Forget Lollygaging... We're in Nanchang!

Time with the girls in Koh Samui

2008-03-11T23:34:00.001-07:00

Us girls hanging out pretending to be normal Americans. Yes, we ordered out for pizza that night!!! yay pizza. I know you cannot fully appreciate that, but pizza is a special thing in Asia and very rare I might add
Kate and me on the beach. We found some cool boulders and decided to take some photo shoots. Sadly, I had to leave early because my sunburn was getting reder.
Sarah (pink) and Kate (the head) enjoying getting to swim! The weather was amazing. Everyone kept complaining about it being too hot, but I just soaked it all in. Ok, maybe too literally. I had some red legs after all of this.
Ah, lovely Koh Samui.

What's going on here? Gen, Nancy, and me are getting impatient for dinner. Ok, I think it might be just me who was so impatient. Can you blame me? I was hungry!!!

2008-03-11T23:11:00.000-07:00

yay! it's a Tuk-Tuk. These were the amazing vehicles that we used to get around Thailand.
Yeah, I don't know. It looks like a strange valentine's dance, but it's a little early for that. I think it was some traditional Thai dance or something, but they performed for us at our conference site hotel.
This is the view from our hotel. Every evening we all ate together on a roof of the hotel. It was so clear and nice.
This is the beach in Koh Samui

Finall In Thailand!

2008-03-11T22:49:00.000-07:00

I got to walk through the streets of Thailand and it was amazing! So beautiful and cultural, and yet so westernized at the same time.

Ah, the first day out in Chiangmai. Many more to come! It is finally warm. It was insane to go from huddling by my space heater to walking out with sandles and a skirt. I loved it! I was totally made for the warm weather.

Spring Festival holiday

2008-03-11T16:38:00.000-07:00

A night of great fun and good food. Our Chinese brother was gracious enough to cook us some delicious food. He is a great chef. I cannot compete with him. My friend Kate (the one in the big coat) came and visited us before we went to our annual Thailand conference. She did bring many warm things because Thailand was going to be so hot. So she is wearing my male teammate's coat in this picture.

Ah. My home in China (Nanchang)

2007-12-30T21:14:00.000-08:00

Cool looking soldiers huh?
This is the town square. Nanchang is famous for being the place where some of the cultural revolution begin in China. Many people in China come to see this square, and the people who live in Nanchang spend their weekends here with their families.
This is our Campus. You can see one of the classroom buildings in front of you and to the right are the tennis courts. So many students... and they are all so intelligent. Seriously.
This is a monument about the cultural revolution. It is really tall and is in the middle of the town square
This is a picture of my students, my teammate Caleb, and me in a store. Yes, we are being crazy, but we are weird anyways.

Holiday Festivities!

2007-12-30T21:02:00.000-08:00

This is our International Fellowship getting together for our big Christmas Bash. We had a ton of fun eating lots and lots of western food, singing Christmas songs, and talking about why we celebrate this holiday. It was a really nice party.
Nancy and I decided to hang out with our friend Caleb, but we were a little cold... hence the enormous blanket covering us both. At least you can still see the antlers. :)
During the spring festival in China, the Chinese new year, there are some parades with big dragons similar to this one. Pretty cool huh?
This is just a peak into a bustling shopping street in Nanchang, China. You could pretty much get anything here if you are any good at bargaining, but it is more difficult bargaining in another language. I have to admit that I was embarrassed when I got so into the bargaining that i mixed up the numbers and made the price higher instead of lower! ahhh! So humbling :) hahaha

Chinese/American Meal

2007-12-03T06:39:00.000-08:00

So I had over one of my good friends (a Chinese student) for dinner. I decided to make a semi-American meal so she could taste some western food. I made yellow rice with some veggies cooked with some chicken. I used taco seasoning to cook the chicken. It was definitely yummy, but it was a weird mix between American food and Chinese food. There was rice, but it was yellow. There was a "stir fry" (because they only cook on the stove top in China), but I did not use oil. Now you must understand that Chinese people usually eat communal style, while we selfish Americans like to have our own plates :) So My friend asked for a bowl for her rice. I asked her where she would put her other food, and she said she would just pick it off the dish. I, of course, decided to take a plate and put the rice and the dish together and eat it with a fork. So I ended up pouring the rest of the dish into a large communal bowl just for my friend while I just ate with my fork on the other side of the table. It was a comical experience. We both laughed a lot. We decided it was a picture worthy moment for us both.

As you can see, later that week, Nancy (my teammate) and I decided to show up at Caleb's (another teammate who did not seem excited about Christmas before Thanksgiving) Apartment to remind him that it was officially Christmas time! He did not like the idea of celebrating Christmas "early", so we decided to be the first to bring him a little Christmas Cheer! And don't worry, we actually brought him the Christmas tree for him to use. No red noses, but aren't we cute little reindeer?

"MERRY CHRISTMAS CALEB!!!" and all of y'all from home.

Hainan Continued...

2007-11-14T23:26:00.000-08:00

Caleb is wearing an "Island Uniform". Yes, it is actually called that, and yes, everyone wears one when they are on the Island. Some families have matching ones. Caleb said that if I wanted a shot of him in the uniform I better do it quick because I would never see it again. I doubt that this is true. I mean seriously, who can keep something as festive as this stuffed away in a closet somewhere?
nice looking banana tree. Gotta love being in the tropics.
This is outside of a hotel that we stopped to eat at. It was beautiful and overlooked a little bay area.
Nancy looking like J-Lo in her super fancy sunglasses. N-a-n-c-y... she so hot right now, she's so hot right now...N-A-N-C-Y (Zoolander spoof for those who do not know).
What are you crazy chickens doing? "oh, we are just petting a bird." Even the "chickens" in Hainan are cooler.

Trip to Hainan

2007-11-14T23:17:00.000-08:00

Yay! Team AWESOME is finally in a photo together. We are still missing Connie, but we are one step closer. This is us after we had landed in Hainan. We could see the palm trees in the airport!

This is a strange tower in the middle of some bird place we went to. I am sure in Chinese it has a much more beautiful name, but all is lost when you can't read :) I thought it was big and cool though.
Nancy and Jet munching on some yummy snacks while we are on the rode in our super spiffy tour bus.
The palm trees near the place where I decided to by myself a coconut to "drink". Coconut milk rocks! The fruit here was great too!
All the foreign teachers lined up to see an Indonesian dance.

Chinese Cooks ROCK

2007-11-05T04:14:00.000-08:00

Nancy and I were invited to eat dinner with one of our foreign friends and his good Chinese friends. This is the whole crew.
Yummy, what's cookin?
This is our beautiful banquet Chinese Style... As it should be.
Everyone is excited to start eating, but some of the cooks are not ready to sit yet.
I am much taller than my teammate, Nancy, and so we took a picture with her on a stool. She loves it because she finally gets to see over my head and make me feel like a tiny person.

Oral English Classes

2007-11-05T04:06:00.000-08:00

This is my class on the big day! We are about to put all our learning into practice and do a REAL debate with another class. I can feel the excitement.
These students are practicing for their midterm by interviewing each other. I just had to interrupt them for a picture, but they never seem to mind.
This is a debate team on the opposition side right before their debate is about to begin.
This is me looking kind of crazy. Really I am just teaching and my photographer friend caught me in mid-sentence.
Ok, now I look a little more normal. This gives you a feel for a normal Oral English Three class day.

I MADE DUMPLINGS!!!!

2007-11-05T03:56:00.000-08:00

Today three students came over and showed Caleb, Nancy, and me how to make real Chinese dumplings in my apartment. It was really intense... especially since you have to create the dumplings the right way or they will explode when they are cooking.
This is everyone learning the electric slide... as you can see, our party is ELECTRIC
This is us getting to eat the delicious food that we made together. yummy! I was stuffed after this.
Finally, I helped teach them how to square dance. Who knew I would be square dancing in China. For anyone who knows me... you know that this night was one of the best nights in China yet because it was filled with all kinds of organized dances.
This is our dumpling-making station on my table in my den. As you can see there was a ton of meat as well as tiny vegetables chopped up inside each one.

Connie's Speech Girls

2007-11-05T03:49:00.000-08:00

This is my teammate Connie (middle) with her speech students. Connie is known here in Jiangxi province for her skills as an awesome English speech teacher.
Nancy and I are standing with the speech students to show off the work we did on their makeup. Connie had us do make-overs on them all and teach them how to do their own makeup because they have to wear makeup when they are on stage for their speech competitions.
Here is me standing between two Chinese beauties!!

out on the town

2007-11-05T03:39:00.001-08:00

This is my teammates and me out on our first venture into downtown with students. We had a blast. You can see that the fun is just getting started. You will notice that the bunny-ear sign is extremely popular here. Now I do it too! :) If you want to be cool, you have to do it.
Don't worry, we are totally getting soaked by the fountain behind us. hahaha
This is Nancy (my teammate) trying to drink the dipping vinegar. I think she was so hungry that she couldn't wait for the dumplings to get to the table.
I am the non-Chinese model in the back. These were the students that we were hanging out with that night and we thought that it would be fun if we all did the poses that the models were doing in behind us.

On THE ROAD AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!

My Apartment at Jiangxi Normal University

2007-11-05T03:29:00.000-08:00

So I am finally in my new apartment and I have figured out a way to make it look like a person actually lives there instead of feeling like it was all white and boring. Above you can see my face of amazement. this is after I had thrown a dart at my dart board and the dart actually bounced off and stuck into my floor.

This is the dart board that I was referring to.
This is my beautiful living room where I spend most of my time when I am in my apartment.
This is my amazing kitchen. It's great because I have never had my own kitchen before. Also, you should take note of my Chinese style washing machine. It's pretty different, but it is great learning how to cook and clean here. :)
Finally, I know this is the picture you have all been waiting for... My WESTERN toilet! yay! yes, we do have a good relationship with each other. I am always thankful to come back to my apartment and see it.

On the Great wall

2007-11-05T03:02:00.001-08:00

We had the opportunity to go to the Great Wall of China while we were training in Beijing. It was so amazing to think that years and years ago the Chinese people created this wall and there are still parts of it standing today. When I looked at the wall I felt like it went on forever. The wall was beautiful and so large. Simply walking the uneven steps from one guard house to another took all the energy our little bodies could muster in the heat of the day. I was incredibly thankful for my bottle of water and for the shade provided by the guard towers. I felt like a princess in a castle, but at the same time, the wall also reminded me that I am only a small and seemingly insignificant part of this world. This made me start to really think about the Father and the part in the book where David writes, "what is man that thou art mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"

On the Great wall

2007-11-05T03:02:00.000-08:00

my new team!

2007-11-05T01:24:00.000-08:00

My team consists of four girls and one boy. The other three girls are Nancy (23 yrs.), Jet (32 yrs.), and Connie and older lady. The guy's name is Caleb (27 yrs.). We get along very well, but we also get distracted very easily. In other words, our team meetings that SHOULD be about an hour end up lasting two hours. It's ok except when we are really busy.

(this is Caleb (right) Nancy (middle) and ME (left))

I have already seen the father use them in a huge way to refine me and teach me. I can see that my American individualism is becoming less and less like the favorite book in my eyes. I am realizing how the eastern culture can see the value in others and in fighting for a greater goal or cause that may not even be realized until generations from now... much like the Israelites.

Let's try this whole blog thing again!

2007-11-04T22:46:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! I have had some problems posting things since I have been in China, but right now I am able to see my blog and post stuff on the Internet! yay! I would really love for y'all to be able to read my blog and enjoy all the pictures I have so you can get a feel for what life is like here in Nanchang, China. You will have to bear with me as many of the pictures that I have are from holiday's or trips and so they might give you an unrealistic view of life in China.

So sit back, relax and enjoy the pictures and comments. Close your eyes, breath in deeply and you will begin to hear the sounds of the Chinese people scurrying back and forth on the street and the quiet cry of the Chinese heart for something greater than themselves.

(Eating with some Beijing students)

These pictures will begin in Beijing and I will continue to add more and more as I get more time to download them

(the "shirt roll" Chinese men use to

stay cool)

(At the MAC center where ELIC people can go relax and where we got to fellowship every Sunday in Beijing).

2007-09-01T23:40:00.000-07:00

2007-07-03T08:50:00.001-07:00

Just thought it would be fun to post some pictures of my partners in Crime!I love you girls!

20 days and Counting!

2007-07-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I set this up as a fun means of communication while I am half way across the ocean. I would love to hear from yall. Please be sensitive with the comments you choose to post on my blog. Thanks yall!

I leave in exactly 20 days... but whose counting? Don't worry, I get an early start since my flight departs at 6 am from MB. This should be very interesting. I get two suitcases that can be up to 50 pounds each and a carry-on bag to stuff my whole life into. For anyone who knows me, you know that's darn near impossible! hahaha