I should start this post with an apology. I have been rather busy, and as a result I have neglected my blog. This, of course, has a few direct consequences: 1) you have not heard about my exploits much over the last three weeks, and 2) this post will be rather lengthy as I try to pack in all the information from the last few weeks. My apologies, and with that, I hope to jump into this post.
The last week of October was a wonderful time for me. I got to teach my students all about Halloween, and as they had few previous conceptions of the day, their idea of Halloween in the United States is based almost entirely on what I said in class. I also bought candy for my lucky students at Luo Jia College (my students at Wuhan City Vocational College weren't so fortunate--their classes got cancelled that week, so I didn't give them any candy). After all, I figure, what college student wouldn't love to have a piece of candy during class? They were mostly hard candy's similar to Werther's (the caramels), except that they were a Chinese brand and came in various flavors--caramel, milk, coffee, strawberry, raspberry, and mixed berry. I also got a sort of fake Chinese Starbursts, but my students ate them all before I got a chance to try them. They must have been good.
In class, I got to explain the holiday, and I figured that it would be even better reinforced by "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." We didn't get through the whole thing in my class because we simply had too many things to talk about, and I wanted to make sure they understood Halloween in American culture, and I wanted to answer the questions of any curious questions. Still, watching the video made planning my class a little easier.
That Friday, we had a party in Hankou (one of the districts in Wuhan) to celebrate Stephanie Humann's birthday. It was apparently a big day for birthdays, because it was my sister Cindy's birthday too--happy birthday again, Cindy! :) --as well as Brian Gephart's father's birthday. We threw a big party and invited all our Chinese friends to come join us for karaoke, but a costume was a requirement. I spent a while brainstorming for a great costume idea, and I must warn you that this costume may not be safe for small children. My roommate David gave me the suggestion that I should dress like a mental patient, and I manipulated it a bit, but I still looked like someone/something that came out of a psych ward. In fact, it was so scary that between Stephanie's apartment and KTV (where we sing karaoke), I scared a few people to the point that one lady actually jumped when she saw me. Of course, this was probably compounded by the fact that I remained committed to my character during our one-block walk to KTV.
The following week was a short week at school because I had to cancel my classes for my students at Luo Jia College because I needed to change my visa over to a business visa so that I can stay for the remainder of the year. At the time, my visa only allowed me to stay as a tourist for 90 days, and that time would nearly be up. To that end, I traveled to Hong Kong, although not before testing my less fortunate students at Wuhan City Vocational College. I now have the privilege of telling all of you that testing Chinese students is no pleasurable experience for me; it becomes quickly apparent which students take notes, which ones aren't listening in class, and which ones only occasionally attend my class. Many of their tests were less than desirable.
I went to Hong Kong with fellow FoCers Stephanie Humann and Lisa Nickle. My roommate David was also supposed to come along with us, but his school did not fill out his paperwork in time, so he had to cancel his train ticket. We took a soft sleeper (which is the most expensive kind of seat) train to Shenzhen on the border of Hong Kong. We found that what formerly had been David's bed was filled again with a young French woman named Faha (or something like that) who is studying Chinese here in Wuhan at one of the universities in the area. She got to be part of our group for the night and half the morning, and it was interesting to see another person from a Western culture.
We experienced a lot of Western culture in Hong Kong, however, as the city has a heavy British influence to this day and enjoys many freedoms that the rest of China does not have. We went to the U.S. Consulate, with a lot of help from the natives, who often spoke perfect English, and we discovered there that we actually needed to go to the Chinese Embassy, so we took a taxi there. We filled out our paperwork with some difficulty, and then we went for lunch.
That night we met with Katie Huebner, who graciously allowed us to stay at her apartment during the duration of our stay. She is a fellow Lakeside alumn; even though she is a few years older than I, it was still nice to have someone who can relate to those things. I met many wonderful people in Hong Kong, inluding, but not limited to: 1) Ruby, a young woman who apparently studied at MLC (although I never met her there) and has now moved to the United States where she will live with a young man who is a student at WLS and was an RA at MLC during the time that I was there. 2) Stanley Chan, a WLC grad who is also a student at ALS (and for those of you who don't know, this will be my standard abbreviation for Asia L-ther@n S*min@ry). He was just a joy to talk to, partly because his English, which is perfect, is filled with all sorts of Midwesternisms that just made me laugh. I had a wonderful time in Hong Kong, and I am glad that I will be returning there in the spring (late February) for the FoC retreat, because I was unable to see all the wonderful sites there. What I saw was still excellent. We climbed a peak and saw the city at night, we explored the history museum there, and we did some authentic Hong Kong shopping.
We returned home to Wuhan early Sunday morning. Karl Gurgel was a guest speaker at our Sunday gathering, and he also came to teach at the ALS satellite that was meeting in Wuhan last week. I was glad that I was able to attend one class; the Chinese shepherd candidates and I went through the background and first chapter of the g0sp-l according to Luke under the instruction of Professor Gurgel. It was a wonderfull experience to be able to study with future Chinese shepherds (two of whom are from Wuhan), not to mention that I love being a student.
Then this last weekend, I went with a few other FoC teachers to Hangzhou, China's paradise city. The weather there was a little warmer than Wuhan, but the city was so much cleaner. Both Hong Kong and Hangzhou gave me hope that I might be able to breathe unpolluted air again someday. About 10 of us from Wuhan went there for the marathon, a few to watch but most to run. We were signed up as a team. We ran about 7 kilometers at varying speeds. My roommate David was the only serious teacher among the group, so he came in with a good time (running about 6 minute miles). I ran with my co-teacher, a young Chinese woman named Ivy. We ran around some beautiful scenery, apparently including the most romantic lake in all of China. Hangzhou's West Lake is absolutely gorgeous, although not as big as Wuhan's East Lake. I wasn't able to take any pictures, though, because I was seriously running (unlike some of the Chinese people who stopped, walked, took pictures, and shouted out "foreigner!" in Chinese at whatever point they wanted). I believe among us Wuhaners, Ivy and I took second and third place, respectively. Jess Gierach and Nicole Lehman, my co-workers from central Wuchang (one of the districts of Wuhan) came in after us, rounded out by Kelsey Steffens and Sarah (Sternemann) Koerber. Other FoCers ran in different races, including Hannah Schmiege and Nathan King, both from Hangzhou, who ran the full marathon. I was rather impressed. We made quite a day out of it.
But the thing that gave me the most joy over the weekend was not the race, but the warship. We all got together Saturday night, and there were so many of us we could hardly fit into the apartment. In fact, I was practically sitting on Mike Luedtke's lap (he is a former FoC teacher-turned student who is studying in Beijing). We belted out the pr@ise of our King in a way I haven't heard in a long time. It was a beautiful thing. We talked a little about those who have entered the Kingdom before us and the second coming. It was very encouraging.
Of course, we also had our fair share of fun with our brothers and sisters in Hangzhou as well. The men went to the tea fields while the women went wedding dress shopping. We went to Decathlon, a store that sells all sorts of sports equipment. Among other things, I bought a 70-liter hiking backpack for around $75 U.S. dollars. It's great, and it will be incredibly useful to me when I travel again. We sang some karaoke. A number of them went out to the bar, but it was already late and I had a race the next day, so I opted not to go. Some got to go repelling from the roof of an apartment, but the cops showed up and stopped us just before my turn came. (We'll have to do it again in some other place where people aren't so concerned about it.) I got to attend a Chinese club where it became obvious that my Chinese is very minimal, but I hope that I can continue to learn more. I am taking classes once a week, and maybe we can start up a similar Chinese club in Wuhan.
All too soon, the weekend drew to a close, and it was time for us to leave. And these are, of course just the highlights. I'm sure I can share more pictures with anyone interested once I get back to the states, and maybe I can post more on facebook. Overall, though, I think it was a wonderful experience, and I've come back to Wuhan refreshed for my work here.
Once again, I apologize for my long posts. I suppose that is just the way I write: when I have time, including whatever seems important to me at the time, and rather wordy. Please accept my sincere apologies--unless you prefer to reject them!
China is a wonderful place, and if you're still reading this, I would encourage you to come visit some time. (We have a spare bedroom!)
Love and pr@yers to all who are far away. I miss you all more than you know. May He keep you in His tender care now and always.
In class, I got to explain the holiday, and I figured that it would be even better reinforced by "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." We didn't get through the whole thing in my class because we simply had too many things to talk about, and I wanted to make sure they understood Halloween in American culture, and I wanted to answer the questions of any curious questions. Still, watching the video made planning my class a little easier.
That Friday, we had a party in Hankou (one of the districts in Wuhan) to celebrate Stephanie Humann's birthday. It was apparently a big day for birthdays, because it was my sister Cindy's birthday too--happy birthday again, Cindy! :) --as well as Brian Gephart's father's birthday. We threw a big party and invited all our Chinese friends to come join us for karaoke, but a costume was a requirement. I spent a while brainstorming for a great costume idea, and I must warn you that this costume may not be safe for small children. My roommate David gave me the suggestion that I should dress like a mental patient, and I manipulated it a bit, but I still looked like someone/something that came out of a psych ward. In fact, it was so scary that between Stephanie's apartment and KTV (where we sing karaoke), I scared a few people to the point that one lady actually jumped when she saw me. Of course, this was probably compounded by the fact that I remained committed to my character during our one-block walk to KTV.
The following week was a short week at school because I had to cancel my classes for my students at Luo Jia College because I needed to change my visa over to a business visa so that I can stay for the remainder of the year. At the time, my visa only allowed me to stay as a tourist for 90 days, and that time would nearly be up. To that end, I traveled to Hong Kong, although not before testing my less fortunate students at Wuhan City Vocational College. I now have the privilege of telling all of you that testing Chinese students is no pleasurable experience for me; it becomes quickly apparent which students take notes, which ones aren't listening in class, and which ones only occasionally attend my class. Many of their tests were less than desirable.
I went to Hong Kong with fellow FoCers Stephanie Humann and Lisa Nickle. My roommate David was also supposed to come along with us, but his school did not fill out his paperwork in time, so he had to cancel his train ticket. We took a soft sleeper (which is the most expensive kind of seat) train to Shenzhen on the border of Hong Kong. We found that what formerly had been David's bed was filled again with a young French woman named Faha (or something like that) who is studying Chinese here in Wuhan at one of the universities in the area. She got to be part of our group for the night and half the morning, and it was interesting to see another person from a Western culture.
We experienced a lot of Western culture in Hong Kong, however, as the city has a heavy British influence to this day and enjoys many freedoms that the rest of China does not have. We went to the U.S. Consulate, with a lot of help from the natives, who often spoke perfect English, and we discovered there that we actually needed to go to the Chinese Embassy, so we took a taxi there. We filled out our paperwork with some difficulty, and then we went for lunch.
That night we met with Katie Huebner, who graciously allowed us to stay at her apartment during the duration of our stay. She is a fellow Lakeside alumn; even though she is a few years older than I, it was still nice to have someone who can relate to those things. I met many wonderful people in Hong Kong, inluding, but not limited to: 1) Ruby, a young woman who apparently studied at MLC (although I never met her there) and has now moved to the United States where she will live with a young man who is a student at WLS and was an RA at MLC during the time that I was there. 2) Stanley Chan, a WLC grad who is also a student at ALS (and for those of you who don't know, this will be my standard abbreviation for Asia L-ther@n S*min@ry). He was just a joy to talk to, partly because his English, which is perfect, is filled with all sorts of Midwesternisms that just made me laugh. I had a wonderful time in Hong Kong, and I am glad that I will be returning there in the spring (late February) for the FoC retreat, because I was unable to see all the wonderful sites there. What I saw was still excellent. We climbed a peak and saw the city at night, we explored the history museum there, and we did some authentic Hong Kong shopping.
We returned home to Wuhan early Sunday morning. Karl Gurgel was a guest speaker at our Sunday gathering, and he also came to teach at the ALS satellite that was meeting in Wuhan last week. I was glad that I was able to attend one class; the Chinese shepherd candidates and I went through the background and first chapter of the g0sp-l according to Luke under the instruction of Professor Gurgel. It was a wonderfull experience to be able to study with future Chinese shepherds (two of whom are from Wuhan), not to mention that I love being a student.
Then this last weekend, I went with a few other FoC teachers to Hangzhou, China's paradise city. The weather there was a little warmer than Wuhan, but the city was so much cleaner. Both Hong Kong and Hangzhou gave me hope that I might be able to breathe unpolluted air again someday. About 10 of us from Wuhan went there for the marathon, a few to watch but most to run. We were signed up as a team. We ran about 7 kilometers at varying speeds. My roommate David was the only serious teacher among the group, so he came in with a good time (running about 6 minute miles). I ran with my co-teacher, a young Chinese woman named Ivy. We ran around some beautiful scenery, apparently including the most romantic lake in all of China. Hangzhou's West Lake is absolutely gorgeous, although not as big as Wuhan's East Lake. I wasn't able to take any pictures, though, because I was seriously running (unlike some of the Chinese people who stopped, walked, took pictures, and shouted out "foreigner!" in Chinese at whatever point they wanted). I believe among us Wuhaners, Ivy and I took second and third place, respectively. Jess Gierach and Nicole Lehman, my co-workers from central Wuchang (one of the districts of Wuhan) came in after us, rounded out by Kelsey Steffens and Sarah (Sternemann) Koerber. Other FoCers ran in different races, including Hannah Schmiege and Nathan King, both from Hangzhou, who ran the full marathon. I was rather impressed. We made quite a day out of it.But the thing that gave me the most joy over the weekend was not the race, but the warship. We all got together Saturday night, and there were so many of us we could hardly fit into the apartment. In fact, I was practically sitting on Mike Luedtke's lap (he is a former FoC teacher-turned student who is studying in Beijing). We belted out the pr@ise of our King in a way I haven't heard in a long time. It was a beautiful thing. We talked a little about those who have entered the Kingdom before us and the second coming. It was very encouraging.
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| Dragonwell Tea |
All too soon, the weekend drew to a close, and it was time for us to leave. And these are, of course just the highlights. I'm sure I can share more pictures with anyone interested once I get back to the states, and maybe I can post more on facebook. Overall, though, I think it was a wonderful experience, and I've come back to Wuhan refreshed for my work here.
Once again, I apologize for my long posts. I suppose that is just the way I write: when I have time, including whatever seems important to me at the time, and rather wordy. Please accept my sincere apologies--unless you prefer to reject them!
China is a wonderful place, and if you're still reading this, I would encourage you to come visit some time. (We have a spare bedroom!)
Love and pr@yers to all who are far away. I miss you all more than you know. May He keep you in His tender care now and always.
