Sick as a DOG! And, Speaking of Which...

Monday—This morning Sophia came over to my apartment, and we had a nice B*ble Study, talking more about b@ptism :) After that, she asked me to join her in meeting an acquaintance of hers, a very wealthy lady and her daughter. In Chinese culture, having connections is essential to getting a prestigious job (like Sophia's, at one of the best schools in the country)...it surpasses how we think of "knowing someone" in Western culture and is a little hard to describe. The term they use is "Guanxi," and it's partly behind-the-scenes, yet expected for people to use, perhaps call in favors from different friends and acquaintances, etc. to get a good job. Well, this family is Sophia's "Guanxi," acquaintances from her home city who moved here awhile back and were able to use their "ins" at the school to secure a job for their "town fellow." A little hard to explain, but fascinating to me. We had tea at their apartment and talked for awhile (her daughter was shy, but spoke English quite well), and then had lunch at a very up-scale restaurant, modeled after a traditional Chinese tea house. We ate spicy noodles and cabbage, beef, mushrooms, greens, and rice pancakes (not their official name, but that's the best way I can describe them).

Sophia wanted to hang out afterwards, but I'd felt sick in the morning and could tell it was getting worse, so I went home for a nap. When I woke up a few hours later, I could tell my body has taken a huge turn for the worse-- my nose was plugged, my throat ached so much, and I just felt awful. When friends started showing up for B*ble Study, a few came in and checked on me, and our caring friend Gen (new to B*ble Studies) even ran outside to pick me up a few kinds of medicine (despite my insistence that it wasn't necessary). I would've just skipped study, but tonight my friend Jess was going to come, for the first time ever. He'd come to our Chr*stmas Party and seemed interested in His Word. His QQ status the next day had read:

This is my most special one of Christmas, with many American friends and Chr*stians in the Laguna Island mansion party, singing Ch*stmas carols, hymns and chanting hymns...

Knowing that he was coming, and was interested, I powered through...I'm very glad I did! HE worked things out very well tonight...we had a near-record attendance with 18 friends present, and we did a lot of small-group work, so there were plenty of times where it was just Jess and I answering questions, me talking him through G*d's Great Exchange, why J*sus came to earth, etc. This is why I came here...and I feel more blessed than I can describe that HE gives me opportunities like this! Jess even answered a couple questions in front of the big group, and wasn't afraid to ask me questions while we were discussing...I feel very hopeful about him! After study, our dear friends Sylvia and Angela helped us clean the apartment, and Angela gave me a great back massage :)

Tuesday-Friday-- These days passed in a slow blur of sickness, crabbiness, sleeping and lying in bed all day, cutting my food into tiny pieces so I could eat without too much pain and take my medicine, and skipping classes. Sinnina, my boss at school, took me to the hospital on Tuesday, and while I'll admit I don't always have the warmest feelings toward her, she was very sweet in helping me navigate that crazy place and getting me some medicine. There's no privacy in Chinese hospitals--there were about 5 other people in the room waiting for the doctor to finish looking at my throat, and about 10 of us in a room a bit later...it was in the "ear, nose, and throat" section of the hospital, and people there were using three different apparatuses that confused and amused me. I was using these two small hand-held poles that I had to hold against my neck/throat, and others were using small tubes with steam coming out of them, holding them either in their mouths or noses. It was a funny sight. Miserable as these few days were (I don't think my throat has ever hurt so badly in my life), I was also reminded of how HE has put wonderful individuals in my life: Angela came over every night to take my temperature and see how I was doing, Andrea brought over drinks and soup, lots of friends texted to check in, as well as my fam/friends from America :)

Saturday, January 7th--Yesterday was the first day I'd left the house in 3 days...I grabbed dinner with Angela, Brian, and Andrea (little, slimy fish that were kinda tricky for us spoiled foreigners to enjoy...so we had McDonald's afterwards). But, today I left the house for a much greater adventure. I'm sorry Grandma...I'm sorry Maria...I'm sorry, especially to you, Casey. But tonight for dinner, we feasted on canine.

Dog "Hot Pot."

I knew that many people in China didn't consider eating dog to be any different from pork or chicken, but I was always quite turned-off by the idea, and even somewhat morally opposed (I know it's not actually wrong and that the dogs are raised specifically to be eaten, but I just couldn't help but picture my precious pooch's face). But Andrea, convincing girl that she is, found this place, invited a big group of us...and I caved :p

Oh yeah! So, you think the DOG part of this is weird? Well, just you wait! Before our meal, we each took a sip of some Chinese "medicine wine." The stuff's always strong, disgusting (in my opinion), and made with unusual ingredients (sea horses, skulls, etc.). This particular variety is made with the help of fermenting...well...dog reproductive organs. I knew it beforehand (unlike most of our friends who were only told AFTER they'd sipped it), but I still tried it. Ew. Maybe my sickness sapped my brain of all reason?

So, our group of 8 ordered some veggies and a big bowl of dog. So weird, I know. That's this restaurant's claim to fame though, and when it was delivered, it just looked like pieces of beef or pork. And how did it taste? Sadly, I can't bust out the "tastes like chicken" line, but it actually wasn't bad. Once I got over the fact that it was my favorite kind of furry creature, I liked it. We all did, I believe, and ate a lot. I can't help but think I'm a horrible person, even as I'm writing this :/

Oh yeah, and we ate dog brain too...why not, right?

After we all had "sat" down for a long time, "heel"ed our stomachs of hunger, "spoke"n words to each other, and "fetch"ed seconds and thirds of the meat (sorry...I know that was awful), we followed our noses home. Angela, Andrea, and I stopped at a popular foreigner bar on the long walk back, I talked to an interesting dude who's visited 72 countries, came home and crashed! Woof.

Xing Nian Kuai Le! *Happy New Year*

Throughout this blog, you'll see tons of pics featuring my students 

during their New Year's Party. Enjoy!

Monday, December 26th—Last night I laid in bed, computer turned on and headphones plugged in, trying to watch T.V. but falling asleep, until I heard the lovely sound of the Skype dial tone...it was nice getting to talk to my family for a bit on Chr*stmas Day :) Yes, it made me incredibly tired today, but it was worth it! Wanting to spice up the formula of doing nothing but singing songs for 20 minutes each class period (mind-numbingly boring, for me at least), and wanting to learn some English names, I played a game with my older classes today. I'd call 4 kids to the front at a time, have them say "My name is _____" and then shout out different tasks for them to complete, by name. "Andy, stand up!" "Kevin, turn around!" "Alice, jump!" And so on. The kids loved it, especially when I make a student sing "la la la laaaaa!" Admittedly, it may create more racket than is ideal, but it was nice to mix up class a bit with that this week. We had a short Study tonight and spent over an hour afterwards making Chr*stmas cookies...we had lots of stations set up, and a big group (with new people, yay!), so there was lots of chatting and getting to know people...a fun night! Before bed, a few of my old students (Candy, Doris, and Victoria from class 4) called just to say they missed me and wanted me to come back to their school. Aww.

Kiddies (girls AND boys) get simply caked in makeup for their performances.

Tuesday—Lately I'd noticed that we didn't have nearly as many students to greet in the morning (when I'm forced to stand by the door and wave hello to the kids). Children have been arriving later and later, shuffling in with their parents/grandparents anytime from 8 until 11 a.m.! I'd say that at 9:00 a.m., only about half the students have arrived, but classes and such go on as usual. Definitely different than an American school! When I asked the school nurse why the kids weren't coming in time, she said "because it's cold." I wish that were an excuse I could use too ;) Today I got into a small argument with my boss when she insisted I MUST work this week Saturday...it was about 5 minutes long, she got progressively more upset (especially when I said I would only work if they paid me extra or gave me another day off) until the principal chimed in that Saturday would be a workday for all Chinese schools. Oh. When I asked my boss why she didn't just tell me that in the first place, she said "Why you didn't ask?" Oy. It had been a couple rough days at school, after about 2 weeks of having plans every afternoon/evening, so I have a confession: I came home, plopped on the bed, ate some Macaroni and Cheese (from Kelsey, an amazingly sweet roomie), and fell asleep...by 7:30. It was...sheer bliss :)

I wasn't able to get many good "action shots," so this is the cast of "Snow White" before they hit the stage. I think you can spot the evil queen pretty easily...she even had a pretty decent "evil walk" down.

Wednesday—I love my "Strawberry Class!" They're the first one of the day, little and precious 3-year-olds who are "clever" (the word "smart" is rarely used here, it's always "clever") and lately have been bombarding me with hugs and kisses when I walk into class. I sit down on my little chair in front of them, say good morning and blow kisses, maybe play a couple simple games with them, and once one is brave enough to run up and hug me, they ALL want to do it. This just proves that I'm not cut-out to be a teacher forever, because I was much more interested in the hugs and cuteness of the moment than disciplining them and telling them to go back in their seats :) After school, Andrea and I got a meal of fish, delicious potatoes, and bai cai (kinda like cabbage), and hung out at her apartment. In the evening, we met Laetitia for sushi.

Only non-kindergarten pic of this blog: Andrea, myself and Laetitia after feasting on some scrumptious sushi!

Originally we'd planned to get hot pot, a bigger and longer dinner event, and maybe do something afterwards. But Laetitia had taken us to the theatre to help us buy movie tickets, and turns out we could only buy them for that night, so we just took advantage of that. After tuna rolls and some fried rice, Andrea and I went to see "Flowers of War." I don't know how big it is in America, but I'd highly recommend it. Christian Bale does a superb acting job (and, if you know of the controversy surrounding him and this film, it's even more interesting I think), and it's just an intense, well-made, emotional movie that sticks with you. Very hard to watch though...it's about the Rape of Nanking, and while it's most definitely biased, the story is both heart-breaking and beautiful. Not for the faint of heart though-- Andrea and I both had nightmares tonight, and we sat in the theatre just trying to recover for a little bit after the film (unlike the people who sat next to us, who stood up the second the film ended and talked on their cell phone while it was in progress). Afterwards we walked to Aaron's place and said a quick hello to Tim, our mentor our first year in Wuhan (he was here for 3 years). Following our short reunion, it was to home and to bed :)

Dancers, host, and their teacher (who, incidentally, is not much bigger than some of the students).

Thursday—Today in the afternoon Kelsey and I took the bus to Adam and Sherry's house. They'd invited us over for Western food and just to visit a bit. The website we'd used to find bus routes led us a bit astray, but thankfully we knew enough Chinese characters to find a different bus that we could transfer onto and make it there. Kelsey babysat baby David while I helped Sherry do the dishes, make tacos, and was taught how to make an egg, tofu, and pork dish. It was very good, though understandably surpassed in my mind by the supreme tastiness of the tacos (with cheese, salsa, and refried beans...yum). Kelsey and I walked a ways to find the right bus stop, had some good catch-up time on the way back, and watched some Glee before bed.

Rat! Well, I think he's a rat. Either that or a dog...

Friday—In the past when I've brought up how amazing it is that Wuhan has Subway restaurants, my friend Connie has said she's not all that impressed with them or the flavor of the food. So I was surprised when she suggested we go there together for dinner tonight...but I didn't argue ;) One of my closest friends in Wuhan, Connie's a couple years older than me, has been Chr*stian for several years now, and is one of the best English-speakers among my Chinese friends. So our convos can be fast, full of slang, and often quite silly...I haven't seen her too much this semester, but she has been such a blessing and comfort during my months in Wuhan! We ate club sandwiches, chatted about what the future might hold for each of us, caught up on news and gossip, and hugged when I dropped her back off at her workplace. Can't wait for you all to meet her in he@ven, if not earlier!

The "Strawberry Class" gets ready to perform!

Saturday—Today at school, I helped move and set up some chairs for the big New Year's Party (sometimes I feel like I get taken advantage of/ used as a janitor here in my tasks, but I try to maintain the mindset of a servant), and snapped pictures while students practiced and got ready. Our school's little auditorium was packed as parents and grandparents gathered to take photos and videos of their kids singing and dancing in groups, performing role plays, making short announcements, and just looking darn cute! Occasionally when a little tyke would be onstage holding the microphone, but too nervous to speak, the audience would applaud to give encouragement. Well. Towards the end of the performances, it was my turn to participate...I was the narrator for "Snow White," but my part was pre-recorded, so I was told just to stand onstage, holding a microphone, and lip-sync. I got up there and had to wait what felt like two minutes before they played my voice; I felt like a fool, holding the microphone, getting lots of stares (as the only foreigner, plus the whole being on center stage thing). It was hilarious--I don't think the audience realized what I was waiting for, so they all started clapping, perhaps thinking I was too nervous to speak. Haha. After that debacle, I headed home and bought some treats for our New Year's party. A group of us FoC-ers went out to dinner, and later on all 13 of us Americans, plus a couple Chinese friends, were crammed into my apartment. We played some games, talked, ate and drank, and went on our balcony at midnight. We each had a confetti cannon that was boldly shot into the air as we shouted and drank some sparkling grape juice! Happy New Year :)

So, I know you're not supposed to have "favorite students," but these two boys (Coco and Tony) are pretty adorable. They were 2 of the "Seven Dwarves," and cracked me up.

Sunday—Yesterday on the bus ride home from school, I made two new friends :) I happened to be sitting next to the mom of one of my kindergarteners, and we tried talking a bit. After she got off, a girl who had been eavesdropping nearby rushed to take her seat, and said "Hello, I want to be your friend." Love it when that happens :) I asked "Nancy" if she had an English name, and as she responded, a middle-school student from behind poked me and said "I also have an English name." So I had a fun talk with Nancy and Helen, exchanged contact info, etc. But that night, while talking to Nancy on QQ, the subject of ch*rch came up...the quickest that's ever happened, that's for sure! Anyway, one thing led to another and I brought her to our morning w*rship. She was quite nervous--the first of my friends ever to mention to me being concerned about the safety of our "meetings," which is a valid concern! Nancy also told me she is B*ddhist. I told her not to feel pressured to participate or do anything that makes her uncomfortable (and I also told her she didn't have to go...we could go hang somewhere else). But, thanks to HIM, she insisted that she did want to come, she read along with the B*ble selections, asked me some questions, and got to meet lots of our friends. I couldn't understand much of her conversation with Phoebe (the wife of one of our de@cons here), but she seemed happy that she came and we had a nice talk on the bus ride home! How amazing is our L*rd...HE can take a chance meeting on the bus on Saturday, and bring a new soul to hear The Word on Sunday :)

Teachers at my school performing a traditional Chinese dance with lanterns. My friend Joy (back left) said she hated it and would've preferred a pop song instead, but it was fun to watch.

Sheng Dan Kuai Le!!! *Merry Christmas*

Monday, December 19th—Today when I entered the room to teach my "Small 1" class, they were in the middle of a birthday party, so I had fun eating cake, wishing the best to the birthday girl, and trying to talk with the kiddies instead of teaching :) I am also proud to say that I have been the Computer Hero of our teachers two weeks in a row now: last week, a guy in the office couldn't understand the error message on his screen, so I grabbed my laptop and used Google Translate to help him understand, then this week a lady in my office couldn't read the error message on her computer, so I read it and pressed "F1" for her. Wow, impressive, right? :) Stanley, aren't you impressed? I had an awful bus ride home tonight...well over an hour and a half due to a massive traffic jam, leading to a crabby and culture-shocked Julie :( Study was nice though, and some not-so-regular attendees from last year joined us, which was encouraging!

Chang Qing "Hospifal," very close to my school.

Tuesday, December 20th—This morning, continuing my bus frustrations, the first city bus that came to our stop was TOO PACKED with people, so I had to wait at our stop about ten minutes for another one. Oy. My boss gave me a very "un-catchy" song to teach my students, spur of the moment...it didn't go over too well, but thankfully one of the children knew it and help me fake my way through :p I meet up with Andrea and Aaron for dinner tonight; we had beef, delicious clams, and a couple beers, watched a little "Friends" and started to plan our upcoming vacation travels. Having stayed pretty late, I took a cheap taxi home. The driver was friendly and we spoke the whole way home (mostly in Chinese, though he knew more English than most) and he told me he was impressed that I, as a foreigner in Wuhan, could communicate with him so well. Good thing it was a short ride, or he would've probably changed his mind ;) My heart stopped when he dropped me off though--I didn't have enough small bills to pay him, only 100 RMB ones, too big for him to break. I apologized profusely, looked through my purse and rummaged together about 4 RMB (the ride was cheap, about 7 RMB) and he said it was enough and not to worry about it. But thankfully I had a couple American dollars in my wallet-- I gave him one and he was excited and thanked me. One American dollar is worth about 6 RMB, so hopefully that, and it being a kind of nice keepsake, made up for my silliness!

Laughing and enjoying caramel drinks with Kelsey (and a bit of Aaron) at Escape Cafe.

Wednesday, December 21st—Andrea invited me to go shopping at Wuhan's Chr*stian Bookstore today after school. It's an extension of Wuhan's g*vernment-run s*minary, and a nice place to visit, browse, and buy gifts. Afterwards we did a bit of shopping in the nearby area and took a taxi back to Hankou, and had a fun dinner with "Team Wuhan" (Brian, Kelsey, Aaron, Andrea and myself) before joining Kevin (my recruiter) and his friend for coffee at "Escape," a new nearby coffee shop. Kevin's aunt opened the cafe, and they hope to use it as a place for Chinese people to connect with foreigners, practice English, etc. Hopefully next semester we'll work out some kind of a schedule, and perhaps drop in there more regularly to make friends, but tonight we just enjoyed the warm atmosphere and caramel milk teas :)

Fierce and hilarious battle (that took place after a kid dressed in a HUGE Santa costume paraded around giving piggyback rides, and before they all sang "Santa Claus is coming to town.")

Thursday, December 22nd—Last night, one of my old students texted and invited me to their "Chr*stmas Party" today. Several had mentioned it to me, but this was the first official invite, which I gladly accepted! On the bus ride there, my student Laura texted me again: "So Miss Cox: Will you come or not? Many of our classmates hope you could come." 

Lots of the lovely ballerinas are my former students.

When I showed up, I was treated to the usual excited squeals, some hugs, a lot of quick catch-up conversations (sometimes awkward, but always sweet), and sat down with a bunch of students to watch the show. When a school in China says they're throwing a "Chr*stmas Party" or "New Year's Party," it most likely means a huge performance, not the buffet/ Secret Santa/ playing games kind of Chr*stmas party that most Americans might think of.

The "Class 3 Band" did a rock version of Canon in D.

 There was lots of singing, dancing, some hilarious skits (and some boring ones), a couple bands, and a lot more. After over two hours, I was ready to go ;) But it was enjoyable, fun to sit with many of the goofy boys I'd taught last year, and awesome getting to exchange numbers with more of my old little friends.

"Which of us three girls is the most beautiful?" 

I met up with Sophia afterwards very briefly, but then headed home to CLEAN (I've been going non-stop for the past week or so, busy every night, and the dishes and such had really piled up), go shopping with Kelsey (I helped her barter for a scarf she was buying as a gift), and watch "White Chr*stmas" together. It was my first time to see it actually, but it made me long for America in the holiday season, that's for sure!

It's a treat to see my "goofy" students transformed into serious musicians when their orchestra performs.

Friday, December 23rd—After school I went shopping for Kelsey (stocking stuffers and roomie treats) and Nicole (my FoC "Secret Santa"), made a new friend at the store, and took a nap...I think I'd counted about 10 nights in a row now of having plans, and it had WORN me out...and I knew there'd be more tonight, so the quick rest helped! 

Jenney, Sylvia, Yao Yao and Luan.

I met my fashion design student friend Luan, and her friend Yao Yao (another sweet and beautiful girl, but sadly she can't speak a ton of English) at the light rail bus stop, made a simple supper of dumplings for them with my dear friend Sylvia's assistance, and we got to baking! It was the first time for all of them to make Chr*stmas cookies, and it was a fun night! We had lots of good girl talk, and halfway through, my friend Jenney (a university student in Hanyang) finally made it through all the traffic and joined in the festivities. I'd set out some B*ble materials, hoping to get the chance to Share a little of the True Meaning of the holiday with the girls, but an opportunity never really presented itself, or it would've seemed too awkward or forced. I don't know if I should've tried harder or not, but when I was alone with Jenney, I did get to tell her a bit about the First Chr*stmas and how I b*lieve in it, thanks to her question about the candy cane-shaped cookie (THANKS FOR THE COOKIE CUTTERS, MOM AND DAD)! Angela came towards the end of the night and we had more fun gabbing and finishing decorating, and eating-- but not cleaning :p 

The fashion design major and drawing teacher understandably did a pretty great job decorating cookies :)

I got this text from Jenney the next day:
Oh Julie, thank you very much for your inviting! It is the first time for me to make Chr*stmas cookies. I do think it would leave me with deep impression! I really enjoy the time with you. You are so kind. I distribute the cookies to many of my boy and girl friends. They all enjoy the cookies. They said to me: "How delicious, could you give more to me?" But I have to say no, because I want to share them with more friends. Hehe, thank you Julie, Wish you happy everyday!

Poor guy just couldn't survive the Wuhan winter!

Saturday, December 24th—We had to wake up TOO early on this Chr*stmas Eve morning, but 'twas for a good cause...'twas the day before Chr*stmas, and we were off to meet the rest of our FoC team for a morning w*rship service. After a long bus ride across the city, we joined our team, sitting nice and snugly in the crowded apartment, for a lessons & carols-style service. We then took the obligatory group photos and did our gift exchange. I stood up to deliver my gift first, and Nicole immediately called out, "I'm right here Julie!" I replied, dumbfounded, "How did you know?!" and gave her her gift. Turns out she was totally joking, and really had no idea that I really was her Secret Santa, so we were both shocked :) The rest of the exchange was festive and cute--my favorite moment was when Jess gave Andy "Root Beer" in the form of ginger taped on top of a can of cheap beer, haha. We braved the crowds and had a big-group lunch at "Golden Hans," a "German" restaurant that brings around tons of meat to sample, and serves good quality beer...but also has a more Chinese-style buffet. We feasted on some good meats (bacon, chicken wings), some strange (chicken heart and cow tongue), I got some sushi and dessert from the buffet, and then we boarded the bus back to Hankou. As expected, traffic was atrocious...it's usually bad on Saturdays, but on Chr*stmas Eve, China observes "Silent Night," which is the biggest misnomer I've ever heard--a huge chunk of the population goes out shopping this day, with materialism being the focus for the holiday, tons of sales and long lines. The bus ride was long and awful, but once we got back home, Andrea and I had a chill afternoon of watching movies and napping (well, me at least). We ordered McDonald's delivery for dinner (oops, I've now eaten the Golden Arches on Thanksgiving AND Chr*stmas Eve in China), and my daily highlight was talking to Stanley Chan on the phone! Welcome back to China, brother! See you soon :)

Lookin' good team Wuhan! Also, please note our matching sweaters, purchased for 29 RMB each (about 5 bucks) at a shop near my apartment.

Sunday, December 25th—I'd be lying if I said Chr*stmas in China was an easy day...I think everyone naturally gets homesick, longs for the comfort, warmth and traditions of the holiday back at home, and wishes schools gave Chr*stmas vacations here like they do in the U.S. Nonetheless, today was memorable for me because my friend from school, Joy, came to ch*rch with me. It was her first time ever to attend a service, and she was a bit nervous, but said it was wonderful! On our walk to ch*rch, I told her the basics of what our group b*lieves, reviewed the Chr*stmas story (she knows a bit of His Word from a course she took in college), and told her what our meetings are all about. She got to hear me sing a solo in a choir Darin had put together, which was fun, and she enjoyed getting introduced to new American and Chinese friends between services also...I was happy she was willing to stay for hours, and she asked if she should bring anything the "next time" she comes. So please pr@y that there IS a "next time" :)

So, the picture doesn't do justice as to how massive this cake was...probably twice the size of your average birthday cake. If you use stuff laying on the table as reference points, maybe you can get a better idea as to its girth. Anyway, the coolest part was the L*rd's Pr@yer that was iced on :)

We were treated to a lunch of hors'doeuvres, cooked by Eunice, a member and mom to a mischievous boy, Bill, who attends kids' Study. She cooked up a storm of jiaozi (dumplings), chicken wings, and bacon (stuffed with cheese and tomato) for our group of 20+ people, and there was more than enough to go around. It was nice talking with Joy, and Andrea's two friends who were also there for the first time! We ate slices of the HUGE cake brought to ch*rch by a member, and headed back home. 

Love this pic! So Dong Bu Dong!

After coming back home, I cleaned like crazy (man, I feel like I've been typing that in blogs a lot lately, but maybe it's just been an extra-messy and busy time of the year). I was largely cleaning up after decorating Chr*stmas cookies...2 days earlier :p Afterwards, Kelsey and I emptied the stockings we'd stuffed for each other and had a bit of roomie-bonding time. We met up with Andrea, Brian, Peter, and Darin for dinner at Papa John's, and then hit up KTV for an hour-long partay...when it's just a small group of crazy foreigners in the room, song selection generally includes lot of old school jams, and there's usually lots of dancing ;)

Sore Throat, Chr*stmas Spirit, and Sampras!!!!!

Monday, December 12th—Oh, culture shock. Sometimes it comes in big avalanches, and other times just in fun little doses. Today, for example: 1) another teacher from my school happened to be on the same bus as me, and once we spotted each other, we maintained an awkward, 90% Chinese convo for about a minute, until I exhausted my "small talk" vocabulary. 2) As anyone who's Skyped with me while I'm in my school office knows: it's COLD here! I mean, warmer than a Wisconsin winter, but still right around freezing. But my school (like many places in Wuhan) doesn't have heat, AND people insist on keeping windows WIDE OPEN throughout the day and night. Ugh...as I walk into the office each morning (wearing 3 or 4 layers of clothing) and begin the daily "battle" of closing the windows only to find them open a bit later, I long for springtime ;) 3) When the weather's frigid like this, people constantly tell me I must "take more clothes" due to the outside temperature. Now, it doesn't matter if I am already wearing twice as many clothes as the person giving the command, or if wind is blowing in through the open window...this will still be the discussion. 4) Every Monday and Tuesday when I have to stay late in the day, I get the treat of watching our school guard (a man in his 60s maybe) come into the office, open a cabinet shamelessly, and pour himself a big helping of bai jiu (Chinese liquor) in his flask. He then enjoys it while eating lunch at his post by the front door, and then lounges, napping most of the afternoon. Lemme tell ya, if I were a senior citizen in China, I'd love to be a "guard" at a kindergarten as well ;)

Such jolly greetings for a passerby on the streets of Wuhan. Too bad the cones and red tape detract a bit though!

On Monday night, a few of us foreigners went out to eat delicious dumplings with our Chinese friend Johnny before Study. Afterwards I got to bond with Mary, Esther, and Bleanda, giving them a quick tour of my bedroom, speaking in English and Chinese, and talking a bit about boys :)

Tuesday, December 13th—I woke up with a sore throat, but didn't realize how bad it was until I got to school, tried to greet people, and hardly anything came out. After attempting to teach my first class with the aid of a microphone, and failing to muster the voice to sing, I went to the school office to rest. Eventually a school leader said I could go home, without my asking (the way communication with me usually goes at my school, I'd decided not to even ask to be sent home early, but just to sit in the office). After a bit of protest from my boss, who insisted I MUST go to the hospital for injections (preferred medical treatment here), my sweet friend Joy (teacher with the best English at my school) came to my rescue. I headed home and rested all day.

There's a new kitchenware store near to our apartment, and their advertisements prove quite entertaining. I never really understand the point they are trying to make, but...they DO get our attention!

Wednesday—This morning when my alarm went off, I was conflicted as to whether to call in sick or not; I didn't feel absolutely awful, but definitely nowhere near 100%. Eventually I decided to text my boss and tell her I'd be staying home, but when I tried, I got a "fun" surprise: my phone was OUT of MONEY! Oy...well then, I had no choice but to get up, get dressed and head to school. Glad I did though-- after teaching, I had lunch with my friend Julia. She's a friendly Russian lady, about ten years older than me, married to a Chinese man. Their son is in one of my classes, and we'd chatted quite a bit in the past weeks, getting to know each other. Julia's home was absolutely breath-taking. From the outside, it looked just like a normal Chinese apartment, but when we walked inside, I couldn't contain my jaw-dropping stare. I truly meant it when I told her it was the nicest home I'd seen in Wuhan, but it's also one of the nicest I've seen anywhere! Luxurious furnishings, high-tech toys and appliances, ornate decorations, and space (3 stories, a gigantic kitchen, a porch and upstairs deck)...I was blown away! She cooked us a sort of "comfort foods from around the world" lunch: Chinese-style meat and potatoes, a Russian tuna salad, and crepes with jam. Everything was just scrumptious, and I couldn't decide what part of lunch was better--feasting on the meal or laughing and talking with Julia, and her daughter, "Sophia." A very pretty 11-year-old, Sophia was very much like her mom, incredibly kind and interesting, talkative, and fluent in English, Russian AND Chinese. Whew...talk about your inferiority complexes! We had a delightful afternoon together and it was so much fun talking about our shared experiences as foreigners here in China, while comparing Russia and America as well!

It must've been a humorous moment-- this is me with my "big class," probably trying to  get volunteers for a game or song, and about to get overtaken by eager participants!

Later in the day, I met up with Andrea...we had a good talk about the difficulties of doing "Work" here, and how it can wear on a person at times. We grabbed some Starbucks (what a blessing to have that here for an occasional taste of home) and boarded a crowded bus to visit Peter, Darin, and Jess's Study in Wuchang. The group was varied: a couple regulars with good English, a few visitors who didn't speak any (a regular translated), and Shawn, a nice friend of ours from last year, who was visiting from his home city. Study went quite well, and discussion tended to turn into small group question and answer sessions, which was led to some good talks I had with Esther and Edward. Esther asked about J*sus' appearance while here on earth, and the qualities that made him "true man." Edward is a tough one...he's such a friendly guy, but asks tons of well-thought questions, and doesn't accept an answer without arguing and challenging quite a bit. Still, I was glad to have the experience, and it was a good workout for my f@ith as well--he, Darin, and I debated whether or not humans are helpless without G*d for awhile, and I think eventually (with His help) we were able to show him how much we need our L*rd.

I think the Chinese translates to something like: "Caution, hit head."

Thursday—I woke up a little late today, and didn't have any time to put on makeup (I think for the first time ever teaching at this school). So, it was a precious moment when I walked into one of my classes, and about ten students said how pretty I looked-- and this class had never said that before. Maybe they're just into the natural look ;) But thanks, 3-year-olds, for the boost I needed, haha. It was a pretty chill afternoon...we had Hankou group devotion, I ate some leftover dumplings Johnny's mom had made for us with Andrea, and I met a nice guy from Africa on my walk over. I never know how to handle seeing another foreigner out and about...should I play it cool and ignore them, maybe just give a smile and nod of understanding as we pass each other, or greet them and start up a "What brings YOU to this crazy place" conversation? All have worked in my favor and against me at one time or another :) But in this case, my new friend Soriba spotted me, ran over to introduce himself, and talked pleasantly about how he came here to study medicine. 

My little kiddies doing their afternoon exercises. Sorry it's just a side-view (taken from my school office window); I'll try to get a front-view one in the future!

Friday—Today before my "big class" began, the students ran up to me to share plans for their coming weekend...I was pretty excited when I could understand "Mici" telling me that her big brother's getting married, and "Tina" telling me that she was going to receive a lot of...something...over the weekend. Okay, well, I've made a little progress at least ;) My afternoon was kind of yucky; I was a bit annoyed after being scolded for doing something at school that I've seen plenty of other teachers do (those things being, putting my hands in my pockets and drinking water while greeting the kiddies in the morning), I went shopping at lots of places for powdered sugar and couldn't find it, and did a lot of cleaning at our filthy home :p But the evening made it worthwhile... 

Around 5:00, I walked over to the Foreign Languages School to meet Sophia, who was bringing a bunch of her students to decorate Chr*stmas cookies. However, when I got there, she called my phone saying that they had arrived...at MY house, you know, the place I just walked from. Oy. Rather than be annoyed, I hitched a motorcycle taxi to get there more quickly, and met Sophia and five of her students, who'd been driven by their parents rather than taking the school bus (hence, the change in drop-off location). I was quickly introduced to her darling students and while we stood around waiting for three more to join us, Sophia excitedly pulled me aside to share a secret..."I REALLY want to get b@ptized!!!" This wasn't new info to me, but her enthusiasm, insistence on telling me almost immediately after I arrived, and her saying that she'd studied books Andrea and I gave her about HIM very often, made me incredibly happy.

Before the cookie-decorating, our ragtag group of 8 students, Sophia, and myself, went out to dinner. We basically had an English corner, as students took turns asking me all the standard questions "Why do you come to Wuhan?" "Do you have a boyfriend?" "Do you like Chinese food?" and I returned the favor: "Do you like Michael Jackson?" "Where do you want to travel the most?" and so on and so on and so on. There was a memorable moment though, when I asked the kids if they knew lots of Chr*stmas songs, and they ALL started singing "When Chr*stmas Comes to Town" loudly enough for the whole restaurant to hear. Funny, embarrassing, and awkward, since I think they wanted me to join in, and I don't actually know that song ;)

Since I wasn't able to find powdered sugar, the goopy frosting I made tasted delish, but didn't have ideal consistency for, you know...staying ON the cookies. Good thing they all got devoured quickly.

Once we got to the house, it was "Julie gives cookie baking lessons" time, while Sophia napped on the couch, kids got into flour fights, and lots of giggling ensued. A bit chaotic, but a true joy to watch the 12-year-olds make Chr*stmas cookies for their first time...and they helped me clean up afterward ;) When the kiddies had all gone back home, Sophia and I sat down for a good discussion and B*ble Study about b*ptism and its gifts. We answered questions about what it means for the b*liever, and she seemed to take everything to heart, asking good questions and understanding well. May HE be praised!

Saturday—Today was our big FoC Chr*stmas Party, but I felt awful when I woke up in the morning. Thankfully, Kelsey motivated me to get outside with her...we did some shopping (bought matching Chr*stmas sweaters, haha), and got ready for the day, then took the long (and trafficky) bus ride to Jess and Nicole's apartments.

Choir of ch*rch regulars singing classic Chr*stmas hymns in Chinese.

We traveled to the reception hall we'd reserved for the big party, anticipating about 200 guests from B*ble Studies, ch*rch, and just people we know who we wanted to share the true meaning of the holiday with. Snacks were laid out on tables, there was free time early in the evening to mingle, play a game, and take photos, and then the programs began. Brian and Ivy (our Chinese friend, a university English teacher, who helps us out in so many ways) hosted the night, various groups sang, played instruments, and most importantly, read the Chr*stmas Story from the B*ble.

Bleanda, Mary, and I (the two sweet and stylish ladies have come to our study quite a bit 1st semester).

My old friend Sharon made it to the party (first time I'd seen her all year), as well as my friend Jess, and Kristine (it was her first time coming here as well, and it was a struggle trying to meet up with her and describe the location...thankfully some nice ladies outside helped me talk on the phone to her). :) My friend Jess enjoyed the B*ble readings, we looked through a devotion booklet prepared as a gift for our friends, practicing our English and Chinese, and discussing basics of Scr*pture. After the performances ended,there was more time for meeting new friends and reuniting with old ones. Most of the FoC girls spent the night at Nicole's place, where we geeked out over a showing of Breaking Dawn :D

At the end of the night, Jess told me that he'd like to study the B*ble with our group...what a blessing!!!

Sunday—In between ch*rch services today, I met "Harry," a young man new to our group...he was very friendly and asked lots of good questions, including "Why did G*d let Adam and Eve sin in the garden?" That'll wake you up in the morning ;) Andrea and I headed to Hanyang in the late afternoon, to meet up with Brian, and our Chinese friends Jonathan Li and Dr. Luke...who'd secured us tickets to see an exhibition tennis match featuring...Pete Sampras!!!!!

After enjoying a Subway supper, Jonathan Li drove us to the arena. A Chinese tennis star, "Li Na," originally from Wuhan, recently was the first Asian ever to win the championship at some tennis match (I am a failure for not knowing this, I realize). So she'd become a hero for the city, and they hosted "Li Na and Friends," the "friends" being Pete Sampras, Carlos Moya (from Spain) and Sabine Lisicki (Germany).

As the pics show, we were VERY close to the action...Dr. Luke has a brother who works with major sporting events in Wuhan, making our awesome seats possible! As the pics also may show, tennis isn't super-huge in China, so there were lots of empty seats :p But that didn't change our excitement when we walked in, realized our seats were about 3 rows from the front, and saw Pete Sampras RIGHT in front of us!!!

The thrill upon first seeing Pete was pretty intense, and we wanted to shout out to him lots of times, but  were too shy.  The first match featured Sampras against Moya, who was quite beautiful (one of People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful," to be more specific) :)

The second match was mixed doubles...one of my favorite moments of the night happened  during warm-ups: The rap music that started blaring from the loudspeakers was horrendous...the "f- word" and the "n- word" were thrown around left and right, but I guess since most of the crowd was Chinese, those who played the music didn't notice, or didn't think the crowd would notice. But Sampras sure did: a few seconds into the song he threw up his hands, dropped his racket, and looked to the ceiling with an incredulous "What the heck?" face? And THEN, he looked at Brian, Andrea, and I...and we all laughed, a lot.

My second highlight of the evening was when Andrea and I got on the stadium's jumbotron!!! My first time ever :D At first we waved and smiled a little, but after a couple seconds decided to bust out same dance moves, thinking no one at the place knew us anyway. Well, about 30 seconds later, one of my former students texted me, saying "I am also here." He tracked us down later, laughed at our dancing, and said he couldn't wait to tell his classmates about it. Oh man. Someone on the street the next day asked Andrea if she was on the jumbotron, and a few days later, another of my former students commented that she'd seen me on T.V. during the match!!! Thankfully though, they didn't show us dancing on T.V. ;)

What a crazy, memorable week it was!!!