I should learn how to write my name...

Whoops. Somehow this slips past me ½ the time. I faithfully check everyone else’s blog through following on my little blogger dashboard thingy, but writing myself… that pretty much only happens if I plan on it by taking my laptop into the office (where there is no Internet so I can focus on just writing word docs). Anyways, enough excuses…

Now I have to tell you about TWO trips to Chinese clinics!

1) I was sick. It was special, some sort of Primary School Teacher Flu that rendered me completely zapped of all energy and unable to eat anything other than a few crackers. So we went and saw an ex-pat friend of ours who has a little clinic on the other side of town. She’s fantastic. She decided to take me to another clinic to get my blood drawn to double check that it was just a little virus. We walk into this clinic and it was empty. I don’t know how to convey how completely bizarre that is in this country. Empty… and quiet. It was like they were filming a horror movie there – I would give you a reference but I don’t watch horror movies because they are scary beyond all reason, so you can imagine how exciting this was for me! We went to the back, and this conversation ensued:

(In Chinese)
Nurse: What’s her name?
Carol: Amanda
Nurse: No, her Chinese name.
(English)
Carol (to me): What’s your Chinese name?
Me: Uh…
(Chinese)
Carol: She doesn’t have one.
Nurse: She must. Give her one.
Carol: Can’t you just write her English name?
Nurse: No. It is impossible. She must have a Chinese name. Give her one.
Carol: Whatever – you write a name. Make it a good one – a girl name!

After that, it was standard-ish. Whole thing cost RMB21… just a little over $3.

2) My physical for next year. That was in a different clinic and absolutely amazingly clean and cheap! Whole thing cost RMB280 – about $42. This is great considering the amount of tests they ran – normal physical stuff (blood pressure, height, weight, eyes, blah blah) as well as an EKG, chest x-ray, blood tests, and, my personal favorite… an ultrasound. Seriously? Good news – not pregnant.

Speaking of next year (I’m a fan of segue…) – I’m moving to Lanzhou! It seems as though the Father has been preparing me for this for a while – dust storms similar to Lubbock and pollution like Taiyuan! Despite this, I’m still really excited – proof positive that the Father IS indeed working in this! =) I’ll be on a team with 4 other people, a couple that I already know and are pretty much the definition of fun, and then 2 others that I don’t know much about, other than their names. I’m excited about so much for next year – the university campus, the relationships with students, students actually speaking English, different culture of Western China, riding a camel to school across the sand dunes, etc etc! There is a running joke on the team – I LOVE Muslim food, it’s my favorite that we can get here in China, and I’ll be living in a city with a large population of minority groups. So… I’ll be able to eat “all the baby sheep that my heart desires”! Nothing beats a good lamb chuar, with a generous helping of cumin (skewer of roasted meat).

This entry is already too long. Catch ya later!

PS – Computer is acting better… USB’s work if I restart the computer. Bizarre… but thanks for all the advice! And I’ll GLADLY switch to a Mac if Scott buys me one!

Problems with the Lappy 486..

So…
I’m having serious computer issues again. This is a recurring theme in my life that I am not a fan of. Recurring themes that are ok: Tex-Mex, mini-vacations, pedicures, etc. Not ok? Computers breaking, droughts, olives, etc.

Here’s the dilemma. Please let me know if you have any insight, opinions, whatnot. My little computer is fantastic. He's tiny, cute, lightweight, has an external D drive, etc. Just perfect for what I need. However… he’s stopped reading USB drives. This presents many problems: camera cords, memory card readers, that external D drive, external hard drive that I was about to purchase, etc. What do I do? I bought him last May, refurbished in Austin from a trusted store, as well as a brand-new copy of XP (because I refuse to use Vista). Is this something easily fixed? Do I need to start looking into draining my bank account? If so, do I go Mac or PC? Additionally, will I be able to get all my stuff off this computer if the ports can’t be fixed? These are questions I have. If you have an answer to ANY of them, please let me know.

In other news… it’s spring-ish! There’s some green stuff in various places in town! So that’s exciting.
Next post? My trip to a Chinese clinic. Spoiler alert: I survived.

Randomist Post Ever.

Some days, I really feel as though I live in the land of –ish. Today, there is sunshine…ish. I was sick, and feel better-ish. The internet works-ish. The kitchen is clean-ish. It’s just an interesting world to live in.


On another, more interesting note, Val is here for the first installment of Dirty T Party Weekend 09! Good times have been had by all. DDR, Pizza Hut, an early birthday party, coffee, Indian Kitchen, hair washes (at a barber shop? We’re still not sure what happened…) a photo shoot (pictures will follow…), etc. Everyone else went out to WuYi Square for an afternoon, but I was nocturnal that day… It’s been a GREAT weekend and so fun to have FUN in our city. We seriously don’t leave campus during the week, and forget that Taiyuan has quite a few redeeming qualities and pretty good restaurants.


As previously promised, here’s a recap of the Changchun Party Weekend 09:
- Flying definitely wins. It was worth the kuai.
- I love the individual hot pot restaurant they took us to – AMAZING. Company was pretty good too.
- Waffles. Seriously, ladies – Scott Semanski is the waffle king.
- Great refreshment and fellowship with some fantastic brothers and sisters. Rockin’ music too.
- Games. Lots of games. Also, a serious ab workout of laughing. Always a good time. =)
- SNOW! There wasn’t a lot. But that’s ok. There was one short-lived snowball fight… but it was ended early. Oops. Sorry…
- I was spoiled rotten by Marie, my hostess. Wow.
- Cute Korean coffee shop, art work, poems, hurb tea and sugar packets.
- Check the FB album for more. It was just a GOOD weekend!


And…. Let’s see… OH. Big news. I submitted my paperwork to transfer to the University Teaching Program within ELI! So that means I’ll be moving and teaching in a University next year! I should be finding out my placement soon – I’m VERY excited and thrilled about getting to spend more time in this amazing country!


Last thing: This picture makes me smile. I was invited to Douglas’ birthday party after school one day. Here, he is making a wish as we are singing Happy Birthday. However, note Harold’s face (top right). Is that not the picture of sheer happiness?!? Ah, I love that class.

Changchun Party Weekend 09

Wow. I'm way too tired right now from a trip to DDR with some co-teachers (oh yeah...) but will be posting soon about our little jaunt to Changchun last weekend.

We'll gladly host anyone who wants to have a Taiyuan Party Weekend 09.... Or would be glad to bring a party to you... any takers?

Yet another reason...

... why I love Austin, Texas.

My brother went out and got a sunburn on March 1st because he was playing this game. He said it was awesome, and I've never known him to be a big advocate of organized sports.

Here are a few more reasons why I miss Austin:

the beauty

the shopping

happiness

fun times

a best friend*

did I mention the beauty?






* other Austin-friends, do not be offended. you just don't have a funky website.

Things That Make Me Smile

On Tuesday I was walking out of the “Xeroxing room” on campus and there were my Grade 2, Class 4 kiddos. The ENTIRE class. I honestly don’t know I saw them or if I heard “MS HERRIDGE!!!!” screamed from 36 tiny people first. Either way, I was immediately mobbed and they start prattling in Chinese about… something that is apparently so very exciting that I should be able to supernaturally be able to understand Chinese because of the magnitude of their excitement. Then, Stan looks at me and says “SCIENCE!” and hand motions test tubes being poured and blowing up. Then, a bunch of my kids start hopping around like rabbits and making bunny ears. Then they say “we look!” and point at the construction work being done over the school wall. So, I can honestly say I have no idea what they were doing out there. Either way, their homeroom teacher was in a great mood (yay for everyone!) and took my picture with ALL of my kids! She was so great! It’s almost impossible to do this in the classroom, so it’s exciting that I have at least one full class picture – and its outside! Of course, it’s nasty and gray – but it’s Taiyuan, so that’s expected.

Update!

Whoops. It’s not that I forgot that I had a blog… or forgot about the 3 of you that read this. I really have no excuse. =)

So, let me sum up the past month and a half or so!

Went to Beijing a few days early with Susie before our parents came to rest, drink a ridiculous amount of Starbucks, and explore! We are now pros at the Beijing Subway system… well, at least advanced novices. We really had a good time and got to hang-out with those amazing Beijing CTF’ers. Then… Mom and Dad made their arrival! And don’t worry, within 10 minutes of arriving at the airport, some girls approached Dad to get their picture with the large American man in overalls. It was classic. We stayed at a Days Inn near Qian’men, which was a great location and a pretty good hotel! The staff spoke amazing English, so between them and our really good map, we were able to get around to quite a few places. We joined the Van Deusen family, Kristina, MaryBeth and April (MaryBeth’s friend who was on holiday from teaching in S Korea) for a day to the Great Wall and Summer Palace – in frigid temperatures. If you’re looking to visit Beijing, there are significantly less people during winter holiday… but it’s SO COLD. Pros and cons, pros and cons.

Mom and Dad got to stay 10 days, which was just wonderful to show them around, teach them a little bit of Chinese language, culture, and about some of the best food ever!

After they left, I had about 24 hours to do my laundry, repack and whatnot to get ready for Thailand. I could spend pages and pages and pages talking about how wonderful Thailand was, the amazing conference that my organization had prepared for us, the generosity and hospitality of the Thai people, and the great refreshment provided by some of the amazing people that I am overwhelmingly blessed to be partnering with in Asia. However… this post is already getting a little long, so here’s a bulleted list!

·       China Air: Beijing -> Bangkok. Sat behind a family with 4 kids under the age of 7 – and the baby yakked the entire flight. That was awesome.

·       Bangkok: We were here less than 18 hours – but it was great. Nice hotel, great taxi drivers, etc.

·       Thai Air: Bangkok -> Chiang Mai. WOW. I have never been on a nicer plane – tragic that it was only a 50 minute flight.

·       Chiang Mai: We stayed at a cute hostel with some friends, ate amazing Western food, laughed too much, were close walking distance from a 3-story Starbucks, fresh juice everywhere (as in, straight from the fruit, nothing added! I can’t convey how amazing this is.), Dutch Blitz, good times.

·       Conference: Super great hotel, fantastic pool, they opened the terrace/roof to hang-out in the mornings and at night, phenomenal speakers. Again, can’t stress enough how great it was to connect with friends and spend time in fellowship, laughing, sharing our hearts, fears, plans, dreams… I really like these people. Plus, I seriously love my team, they bless my life in so many ways, but it was great to get time with my brothers as we are live in an estrogen-world in Taiyuan!

·       Tigers. I went and petted tigers one day. Still a little in shock over that.

·       Zip-line. I zip-lined through the jungle. Considering the last time I zip-lined was disastrous… this was a monumental achievement for me!

·       Thai Massage: It’ll change your life. We went to a super nice place with zero sketchiness – I don’t know if I’ve ever been more relaxed in my life.

·       Post- conference: Back to the cute hostel, more time with fantastic friends.

·       Chiang Mai -> Bangkok -> Beijing. Nothing noteworthy.

·       Beijing -> Taiyuan… we were supposed to be in Beijing for about 12 hours, which turned into about 36 because of some mafan. (Chinese for “trouble”, but really, it’s so much more than that.) We didn’t mind the extra time - or Starbucks!

Now we’re back into the swing of teaching and hanging out with our co-teachers, who we missed SO much over the break, and vice-versa. The kids smothered us with hugs upon our arrival into the classroom – makes the transition so much easier!

Promise to update again soon!!!

Success!

I had a very successful day operating in the Chinese culture/language last week that I think I should share, if nothing else but encouragement to myself!

Kristina and I decided to go out for breakfast and run a bunch of necessary errands as we had the morning off (the students were taking final exams). We happened to catch a taxi at our school gates, which is very rare. We live essentially at a dead end – there is a road but you don’t travel down it unless you have a purpose! It took a bit of Chinese to get to the McDonald’s – he said he knew where he was going, but halfway there he starts asking us where it is! Thankfully, we kind of knew where we were going and used our limited Chinese and a lot of laughing to get there. We have a fantastic breakfast, complete with coffee, Mariah Carey and much “sign language” when a cup broke. :) Afterwards, we went to the pharmacy to get some hydrogen peroxide – but this pharmacy did not have it, but pointed us to another one. China is incredibly similar to America in that all the elderly people are out on weekday mornings, ready to dispense advice and talk and make sure you know what you are doing/buying/etc. We went to another shop, learned the words for shampoo and conditioner, and then, the scary one… we went to the bank. We had to deposit money into our travel agent’s account for our plane tickets for vacation. All we had was a slip of paper with his name and number and a large stack of our teammate’s cash. After waiting for them to call our number (practicing our Chinese in the lobby… “Tuesday! Tuesday!”…. they must have loved that!) we were so incredibly blessed – our teller spoke English! There was no hassle, no fuss… it was amazing. We were blown away and praised Him for orchestrating that for us! Next, a quick trip to the supermarket, the bubble tea stand (for Kristina… I think that stuff is just too bizarre!) and a short pu-pu cha ride, we were home. In 3 hours. Record breaking. All communication was in Chinese except the bank (well, and talking with Kristina & the music at McDonald's!). Plus, we weren’t stressed beyond recognition, we were actually relaxed! AND PRODUCTIVE! It was fantastic.

Oh course, that afternoon I got some sort of stomach-ick and was out of commission for 6 hours. Oh China.

In other news…. The semester is OVER! Vacation has begun! We celebrated by having dinner with a friend from our Foreign Fellowship and watching “7 Brides for 7 Brothers”. I adore that movie!

More about vacation as it happens… get excited…!