My Heart for the Nations

Things I never thought I would see / do in China...

simsy — Thu, 7 Aug 2008 16:20:00 GMT

They say expect the unexpected, but how was I supposed to expect these things? :)

washing my clothes by hand
sleeping on a bamboo mat
sharing a bed with 3 other girls
meeting the leaders of a real HC
using an automatically flushing squatty potty
zip lining off the Great Wall
seeing little girls peeing on the sidewalk
eating red bean icecream pops or drinking green bean juice
being constantly dirty or drenched in sweat
showering with a bucket and cold water
using a unisex "bathroom" = boards over a hole in the ground
hearing people hauk loogies on a regular basis
almost get hit (several times) trying to cross the street
eat beef crunchies and powdered milk for breakfast
stay in a hotel that locks all exits till morning (talk about a fire hazard!)
see people spit on buses, subways, trains, carpet, etc.
eat in the Dark Restaurant
be invited to dinner with the CEO of Canmay and her friends
be expected to entertain as the guest at Chinese parties
learn to swing dance
use a sock as a washcloth
rip tissues in half to maximize toilet paper
see Jeremy Chen from Calvary at BICF
ride in a luxurious soft-sleeper compartment on the overnight train
hangout at Starbucks every sunday to get internet access
meet C's from around the world at the Embassy at BICF and joing a small group
commute over an hour each way to work every day
buy ice cream at IKEA for one RMB
see men pull their shirt up to cool off their belly and walk around on the street like that
see people picking their nose in public
feed a monkey a banana on Mt. Lushan
race down Mt. Lushan in a van listening to techno music
eat frog legs
hear a lady hauk a loogie and then spit it out on the floor of the restaurant at a nice dinner
getting owned by mosquitoes so bad my ankles were swollen

this is just a fun list of things I never thought I would see or do in China. The Olympics has made everything even crazier, but its been so grea to have the opportunity to live here for 2 months.

Gallery: Sun Village

simsy — Fri, 1 Aug 2008 13:24:00 GMT

Jiang Xi

Gallery: Inside Look at China

simsy — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 18:22:00 GMT

Gallery: GREAT times at the Great Wall

simsy — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:14:00 GMT

Gallery: Compassion for Migrant Children Work Project

simsy — Mon, 7 Jul 2008 16:25:00 GMT

Gallery: Tiananmen, Forbidden City, Wanfujing

simsy — Sun, 6 Jul 2008 11:26:00 GMT

I am thankful

simsy — Fri, 4 Jul 2008 16:57:00 GMT

here is a list from my journal of things i am thankful for during my time in Bejining so far...its so good to be reminded of how I am blessed

1. easily accessible internet

2. not getting sick so far, few bug bites, no terrible headaches

3. IKEA right by our house for food and supplies

4. support from friends and family

5. hot water

6. quickly learnig how to use chopsticks

7. staying with a host family who provides safety, encouragement, cooks breakfast, and is so hospitable

8. people within my group who act as translators

9. opportunity to serve at the Compassion for Migrant Children's School

10. friends at work

11. airconditioning at work

12. financial support from Red Box and others on this trip

13. for nice clothes and even that I get to wear make-up and dry my hair in the morning

14. for a laptop computer

15. fellowship with the girls and with the team

16. that I didn't hurt myself when I put ear drops in my eye

17. safety so far navigating subways, buses, and crossing streets

18. other english-speaking C's at BICF

19. ability of my body to tolerate walking and standing alot

20. that no bags were lost of my flight delayed

21. JP sitting next to me on the airplane and looking out for me when I felt motion sickness

22. STeve eating lunch with me on Tuesday when I didn't know how to get lunch at work

23. getting to see the summer palace

24. a college education with useful training

25. the ability to speak English

26. for rest at night

27. coffee at Starbucks

28. getting to call mom and dad

29. encouraging emails

30. cooler weather in Beijing compared to other summers.

PLT!

June 28th-29th, Weekend Fun

simsy — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 12:02:00 GMT

Work Recap

This weekend started out with a team meeting on friday. We met at about 8:30 for dinner once everyone was done with work for the week. It was just so encouraging to hear how the rest of the team was doing - especially the guys who I didn't get to see really throughout the week. Everyone started out pretty rough on monday, but by friday was beginning to see some hope and have a renewed perspective. Chinese business is just so different than an American company. To but it simply, most Chinese are never taught in school to have a vision or to problem solve, so there is very little initiative or creativity taken in business. This is sometimes frusterating for Americans that are always taught to have a 5, 10, and 20 year plan in business and that the way to get ahead is to think creatively and take initiative. This isn't the problem with all chinese business, its just something my team has experienced so far. i personally have found though, that Chinese coworkers are much more interested in me personally than sometimes American coworkers are. They are more likely to invite me to social events and want to be my friend instead of just a coworker. Anyway, I am sitll just editing but looking forward to opportunities to share during lunch! During the meeting we were able to lift each other up to our father and it was so encouraging.

Weekend Activities - volunteering

This weekend we joined the group from the Beijing International Chr* Fellow* (BICF) to do a morning work project at CMC - Compassion for Migrant Children. CMC provides schooling and training for migrant worker's children. so many chinese come to the cities to work, but their children are not allowed to recieve schooling if their parents aren't officially residents. This chr* organization trains teachers and provides schooling and love to these neglected kids. Our task as a group with the others there was to clean, paint, weed, and move furniture to prepare the building to be made into classrooms and dormitories. I think it was the grossest work I have done in a long time, but so rewarding. I had a slight outburst when I moved a box and a mouse ran out, but for the most part we just got incredibly dusty, dirty, and tired. The school workers were so thankful for our help, and we will continue to volunteer there every other saturday. Hopefully next time we will be able to interact with the kids.

The rest of saturday was spent resting. I also had dinner with STephanie who will be my accountability partner during this time here. We went to IKEA and got dessert because Chinese really don't eat sweet foods. Sunday we went to ch* and then had a long team meeting. Oh, and our toilet got clogged so we had to find somewhere to buy a plunger. Quite hilarious. Also, we did laundry and they don't have dryers here so it takes a long time to wash it and then hang it all up to dry. I think everyone on the team was appreciative of a little more rest this weekend compared to last though.

Gallery: The Summer Palace

simsy — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 11:55:00 GMT

Beijing

In Case you Missed it...UPDATE #2

simsy — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:40:00 GMT

I plan to send out updates weekly. This week had a lot of new situations,
and I wanted to let you know that I arrived and was adjusting well, so I
sent out a few more frequently. I have regular email access at work if you
want to contact me, but please remember to censor your emails. J I am also
planning on getting a blog up with pictures at some point and will send the
link out for that when it is up and running. I am putting my p*er requests
first for those of you who will get bored with reading this by the end. I
can't tell you how encouraging it is to have your support - I can definitely
feel it.

1.         That I would get over being homesick and really bond with the
people here.

2.         That there would be opportunities for me to share.

3.         That I would be diligent during long and sometimes boring work
days.

4.         That I would encourage the other members of the team and be a
good leader for the girls (I forgot to say that, but Steve asked me to be
the leader for the girls since we have separate living areas)

5.         That I would be safe when I travel. My commute is oftentimes
alone and sometimes I have to go to restaurants or stores by myself during
the day and since I don't know the language, it's a bit intimidating for me.
(don't worry, I am never by myself at night)

much love,

Sarah

AND NOW FOR THE DETAILS.THE LENGTH OF THIS EMAIL IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF
HEART!

Life in Beijing

2        I have quickly adjusted to the flow of life here. Everything is on
Asian Standard time, which means that when my boss says work starts at 9,
nobody in the office arrives till at least 9:20. Traveling is unpredictable
due to traffic and mobs of people, so I have to plan a good hour to get
anywhere and often things take twice as long as I think they will. Some
people have been asking me about the food. The great news is that I am not
a picky eater so I can find something to eat almost anywhere. I really
don't like the tofu or mystery meats, but the rice and noodle dishes are all
pretty good. Everything is cooked in oil basically and a lot of the food is
spicy. For breakfast, we usually have vegetables cooked in some sort of oil
like sesame oil, and this porridge which is like water with barley or
something in it. We also have some sort of roll thing (not like our
American rolls - no butter in it). Dinner and lunch we eat in restaurants
and are served family style. A bunch of dishes are ordered and everyone
just uses their chopsticks to get what they want (except for your individual
bowl of rice). Bottled water costs 7-15 cents USD and you can buy an ice
cream pop on the street anywhere for 15 cents. Today I had lunch with a
coworker and the main course and a drink cost for both of us together $3.50
USD or 30 RMB total. I just think that's so cool. I wake up between 5 and
5:30 to shower and have my personal time with HIM before we have group time
at 6:30. Breakfast is at 7:00ish and I leave for work at 8. I get home
around 7:30 each night unless we have social plans. Our host mom is
teaching us Chinese in the evenings now for about half an hour and there are
different BS that we can attend on Wednesday and Thursday nights. I
personally really enjoyed the Thursday night gathering of Cs. They all
speak English and are a really on fire for HIM. Sundays we have plugged
into a registered international Ch*h that has probably 1,000 people in it.
Oh, we also have the opportunity to volunteer or tour on Saturdays depending
on the week. This past Saturday we visited the Summer Palace and this
coming Saturday we will be volunteering at a migrant worker's kids' school
and probably in the future at a blind school.

Work at Canmay

2        I started work at Canmay, an Oriental International Investment
Consulting Co. Basically they audit people's finances and provide other
services for people who are preparing to immigrate to Canada and the US for
school or living purposes. It's a very American looking office and I have
my own cubicle and computer. Right now I am working to edit the grammar of
documents that have already been translated from English into Chinese.
There is a department here that does all the translations of things like
reference letters and financial papers, but I check over all these documents
to make them sound professional in English. I was discouraged the first day
because I felt very isolated, but I have continued to meet people here each
day. Chinese culture has insiders and outsiders, so I am happy to be
invited to the "in crowd" at work. The translators have to work really
hard, but I got to talk to them yesterday and one point blank asked me what
I bel**ve in, and I got to share with him. Today, another girl who speaks
English pretty well invited me to lunch and made a big effort to be my
friend. I am optimistic about open doors here.

Team

2        This is a quick summary of my team.

n         Steve Norman: age 22, team leader; looking to work long-term in
China and lead groups every summer who come here for the exchange program

n         Kevin Chen: age 24; born and raised in Taiwan for 12 year, lived
in US, looking to return to Japan as a fulltime M

n         John Paul Wilkens: age 22; design student at Cincinnati
University, doing a 6 month internship here

n         Alex Lee: age 22 (I think); Chinese Born American, student at Ohio
University, here for 3 months

n         Nick Dormeier: age 22 (I think); studied a semester in Hong Kong,
graduated from Illinois State University this eyar, will be here for 1 year
studying and looking to pursue a graduate degree

n         Katie Delong: age 20; junior Linguistic's major at Ohio State
University, here for 3 months

n         Stephanie DeOlveira: age 21, senior at Ohio State University
majoring in Psychology, here for 3 months

n         Lily Lui: age 18, graduated high school and entering Ohio State
University, born in China and leaving beginning of August to visit family
here

Cultural Differences

2        Driving is crazy and I almost got run over by a bike yesterday when
I was crossing the street. The traffic is just incredible and there aren't
many rules so every day I think we are going to hit someone or something.
Crossing the street is scary and I forget sometimes to check for both cars
and bikes. The best advice I have been given is to just find a national and
walk with them because you don't see them running across the road like a
chicken with their head cut off J

2        I feel like a freak of nature sometimes the way people stare at me.
Its not culturally rude to stare here. I counted yesterday how many white
people I saw and got to 5. We are not in a part of the city that caters to
westerners and most of the white people I see are Australian or European. I
am sure that will change once the Olympics starts.

2        Its not unacceptable to pick your nose in public or noisily spit on
the ground. You can imagine my shock to see grown men picking their nose
while staring at me.

2        You are not supposed to step on the threshold of the door for
superstitious reasons. A lot of restaurants and public places have a
barrier that you have to step over.

2      It is polite to fight for the bill. Its probably for show, but if
you are with a group, you want to pay, and people will fight you for it or
engage in sneak tactics to make sure they pay.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

simsy — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 18:13:00 GMT

I am editing a bunch of documents to make sure the english grammar is correct and some things were just really funny. Here are a few for your amusement.

I want my husband, like others dads, to cut off the biblical cord of his baby on his own.

My wife has always promised me that she would come back to China to reunite with me and put aside planning for future temperately.

She has got pregnant unrepentantly and decides to give birth to the baby in Canada.

I have made my mind up to hold her hands the day she gives birth, encouraging and smoothing her.

I am going to be adding pictures of the Summer Palace that my team toured on saturday. It was a beautiful day and I think it was really nice to just get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I'll probably also add a few "lost in translation" pictures that we have taken.

"they also serve who only stand and wait" - John Milton

simsy — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:28:00 GMT

The Office

Monday (yesterday), was my first day at work. I am working for Canmay, an Oriental International Investment Consulting Co. They basically audit peoples' businesses and personal finances to make sure they qualify to immigrate to the US and Canada. They also provide many services like interview training, resume reviews, and english classes for people before the immigrate. I think the process for immigration can be 1-5 years here.

What am I doing? Good question... yesterday I reviewed financial audit reports and made sure that the grammar was correct because alot of their translations in english are not very precise. I did five reports and then my boss told me to "take a break" and that meant I had nothing to do for the rest of the day. If you watch the American show The Office, you might be able to relate to the work style here. i have my own little cubicle with a computer and they gave me a little pink stapler and notebook. The office looks very American and is aircondtioned. The only difficult part right now for me is that I am pretty lonely. I haven't found anyone who speaks enough english to be a friend besides my boss. There are people in offices around the outside and then people in cubicles in the middle space. The people in cubicles don't really speak english and I am too scared to barge into the offices. I am pr*ying that there is someone here that i can be friends with this summer.

Commuting - navigating the subway

Commuting take 3 hours at least of my day. i say at least because yesterday I got lost and it was quite frusterating. I didn't exactly get lost, I just made a stupid assumption. I assumed that subways can travel a loop instead of a straight line. WRONG! I rode the subway to the end of its line for about 45 minutes, discovered there was no way to transfer to the line home, so I had to ride it clear back to the beginning and then transfer to my line. So, my commute to work which usually is about 1 hour and 15 minutes, took about 2 hours because then the bus from the subway to my house took a long time to get to the stop. I wasn't exactly scared, just tired and hungry because I didn't get home till 8:30 and hadn't eaten since 12. I made Easy Mac at my host home because I had missed dinner, and it was the best tasting food I think i have had in awhile because it was just so clearly american :) That brings me to write about one thing I am learning...(see below)

WAITING

waiting has become a part of my existance in China that I was unfamiliar with in American life. I mean, I get impatient waiting for the microwave. Waiting for me goes beyond waiting for subways, trains, buses, taxis, group decisions, or for my next task at work. Waiting is really a heart issue. Am I willing to stop pursuing the things of this world and WAIT for HIM to reveal himself to me? I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in me will continue it till completion until the day of JC. i am encouraged each day by the Word and by my team or host family about His grace and love in my life. So now I wait, with peace, for HIM to reveal his purpose for me this summer in China.

Gallery: First Two Weeks in China

simsy — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 19:42:00 GMT

Beijing Palace