Thanksgiving Text Messages from Students

The first time I received masses of texts from students was when I was sick and had to cancel class. I got dozens of messages, all with some form of "oh no, Miss Sarah, are you ok?!?!" or "you should wear more clothing" or "or should drink more hot water" or "you should eat more apples", etc.

Yesterday, for Thanksgiving, I received another barrage of texts. I thought you might enjoy reading some of them.

"Dear Sarah, I am Joy. I think you are my friend and my teacher. We can play basketball when you are free? Happy Thanksgiving. May you have a nice day." 
I love the random basketball invitation in the Happy Thanksgiving message.

"Thank you, Sarah. Thanks for teaching me English. Wish you be happy every day! Mars"
"Wish you be happy every day" is the most common note I receive from students.

"Sarah, Happy Thanksgiving. I have you to be thankful for. It is a time when I tell you that I like you. Wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving! Abigale."
So sweet!

"Happy Thansgiving Day Sarah. By the way, I am happy to meet you in the basketball court! I am Clara."
Another basketball invitation. Apparently, in my classes, I have mentioned that basketball is my favorite sport. :)

"May your life be blessed with joy, love, and miracles. Just dig into the roast turkey. Wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving!"
So hilarious. Where do they come up with this stuff? And, in case you are curious, I did not get to 'dig into' any roast turkey. :(

"Miss Sarah, thank you for teaching us spoken English so conscientiously. Your class is definitely my favorite, it is so cool and we have really learned a lot. Thank you, thank you very much! From Clay. To my favorite teacher for Thanksgiving Day."
He is so trying to score brownie points including the "conscientiously". :)

Happy Thankgiving from the Middle Kingdom!

one of my post-grad classes says "hi"

Wow

Today, I walked into my 8am post-graduate oral class just like it was any other day. The class is full of chemistry majors taking English as an elective. The weather is getting colder, and so I was wearing a new warm headband that my Dad sent me from home, a coat, and gloves. As I opened the door, my students looked up and, in unison, said, "Wow."

Um, what?

Then, they started clapping.

I started laughing.

Apparently, seeing your foreign teacher in winter clothing is a big deal. Then, I took off my coat to begin class. Another chorus of "wow". Apparently my green sweater is awesome too.

During the break, two students asked if they could take pictures with me.

Oh, life in China.

Me with a couple of my post-grads:

Watching an Election from the Other Side of the World

I have kept an eye on the election as I have been living here, not a super close eye, but an eye nonetheless. My absentee ballot finally arrived, so I can vote. I won't go into the details of who I am voting for and why, for my opinion is very insignificant in the big scheme of things.

I will say that I don't have faith in politics to somehow save America, to solve our problems, to fix everything. I have faith in the Father. A president is just a man. America isn't the hope of the world; our Rescuer is.

No matter who is elected, the Sovereign King will still be reigning. No matter who leads the nation, He is leading me. No matter who holds the highest office of the land, His office is higher, and He has final authority. 

So, what am I to do? Make my best judgement call, act faithfully, and trust the Father with the results. Some trust in princes, but I will trust in Him. I'm proud to be an American, but that isn't my most important citizenship. There are unseen things vastly more important than this world.

I'll Never Let Go, Jack

I have a theory that if you ask most Chinese people what their top five favorite movies are, most of them will include Titanic in one of those slots, most often at #1 or #2.

Seriously.


Want to know what would also be included in the top five? Forrest Gump. Because of ping pong.

Seriously.


When I ask my students what their favorite movie is, they sigh and say, "Titanic," quickly followed by "Oh, it's so romantic."

When I have students tell me that I look like Rose from Titanic, I know it is a HUGE compliment in their eyes. (I personally don't see the resemblance)

So, when my students were given the opportunity to participate in an English Drama Competition, what else would they do but recreate Titanic? Here is the basic story:

1. Rose and Jack meet and fall in love.

2. Rose and Jack share a special moment on the bow of the boat. (While narrator, future Rose, and her granddaughter look on)

3. Suddenly, Jack is in the icy water, hanging onto Rose as she floats on a desk.

4. Then, Jack dies.

The End.

That is basically the story, with a few details left out here or there for time sake.

Happy Reformation Day

Today, I had a note put on my door. Now, I know I don't live in Wittenberg, Germany... or in a church for that matter. The note wasn't nailed to the door, nor was it the 95 Theses, and it didn't even mention indulgences. And, we are far removed from October 31st, 1517

But, I still got a note on my door on today, because my teammie Theresa is awesome.

I dub this the 1 Thesis.

Happy Reformation Day everyone!

I think I'll watch Luther tonight. Fun times.

Visiting Student's Dorms

I had it so good!

Living in Owen at WBU, my freshman and sophomore years of college, I had it so good: two girls to a room, and just four girls sharing a bathroom and shower. Davis was even better. I had my own room, my own bathroom, and just shared a living room.

At ZhengDa, things are different. There are eight girls to a room, and they share a bathroom with at least 50.

Showers? They have to walk across campus for those, to the shower building, and pay every time they take one. But, there is no complaining. This is just normal for them, normal for all universities in China.

I have it so good here. I have a cozy little apartment with a bathroom and a shower! What a huge blessing. It is amazing how perspectives can change.

I have visited several of my students dorms. Here are a couple of pics:

Thank You, Dad

I will always remember the day. It was a day that forever changed my life. My dad, without any reason or pretext, brought me a most wonderful gift: my first jazz cd. It was the greatest hits of one Mel Torme. This was my first introduction to the genre. I fell in love with the music of Mel Torme, his smooth vocals and wonderful lyrics. It pulled me away from other bands like NSYNC. Thank you, Dad! After Torme, many other greats were soon to follow. The cds were given without any fanfare. I would often be sitting in the living room, reading a book, and a jazz cd would show up at my side. Among the treasures were Bobby Darin, Ray Charles, Louis Armstrong, Billie Holliday, and Frank Sinatra. 

Sitting in my cozy apartment in China tonight, I put on that first Mel Torme cd, and it brought such sweet memories. Thank you, Dad, for giving me such wonderful music, and such wonderful memories.

This is one of the infinity of reasons that I love my Dad. He's the best in the world.

And now, for your listening pleasure:

Mel Torme

Bobby Darin

Maybe I'm such a hopeless romantic because I grew up listening to songs like this. :)