One of my favorite things to do with friends is bake. It's easy, somewhat cheap (although butter is a bit expensive), and nice to enjoy some American baked goods afterwards. This past week I decided to bake some apple crisps with a friend. This led to a very unique adjective to describe Americans.
First you need to know the ingredients to understand my friend's amazement. On the apples I put white sugar, cinnamon, and a little flour. For the topping I used brown sugar, flower, butter, and oatmeal. Then you put it in a pan and wait for the deliciousness!
We cut up too many apples, not a big deal, I just put them in with the sugar and then eat the leftovers. I took an apple slice and ate it. My friend was shocked, "you are eating raw flour!". I was thinking 1) There isn't much in it (about 1 Tbs) and 2) What's the big deal? Then I ate some of the topping (sooooo gooood!) "you are eating raw flour AND raw oatmeal????!!!!!" Really? What's wrong with that? It taste really good!
My friend started to think of a word that describes Americans. This is what I got, "someone that lived a long time ago" I said, "primitive?" "I don't know... maybe..." I looked up the word and, sure enough, primitive is the word. Why you ask? How are American's primitive?? Well, we eat raw stuff like flour, oatmeal, and veggies (they don't eat raw vegetables in China). And... in my friend's word's "you take a slab of meat and cook it over a fire... that's primitive". If that "slab of meat" is alluding to steak, hamburgers, or brats, I'm ok that Americans are a little primitive :)
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Dubbing Show
Last night I served as one of the jurors (not sure why they didn't call us judges) for my school's dubbing contest. Dubbing is when they take the voices out of the movies and others speak for them. Sometimes they do this when they play an English movie in China. They take out the voices and put in Chinese ones. However, tonight it was all in English. From English to English.
Each class could send two at the most, my class had two. Some classes only sent one (there was a semifinals- they didn't make the cut). Well, it was very interesting to judge. The first two groups were horrible!!!!!!! I couldn't understand them, their clips were really long and really boring. I scored them in the 60's, very poor. My class were clips 5 and 6. They did amazing!!!!!!!!!!! I worked with them quite a bit, so I knew where they struggle and where they usually do well. Their performance was nearly flawless! However, my class is also one of the higher level classes, so... they should be a bit better than the others.
After every three clips, they share the results... which, I feel is a bit odd because then everyone knows who is winning. There is no waiting and suspense at the end. In fact, the last clip was really bad, so almost EVERYONE left (not kidding, I turned around and there were like 20 people left- we started with over 200).
Needless to say, the only real competition was for first and second, both from my class. My girls won. They did the opening scene from "Enchanted" It was very well done! I helped them three times over the past few weeks, so that song has been dancing around in my head. Congrats class 4!
Each class could send two at the most, my class had two. Some classes only sent one (there was a semifinals- they didn't make the cut). Well, it was very interesting to judge. The first two groups were horrible!!!!!!! I couldn't understand them, their clips were really long and really boring. I scored them in the 60's, very poor. My class were clips 5 and 6. They did amazing!!!!!!!!!!! I worked with them quite a bit, so I knew where they struggle and where they usually do well. Their performance was nearly flawless! However, my class is also one of the higher level classes, so... they should be a bit better than the others.
After every three clips, they share the results... which, I feel is a bit odd because then everyone knows who is winning. There is no waiting and suspense at the end. In fact, the last clip was really bad, so almost EVERYONE left (not kidding, I turned around and there were like 20 people left- we started with over 200).
Needless to say, the only real competition was for first and second, both from my class. My girls won. They did the opening scene from "Enchanted" It was very well done! I helped them three times over the past few weeks, so that song has been dancing around in my head. Congrats class 4!
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
A Random "Sister"
There are a lot of people here. No matter where you go, someone else is going to the same place. You can never really feel alone... except when you think about how many of those probably know about HIM. Chances are less than 1% of them. I highly doubt that as a foreigner, I'm the only one that feels that way. I bet the Chinese Ch-sti-ns feel alone sometimes too. Here's a story about a lady who may felt a little less alone last night...
Last night I was standing outside waiting for a friend. A somewhat older lady (about 50s- so not real old) walked up to me and started handing me a piece of paper. I knew almost instantly what she wanted. My Chinese isn't real great, but my Book Chinese is pretty good. At least I can understand basic teachings. I heard a lot of the key words I hear every Sunday and during our weekly studies. The paper had all Chinese on, not real sure what it all said (my reading is still quite poor). At first I said, "I don't want it, thanks." But she persisted. So, with a smile on my face I took the piece of paper and told her "I'm a _____ too." She stopped, smiled and said, "that's great! G0d's blessings on your night."
There may not be very many of us over here, but we're growing, we're spreading, our WORK is bl-ssed! Keep us in your thoughts, they mean a lot to us and our friends. :)
Last night I was standing outside waiting for a friend. A somewhat older lady (about 50s- so not real old) walked up to me and started handing me a piece of paper. I knew almost instantly what she wanted. My Chinese isn't real great, but my Book Chinese is pretty good. At least I can understand basic teachings. I heard a lot of the key words I hear every Sunday and during our weekly studies. The paper had all Chinese on, not real sure what it all said (my reading is still quite poor). At first I said, "I don't want it, thanks." But she persisted. So, with a smile on my face I took the piece of paper and told her "I'm a _____ too." She stopped, smiled and said, "that's great! G0d's blessings on your night."
There may not be very many of us over here, but we're growing, we're spreading, our WORK is bl-ssed! Keep us in your thoughts, they mean a lot to us and our friends. :)
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Nobody ever asked me...
Tonight I had study. It was so much fun. I sat around as 7 friends learned about the amazing gift of Gr-ce. It was touching and though provoking. We were reading a section of the Book. We asked if anyone had a question. One guy asked what Gr-ce was. We easily translated it into Chinese. Then he asked what Jes-s means. This one had me thinking... Ok, now I know where this guy's level is at (it was his first time). I asked if any friends could explain who Jes-s was in Chinese. The new guy has very low English level. Of course, no one wanted to volunteer, so I had to call on someone. It was great to hear these friends explaining who he is and what he did. It was also pretty cool to understand a lot of it.
I ride my bike home with one of the friends. It's fun to chat with him on our 20 minute ride back. Today, I asked him about when he first started coming to study. Since I didn't know his history, but I know he is quite knowledgeable, I also asked him if he was washed. He said no. I asked, if he was interested in being washed. He said, "yes, I am interested, but no one has ever asked me before, so I haven't been able to learn more about it."
What!??? All we had to do was ask???? Well... I have a few more friends I think I should be asking. How silly we are. We often wait for them to come to us, but there are times when we just need to create an opportunity and ask them... who knows what they will say :o) So... G-d willing, another name will be written on the B-ptsm book in the coming weeks or months. :)
I ride my bike home with one of the friends. It's fun to chat with him on our 20 minute ride back. Today, I asked him about when he first started coming to study. Since I didn't know his history, but I know he is quite knowledgeable, I also asked him if he was washed. He said no. I asked, if he was interested in being washed. He said, "yes, I am interested, but no one has ever asked me before, so I haven't been able to learn more about it."
What!??? All we had to do was ask???? Well... I have a few more friends I think I should be asking. How silly we are. We often wait for them to come to us, but there are times when we just need to create an opportunity and ask them... who knows what they will say :o) So... G-d willing, another name will be written on the B-ptsm book in the coming weeks or months. :)
The Desert
Finally, I'm writing about the desert. I know, it's been a while, but I can still remember what we did.
The whole group finally arrived in Yinchuan by 6am on Tuesday (part of the group was supposed to be there by noon on Monday, but their bus was stuck in a lot of traffic and didn't get there until 6am Tuesday!). After organizing and paying for the trip, we threw our stuff on a bus and hit the road... destination... desert!
The ride over was fun, we sang songs and introduced ourselves. There were 29 of us and many were new FoC teachers, so introductions were nice. Finally, in the distant we saw the desert. Which desert you ask? Many will say the Gobi, but it wasn't the Gobi. They just think that sounds cool ;o)
Day 1: Rode about 2 hours, stopped for lunch, rode another 1 stopped for the night. During our resting time we could do anything we wanted in the desert. Part of the time was finding a quiet, private place to go to the bathroom. There are no trees or forests to go into, so you just had to climb over some dunes to find yourself a bathroom. One of the guys also brought a frisbee so we played some ultimate frisbee. The field was huge!!!!
For supper, the guides went back into the city (apparently we weren't that far away) and brought hot food for us. We had a campfire and got ready for bed. However, something was missing... our tents were still in a pile. They neglected to tell us that we needed to set up our own tents. Not a big deal, but no fun at night when it's cold and we're tired.
The first night was tough... very very cold!
Day 2: had breakfast, packed up, rode for an hour or so, had lunch, napped, got back on, rode for another hour or so, stopped for the night.
This time we set up our tents right away. Hannah and I had ours all ready to go and even took a little nap. Then we all hung out together and decided a group picture was in order. This group picture included making a fish. After that, the time in the desert got really interesting...
The wind hit and boy did it hit! They brought our food, but when we ate it, it included sand in nearly every bit. We checked out our tent but our door was broken. So, we decided to try another tent. Tents will give you privacy and a little warmth, but won't do much for the sand. It ended up everywhere! After supper we hid in our tent for a bit, then went for a devotion.
By 9pm, Hannah and I were hiding in our tent, trying to protect ourselves from as much sand as possible. The wind was ruthless. I felt like our whole tent would be picked up and flung around. I thought the first night was bad... boy was I wrong! Finally at 3 or 4 or 5 or maybe it was 6am, the wind finally stopped and rest came.
Although it wasn't fun to sleep though, it makes and interesting story and interesting experience. I enjoyed my time in the desert. It was peaceful, beautiful, unique. Not like anything I've seen before. I also was able to spend time with friends from Wuhan and around China.
The whole group finally arrived in Yinchuan by 6am on Tuesday (part of the group was supposed to be there by noon on Monday, but their bus was stuck in a lot of traffic and didn't get there until 6am Tuesday!). After organizing and paying for the trip, we threw our stuff on a bus and hit the road... destination... desert!
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| Almost the whole group. 26 FoCers, 3 Chinese friends |
Day 1: Rode about 2 hours, stopped for lunch, rode another 1 stopped for the night. During our resting time we could do anything we wanted in the desert. Part of the time was finding a quiet, private place to go to the bathroom. There are no trees or forests to go into, so you just had to climb over some dunes to find yourself a bathroom. One of the guys also brought a frisbee so we played some ultimate frisbee. The field was huge!!!!
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| Resting on a dune after the first lunch. |
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| Our Frisbee field |
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| Our first night's campsite minus the tents. |
The first night was tough... very very cold!
Day 2: had breakfast, packed up, rode for an hour or so, had lunch, napped, got back on, rode for another hour or so, stopped for the night.
This time we set up our tents right away. Hannah and I had ours all ready to go and even took a little nap. Then we all hung out together and decided a group picture was in order. This group picture included making a fish. After that, the time in the desert got really interesting...
 |
| A fish in the desert |
By 9pm, Hannah and I were hiding in our tent, trying to protect ourselves from as much sand as possible. The wind was ruthless. I felt like our whole tent would be picked up and flung around. I thought the first night was bad... boy was I wrong! Finally at 3 or 4 or 5 or maybe it was 6am, the wind finally stopped and rest came.
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| Our second night's campsite |
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Traveling to Yinchuan!
This past week was National Holiday! That means we get about 1 week off to go traveling. As I mentioned before, it also means that the entire country is traveling at that time, so it can be quite interesting. This year I'm thankful that I was able to avoid most of the crowds. I went way way up north to Yinchuan. The capitol city of Ningxia. It's a small city of around 2-3 million (or so I've been told). I went there to ride on camels in the desert and to join in fellowship with fellow FoCers. Here is a short list of my experiences...
1. Five of us rode on a super crowded bus for 7 hours, got off, tried walking to the hotel to find out we went to the wrong one (there are 3 with the same name close to the train station). That's ok, we had time to walk some more. Arrived: 12pm
2. Day two started with the ten of us walking to find breakfast (not easy with such a large group!) I quickly took on the name of "mom". My job was to keep us together and moving forward. Then, on to the train for 20 hours!
3. Train ride for a super long time. Lots of card games were played and hours spent eating and sleeping. Thankfully we had beds. Best train ride ever! (No lie!)
4. Arrived in Yinchuan! We went to Ashely and Anna's place were they so graciously allowed all ten of us to crash for a night. We were supposed to meet a fellow FoCer there to get the key. However... it turned out that Ashley was still there! She was able to show us around the apartment and help us get lunch. She also told us what we could do for the day. Having 10 people in one apartment was interesting, but thankfully we all found a place to sleep. I think most of us slept ok.
5. Yinchuan is so small we conquered it in one day (pictures coming, I didn't actually take any that day so I need to get some from friends).
6. Off to the camels!!!!!!!!!!! I'll have a post just on this since it was so cool it deserves it's own post!
7. After the amazing camels I had a super long trip back... 21 hours on train #1 (8pm-6pm), 3 hour layover, 6 hours on train #2 (9pm-3:30am), 20 minute taxi ride, 2 hours of sleep, 4 hours of teaching, 2 hours of lunch with a friend... and finally... arriving back home for napping and relaxing! I also teach Sunday morning, so hopefully I can sleep early tonight :)
It was so nice traveling with 9 fellow Wuhaners (altogether there were 8 foreigners and 2 Chinese friends). We laughed, screamed (there was a scary movie watched), sang, coughed, ate, played, and rode camels together. So much fun :)
1. Five of us rode on a super crowded bus for 7 hours, got off, tried walking to the hotel to find out we went to the wrong one (there are 3 with the same name close to the train station). That's ok, we had time to walk some more. Arrived: 12pm
2. Day two started with the ten of us walking to find breakfast (not easy with such a large group!) I quickly took on the name of "mom". My job was to keep us together and moving forward. Then, on to the train for 20 hours!
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| This man wanted a picture with the 8 of us foreigners. I don't think many foreigners visit this city. |
3. Train ride for a super long time. Lots of card games were played and hours spent eating and sleeping. Thankfully we had beds. Best train ride ever! (No lie!)
4. Arrived in Yinchuan! We went to Ashely and Anna's place were they so graciously allowed all ten of us to crash for a night. We were supposed to meet a fellow FoCer there to get the key. However... it turned out that Ashley was still there! She was able to show us around the apartment and help us get lunch. She also told us what we could do for the day. Having 10 people in one apartment was interesting, but thankfully we all found a place to sleep. I think most of us slept ok.
5. Yinchuan is so small we conquered it in one day (pictures coming, I didn't actually take any that day so I need to get some from friends).
6. Off to the camels!!!!!!!!!!! I'll have a post just on this since it was so cool it deserves it's own post!
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| Here is a hint of what it looked like. 30 camels in row walking through the desert... pretty cool! |
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| Zeke (my camel) and me! I got him day one and randomly got him day 2. I kept him forever then :) |
7. After the amazing camels I had a super long trip back... 21 hours on train #1 (8pm-6pm), 3 hour layover, 6 hours on train #2 (9pm-3:30am), 20 minute taxi ride, 2 hours of sleep, 4 hours of teaching, 2 hours of lunch with a friend... and finally... arriving back home for napping and relaxing! I also teach Sunday morning, so hopefully I can sleep early tonight :)
It was so nice traveling with 9 fellow Wuhaners (altogether there were 8 foreigners and 2 Chinese friends). We laughed, screamed (there was a scary movie watched), sang, coughed, ate, played, and rode camels together. So much fun :)
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