great conversations about most everything under the sun. One girl, Adelle, is the best student in her class, but also one of the poorest. Her parents are migrant workers who pick vegetables all day long in a neighboring province. She and her brother, who live with their grandpa, only see their parents once a year. And Adelle's family had to pay a fine of 1,000 yuan when her younger brother was born, because you are supposed to only have one child. This just about broke her family.

Then the other student, Claire, who is much more reserved and lower level, told me about her family. They are quite well off in comparison. Her father works as a government official, meaning he has lots of perks. So when Claire's younger brother was born, they didn't have to pay a fine or get punished in any way.

Anyways, there's a lot going on, so please just remember us for rest and stamina. Starting Monday we have a week's worth of classes in 3 days in preparation for the National Holiday, which begins Thursday.

Seeing Gray

I can hardly believe I've been in China again for almost another month! It certainly hasn't been like what I expected, but that's okay. The honeymoon with this country is over. But I feel like I'm becoming much more engrained in this culture. I can understand quite a bit more Chinese, which helps connect me with people. And the longer I'm here, the more I feel that China, like all countries, has many things wrong and right with it. Mostly there's a whole lot of gray. Sometimes I really can't see the world in black and white anymore.

You walk around the world's most populous country and are amazed at the Chinese people's resourcefulness, stamina, and courage. They are survivors--especially anybody over the age of 40. Survivors of war, famine, floods, earthquakes, fires, long periods of no education... Those stories are in the eyes of the 65 year old woman sweeping the street who probably survived two famines. Those stories are in the eyes of the 40 year old man who didn't receive any education because schools had been shuttered for 10 years when he was young. Those stories are in the eyes of my 20 year old student whose village was swept away by a flood, or the student who feels she must build a "strong motherland" today to make up for all those "lost" years of her parents and grandparents.

So now China is developing at break-neck speed as it tries to shed its past. (There is no economic crisis here). But at what cost? The majority of my students didn't grow up with their parents, because their mom and dad were working at factories in the coastal cities. And people are still only supposed to have one child. Thus, there are millions of more boys than girls. My province, for example, has one of the most skewed gender balances in China. To every 100 girls born, there are 140 boys. Multiply that by thousands, and you can tell there will be problems, which are already being noticed now.

And even though China seems to be quite the capitalist hot-spot, it is entirely still communist, politically and socially. I'm reminded of that, because the 60th anniversary of "New China" (communist China), will be celebrated next week. Beijing will have the largest parade, mostly consisting of thousands of soldiers and military equipment. The parade is supposed to be an even bigger feat than the opening of the Beijing Olympics. Is that even possible?

That's all you can read about in the China Daily newspaper here. There are always tons of articles about the big show. People are extremely proud. Take for example, a quote from a soldier who happens to be from our province and has been training for months for the big day. "The wishes in our hearts to sacrifice for our motherland enable us to endure the hardship," said Gao Teng, a machine-gun toting soldier from Jiangxi province.

I think his quote is fitting for most Chinese. They are willing to endure most any hardship and sacrifice most anything, as long as it is for Chinese unity and their country.

Today during one of my classes, several students had to leave early to attend a big ceremony to take the oath for joining the Communist Party. It is a privilege to be asked to join. You must be smart, ambitious, patriotic, loyal, and have the "correct" ideology. And once you are in, you are pretty much set for life. Your social status and job security are just about guaranteed forever. So as they filed out of my classroom to take their oath, a part of my heart sank. Once students join the Party, they are usually less reachable for Him. But it's reassuring that He still remembers and love them, even if their loyalty is elsewhere.

That's enough stories to regale you with for now! More has happened, but perhaps I'll save it for another post. Things are well here. Your thoughts are still always appreciated!