Hiking!

For the past two weeks we have gone hiking on Saturday with some students. It gives us a chance to get to know them more personally and build friendships with them.

The first week there were 13 of us. It was quite a large group. We are learning they tend to bring friends with them!! We hiked near school both times.

The second time there were only 6 hikers! Each time brought new experiences, conversations, and sights to see.

I am sure they are more than any of us think or know. Only time will tell!! So keep thinking about us!

Women's Retreat in YiChang!

Women from many cities in the Hubei province came together for a weekend of RENEWAL!!

Jessi and I left Danjiangkou Friday morning after class (10:15) heading towards ShiYan. In ShiYan we met the bus with 20+ ladies, friends, and sisters of ours! We then (noon) began our 6 hour drive to YiChang. We spread out on the bus and majority slept for the first 2 hours of the trip. After 2 hours of bumpiness, a bathroom stop was much needed! "Rest-stops" are also very different here. I think I kinda miss rest-stops in the US now! Once that problem was solved many of us played taboo for fun in the back of the bus. The game died down and singing began! We sang until we arrived at the college. The end of our singing involved children's camp songs, silliness ensued!!
Due to the lack of lunch and dinner we dropped our stuff at the apartments where we were staying and went to get street food. We chose from the many vendors cooking on the street until all hours of the night! It was an interesting dinner, not one you can find easily in the states. There were about 25 of us walking around the vendors. Many also bought fresh milk tea (similar to chai - I am not a fan!) When we returned to the apartment we sang and had a discussion.

Saturday we met in the morning for breakfast, singing, and discussions. We ate lunch, played basketball, rested, and went shopping (we were able to get some of the #1 seller books in the world - our life manual - in Chinese and English). We had dinner together in one of the Universities restaurants and then of course followed it with another evening spent enjoying one another's company! After talking Sunday morning and saying our goodbyes we had to depart.
Throughout the weekend we had many wonderful moments together. We had much singing, many conversations, discussions, celebrations, meals together, time to get to know eachother, and time to share our burdens with one another. It was very uplifting and enlightening!
Bonds were created that cannot be broken! We are bound together with love!!

Visitors!

The week of my birthday, 2 of our new friends from Israel came to visit us here in Danjiangkou. They, Eyal and Alon, were travelling through China and wanted to see the countryside, the true China! The college has been very generous in allowing our friends and visitors to stay in the empty apartment between Jessi and me. They came in Monday night and stayed through the following Sunday. Monday began with a "jam session" and conversations. You would think we were the oldest of friends!

We had a great time talking again!! Then it was off to bed!

All of us had an awesome week hanging out and talking to friends with a more similar understanding! We showed them our big out door market as well as the dam on the edge of town. It was a relaxing week full of good company! The weather even cooperated for the most part allowing us to walk a lot.

We each took turns cooking. The fellas even cooked for us in my kitchen (and helped me when I, for some reason, was having issues cooking!)

Other than my wonderful birthday (in a separate blog), the most fun was had at KTV - Karaoke Television!! We sang all the English songs we knew and the ones we didn't we made up how they should go, with a little ad lib here and there!!

Other favorite times of mine were:

The fighting! The match between Alon and me, the army guy and female!!

The random music!! Much singing and guitar playing!!!

BIRTHDAY!!! (October 26th)

Ok well I had an awesome birthday!! This was definitely one of the top birthdays!

When I got out of bed at 7:00 for my 7:50 class, I got dressed and had a wonderful breakfast consisting of hot oatmeal and a starbucks Frappuccino (sent to me by my amazing boyfriend Christopher!!)!! I also had a phone call from my parents as well!

I arrived at class to find it completely abandoned. I did notice and hear some students around the corner, so as not to ruin their surprise I went in and waited. A few minutes after the bell rang my students came pouring in. With them they brought a little cake and some flowers while singing Happy Birthday! Of course I had taken my camera with me, thinking I would get them to at least sing Happy Birthday to me, so I was prepared. We had class speeches and then we talked for a little and I let them go early.

After class, Brittany and I, took Eyal and Alon (2 of our 3 new Israeli friends we made in Beijing) to the market. They decided to make a special birthday lunch for me and everyone to share! While in town getting supplies we also stopped at a coffee shop for a "break"! Gotta get my coffee!!

When we retured to my apartment the guys started cooking while I set the table and "stay(ed) out of the kitchen!" During this time I had many students call and drop by to wish me a happy birthday! Martin stopped by and gave me a scroll to hang on the wall with the words - Faith Hope and Love written in Chinese on it (like I always wanted) from 1 Corinthians 13:13. I had talked about those words with him and he remembered! Melody came by and gave me a dart board (thinking it was a frisbee) and a bag of dried pineapple. The night before Alcina and Sunshine brought me a scarf. My fellow foreign teachers gave me a soccer ball and the Dept of Foreign Affairs gave me a cake!

We ate a delicious lunch and then went to the music building to use a piano. Eyal and Alon played piano, guitar, and sang for us (Brittany, Jessi, and me)!! It was fun!! After a while I went home to meet another friend of ours from town, Sara!! We talked for a little. Everyone returned to my place after a little while and we just hung out. We chatted and relaxed. Apple and her cousin came over to tell me about my chinese animal - the dog! Apple also gave a me a watch (my watch broke so I had been taking my alarm clock to class!)!! At 6:40 my students dedicated a song to me on the school broadcast system! At about 7ish we (Me, Rusty, Brittany, Jessi, Eyal, Alon, Sara, and Melody) went into town in 4 Mamus to a restaurant that serves pizza!! We sat around for hours eating pizza and french fries with great conversations on the side!! On the way to the restaurant 2 more students, Doris and Jady, had been carrying gifts for me everywhere. They gave me art and a handmade wallet from "paper".

After dinner Sara and Melody headed home while the rest of us went for some dancing in town at SoHo! We had never been so we went for a new experience! On our walk home we were all so hyper, we even tried to act like trees!! - Guess you had to have been there!! When we returned home we sang Happy Birthday, cut the cake, drank hot chocolate, watched Friends DVDs , and I had a phone call from Beth!!

It was a great Birthday for being in China with new friends!!