Long Time No Post

I've realized that living in China is a lot about extraordinary amounts of waiting--waiting in line, waiting for the bus, waiting in traffic, waiting for water to heat up; waiting for the power to be restored, waiting to start teaching again, waiting for the right moment to share truth...

You are pleasantly surprised when the bus comes, when the traffic moves, when classes begin, and when a student asks you a meaningful question. I just hope that He will fill my days of waiting with patience, perseverance, and fruit, instead of irritation and frustration. I never want to feel like I'm just wasting time or wasting life...

And now we are waiting for the Internet to return after it has been off for 2 weeks. It is a bit costly to go to a Chinese coffee shop to update my blog or to communicate with my family in America. I am currently sipping pricey jasmine tea just so I can be connected with people back home. Now I smell like a mixture of smoke and flowers. I am trying just to come here once every other week.

The Chinese New Year festivities ended last weekend with Lantern Festival. It seems like there's a "festival" every two weeks. Lantern Festival brings about the conclusion to the partying and holiday atmosphere that surrounds the Chinese New Year. Everyone sets off fireworks, which is impressive in the country that invented and mass produces fireworks.

On that day it was unusually warm. The smoke from the fireworks hung so thickly in the air, that it was like a blanket. My eyes and nose burned. Even the stores were draped with smoke inside from the abundance of fireworks. Thankfully it started raining the next day and hasn't stopped since.

And with the end of the holiday, teaching has finally begun in earnest once again! I feel quite glad to see my dear students, and to feel somewhat useful in life. My students look well, although some of them have super crazy hairstyles. Perms on boys have never appealed to me, but that is all the rage--especially poofy, permed, maroon-colored perms. One boy has a very curly mohawk that looks more like a bird's nest than anything.

One particular class was quite interesting, and made me realize how I loved being back in the quirky teaching environment here in Nanchang. In the middle of class, a man with a hammer and tool bag nonchalantly walked into the front of the classroom, just a few feet away from me. He started wrenching away wood on the door, sometimes hammering and chiseling in spurts. He also was carrying a pane of glass to put in the door since it was missing a window.

I just stared at him, like, "Are you serious?" Then when I started talking in English to my class after a pause, HE stopped to stare at me. I think he just realized at that moment that I was a foreigner. Then I stopped and stared at HIM again. My students thought this was hilarious. He finally finished up his carpentry/glass work and went on his merry way.

I have also been eating lunch and hanging out with students again. They light up my life. One girl told me, "You are much too tall and thin! But now your face is fatter." Having a round face is apparently beautiful in China, although I'm not convinced. All my muscles have melted away and have been replaced with lamb kebabs and rice.

Today it poured from dawn to dusk without stopping. Students were extremely wet, and we had to jump around puddles the size of lakes, since there isn't any drainage here. Then in our apartment kitchen we have bowls and towels trying to stop the leaking ceiling and windows. Everything seems to be spewing water. But for some reason I don't really care. Living in China helps you to be much more carefree about most everything. As long as I eat and sleep, I'm okay.

Thanks for everything!! I'm sorry I haven't been able to blog lately, but I'm sure you understand. I'm just so thankful for your thoughts! Oh, and please think of us this weekend as we have several studies going on...

P.S. My English is getting worse by the day! Today my students corrected me when I wrote "twelvth" on the board instead of "twelfth."