A Chinese Thanksgiving!

Twas the night before Thanksgiving,
And all through the canteen

Not a creature was stirring

Unlike we've ever seen

Warm faces gather round

The ballroom door opened

Our NEW foreign friends
Carol loudly, Duck-A-Roastin!

Duck, Curry Rice, Mashed Potato Stuffing, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, Bananas,
Dragon Fruit, Coffee Cake, Cheese Pie, Whoppers, Corn on Cob, Pumpkin,
Pepsi, Soybean Milk, American Veggies Tray Galore!

Cheese Pie?!!
Gobble Gobble Brit! (roomie)

Dorothy, my Chinese tutor, also a Sister!

Felix, Yesi, Luke and Bunny

University staff and our Chinese Language Teachers!

Somebody's turning 21!

One reversed idiosyncrasy of the Asian culture is the birthday celebration. It's tradition for the birthdayee to treat his or her friends! My friend Catherine set up a Surprise Scavenger Hunt for me on her birthday this past weekend before taking me to lunch!

12:00pm- Received a text message "This Game is Hide & Seek, Meet at the lonliest tree where we 1st started our friendship- Catherine."

12:12pm- Waiting beside a tree at our University's English Corner, I found another clue.  Inside was a picture of a garden on campus we like to walk through...






12:15pm- Time was running, on top of bumping into atleast 5 of my students who insisted on helping me with this "New" Game, accompanied with a novel english dailogue on the side. An arrow was marked on a particular tree...

Leading to...

She chose this spot, after a hefty conversation over the cross and my beliefs at dinner the week before. PTL!!
12:21pm- We headed to lunch.

Lamb's ear!

Hot Pot

The mayor's wife and acquaintences interrupted dinner to
extend a welcome to China!

China Country

Over the River and through the Woods to Catherine's house we go!

Catherine and her Mom

Several weeks back, I visited my friend Catherine's aunts house in the nearby countryside!

 

Went exploring & stumbled across a
man's 83rd birthday party. And yes, those are kiddy stools.
Most restaurants in our town are fully equipped with them!

      

We rounded the corner on our way back
to the house and found this sweet old man
cutting bamboo! He made us a cup.

Jacob's Well!

You learn the art of farm life early here-
pour the water in, double comes out!

The Gege's and Jiejie's
(Old aunts and young aunts)

God Make my Life a little Light

I was reading Children Stories before bed last night that my mother sent me in the mail and I found this poem.  So simple, so felicitous.  I hope my life will be used like this.

God Make My Life A Little Light

by M. Bentham Edwardsthat

God make my life a little light,

Within the world to glow; 

A tiny flame that burneth bright

Wherever I may go.

God make my life a little flower,

That giveth joy to all,

Content to bloom in native bower,

Although its place be small.

God make my life a little staff

Whereon the weak may rest,

That so what health and strength I have

May serve my neighbors best.

Train Trip

I've been a little .....

LAZY, on updating stories lately.  I'll have to cram the last few weeks into the next couple blogs!

A month ago we traveled by train to the city Chengdu to meet up with team members from other provinces for a retreat !

Our quaint hotel room!

A special sticky, maple candy made in town in the shape of
butterflies, dragons, Sunglasses, and more!

Sichuan University

Shopping in the marketplace

Canoeing in a Swan Lake! Unaware this
was no race, we beat every other around the
Park in record time, finishing with Synchronized
Circles! Beijing Olympics here we come:)

It's normal to look over your shoulder
and find little (or Big) Peepers!

 A fun, few, refreshing days in Chengdu, sharing a long-term vision for this country! We also found an IKEA, ate at 2 Mexican Restaurants, and went shopping at a small Western Food Store!

Foreign Friends Come to Visit!

Joe Wall & his wife Linda (not present)
our key leaders in our Dallas organization. He and his wife
train house leaders in different parts of the world. 

Yesterday and today, we had 4 brothers and sisters come from Dallas, Texas and Washington State to visit us and see our students and school! What a blessed time to introduce them to our new home in the East and all its wonders!

Our "faculty" as my team leader Don says, and foreign
friend Kathy Fischer. Her and her husband also train leaders in several countries around Asia.

Our team- Shanda, Ashley, Christian, Don, Brittany, me, and
foreign friend Steve.

40 pairs of eyes grew in diameter and my students broke out
in spontaneous applause as Kathy and Steve walked into the classroom!

Final bucket list item in our city- Going out for HOT POT! You can't leave without trying it!

Today my students had MANY questions as we discussed
our upcoming American holiday, Thanksgiving!

Point and Guess

So inside the university, many students (excluding Freshmen) know some level of English. However, once you leave the gates of the university, most of the 900,000 people of Hechuan, speak NO English!

Since going out to eat is cheaper than cooking, (usually $0.50- $1.50/meal),  
atleast twice a day, I find myself sitting inside a garage-style restaurant loaded with tables and plastic Kid Stools. I grab a menu, but it's completely loaded with symbols!! Now, I've learned some symbols like chicken, beef, spicy, noodle, rice, vegetable, stir-fried and egg, but for the most part,  
I'm HELPLESS when it comes to PICKING DINNER! 

So we invented a Game called Point and Guess! You point, shake your head yes, and the food comes! The technique hasn't failed us yet..

Only 2 Things I've learned to WATcH OuT for:

Huajiao!

If you're in the mood for a numb-your-mouth experience; here's one for ya!

Pork!

Pork is the common protein here, no escape for me..not a fan! Yesterday, I was at lunch with 2 friends, Lucky and Home. I pointed to one symbol and said in Chinese, "What is this called?" Stumped, she hunted for the word in her Chinese-English dictionary on her phone.  "This, it means this!" 'Intestine...small organ of pig'! Today, I learned one my favorite restaurants serves Pork Blood, a "healthy" and delicious delicacy.  I memorized that character so quick...AVOID at all COSTS!

Halloween Festival

On top of my normal classes of about 40 students, I get to teach a special class of 12 students twice a week! This week we discussed Halloween traditions, carved pumpkins, made up Scary Stories (Round Robin), and went Trick-Or-Treating!
 

I made Gourmet Caramel Apples and played
Cake WaLk!

A couple teammates dressed for the Halloween
Party our university threw for us!

Class Party!

Ivy, a native English teacher, and I

So, the school system's a little different here, the same 40 students take almost every class together! Then, to create BOnding TiMe, every month the classes meet for special performances.

3 or 4 "classes"had a PARTY Tonight, and my Violin Playing Friend, Carina, and I performed!

Then, they made me play a Chinese counting game. When I lost, I had to guzzle a bottle of water and SING while I SPRAYED the front row! ooooaaaaHHHH!