NO, I’m not getting married. But a very dear friend of mine got married this past Sunday. I was honored to be the photographer for her wedding. Below are some of the pics of the beautiful day! Let me just say that this was not the most organized of all weddings. But, we did manage to have a pretty good time!
Fiona's bouquet
The lovely couple 🙂
She must have been talking to Ted.
They had a champagne tower. But, with only one bottle of champagne, it didn't really work...
Groomsmen attire. Their suits were custom made in China and had red-silk lining. We were told that the pants were also lined with red silk.
The cliche, but fun jumping picture. They all griped about doing it but then kept trying. 🙂 We never were very successful with this one...
Really, if you want to see more, check out Facebook. There are a few more there. It takes a really long time to upload photos with a poor internet connection.
The wedding was a lot of fun. It was also a bit stressful…exciting, very busy stressful though. I spent the greater part of this week editing photos and catching up on my planning. It’s almost Friday and I haven’t even thought about my classes for the weekend and Monday. Looks like I’ll be in the same boat I was in last weekend. Maybe I can catch up on some sleep during the week next week.
Until next time…
So, I was really excited about only having 12 (maybe 14) teaching hours this semseter. Part of the reason I was so excited was so I could put more effort into studying Chinese. (My listening is improving tremendously, thank you for asking.) 🙂 I was going to have weekend class and two tutor kids, each twice a week. Awesome.
However, things change. The FOC Homeschool is beginning it’s first year and I’m its math teacher. I’m excited to teach math. (add three hours a week) My Chinese friend Gretl taught for a Co-op (sort of like a homeschool with a few different families who have a few teachers for a few subjects and the rest is done online) last year and asked me if I was interested in teaching for this co-op. They want a native English speaker to teach them English/Literature and also Physical Science. There are 5 girls in this class. Three are 13, one is 15, and one is 17. The 17-year-old also wants me to tutor her in math so she can take the SAT. (add 1.5 hours for science, 1.5 hours for English, 1 hour for math) I’m excited to teach these girls, too. Hmmm….I see my free time dwindling away…
I find myself with 19 teaching hours, only 6 Chinese class hours, and 4 B studies. We need to revisit this…
In other news: The brakes work on my bike (for now), I’m still not entirely unpacked, I’m photographing a wedding on Sunday, my washer still jumps around, and I have 1.5 days to plan my classes for Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. I better quit here!
I’ve been trying to get settled into my new place. Shopping in China presents some challenges. For example, if you buy something you have to be able to get it home. We take our vehicles for granted in the US. If I go grocery shopping in the US, my groceries just have to fit in my car. That’s easy, right? Here, if I want to get groceries, whatever I buy needs to be small enough to be carried in some way on my bike. This makes a person much more creative. I’m forced to think of new and interesting ways to strap stuff to my bike (which, by the way, currenly only has front brakes) and try to balance on my way home.
I’ve been discovering my new neighborhood and found a METRO, which is similar to Sam’s Club in physical size and warehouse style, but with much less stuff… I spent a good hour wandering around the METRO searching for things I need for my apartment…keeping in mind that whatever I buy here I have to carry home on my bike. After shopping for a few (random) items, I loaded up my bag and hung it from one handle bar of my bike. (This causes balance issues…) Sometimes, if my items are too big, I’ll take a taxi.
After getting home, I decided it was a good time to wash some of the rugs that have been sitting on the floor all summer and try out my washer also. This “adventure” took way longer than it needed to due to some language difficulties. The instructions on my (front-load) washer are all in Chinese. You’re probably thinking, “she doesn’t know how to use a washer?” I know. Pathetic, right. 🙂 I spent a good 15 minutes translating the characters for each of the 10 settings. Then, I figured out that there were really only two different “settings” and that each of the 5 parts was just a cycle in that setting. Great! I turned the knob to the correct setting, added the detergent and voila! Piece of cake, right? Well….
I decided that it was a good idea to check on the washer periodically (like every 2-3 minutes) to see if things were going the way they were supposed to. After a couple ‘checks’ I discovered that there was water all over my bathroom floor. (Now, this in itself is not uncommon for this country. A person’s showerhead is usually directly over his/her sink/toilet so a wet floor is commonplace.) My water on my bathroom floor was not. Isn’t there supposed to be a tube that connects the washer to some sort of drain? Nope. My drain is now my bathroom floor. We’ll see if I can get this one fixed… A little while later, the washer is on the spin cycle and it is LOUD. I mean, I’m wondering if my neighbors are concerned about me. The machine was literally jumping around. (no wonder it is tied to a pipe with a piece of STRING… good grief. 🙂 So, yes people, the best way for me to keep my washer quiet (and in one place) is to sit on it during the spin cycle. I may get a lot of reading done and not much else…
Today, (Monday) I went to my ‘first’ Chinese class. I was successful this time because I was up really early and left my apartment really early. Actually, I left early so that I could Skype with my niece at a location that has internet. I got to a little coffee shop, ordered my coffee and proceeded to not get online because they eliminated their internet. 🙁 That’s not cool. I didn’t really have any qualms about taking my coffee with me and heading out to find a different internet place. I walked to the new place and ordered a pastry and sat down to get online. The man gave me the ‘password’ that didn’t work. Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh! It took this man 30 minutes to attempt to solve this problem. I was very annoyed. I finally got online and had to tell my niece that I was unable to chat with her because I had to go to class.
I found my classroom and looked over the first two lessons (because that’s what the lady at the counter told me the class got through the first week–the week that I missed). The teacher came in and proceeded to ask me some questions in mixed Chinese-English. The other four students came in and class began. The class was just beginning lesson two, which I was thankful for. I can understand a lot more if I know the context of the conversation. I would say that I understood about 70-80% of the class. This isn’t too bad and will definitely be a challenge for me. There is one woman in the class who is pretty good but the other three are very close to the same level as me. 🙂 I’m planning to enjoy it a lot! 🙂 Each 90 minute class is 30元， if you pay for at least 10. So, my first two weeks of class costs me $47. 🙂
So, here I am, after my class enjoying lunch before I go to the bank and get on the bus back home. I have much unpacking to do and a book to read while I wash some clothes. Until next time…
I woke up at 3:30 this morning. Of course I knew this would happen because I’ve done it before. There’s a lot that can be accomplished at this hour of the morning. (Not to mention lots and lots of games of solitaire on the computer–can you tell I don’t have internet in my apartment yet?) Lot’s of really good thinking happens this early. For example: topics for the new B study I’m starting with my Chinese friend this year. She and I are going to try to branch out in my neighborhood. I now live by myself in a community about 20-30 min away from where I was living last year. Our idea is to co-teach this study and make it bilingual for now. Hopefully it will be a way for me to improve my Chinese too! 🙂
That brings me to the next event of the day. Since I was up since 3:30, I had tons of time to get ready for my first Chinese class of the year!! I’ve decided that I have enough time to take a 90 min class each day. (We’ll see how long it lasts.) I went to the school yesterday to see what they had available and there was a class that started on Monday. I have only missed the first two lessons. The woman said that I can try the first class for free. After that it is 30元 per class. So cheap!
I decided to leave my apartment at 8:00 for my 9:00 class so that I could get there with plenty of time to spare. I walked out to the bus stop and checked the sign to find a bus that goes to that area. There are TONS of buses near my apartment and it’s a little jam-packed. The buses drive in the bike lane so the bikers kick the walkers off the sidewalk. I found the appropriate bus and proceeded to wait….and wait….and wait. 8:23 comes along and finally my bus shows up. It’s packed. I don’t even know why they try to pack more people on the bus. It’s a battle of the wills as the people getting on try to shove their way into the stairwell of the bus in hopes that the door won’t close on them. Being the lover-of-personal-space that I am, I decide that it’s not worth it to sit there and wait while someone gives in and gets off the bus…I was the “someone” that gave up. I said to myself, “I’ll just take a taxi. It’ll be faster anyway.” (since it is now almost 8:30 and it’s a 20min-ish drive there.) I begin walking in the direction of my destination, making frequent glances over my shoulder to check for available taxis. Clearly this is not a popular taxi part of town. I’m a mess because I’m sweating and wearing dress shoes while trying to walk quickly (with my computer on my back) all while checking for taxis. (did I mention that it’s humid here?) I made it to the subway at 8:42 (a 1.2 mile walk according to the pedometer that I’m wearing) I got on the subway and made it to a friends house at about 9:10. I’m enjoying the AC and internet. I probably would have gone to class late had the woman’s last words to me not been, “don’t be late tomorrow.” Ah, 中国，you never cease to amaze me.
Long story short: I missed my first Chinese class. I’ll try again on Monday.
In other, more pleasant news: I still have my bike. It has a super rusty chain and a spider took up residence in my right handle bar and decided it was a good place to lay her eggs. I hope I got the whole egg sac or I could be in for a lovely surprise some morning in the not-so-distant future. I only felt bad for about 3 seconds before I squashed her. So, now, I must leave you and get some oil on my bike chain so I don’t have to wait for buses and taxis anymore.
Until the next adventure…
During my travels in the midwest, many of you told me I should update my blog with what I’m doing stateside. Here goes:
Arrival in the US: spent a good share of time in Airport Limbo. Time spent in WY: hung out with the family, cooked/baked up a storm (I think I might have missed it a little), purchased a new camera, camped in the mountains. (I also missed this!) Traveled to SD: stayed with my godparents, Chris and Linda Schumacher, for a couple days. Geocaching with Chris and some much needed pinochle time, too! Traveled to WI: stayed with friends, Paul and Meghan Kuckhahn (and little T). Had a great time catching up, being introduced to JW, losing at Clue, and just hanging out. More WI: stayed with friends, Collin and Sarah Mayer (K and E, too!). Had some much needed geek-out-music-app time and enjoyed delicious margaritas. (It was right around this time that I lost the AC in my car…conveniently, this was the hottest week in WI to date…and, yes, adding refrigerant to your own car is considered illegal in this state. Good thing Iowa understands my pain. N. WI: stayed with friends, Sam and Darla Smith (with Rob and Lexie there too). Saw HP7 pt. 2 for the first time! Loved it! More N. WI: stayed with friends, Dane and Joanne Mattes (C and H, too). Great to catch up with these dear college friends. Saw HP7 pt. 2 for the 2nd time! 🙂 Loved it again! More N. WI: more quality time spent with my niece and nephew, cooking, swimming, Wii dancing and other fun stuff. Miss them already. Back to S. WI: visited other friends in the area, played trumpet for the synod convention opening service, general relaxation while visiting dearly missed people. I was able to attend a concert given by some of my lovely Chinese students in the Milwaukee area. It was great to see them and definitely re-energized me for China. 🙂 Traveled to IA: stayed with friends, Craig and Gretchen Fiemeyer (A too). Fixed my car’s AC (because it’s not illegal in Iowa). Loved the catch up time with these guys! Traveled to KS in sweet cold bliss: and this is where I am as I update. I’m staying with my awesome brother, Marc. We’re enjoying some good food and some crazy hot weather. (It was 111 yesterday.) We are going to see HP7 pt. 2 at 3D IMAX tonight! (yes, this will be the third time!)
Below are some pics from the summer so far. Enjoy!
At the 4th of July Parade in Gillette. It was fun to be in the US for the 4th this year.
Just a bit of the baking that I did while staying at my parent's house. Everyone loved these monster cookies.
More baking. Red velvet cake with homemade whipped cream, blueberries and strawberries. They liked this one too! 🙂
Meadowlark Lake in the Bighorn Mountains.
On our way to the trailhead we saw this guy. He didn't seem afraid. 🙂
Part of the trail. Beautiful.
Not-so-little-B. What a handsome guy!
Beautiful T. 🙂 She makes me smile!
I didn’t take too many pictures while in Wisconsin. My next update will come from China. 🙂 “See” you later.
A little over a month ago, one of my friends asked if I was interested in taking a Chinese calligraphy class. Of course I said yes! 🙂 I’m always looking to learn new things. Calligraphy in Chinese is “shufa” (sounds like ‘shoe-fah’). Mr. An and Mr. Gao are our teachers for our class. They teach the class in Chinese so I’m also looking at this as a way to improve my Chinese listening skills! I love the class! These two men have always wanted to teach a class of foreigners. We also have a translator for the class. It’s pretty awesome! Below are some samples of my work. 🙂 I hope you enjoy them!
This was one of the first phrases that we learned. You read it like this: top right, bottom right, top left, bottom left. It says 心平气和 which is a Chinese idiom for "to be calm". Our teacher reminds us that this should be our "state of mind" when we write calligraphy.
This is "cha". It means "tea".
These two characters are 'xiang' 香 and 'cha' 茶。Xiang means "fragrant" while cha means "tea". I just wrote them over and over. 🙂
In other news: I’ve agreed to perform for my class again. Don’t ask why.
Also: I just found out today that my Wednesday class is taking a week off because it is Tsinghua University’s 100th anniversary. Sweet. I wish it was the following week. But, now I have the day before my mom visits to clean my house. 🙂 (yes, folks, she is my surprise visitor–winner will receive their cheap Chinese souvenir when I return to the states.) She comes in just over 7 days!!
Lastly: Remember my friend Tom? Tom, his wife, my friend Jacob and I are going to meet on Friday night to eat some food and read some BOOK. The beginnings of a new study? Perhaps! Maybe I can help them to lead a Chinese one! He might very soon become the leader of a Chinese house ch–ch. (HC — easier and safer to write) He’s on fire for the gspl and takes every opportunity to learn more about the BOOK. (When our study friends introduced themselves during study last Tuesday, Tom said his dream job was a pstr 🙂 and when it was his wife’s turn to tell her dream job, he leaned over to her and whispered, ‘pstr’s wife!’ hehe….)
I don’t know what (if anything) you know about HCes in China but some are “registered” with the government and some are “unregistered.” The “regestered” ones are legal. The “unregistered” ones are not. In recent capital city events, there has been an interesting development with one very large “unregistered” one. I can’t remember the name of the HC but quite a few of our study friends are members at this HC. A few weeks ago the gov’t has taken away their place of wrshp (reasons aren’t clear) and they were without a building. (we are talking 900-1000 members). Their congregation decided that they would not let this stop them from meeting together so they planned to have wrshp outside. This is not legal in China. When they tried to wrshp in their chosen place, the park was conveniently “closed” that day…hmm… They tried again this past week. Keep this congregation in your pr-yers. They need them desperately. Technically, the wrshp that we American’s have together is also not legal, but I think that the gov’t looks past it (if they know about it) because we are foreigners. Even if they didn’t look past it, the worst thing (most likely) that would happen to us is being deported. Our Chinese friends have much greater difficulties. Pr-y for their safety. Pr-y for their leaders. Pr-y for the country’s gov’t. I imagine it was a similar situation for the NT Chr—ians in Acts. Read 5:29. How about the following verses…especially vs. 38-39? Jump back to chapter 4 vs. 18-20. This book has become much more personal during my time in China. Keep pr-ying for these people! I imagine many of them are willing to risk their lives for the sake of the Gspl. Oh, if we could all be so bold!
The day started out wonderfully! (But a combination of coffee, water, high heels, Taylor Swift, and a bad sound system made the day much more interesting!–It’s almost like someone was playing one big April Fool’s Day joke on my life.)
(…but let’s back up to Thursday morning to begin.)
On Thursday morning, Ms. Fan informed me that I should listen to all of the people who were giving speeches (speech competition on Friday night) in the class. (Now, when both class A and class B are together, she expects me to teach the entire group for 3.5 hours–There are 12 people giving speeches–at 3 to 5 minutes per speech–that makes 36 to 60 minutes of class–even with me giving feedback for 1-3 minutes per person the total time is still (maximum) 96 minutes. So, if we do a little math, we discover that 210-96 = 114… (If anyone reading is really into punctuation/conventions, forgive me for the overuse of dashes/parentheses/slashes/etc.) The point is this: I had to keep these people entertained for a LONG TIME.
Later that evening, Ms. Fan told me that I would do the same thing the next day…good grief, woman. On Friday, I decided to have a regular lesson with the once-again-combined classes and then listen to speeches. Before I could have an awesome class on Friday, I had coffee with another FOCer at 7:30 am. It was special coffee. 🙂 Needless to say, class was much more fun.
We had a discussion about healthcare (China and US) and then I gave them the choice of working in the book or finishing our Friends activity we had started before. (The Friends activity consists of watching part of the show over and over–2 or 3 minutes with script in hand–and trying to imitate intonation/pronunciation/etc. It was a really great activity!) Of course, there was no choice. If you were given the choice to watch Friends or work out of the textbook, of course you would choose Friends. It’s a no-brainer really. So we worked on that for a while.
A while later, Ms. Fan comes in and tells me that the students would like me to perform a song for the speech competition. Now, they know that I majored in music so they all think that I love to sing. Shame. After a bit of arm-twisting, (or possibly the effects of the special coffee) I gave in. But the only song I had on my USB drive that was good for this sort of thing was “Love Story” by Taylor Swift. (I’m not a big fan of Taylor Swift but her music goes over really well with Chinese men…maybe it’s not the music.) I told Ms. Fan that I would only sing if Michael and Jerry sang with me. 🙂 hehe…. We came up with a horrible rendition of “Love Story” including actions and two men fighting over ‘Juliet’ in the song. (I know that’s not how the song goes, but we wanted to make it more interesting and entertaining…so while one man–Jerry–was down on his knee proposing, the other one–Michael–was trying to pull me away from him….super cheesy but they loved it for some reason…I’ll never know.)
So, after ‘rehearsing’ this in front of the class, we decided it was good enough. I spent the rest of the class listening to speeches for practice. (Yes, the competition was that night)
I relaxed a bit that afternoon, met a friend for coffee, showered and got ready. Normally I would wear the same clothes that I wore during the day, but Ms. Fan specifically told me to “look beautiful” that night. Her actual words were, “Make sure you look very beautiful tonight.” Good grief. This means that I shouldn’t wear pants. (I mean, after all, I was getting engaged…) hehe… So, I put on a skirt. Since it had been beautiful that day I didn’t bother with leggings. I was supposed to meet Jerry early so that we could practice our performance. Michael was in the speech contest so he said he wouldn’t practice with us.
I made the decision to walk to the campus because it didn’t seem appropriate to ride my bike in a skirt. I got downstairs and it was raining. Hm… I stopped at a friend’s apartment to get an umbrella (because I was already running late and didn’t want to climb back up to mine. I’m also not sure if I have an umbrella or not.) I committed to walking because I was still in a skirt without leggings. (had I been in leggings I might have considered biking.) I got so many strange looks. Probably because it is “bad for health” for me to be bare-legged while it is raining. Usually the strange looks are directed at me when I wear flip-flops in 60 degree weather. (or when I wear flip-flops period–for some reason people think that I’m wearing house shoes when I wear sandals of any kind…) The only thing that would have made this situation more ridiculous would be if I were wearing heels…which happened to be in the bag that I was carrying. (The shoes involved in this day also ended up being a problem…I removed the shoes I wore to walk there and put them in my purse. HUGE mistake because they were soaked…you can imagine how bad they smelled! I also had to walk home in them and ended up with a large blister on one heel.)
When I finally got to the building, the reactions of my students were priceless! They never see me dress up.
The speeches were BORING. Especially since I had heard most of them already. And the ones I hadn’t heard I helped edit. The three foreign judges (who are also the three foreign teachers) made the time more bearable by having fun with the scoring. (all giving the same score, giving obscure scores [5.73, etc.], scoring based on dress, etc.) It’s not like it was an important competition.
After all the speeches were finished, it was show time. Jerry and I took the ‘stage’ (aka front of the room) to sing and ‘act’ for the audience. They loved it! (even though I couldn’t hear the music at first so I sounded horrible, and then the music was too loud…honestly, there is no in-between in this country.) It was so very ridiculous and so Chinese! I ended up receiving the “best judge” award…most likely because I performed for them! I have the performance on video. You’ll have to wait until the summer to see it. It’s awful. 🙂
After the speeches, my performance, and the awards, there was much picture-taking, and I finally escaped! Michael and Jerry (my backup singers) insisted on accompanying me home (because it is “very dangerous”.) Since I had no bike, Jerry offered to give me a ride on his. I was not comfortable with this, so I walked and they rode next to me the whole way!
So, I ended up with wet clothes, a big blister, smelly shoes, humiliation, a best judge award (and a pin to go with it), and 50-100 pictures of me. It ended up being pretty fun.
Last week during my adult oral English class at the FOC school (probably my favorite class), one of my students, Tom, invited me to his house for a ‘party.’ He told me that there would be about 13 people there for dinner and a few of them spoke English. Great! I wasn’t nervous at all because even if their Engish was poor, I could practice my Chinese, right? 🙂
Tom is a believer and one of the nicest people I know. He’s married to Amy, also a believer, and they have a child on the way. They already have a name chosen for their child (路加), which is ‘lu jia’ and is the Luke from the B!ble. I asked them if they would use that name if the child is a girl. They said they would keep the same pronunciation but use different characters and it would be a girl’s name. Her English name would be Lucy. 🙂 Tom has a fire for the Gspl. During our first oral English class I mentioned to him that I was also a believer, and he asked me when I study. I gave him some study times and he was so excited! He is now a regular studier on Tuesday nights. He also studies on Saturdays with the male FOCers in more advanced B!ble classes. (We call them CSI–Chrstn Studies Institute) Tom loves Saturdays.
Back to last week… Tom and his brother-in-law (who is also the father of one of my 4th grade students) came to pick me up to take me about an hour away in the city. I enjoyed this very much because I didn’t have to be in a crowded bus or underground on a crowded subway. The traffic was still bad but we had an enjoyable time in the car. We made one stop along the way to pick up some sushi for the party–yum–and then we were at Tom’s house. (when I say ‘house’ I mean apartment) It is a very modest dwelling–one bedroom, small kitchen, small living room. I wonder where they will put the baby!
Dinner was very enjoyable! Some people did speak a little English and I was able to understand more than I could speak when the conversation moved to Chinese. After a delicious supper, the friends gathered in the small living room to sing hymns and study! I basically walked into the Chinese version of what I do in my studies! Most of the people that were there are believers–I think two were not–and they shared what the cross means to them. I understood much less during this time. Thankfully, Amy and another girl, Esther, helped me out by giving me a basic translation. I now know what it feels like to sit in my B study and not understand what’s going on. It gave me a new perspective on the low-English speakers who come to learn about their Savior and cannot understand me. I really need to improve my Chinese!! It also makes me thankful for my Chinese believer friends who come to studies and translate for me.
I have no doubt that Tom and his wife will continue to hold their own fellowship/singing/pryr/B study gatherings. He told me he wants to be a Shepherd. I wish you could meet him. He is an inspiration, especially to life-long believers who get a little stale. ———————————— IN OTHER NEWS:
I have a very special visitor coming in April! First person to guess who it is (correctly) gets a prize! (Probably some chintzy Chinese souvenir…hehehe….) (And to the person out there who is coming…you are not eligible!)
Days 17 – 21 – “I love Hong Kong!”
The last entry of my trip will cover five days and be relatively short. I should probably get back to updating in ‘real time’ and stop living in the past! 🙂
For the next few days I was with the FOC teachers from all over China. We met in Hong Kong for a retreat (which we later named ‘Attack’ because retreat sounds too wimpy–after all, they keep telling us we are on the ‘front line’ in China) and had an amazing time. It was fun to hang out with all the other teachers from the other cities and get to know them. It was during the retreat that we were energized in THE WORD. We had a number of speakers (professors from ALS and others) talk to us about Fellowship, personal B study time, other pertinent information. It was interesting to hear about the other cities and how they do things and be able to share what we do in our city.
We had some down time in the city also. I met up with my German friend for dinner one night and met some of his friends. I took a bus up to the peak to see this view:
The ride up to the peak was interesting (which means scary) but the view was incredible! I was hoping to see the sky on a clear night. It was still pretty!
The same evening that I met Tom for dinner I also watched the light show from the ‘mainland’ side of Hong Kong. (That’s not the side that I took the previous picture from.)
The light show was not great. I was actually a little disappointed. 🙁 Oh, well...
Most of the time was spent attending the sessions and hanging out with people. One day I took the ferry across the harbor. It was very foggy and rainy that day:
Hong Kong has these long, semi-enclosed, elevated side-walks which are really handy when you want to be outside on a rainy day without an umbrella and not get wet. If you recall from a post from last year, I have a similar photo with the sunset. 🙂 Also: for all of you Batman fans out there...Yes, that is the building that the Bat was perched on in one scene of The Dark Knight.
After traveling for three weeks, I was ready to be home. I had a ticket for a 2:25 train back to Beijing. First we had to go through customs and walk across the border. It was AMAZING the transformation that took place. In Hong Kong, it looks like China and there are Chinese people walking around everywhere, but everything is so ORDERLY! (people wait for the light to change to cross the street, people wait in line in general, etc.) As soon as we crossed into the mainland, people were cutting in line and pushing. UNREAL!
The train we were on was supposed to take 24 hours to get to Beijing so, I had a lot of time. I was going to read…didn’t do that. I did get quite a bit of sleep and watched two movies with Hannah on her computer. Basically, we wasted a day of our lives. The train ride wasn’t horrible. I’m starting to perfer the upper bunk of a six-bed compartment because no one can just sit on your bed. Most of the noise and commotion stays down below. It wasn’t too hard to try to ignore it because I don’t understand most of it! 🙂
We arrived back in the capital city and I was back home by a little after 3 pm. What an awesome adventure!
My “types-of-transportation” count is up to 12!
taxi, bus, airplane, minibus, canoe, horse, bicycle, feet, train, bamboo raft, rickshaw, and ferry. (and if you want to add ‘moving sidewalk’ and ‘escalator’ to the list that would make it 15.) 🙂
Day 16 – “Goodbye, dear friends.”
After a very restful night’s sleep, I showered, packed my stuff up and decided that it was a good day to relax in the hostel before the flight. I met Aga and Radek for breakfast in the lobby. Tom decided to sleep in because he didn’t feel well. While we were waiting for our breakfast to come I worked on my awesome Chinese wooden puzzle. This was also when I solved it the first time! 🙂 Must not have been too difficult. Right. Actually, I solved it twice (two different ways) while waiting for breakfast. Wanna know the secret? Don’t pay attention to what you are doing! Seriously. Both times I solved it I was visiting with Aga and not really concentrating on what I was doing. It was awesome!
So, the night before I had gotten a text message from Norman. (remember him?) He said that he was heading to his hometown for the rest of the holiday and would be stopping in Guilin to catch the train. He wanted to know how long he would be there so that he could see us one last time. 🙂 So adorable. He timed his arrival perfectly and we were able to hang out for a while before all of us had to go our separate ways. This is the thing I simultaneously love and hate about traveling. I love meeting new people. Traveling alone forces you to do that. I also hate it because it’s for such a short time and then you have to say goodbye. The four of us (Aga, Radek, Tom and me) have decided to travel together again in June. I hope it actually happens. Norman also wants to join us.
We spent the next 2-3 hours just hanging out in the hostel and playing pool and just enjoying each other’s company. We took some pictures of the group and then said our goodbyes, for real this time. It was very sad to see Aga and Radek go. I hope I will get to see them again. Next it was going to be Tom and me, heading to the airport.
I love this group of crazies. From L-R: Maya (also worked at the hostel in Xingping with Norman), Tom the German, me, random guy in the back (can't remember his name--all I remember is that he's half German, half French), Norman (the destroyer), Radek, Aga, another man who I don't know (Japanese)
Tom and I found a rickshaw driver to take us to the airport express station and then hopped on the airport express bus. The ride to the airport was quicker than we thought it would be. The flight to Hong Kong was quicker than we thought it would be. I arrived in Hong Kong, made it through customs (who says Hong Kong isn’t a different country?), and was on a bus within 1.5 hours of landing. My destination was strangely close to where Tom was going (he studies at a university in Kowloon Tong and that was only 2 subway stops away from where I would be staying) so we rode the same bus through town. It was sad to say goodbye to Tom also. He and I made plans to have dinner together one night while I was there so I would get to see him again.
I was officially by myself. It was an odd feeling. I wasn’t worried about finding the retreat center, it just felt weird to not have my new friends with me. I hadn’t been alone since I got off the train when I first arrived in Guangxi Province. 🙁
I had excellent (and very accurate) directions to my home for the next four nights. I got there and was greeted by a familiar Beijing FOCer’s face! I was very excited to see my ‘family’. That night was filled with hugs, picture sharing, sausage and cheese eating (Shannon surprised us from America and also brought bounty with him!!), and just general enjoying each other’s company. I slept very well that night. Hong Kong would be my home for 4.5 days!
