A Thanksgiving Party

I think I can dub this Thanksgiving as the best I've had in three years. My roommate and I woke up early to begin meal preparations. We had invited several of our Chinese tutors to come a celebrate with us. Bethany made chicken (no turkey available), bacon-wrapped green beans, and magically-delicious pumpkin pie. I made mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread dressing, and yeast rolls.

With our tutors and our feast!

When our guests first went through the line, they put just a tablespoon of each dish on their plates, sampling to see what they would like. Then, after sampling, they went back to the table and filled up their plates like a boss!

My first tutor has an adorable little girl who loved the party. She helped make the whipped cream, and loved helping to put up the Christmas tree.

While decorating, we put on some Christmas music and danced around the living room. It was such a fun afternoon!

Slight disparity in the size of our Christmas stockings

Thanksgiving Hike

The day after Thanksgiving, I went with a couple of friends outside the city for a morning hike. Even though it was somewhat exerting physically, it was immensely restful physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

A very wise friend once told me that life was as simple as focusing on doing the things that stir up my affections for the Creator and avoiding the things that rob me of affection for Him. Being out in nature is one of those things that stirs my affections to delight in Him.  Having great and funny friends to make the journey with also delights my soul!

Changchun!

The Carrot Man

This morning, when I came out from my apartment complex gate, there was a man sitting on the ground with a truck full of fresh carrots. After returning from the gym, I stopped to see what the deal was.

I asked him how much. He told me, 7mao for 1jin of the ones on the ground. 8mao for 1jin for the ones still attached to the stems. I asked for the 8mao kind, and purchased 5kuai worth (less than $1). He even removed them from the stems before weighing them (amazing)!

Here is my haul:

If anyone has any delicious carrot recipes to share, please do. I have a lot of these to eat!

Things You Might See In China

Here are some things you might see if you are in China:

1. A Chinese auntie dance troupe in matching blue camouflage

2. Creepy manikins in an athletic store

3. An Apple store with a very unique name

4.  A donkey on the side of the road

5. Live chickens for sale

6. These vegetables and fruits, which cost only $3 total at the morning market!

Mr. and Mrs. 12th Floor

I first met Mr. Chu one day on the elevator in my building. (That's right: I have an elevator!) He was kind and introduced himself. We chatted for a bit. I found out that he is a history professor in my university. In his broken English he said, "My English is no good. My housewife English is good." I would soon meet his wife, and she is just as sweet as can be.

Over the next week, I kept running into them again and again. We would laugh and have small talk. One day, a serious-looking note was posted to my door, and I wasn't sure what to do. So, I went up to the 12th floor and asked Mr. Chu about it. Apparently, the entire city was changing from coal gas to natural gas, and we needed to buy a new stove that very day. Mr. Chu helped me to call my landlord, and then walked with me to find where the stoves were being sold on the side of the road. He inquired about all of them, helped me get a special deal, and got someone to come install it for me. What a great neighbor to have!

A few days later, on Mid-Autumn Festival, there was a knock at my door. The Chus came and brought me a box of delicious moon-cakes.

I hope that this relationship can grow and deepen over the next two years. I am so grateful to our Great Redeemer for giving me some good neighbors.

Teacher's Day

This past Wednesday was Teacher's Day in China. My classmates and I surprised our new teacher with some flowers, candles, an apple, and a note. Her reaction was priceless!

I'm very thankful to have her as a teacher. I feel that my pronunciation is improving greatly, and my foundation is solidifying. I'm so ready to see where I'll be by the end of the semester!

China Photoshop

Living as a foreigner in China, I end up needing to have a lot of passport photos on hand, whether for visas, health checks, student cards, cafeteria cards, etc. Getting these photos taken is quite the experience. In America, they take your photo, charge you an insane amount of money, and then give you four little images where (fingers-crossed) you look ok. 

In China, before you take the photos, they will make sure your hair is looking good. They position you and make you slightly move your head up, down, left or right until it is just perfect. After taking several shots, you choose which you like best. Then comes the fun part, where you sit and watch a wizard photoshop you for 10 minutes. 

Here is my photo: my hair has been given extra volume, my shoulders lowered, my skin smoothed, and all my freckles removed. 

Duck in the Box

While exploring my neighborhood yesterday, I came across a very interesting little food establishment:

Yep... Duck In The Box!

And, yes, there are actually ducks in that box. 

Cooking Outside My Comfort Zone

I learned how to cook from my Grandma... and then my Mom showed me the easier way to make all the things that my Grandma would. Since then, I've pretty much stayed cooking the same things that I was taught at home: Chicken and Dumplings, Quesadillas, Oven-Roasted Chicken, etc. This summer, I tried to branch out of that wheelhouse and make some Chinese dishes I had learned. Those turned out pretty well, and now I am branching even further.

Last night, I attempted to make a curry-ish, masala-ish dish, and boy oh boy was it yummy!

I used onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, chickpeas, cilantro, and various spices and flavorings.

The result:

Over rice:

I think this might become a staple dish in our dinner rotation.

The Diverse City

I've only been here about a week, but I can already tell that Changchun is very different from Zhengzhou. For one, it feels small. This may seem crazy, as Changchun has a population of 5-6 million. But, coming from a city of over 11 million, this city feels quaint to me. How did that happen? Changchun is also different in a very noticeable factor: foreigners. It has so many foreigners, myself included. In Zhengzhou, seeing another foreigner was a rare sight. Here, there are thousands. Changchun is known for being the best place to study pure Chinese, and so it attracts thousands of people from around the world. My university alone has over 600 foreigners on campus. This has many impacts on daily life. I'm not such a novelty here, so I don't get as many stares. Also, there are a plethora of western restaurants and shops.

This past Sunday, I was able to go to a fellowship and meet with like-minded people from around the world. The music was led by friends from Africa, and one of them also gave the message. What a cool picture of what we have to look forward to!

Words Words Words - 8/17/14

Our greatest fear as individuals and as a church should not be failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don't really matter.

Tim Kizziar

Summer So Far

This summer is flying by so fast. I only have about one month before I return to China, moving to the far north to begin language study. Here are some highlights from my summer so far:

1. The Plane Ride Home 

Can this be considered the summer? One each flight, I sat next to someone immensley interesting, including an Apple executive and a Education Dean at a famous Chinese University. The conversation was so enjoyable on the ride. 

2. First Sunday at Redeemer

Oh, how I miss Redeemer when I am away. It was just so edifying and encouraging to be with the body again.

3. Family and Friends, 

This is a no-brainer that the best part of any trip to Texas is being with the ones that I love. 

4. World-Cup Watching

Even though my beloved Argentina lost in the end, it sure was fun to watch the games with good friends. 

5. Running

After finding that my knees are not so injured as I had originally thought, I have been running again, and it feels so good!

6. Cooking

I've been trying my hand at making some of my favorite Chinese dishes over the summer, and that has been quite enjoyable. Last night, I, with the help of Dona and Justine) made jiaozi and disanxian. Delicousness!

Friends and Family, thanks for making this summer a time of fun and refreshment. I never feel stressed to be home and here with you! 

Words Words Words (6/21/14)

“Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage not weakness.”

- Katherine Henson

You and Harry Potter

Song, my absolutely wonderful friend, came to visit me tonight. 

While we were talking, she said, "All of my favorite people have green eyes... you and Harry Potter."

 Love her.

Words Words Words (5/19/14)

“Let us never preach the doctrine of total depravity without also declaring there has been a great earthquake, and that an angel of the Lord has rolled away the stone in front of that imposing doctrine”

-Douglas Wilson

Transient Beauty

As the last cold days of winter fade away, the campus of Zhengzhou University turns into a wonderland of pink and green, full of cherry and peach blossom trees. On the weekend, thousands of visitors come to see this transient beauty. Students say that our campus becomes 郑州大学国家公园 (Zhengzhou University National Park). The flowers have come and gone, but I hope you can enjoy some images that I captured. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our Lord will stand forever.”  (Is 40:8)

This is in the running for my favorite picture taken in China...

I've never quite understood why most of the trees in China are painted like this...