amandarin conversation

I should learn how to write my name...

2009-04-27T14:16:00.001+08:00

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..

2009-03-27T14:17:00.002+08:00

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.

2009-03-22T14:04:00.004+08:00

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

2009-03-09T22:10:00.002+08:00

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...

2009-03-02T18:44:00.004+08:00

... 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

2009-02-27T18:01:00.005+08:00

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!

2009-02-26T06:43:00.002+08:00

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!

2009-01-10T00:29:00.002+08:00

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…!

Christmas in Beijing

2008-12-25T13:41:00.002+08:00

Sitting in Starbucks in Beijing, listening to Christmas music, watching people walk by, sipping a soy toffee nut latte with Kristina G & MaryBeth... life is pretty good right now. I've been trying to upload a video of my kids for y'all, but can't get it to work - I'll ask a friend who is more computer-literate to work on it this weekend! Have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

My Awesome Job.

2008-11-22T22:39:00.001+08:00

I have a cool job. I was able to talk a while ago to a friend that I haven’t heard from in a while who also has a cool job. It was really great talking about how we know we are exactly where we need to be AND love it. How rare is that? I am struck by how many people simply go through life without actively engaging in the world around them, and admit that I find myself simply existing at times. I don’t want to do that. I want to look back on my life with a sigh of satisfaction, not regret. In my decision to come to China, it definitely was a factor knowing that I could tell my children that yes; I went on a limb, out of my comfort zone for the One whose plans are bigger than mine for a year after college and lived in China. Now, as I’m processing through my options for next year (the list is a mile long), the same thought enters my mind. Will I say that I spent a year in China… or two… or more? Trust me, this is not something I am lightly processing, nor is it simple. Every day, conflicting opinions strike me as the “right” thing to do: “I miss my family, friends, comfort food, being on my own schedule, having a schedule, driving myself places, lack of communication/time zone issues. I love the idea of returning to school and the opportunities are definitely available Stateside for Loving people, in a common language and coffee shops!” But then… “To see someone grasp a new, life changing, life saving concept, to see His Love cross languages, using us as vessels, broken and damaged, yet able to communicate Truth… that’s life changing. To be a witness by simply living as I’m called to live. To have that level of accountability on a daily basis – weighty, but more educational that you could imagine. That’s actively engaging in life. That’s how I want to live my life. To be called is a beautiful privilege. Why wouldn’t I want to join Him in His work here? Plus, Chinglish is hilarious.”

So, as you can see, it’s a difficult thought process. If you feel led, feel free to Lift me up (& numerous others within our program who are feeling the same!) during this time!

On a much lighter note, the school’s Art Festival has officially begun! We sat outside on probably the grayest day I have yet experienced and watched every primary student (literally, hundreds of children) either shake purple pompoms or bright green fans in rhythm. It was unlike anything else I have ever experienced, but amazing. The teachers have been so stressed getting ready for that performance, and the ones to follow, but it was really great. Last week we had the Upper Primary performance on Tuesday night, and Lower Primary on Wednesday night. On both nights we danced to “My Heart Will Go On”… the New Found Glory, punk version. It was amazing. We were told, and I quote: “Maybe, the foreign teachers will… emerge… and create much excitement!” So we’re took that quite literally and were super dramatic – dressing crazy and bouncing off the walls. It was well received, I can promise you that. I hope to get video and post it. Additionally, we’ll be sang with the co-teachers with both groups – in Chinese with the Upper Primary, and then a translated song with the Lower Primary, that might as well be in Chinese.

Hope all is well with y’all!

Xi'an!

2008-11-10T13:53:00.003+08:00

Ah…
Xi’an was a great weekend! We did visit one of the Starbucks (probably the coolest one I have ever been to, the architecture was amazing!). We saw the Terracotta Warriors, which were pretty cool. I don’t know if we were more impressed with the warriors or the beautiful fall trees, multi colored leaves falling and blue sky that day! We shopped at a market in Xi’an; I, of course, bought way too much, but enjoyed it! We got to hang out with the University team as well as some of the students that they teach.

It was a GREAT trip, minus the nasty stomach bug that I picked up on the way home. I had to take a day off of teaching and a day from office hours. BUT all is well now! Back to normal – even eating the cafeteria (which is not normal)!

Miscommunications abound in China, especially in my 2^nd grade classes! My favs so far:

(Pointing to a cup): “What’s his name?”

(Pointing to my glasses): “What time is it?”

Still trying to figure out that last one.

(MaryBeth & I walk about... 30x the speed of everyone else and their cameras. So this happens. A LOT.)

The Mountain Report

2008-10-30T12:42:00.005+08:00

Here at SMBS (the name of our school), we have what we call “mountain” and “no mountain” days. See, there is a series of little mountains on the north side of the city that are very close (about an hour by private van or car). So, in reality, they should be visible, all the time. However, we did not know they existed for about 2 ½ weeks until there was a “mountain” day. Thus, we created a tally system. I believe we’ve had 5 clear mountain days where they are visible from our windows. There’s a number of reasons for the non-existent visibility – namely, the coal factories. However, last weekend we went to visit some other people in our organization who teach at the University at the base of those mountains. What was a “no mountain” day at SMBS was a BEAUTIFUL day at Zhong Bei! So we hiked up those mountains and looked out onto Taiyuan. AMAZING. We took some great pictures… Enjoy!

(Susie, MaryBeth, Kristina, me, Elizabeth, Jenni! *Tanya was at a mtg in Beijing*)

In other news…Monday was Kristina’s birthday (LOTS of cake and sugar and FAJITAS)! It was lots and lots of fun. She got a paper crown, a cake and a bouquet of flowers from our Foreign Affairs Official and the Pres of the school! It was great. We walked out of the cafeteria with all of that after lunch, and a kindergarten class saw her and started singing Happy Birthday in English! So adorable!

The teachers have been incredibly busy this week – the kids took midterms yesterday (even my 2^nd graders!) and then the parents are coming this weekend so the school must be very clean and all the students need to perform. We’re also having our Halloween party tomorrow night (I think I’ll be a tree again – I’m a tree in my classes to explain the word ‘costume’. It’s pretty sweet and simple – brown pants, green sweater, and scarf and hat with construction paper leaves pinned all over) then going to Xi’an on Friday night to visit a long-term university team in our organization to observe, learn more about that program, and sightsee! Pictures will definitely follow. Xi’an not only has the Terracotta Warriors, our friends, an awesome street market, rich local history, but also TWO Starbucks (xing bah kuh)!!!!!!

Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend!

P.S. CONGRATS Erin!! So proud of you!!!! =)

Hey Hey Money Go My Home!

2008-10-20T12:46:00.006+08:00

Fun Fact on Chinese culture: KTV is huge. You think you know, the movies have spoofed it or you’ve seen Lost in Translation… but really… I don’t think it’s something that can be adequately conveyed unless you’ve experienced it. We sang, we dance, it was basically a cardio-aerobic exercise for 2 hours... with the Hokey Pokey, some sort of Penguin dance (that everyone else knows… except America), My Heart Will Go On, a song where the chorus SHOUTS "Hey Hey Money Go My Home!" etc. Samantha said: “We all have so much fun at KTV. We are crazy, we all go mad!!” PS – I love Samantha.

Last few weeks have gone really well. Classes are going ok, my 5^th graders are the most adorable students and so well behaved! I like them. A lot. My 2^nd graders are cute… but scoundrels. I’m actually typing this as I’m in the office, racking my brain for a song for us to sing today. Oi.

See? Cute. OUTSIDE the classroom.

Susie and I explored a lot of Taiyuan on Saturday. We’re pretty impressed with ourselves. We don’t know a lot of Chinese, but we were able to get a taxi to Parkson’s (a massive import store that is wildly overpriced but fun to look around… but seriously, 150RMB for a pint of Hagen Daas? That’s over 20USD. Nope). THEN we walked to WalMart (that’s right – WAL MART) by asking directions, got a taxi and went to Wo Yi Square where we somehow found a jeweler and got my necklace cleaned… and found an underground shopping center! I love these places. They are legit - but literally underground! This one was pretty good too – lots of purses and clothes and scarves and even an art store! Also… GIANT busts of Alexander the Great. Just in case you needed one.

Yesterday we had Fellowship, then a wonderful dinner and then games at one of the ladies apartments! And… she has cats! Now, I’m not particularly a cat person, but these were clean and cute and cuddly and so completely different from the cats we see around the school. It was a great evening.

I’ll keep this short, because I’ve already rambled a lot. It seems that this year has been the year of learning that I can’t fix everything. There are so many issues that come with this lesson (my favorite: pride. Ouch.) & I can’t even begin to explain how much I’ve learned in these areas already, and how much further I need to go. Superficially, it’s ok to want to fix Tanya’s toilet (and shower and washing machine and curtains), but if I can’t, that’s fine. But with heart matters, I seem to get in the way a lot. It’s ok, even healthy to want to help a friend, be a listening ear or shoulder to cry on, but I can’t erase or fix those wounds. I can't heal that grief. I can only point to the One who can, in relationships here and at home. We’re living in an incredibly dark city in a fallen world. I’m just Asking for opportunities to point to the One who can… without getting in the way.

The first month...

2008-10-02T11:18:00.000+08:00

So... it’s been a while!

Let me backtrack and update you on my journey up to this point. I arrived in sunny Southern California on September 1, and finally met my team face-to-face. They. Are. Awesome. I’m incredibly grateful for them! Training was good, very informative, very LONG at times, but a valuable experience. Plus, amazing accommodations and food! :) On the 17^th, we trekked out to LAX (adventures along the way include a blown-out bus tire, McDonald’s, and karaoke quartet on the bus!) for our impossibly long flight to Shanghai, then connected to Beijing. I highly recommend flying directly to the city that you are going rather than connecting. It’s the last thing you want to do after 12 hours in the air! We spent a few wonderful days in Beijing exploring, spending time with our CTF-family, and adjusting to the time difference. It was sad saying goodbye to the other teams, we had all gotten so close, but it was exciting to finally be on our way to Taiyuan!

(Team on the Great Wall - L-R - Elizabeth, Jenni, Kristina, me, Mary Beth, Tanya - team leader - & Susie - roommate)

Our Foreign Affairs Official (who spoils us rotten!), took us to a hostel to rest before our 11 hour train ride from Beijing to Taiyuan – and then we got sleeper cars on the train! If you have never ridden a train in China, you most definitely want to get the SOFT SLEEPER cars – they are little rooms with doors and 2 bunk beds (sleeps 4). The hard sleeper cars just have a little curtain and stack 3 high. Thus, we were actually able to sleep being in the soft sleepers! We arrived in the rain early that morning and made our way to the school.

Since then, we’ve been settling into our apartments, taught for 3 days (I taught for 1… scheduling errors…!) and have been exploring the city that will be our home for the next 9 months! I’m sharing an apartment with Susie, my fantastic teammate, and it has… been an adventure. Once we get the apartment decorated just like we want, I’ll take pictures and show y’all and explain the … trials… we’ve had!

Fun fact about China: Whenever you get a new cell phone, you can choose the number. It is VERY important that you get a ‘good’ number. What exactly a good number entails, I have no idea – but I do know that it took about 15 minutes for my friend to choose mine. :)

To recap: Taiyuan is definitely different from anywhere else I have ever lived (or visited for that matter!), but despite the difficulties and differences, I feel myself falling in love with my students and the people of this city! While I may not know what the rest of my life holds, or even tomorrow, I do know in the deepest part of my heart that I belong in Taiyuan for this season. And, through His strength, I’m embracing that and will do my best to love those placed in my path!

Keep in touch!