Pest control

Greetings from Nanchang, which is experiencing beautiful, non life-threatening weather. It is neither too scalding hot nor too freezing cold. It's just right, and I'm so thankful! We are now only affected by things like mold and clouds of dust, dirt, and smog that we can't control. Some days I'm glad that I'm leaving when I am! I'm just tired of coughing for the past 2 years.

Anyways, it's hard to believe that it's June! Exactly 2 weeks until I leave for Shanghai, and then to America the day after that. So now we just have 2 weeks of classes and final exams left.

I'm trying to soak in the cuteness/preciousness/bizarreness of my students while I can. Today, for example, there was a dying roach on the floor of the classroom. Later, I noticed that it was gone--and it was sitting on my student Vika's desk! I couldn't hide my horror very well. It was hilarious and terrible at the same time. She was happily sitting there, while a roach wiggled its legs right on her desk.

It was even crazier, because Vika had put the bug on her desk herself. She felt sorry for it. Noticing my shock, she wrapped it in a tissue and set it back on the floor. Another student jokingly told her, "respect your pet!" Later I noticed that she made a little box out of paper, placed the roach inside, and then set it on the windowsill.

I was also amazed at how calm and normal this seemed to everyone. One student said that they have so many roaches, mice, and mosquitoes in their dormitories that the insects are "like their friends." He said this only half jokingly.

I'm also getting to soak in speaking a lot of Chinese. Last blog post I mentioned how Jodi and I ate hot pot downtown with our Chinese friends who only speak Chinese. Tonight we're having those same two girls over to bake apple bread with us.

And yesterday the Father provided an awesome opportunity for Jodi and me to tag team a spiritual conversation in Chinese with one of our sweet friends Mikey, who also really only speaks Chinese. I was reading an Anne of Green Gables book in the office, of all things, and he asked me what kinds of books I like to read. I couldn't say "fiction" in Chinese, but I could say the "Word" in Chinese. Thus, Jodi, Mikey, and I discussed the Word, the Father, and the Son--all in Chinese for a long time. It was so amazing, and by far the best Chinese conversation I've ever been a part of! It only took nearly 2 years for it to happen...But I'm sure it was His perfect timing.

And despite these wonderful conversations, parts of me will also be happy to leave. I hope it's alright to admit it, but I'm excited about grad school. And I'm excited not to be stared at anymore! :) Today I was buying a watermelon on the back street. A guy was so shocked to see me that he literally stood in the middle of the street and screamed! His jaw was also just about scraping the pavement. It's hard to remind myself that nothing's wrong with me. I'm starting to wonder, though...