China old and new

the details i take in every moment

this is what we do

I enjoy English corners alot, and we had plenty this week! Christmas parties have kept us busy every other open night. While I hate games in general, the Chinese love them- so games were on the menu often...yay! Tangling ourselves up in the human knot game was a hit at the party we hosted at my apartment...pretty hilarious with the communication barrier here and there!

city sights

I could take pictures here all day. From just outside my apartment complex to the skyscraper center(s) of town, every step seems to lead to something curious, charming, picturesque or odd. I try to shoot a few frames each day as i run around meeting people and assisting at studies and english corners- but I am usually pretty caught up with the people...who are more than equally engaging.

all aboard the crazy train

So frankly, my days involve a great deal of humor. If we didn't laugh at the frequent moments where we're immersed in chaos, I am reasonably sure the only real alternative would be to have a breakdown. Just the other day i was swept into, hands down, the most hectic crowd situation in the whole of my life experience. Rush hour on metro line 3. My friend and I began to feel the crush of bodies even on the crowded platform, and when the doors opened, the mob surged ahead to cram as many of those bodies as possible into the train car. I have been in crowds, but this was a whole new level of crowd intensity. I am certain that i could have lifted my feet from the floor and been carried along. Several women near me were propelled in with force as the mass stacked in behind them- and they began yelping as they were pressed helplessly against poles. There was no need to hang on to anything for stability- i literally could not move...not to turn around, not to shift my shoulder bag. It was intense. Line 3 is often a bit hairy like that- so we avoid it like a plague and refer to it as the crazy train. You just have to hang on to your purse and plunge in...and be prepared to laugh as you are swept downstream in the chaos.

As a side note, i would also have it known that i witnessed an authentic Chinese fire drill: walking through a downtown area last night, I saw a car stop at a light. The business attired occupants calmly disembarked, shifted positions around the vehicle, and got back in before the light turned green. I commented to my friend Merry, "Hey, chinese fire drill!" Before suddenly realizing that we are in China....prompting us to completely crack up.

Laughter really has been a treasure here...if its not city chaos, or our cross-cultural blundering (think chopsticks and flower flavored jello) its a "chinglish" sign (as seen in this photo) or other mis-translated treasure. How often the grace we ask for comes to us in the small things- like humor.

In and out

Its cold outside, its cold inside...I am so unbelievably glad i brought a jacket and boots- goodness knows I wear them inside the apartment as well as out!

where i am

Fifteen hours of flying can take you quite a distance. It seems unreal that I was home in Hawaii three days ago. Settled now in a small apartment on the fifth floor of a green building in China, I am
in a whole new corner of the wide world.

With that relocation has come some technical difficulties with this site- please be patient. I hope to be posting regularly with photos within a few days.

Waves Goodbye

Pe'ahi (a.k.a Jaws) here on Maui's north shore is one of the largest surf breaks in the world- and it only swells a few times a year. After living here a decade, I finally got to go out with some friends to see it breaking!

If the above wave does not look enormous, use the surfer in the image to give you perspective.

Less than a week and I'll be flying over that ocean... there is a lot on my mind, a lot in my heart ... but for this afternoon, I simply got to watch the waves crash. And it felt really, really good.

all aglow

My sister, already beautiful, is all aglow with the joy of motherhood. I cherish the days here to walk a few steps of this journey along side her.

thanking God for my dear family

My darling niece!

So blessed to spend a few days in Arizona with my dad, my sister, her husband, and their precious new daughter... its really overwhelming how much I have to be thankful for!

gone sailing

A sunset at sea with a literal boatload of friends...

scenes from an everyday drive

the boots of constant fondness

I am awfully fond of my boots. Soft and trusty. Less than a month till they go transPacific...