Summer Update

Hello from Wisconsin! My summer has been filled with relaxation and seeing friends and family. It started out with a trip to Sioux Falls and New Ulm. Hung out with my sister and mom in The Cities, and then finally, after three weeks, got home to Brownsville.

Since being here, I haven't done much. I'm trying to meet up with my friends and family. I am also trying to get all of my doctor appointments in. Yesterday I went to the eye doctor. They dilated my eyes. Afterwards, I went grocery shopping. I couldn't read things very clearly! I felt like I was MUCH older and didn't have my glasses!

Adventures coming up... a friend's wedding in Milwaukee, hopefully a trip out to Michigan, and back up to The Cities for my flight back.

The girls up in Appleton

Amanda and Aurora kissing baby!

That's different

People always say it's harder to go back to America than it was to go to China. Culture shock gets you as soon as you get off the plane. People here are much different than in China. It's amazing how much you forget about America being gone for only ten months.

I went to Menards the other day and I felt like I was in a different world. I felt confused, like I didn't know which words to use to ask them things or describe what I needed. The parking lot was so big, the store was huge, clean, and completely in English! I needed to get a copy of my key. In China, I would first have to find a key maker (just look for a big, yellow, plastic key), then give them my key and tell them how many copies I wanted. That part is easy. The hard part is for the maker, they copy your key by hand. Yes, they use a machine, but in America you stick the old key in, a blank key, and close the lid! In China there is quite a skill in key making.

There are other things that are different, things that are a bit more important than how each country makes keys, but that's for another time.

If any of you are in the area, I'm doing a presentation on July 8th at St. Luke's in Oakfield. I'll talk about my experience and how it has affected my life! It's at 10am. :)

Things I've missed...

After being back in America for about a week, I've realized some of the things that I've missed. Here they are...
1. Sitting on a carpeted floor (doing that right now :) )
2. Walking across nice green grass.
3. Speaking in English to everyone and being able to use idioms.
4. Professors and friends from MLC. I was back for a few hours and it was great seeing people!
5. No traffic on the highways and city streets (I haven't really been to the Twin Cities yet, I'm sure I'll meet plenty of traffic there.)
6. My family, however, I haven't really seen them yet since I haven't been home. I've seen my other two "families" and they have been great! I love going back home to Sioux Falls and Sleepy Eye. Next home... Brownsville!
7. Much more.. stay posted.

I'm Back!!!

I made it back to America. I had a few problems with my flights, but it all worked out find. I had a stressful time in Chicago getting held up in Customs (first, my passport wouldn't scan, then I brought in beef, which was a no-no), losing Nicole (we got divided in Customs), getting stopped in security for my mahjong set (apparently it looks bad in the x-ray machines), running to my gate to make it before boarding and NOT seeing Nicole, calling my sister on a stranger's phone to tell her that 1-I am coming home, but my flight was changed and 2-I can't find Nicole :)

Surprisingly, even though they changed my flight and we had some short layovers, we both got our luggage!!!

Now I'm sitting in windy Sioux Falls, SD. Less that 24 hours after arriving in America, I started traveling again! I'll be traveling around Sioux Falls, New Ulm, and Minneapolis for a few weeks before finally heading home to Brownsville.

I'll keep you updated a bit this summer!

HE never changes

A while back I was talking to a Chinese friend about going back to America. We talked about culture shock and how it's more difficult with culture shock to go back to America than it is to come to China. We discussed why that is. At first, I couldn't think of why exactly why that would be. Then... I thought deeper [imagine me with my thinking face]. This is what I realize...

When I came to China, I left my friends and family in America. I was coming to a new place. No one here knew me before (except for the Americans I came with.). While I've been here, I have changed. Not a ton, but enough to make a difference in who I am. As I have been away from America life, people there are also changing. People are growing up, moving, having kids, changing jobs, becoming older. However, I have been away for quite a while. I forget that as I'm gone, life continues for others who are still there. When I come back I jump in where I left off. However, where I left off is no longer there. There is quite an adjustment. I'm excited to come back, but still a little nervous. How will it be to be on American soil again? Life in China and America is so different. How will it be to jump back into the lives of people I haven't seen in so long, even if it's just for a short time.

Last night I told her what I thought about. After we talked about how people changing makes it the most difficult to go back, I thought of a song we JUST sang in our study. The last line is "他不改变 " Ta bu gai bian (He doesn't change). He refers to HIM. I don't know what the rest of the song says, but it reminds me that no matter what happens in this world. No matter how people change, countries change, lives change, HE remains the same. His promises don't change, his unconditional love doesn't change. He is there no matter what. That's pretty cool. :)



In one week I'll be on American soil and HE will be right there next to me.

Bad Air

This morning I was shopping with a student. We found some cool Chinese things. It was a fun, relax atmosphere to hang out and talk with one of my students. As we were heading back home around 12 I received a text saying the follow, "dont go out . stay indoors. air is piosonous." I didn't think much of it because friends tend to tell us stuff like that whenever something odd is going on. However, I received another message from a friend and someone who was in America at the time. So... apparently, it's not just regular pollution, it is special pollution. I guess a chemical plant exploded in Wuhan. People are wearing masks. Don't be too worried about me. I'm hanging out in my place waiting for the pollution to pass...

Here are some pictures of what we see around here.

Looking towards my street. There is a bridge in the distance...

Looking away from my street. You should see lots of other buildings in the background.

So many people...

When you think of China, what do you think of? Chopsticks? Fortune cookies (sorry, but they don't exist here), Kung fu, people? Well, I am here to tell you that the rumors are true. There are A LOT of people in China. I've been living on my street for about 9 months now. Every day I walk up and down the same street. No matter where I go, I pass some of the same places every day.

However, every time I walk outside I see numerous people that I have never seen before. Sure, I know some of the shop owners in my area; the bag lady, the wrap guy, the short mr. fixit guy, little corner shop guy, and the bbq lady, but really, most of the people are still new to me. There are so many people coming and going that the street is never quiet and you don't see the same people twice!

My "hometown" of Fond du Lac has about 42,000 people in it (the same amount of Wuhan University). The city of Wuhan had 4.5 million people in 2002. I have been told it has upwards of 8 million easily if you include all of the students.

I went to a movie tonight and in Fond du Lac we have 1 1/2 movie theaters (the Mall theater only counts as 1/2). In Wuhan there are easily 30 movie theaters throughout the city. It doesn't matter where you are, you can find a theater pretty close. That just gives you an idea of how big this city is. I have a picture of a crowded area, but it's on my phone and not yet on my computer, I'll show it to you later. Right now, it's late and I'm tired!