The Camelbak

Hey everybody!

Sorry that I have been lazy and not updated you on my life. Let me begin with the National Holiday vacation that I had about two months ago. We were given a whole week off from school, so a large group of people from FOC planned a trip to Yinchaun where we would go into the desert riding camels and camp for two nights. It was all very exciting in prospect, but first we had to get there! Travelling during National Holiday is insane! Tickets anywhere are a pain to get and we needed to buy tickets for ten people to get from Wuhan to Yinchuan. After a very long day for a dear Chinese friend, we had our tickets. We were split up a little bit, but would arrive together in the end.




Kells and I while time flew by at the train station.

 

Our journey began Saturday September 29th in Wuhan. As soon as Lisa, David, Andrew, Kelsey, and I were all finished with school (YES! school on the weekend. Crazy!) we hoped onto a crowded bus and headed to the train station in Hankou. After waiting a few hours at the station, we were able to board our train!



 I forgot to mention that our tickets were for standing room only :/ Luckily it wasn't for the entire way to Yinchuan. Only about six hours to Zhengzhou. It was quite the experience. The five of us did our best to remain entertained and not think about how uncomfortable we were. We did reflections and played MASH- I am going to marry Ryan Gosling. Our wedding will be tye dye. After we will honeymoon in Lincoln, Nebraska. I will work at Christianos all my life, live in the Shire, have ten kids, and drive a lawnmower.

I was worried someone was going to take my seat from me.

The train was pretty comfortable for a while and we were able to sit down for a while. We bonded a lot. BUT THEN! A mob of crazy people got on the train. There was no room to move. At all. They were pushing and shoving and talking so loudly. Some lovely Muslim girl helped me stand on a seat and get out of the way. Luckily we only had one more hour to go. We moved to a different car and on the way we met a nice guy named Paul. He spoke good English and lives in Wuhan! He helped us a lot and we made plans to meet him when we got back to Wuahn.

Finally, we arrived in Zhengzhou. Really wasn't that exciting. We met up with Jess G., Olli, Lyrica, Nathan, and Sarah at our lovely hotel. Lisa, Kelsey, and I all shared a bed, but we were so exhausted after such a long day, that sleep came easily.

The next day was Sept 30. We got ready to go, took showers, braided everybody's hair, and went to find breakfast. This is when I learned that there's no place like Wuhan. It is so hard to find decent food in other cities. We wandered up and down a street that was supposedly really great for getting food. Finally, we found a dumpling place. The owner was very kind and we all took a picture with him. It's probably on the wall of his restaurant now, so everyone can see how popular his little dumpling joint is.

You know how people say not to grocery shop on an empty stomach? Well, they're right. I didn't eat many dumplings since their not my favorite and then we bought snacks for the next train ride. I could have fed half the train with the "snacks" that I bought.

Soon afterwards we boarded the train to Yinchuan.

This train ride was SOOO much better than the previous ride. We had hard sleeper tickets, so we were able to lay down and sleep. Which is great because it was like a 20 hour train ride to our destination! I shared my section with Nathan, Sarah, Lyrica, and Lisa. Lyrica taught me how to make ramen on a train and some nifty tricks. It was delightful! After dinner, I used my first squatty potty. "What's a squatty?" you ask. Well, it's a toilet that is ground level. So you have to squat. I avoided using them my entire first month, but when you're trapped on a moving train for almost a day, you're going to have to use one. Also, you usually have to bring your own TP and hand sanitizer.

So after getting all settled, I climbed up the ladder to the third bunk and got snuggly.

This is Lyrica. She was my bunk mate.

About seven hours later, I awoke to obnoxious music playing above my head and bright lights in my face. Thanks, train. Still beats standing for seven hours though! We arrived in the beautiful, grey, and spacious Yinchaun a bit before noon. Heading straight to our next accomadations, I met the lovely Ashley. She was packing for a nice trip to Qingdao with Miss Steffie. I watched/ helped her pack and we became quick friends :) When she was done packing, the eleven of us headed to a Muslim joint and got lunch. I don't remember what we all had to eat, but I do remember there being an entire chicken. I don't mean entire as in the entire chicken my marmsy ate that one time ;). I mean entire, as in head, heart, and feet. The ever adventurous David, attempted to eat the head, but just couldn't bear it. So he nibbled on the feet instead. Kelsey took a video of the experience, in which David spends a rather long time inspecting the foot and then nibbles on it a bit. He proceeds to spit it out and back into his bowl. He looks at it some more and then at the camera and he shakes his head. hahaha Maybe I can figure out how to post it.



When traveling, it is convenient to braid your hair to

 keep it from getting dirty.

Jess and I took our braids out to enjoy

our curly/wavy hair before showering.



That night we all snuggled on Ashley & Anna's ginormous couch and watched Rush Hour 3, Seinfeld, and I am Legend. Meanwhile, we all took turns showering in a rather complicated manner.

Once we were all clean, it was time for bed for once morning rolled around we would taxi to the travel agency. When we all got out of our taxis, we saw an amazing sight: fellow FOC friends! I hadn't seen many of these people since training (since we all live in different cities) and it was so delightful! We caught up quickly, took a group photo, and then shuffled onto the bus.

After two hours of more chatting, introductions, singing, and heads up seven up, we arrived in the desert! Finally! I could see the camels I was about to live with for the next two days.

I could see the rolling sand dunes I would explore. I could see blue skies for miles and miles. I could see the fresh air that would fill my lungs... in a matter of speaking. I guess I could feel it more than see it... And I could see a factory off to the side, but we won't focus on that.



I picked the camel I wanted to ride. His name is Kishan.

Or that's what I called him. Isn't he handsome!?

Shortly after getting on Kishan, I realized it was going to be a long three days. Camels are not very comfortable to ride. Luckily, we only rode for about an hour and stopped for a late lunch. I threw a frisbee with Suzi, Adam, and some new friends. Then it was time to get moving again. We went for maybe an hour or two and then stopped for the night. It was a nice area and surrounded by sand dunes. Obviously. The guides had a sled for us, so we all got to go sledding in the sand. There were some pretty hilarious wipe outs. Mine included. haha. After sledding, we played an intense game of ultimate frisbee. The "field" was spread out over three humongous dunes and there were plenty of prickly plants. It was so much fun though. I have missed playing ultimate so much since college. It was great to be active again in a sport I love. The game went on forever, I don't even remember what the score was.

Kelsey and I are such romantics!

I watched the sun set over the hills



"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge."
~ Psalm 19:1&2~

Once the sun had gone, we gathered around the fire and ate dinner, we set up our tents, we sang songs of praise around the fire, and I got to put two beautiful lanterns into the sky! Shortly after, it was bed time! Jess and I were tent mates and it was so obnoxiously cold. It took me a ridiculously long time to fall asleep. I woke up around four in the morning, numb and stiff as a board. uncomfortable.

For breakfast we had bread with jam. It was delectible. And I scavenged the camp for some fruit. We then packed up camp and headed out again on our camels. Day two was similar to Day one:

We stopped to eat lunch and took a two hour break. Since that is the way in China. Everyone went off on their own adventures, Eric caught some lizards, Brianna horse whispered the camels, and I took a nap in the sun. :)


The FOC caravan



After lunch was probably the saddest and worst part of my entire trip. When we got back onto our camel caravan, my group was the caboose. Kishan's lead rope was tangled, so I leaned forward to untangle it and my beloved purple camelbak water bottle fell out of my pack whilst I was attop a camel's back. Since my zhong wen shi bu hao, I couldn't tell the guide to stop and my dear bottle is now buried beneath a sand dune in the desert. :(

I planned to head back and get it after we set up camp, but it was too far and a nasty sand store blew in. Activities that night weren't as fun. All of our dinner had sand in it. When we opened our mouths to sing, we again chewed on sand. Our fire continuously blew away as well and we spent many minutes chasing the flames and stomping them out (just incase they light up one of our tents!) Before all of the sand started blowing in our faces, we did manage to take some excellent group photos.

Here we all are at the top of the dune!

This one is my favorite because David only had ten seconds to get to the fish and he wiped out.

You can see me laughing and David by the tent to the far right. :)

Jess and I picked the cruddiest tent that night. Our cover didn't go all the way to the ground and we were buried in sand. We tried to make the best of it though. The night was warmer than the previous night and we had more blankets.

The next morning we ate bread with jam and sand, packed up, took pictures with the camels, and headed back to base where we would be picked up by the bus.



The last day, I rode a different camel because Kishan was a little grumpy.



"A voice cries out. Prepare a way for the L-rd. Make staight in the desert, a highway for our G-d."

My new camel was even nicer.

Though you can't tell from this picture.



He even let me try to smooch him.



Remember the squatty? Well this is what you use as a squatty in the
desert! cool right? hahaha



Smog's Jewels

I think I might die of lung cancer. Every few seconds I walk past some one smoking, a bus emitting the most black smoke you have ever seen, or a scooter that is put-puting nasty air particles into my poor lungs. By the time I get to school or back home my throat is dry and burning, I have to drink a glass of water. In fact, I now have a cold. probably from allergies, but maybe still the nasty air.  

Here's a picture of the same river which you saw previously. You can hardly see it because of all the smog. But underneath it all is a lovely city full of hidden treasures around every corner.

One treasure in Wuhan is called Chicony. There are foreigners just milling around doing normal person things. There's a restaurant called Burtons that has delicious Western things. Like pancakes and garlic bread. I will definitely be going back. Above are Kelsey and Jess. And below you will see Brian and me. We all had just finished teaching American wedding dances, so that's why I look so gross. haha. Despite the need for a shower, see how happy we all are? 

Even though there is so much to see, do, and discover in Wuhan, I think it's a very good thing that I am going to the Gobi desert this weekend to get some fresh air! Well, who knows how fresh the air will be riding a stinky camel. Buuut Kelsey speculates they might be clean due to bubble baths prior to our usage of them. Non-the-less, I am excited!!!!
We will be leaving tomorrow at 7 pm our time- standing for five or so hours on a train. It will be very interesting. Our train will arrive in Zhengzhou and I will collapse into my bed at our hotel. yay for no longer standing. The next afternoon we will be heading to Yinchuan where we will sleep again and then leave to ride camels on Tuesday!!!! It's going to be spectacular. Fresh air, rolling sand dunes, stinky camels that spit, lovely friends, songs, annnd peace & quiet from the bustling of my city. Yep. Doesn't get much better than that.
There's more though! After roaming the desert, we are travelling to Xian where the famous Teracotta warriors live. Haven't the slightest idea what that will be like, but I have the feeling that will also be great! 
Have a great week!

Home is Where Ever I'm with You

This is my darling roommate Kelsey when we were in America still :)

These were my travel buddies on the way to Wuhan for two days. This was very early in our trips in the international terminal at LAX. Very happy.

At Yellow Crane tower. Entrance number one. We went to About three different entrances before we finally bought our tickets and got to go inside and see the gardens and tower itself.  

This is how the Chinese show their enthusiasm. It's all in the eyes.

The view from the tower. If you look really closely I think you can see the building by my apartment. It was a rather clear day. You may not think so, but normally, I do believe, you would barely be able to see the sky line.

Yellow Crane Tower with some cranes in the front. Very clever. I'm not sure exactly what the story behind the tower is. It may have something to do with a poem? I don't even think this is the original tower.

Here's Steffie! I'm so glad we stole her from Yinchuan.

The most beautiful river in the world: the Yangtze! There were people swimming in it. EWWW

So it rains a lot here. Acid rain. I'm terrified it is going to melt my skin off. One day Elise, Steffie, and I got trapped in the pouring rain and I was stepping in Acid rain and street poop puddles in me cute new Chinese goddess sandals. Kelsey is lucky and has rain boots. She is silly though and wears them on her hands. :/

This is my bedroom! It's small, but I like it a lot. My bed wasn't always very comfy, but I'm working on it. When I get paid and repay everyone who lent me money when I was broke, I am going to buy like five or six bed cushions. I can't wait. :)

I'm Going to Make This Place My Home

To be read listening to Home by Phillip Phillips and Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes and Home by Mumford and Sons.
Okay. So, I have been here for three weeks. I'm still alive and maybe a little rounder in the middle than I ought to be. As my squishy stomach would suggest, the food is quite tasty. Just around every corner or every alley, there is restaurant or a street food vendor. Unfortunately, there is also stinky dofu around many of these corners or down these alleys. The smell is so terrible it makes me cringe and bury my nose in my hair. I'm told it tastes much better than it smells, but I am still wary of trying it. Once you get over the awful smell, there are some rather pleasant aromas. Breads, potatoes, fried rice, meat on sticks, little barbecues, fruits, and vegetables. Across the street from our apartment is Crown Bakery which has an assortment of sweet smelling- and probably tasting- breads. Two of my favorites from this bakery are rolls that have cinnamon sugar and buttery stuff on the inside and flaky pastries that have custard and fruit in the middle.

Down the alley right next to it you will find tang su li ji (sweet&sour pork), potatoes and beef, noodles, fried rice , dumplings, Boazi (steamed buns with meat inside), some bread that tastes like pizza, and much more. Everything is rather cheap and sooo tasty. I usually get boazi because it is only one kuai per bun and they are delicious and filling. My favorite of course, is tang su li ji. Incredibly tasty. 

On the way to school we (the foreign teachers at my school) usually stop at this wonderful bread lady's shop. She smiles at us and gives us three smallish buns that are usually warm and have bottoms with a sugar and sesame glaze. Since everyone knows how I love sweets, it is no surprise that I eat the top part first and save the delicious bottom for last. It's like the opposite of a muffin.  

Just around the corner from the bread is a drink guy who speaks some English. He's pretty nice. Kelsey, Steffie, and I stopped to get some drinks today and as I was looking in the cooler for something good, a high school boy came. The shop guy said, "Lady first. k?" haha it was funny. I got a sprite in case you were wondering. Pretty shocking since I never drink pop in America. Unless its Dr. Pepper or grape :)

Moving on from food... There are dogs and cats everywhere! It's adorable! Except for the really ugly dogs... It is amazing though, the dogs are rarely on leashes. They simply follow their masters at their heals or maybe a little ways ahead or behind, but they are never too far away or getting into trouble. And I've never seen a dog chasing another dog or even a cat. My favorite is when the dogs ride the scooters with their masters. Amazing. Yesterday, I saw a lady get on her scooter and start to go and then she said something to her medium sized, brown poodle and the dog hoped onto the scooter by the woman's feet, sat down, and nestled into her legs. It's just wonderful how these animals listen. All dogs must be Chinese and that's why in America they need leashes and don't listen very well... 

Last week Jonathan and I were walking to the bus stop and I saw a small dog and his friend, another medium sized dog crossing the street. by themselves. I was terrified for them. Let me tell you a little bit about traffic in China. It's insane. They all must be really good drivers or they are all the worst drivers ever. I'm fairly certain that lanes and light signals don't mean anything to the Chinese driver. And cops don't seem to care about the crazy things they do. I was riding in the car with a friend (who is a good driver!) going down a one way She missed my apartment so she started doing a Y-turn. I don't think a single person yelled or honked at her. They simply went around her and she was maneuvering. And there was an officer right there and he just went around her! She didn't even show a sign of panic. Mind-blowing. They also use horns like nobody's business. Not in an angry way either, but in a "hey I'm here" or " Behind you" or "could you move?" or "watch out I'm going to hit you" kind of way. 

It's very nosy here with all the horns. 

So many times I see cars driving and I marvel at how they don't hit anyone or cause accidents. And people cross the streets where ever and when ever they want. you just aim for the gaps and hope the bus won't hit you. It's kind of terrifying to me. I hate when I get stuck in the middle of traffic and there are cars on both sides of me. eeeeek. My heart is always racing when I have to cross the street, but so far, I have not gotten hit or had any near death experiences. for the most part....

Hmm... Other things to talk about... Oh! Last weekend I went to Yellow Crane Tower with David, Kelsey, Andrew, Jonathan, and a man named Jerry who teaches at Andrew's school. It was one of the most beautiful days so far in Wuhan. They sky was actually blue and you could see a long way: All the way across the river and maybe to the building next to my apartment! And well beyond that even. After that we went to the famed Breakfast (or Snack) Street where I had some spicy potatoes, peach smoothie (which wasn't very peachy...), fried banana, and chocolate fish! And yes. Chocolate fish is exactly what it sounds like. A waffle in the shape of a fish with a melty chocolate center. :) The fish was probably my favorite. David bought a squid on a stick which I was going to try, but decided I didn't want to ruin the delicious flavors of fried banana with spicy, chewy squid...

Sorry that I don't transition very well to the next topic of discussion, but the next topic will be friends.

First of all, I made my very own friend. I call him Josh because that's what his Chinese name kind of sounded like. I met him on the sky rail when I was coming back from the Visa place yesterday. He asked me if I could help with his English. And then he texted me today and said he was so excited to meet me that he could hardly sleep. haha. It was very nice. And speaking of funny texts, a different Chinese friend, who shares a name with my favorite lead singer, told me that I need to "work harder... and not sleep too late." bahaha. He clearly knows how lazy I am... I'm hoping that these friends will hopefully want to come to study soon and we can talk about even more wonderful things. 

We had our first study on Monday. It was a topical one: an intro to Xnity. I am so excited to have a variety of different topical studies with our friends. I know that it will help them grow and answer confusing questions and it will also help me grow.

Finally, my school: I have three co-teacher. Two I love and one I would very much like to flick on the nose every five minutes. I have three hundred students. Most of them are super cute and well-behaved. Is it bad to have favorites? Because I definitely do, but I don't treat them special in class. I just make faces at them when my teachers talk in Chinese and I'm bored. Spring yelled at me once and told me not to talk to them, but now I am merely more discreet. haha. Maybe someday I take pictures, so you guys can see how cute they are. I have one boy named Jackey who reminds me of William Wakeman. He is so cute and sweet. The other day he leaned over and kissed Amy (another adorable student) on the cheek and then gave me a huge grin and kept playing with her hair. It was precious. He is definitely one of my favorites. 

One day when I was walking home, I heard a little voice call my name and I looked up and Jenny was waving to me with a giant smile on her face. And Belle saw me yesterday with her mom and stopped to talk to me (In English). It is just a great feeling to hear my kids use their English words that I have taught them. And for them to use them properly especially. Once I asked a kid how he was and he said, "Hello. My name is..." So sad. 

It also makes me very sad when the Co-teachers are yelling at the kids in Chinese and I have time to think about random things. I often think about how sweet these kids are and how so many of them don't know the best thing in life (JC) and they are doomed to a meaningless life of sadness if somebody doesn't share HIM with them. The saddest part of everything is the millions of lost soles (yeah. I do know how to spell it correctly) in Wuhan that I see daily and know that I can't help most of them. The hope is that some of them I will be able to help and guide them to HIM who will give them hope of a future :)

So I suppose that is all for now. I'm going to go make a PB&J because it reminds me of home and is soooo tasty.

XOXO

Also. There will probably never be one this long again. whew.

High Top Fade Out

It’s soooo hard to say good-bye. To things I love. And to things I am merely familiar with and probably love subconsciously. In seven hours I will leave my lovely nook of the woods and not return for nearly a year, so I spent the day doing things I love (when not trying to stuff all my belongings in suitcases). Early Tuesday, I got coffee with three of the best ladies I know. This was followed by picture taking, thrifting, eating lunch, and buying delicious cupcakes. Yet, when the time came to say good-bye, I found myself surprisingly calm. These last few weeks when I bid people farewell, I just bawl my eyes out and get a terrible sinking feeling in my chest. Today, however, I knew that no matter what, these girls are my family. We may not see each other for almost a year, but we will love each other always. It may help that we have been separated for the last 5 years due to college and work. Yet, I think it is because they know that what I am doing in China is not just for myself, but it is for so many other people. Of course, I am terribly sad right now and have tears flowing down my cheeks…

Anyways, what I hope is that everyone knows that I am not going to China for selfish reasons, but out of love for the lost. Of course, it’s about time that I start my life and adventures too, but the fact that I get to share Him makes it soooo much better. And I pr-y that this knowledge eases my absence from your lives (yes. I think mighty highly of myself).

I love my friends and family very much and I wish I could take all of you with me. Or press pause, so that when I come back nothing will have changed. I guess I am pretty selfish.

Since I am selfish, I am going to bed because I am tired, so this is all of my babbling that you will be graced with until I am in Wuhan. Or bored at an airport.

One more thing. If anyone loooves kitty cats and my house, they are welcome to come pet my kitty, JuJu. He’s the one with half a tail. You can pet the other kitties too, I suppose… I worry that he will be sad without being petted all the time (is petted a word? Haha I’m teaching English. :/ I also think I put too many commas in things. Sorry!).

One MOOORE thing. I love you. And I miss you already.

Getting Started

Dearest family and friends,
The day is drawing near that I will leave this homeland and travel to China in hopes to bring many of the lost to the real Homeland. I am nervous to be accountable for the English skills of so many children. Yet, I am very excited to begin His important work and make lots of awesome friends! Although I am not very exciting or eloquent, I shall try to inform you all of any exciting news or travels I experience in the next ten or so months.
Please pr-y for me and my fellow teachers while we begin our work and adventures in China!
Xie xie!