NO MORE COMPUTER

I have no more laptop. My computer has decided not to work anymore leaving me feeling cut off from the world. A few days ago the screen started to randomly go black. I emailed Glenn about it a little too late. This morning the screen went black and I restarted only this time it would not restart. I used Jessi's computer to call Glenn to see if he had any solutions. There was nothing to do but call tech support. I call using Jessi's computer and they said I had three options after we tried some possible "solutions".
1-Take it to an authorized HP dealer in China and pay for the repairs.
2-Mail it to a family memeber to send in to HP in the states.
3-They extend my warranty only to correct this problem and I send it in when I get home to America.
1-I have little money and time to travel to take my computer to Beijing, Shanghai, or HongKong. As well as the time I would need to reschedule more classes which I cannot do after my dental disasters"
2-There is no way I am putting my valuable computer in the mail in China to the states. Not gonna happen.
3-I am without my laptop until they fix it when I come back, but I don't have to pay (I hope).

SO choice number 3 has been my decision. I will try to get the school's "Chinese" computer in my apartment up and running. Until then my time online will probably be sporatic and rare. Not only does this take away some entertainment and communication, but also my access to photos, vidoes, and other documents I have on my computer including lesson plans and grades.
This is turning out to be a sad day. Frustration has begun to set in, though I am trying my best to not let it get me. :(
I am ready to come home.

EARTHQUAKE!!

This morning there was an earthquake in Chengdu of the Sichuan Province. It measured 7.8 on the Richter Scale and was felt all over China, including many islands on the coast like Taiwan, and as far as Hanoi, Vietnam and Bangkok, Thailand. Even buildings in Beijing shook. It was felt here in DJK. We are approximately 494 miles (~8hours) from the earthquakes epicenter. I personally don't recall feeling much out of the ordinary, but Jessi does. I claim being on the ground floor I did not feel anything shake but on the third floor she felt the building sway.
Over 8,500 people have been killed, 10,000 injured, and another 900 trapped in a collapsed Middle School and still more trapped under 4 other collapsed schools (as of midnight Monday here). 80 % of all buildings in Beichuan county of Sichuan province have collapsed. Pray for the people of Chengdu and their families.
We are fine here in DJK. No building collapses or injuries due to the earthquake.
Just wanted to let you know so none of you would worry if you heard!
Also if you have heard keep in prayers the hand, foot, and mouth disease is in China and has killed a minimum of 33 people. A handful of those deaths have been in our province.
I promise to stay as safe as i can!
Much love always!!
><>+<><

Blessed Beyond Measure!

I have now returned from my final weekend in Wuhan. (The next time I go will be to catch a plane back to the states!) This thought crossed my mind as I drove by the airport exit in the highway: 'Next time I come to Wuhan I will be taking this exit!'
I have seen the dentist and done a little shopping!
I am in the clear! I asked the dentist about the crown, what it is made of. Rachel had informed me that lead has been used in some and it causes multiple health problems. My wonderfully kind-hearted dentist LiZhiYong (Timothy), eased my mind when he said it was not made of lead but a mixture of gold and palladium!! YAY!!! What a relief! HE has answered my request and those on my behalf!
My teeth are doing well so far! Hopefully they will make it until I get back to NC.
While in the big metropolis of Wuhan I also did a bit of shopping, food shopping of course! I grabbed a few things we can't get here in DJK. Things like: cereal (corn flakes), butter (cheaper in the big city), peanut butter (real PB), ham (lunch meat for sandwiches), and spaghetti noodles.
That's all for now!
Though having written emails to a few people who have asked when Iam coming home, I have realized something. I have only 7 WEEKENDS left in CHINA!! It is almost unbelieveable that July is almost here! 2 of those weekends have already been planned! This is crazy!! Time is flying!

LOVIN' LIFE!!

My day has been one of the incredible ones so far today!! I only see it getting better!!

I am in Wuhan for medical reasons (aka dental).

I awoke this morning with the sun shining in the bedroom of Leah's apartment. It was 6:30 and I still had another hour and a half before having to get up. So I pulled the blanket over my head and fell back asleep. I got up and dressed, having showered the night before. I called Matt and Caitlin so I could go for a short visit and see their new baby! I held the baby (YAY!!) and met Caitlin's parents who are finishing their 2 week visit to China. We all sat and talked for a little while and they gave a me a cup of freshly brewed coffee (I am a sucker for coffee - especially brewed coffee, not instant!)

When I got back to Leah's, she, Wade, and I got a taxi to the "fabric street". I had to pick up the dress I had made the last time I visited! I got the dress (though it needs a few small things done, which I am sure my mother will help me with that I could not translate to them), but it looks nice!! I went to a Christian bookstore near the Three-Self Church and bought a few things. I tried to go to another one and buy a few "Good Books" but it was closed for lunch! It is a good thing I bought a box last time!! When I finished there I got on bus 521 with the mob of people and rode it back to this side of town. I got off the bus in front of my favorite place here... STARBUCKS!!! I am sitting outside with my computer and a Venti Raspberry Mocha Frappuchino!!! I AM LOVIN' LIFE!!! Though the building is blocking the sun, it is a gorgeous day outside. I have a good book next to me and it is incredible!! It is quite obvious this is an American "establishment". One, I have seen no fewer than 9 Americans go into Starbucks and emerge with a beverage of some kind in the past hour. Two, it is clean, inside and out. Three, and probably one of the more important reasons, there is a western toilet inside!! It is an amazing feeling. There is some jazz music on the speakers much like in the states. If I close my eyes, block out the chinese I hear, the traffic from the all too close busy street, and the smeel of Chinese food, I could be in America!! Crazy I know!!! :) Of course my eyes closed is a necessity because if they are open I would see this table of 4 that are currently staring at me as I type!

The rest of my day seems like it will be just more icing on the cake! In a few minutes I will walk to the dental hospital and get the "permanent" crown put on my tooth. Hopefully this will be the last dental work I have done in China. Now the reason for saying "permanent" is because my sister Rachel has through my mother told me that there have been some problems with things like this from China because they contain lead which leads to serious problems. I know the tooth I am getting has a metal base and porcelin on top. I am not sure if it is lead though. I will ask but I am not certain he will understand or know. We shall see. It will at least (I hope) be ok until I come home! I am happy to report there have been no more broken teeth in the past two weeks!!

After that I will return to to Leah's and drop off all my stuff. In the evening I will go meet my wonderful Indian American (family from India, raised in FL) friend, Ronnie, at DQ. YES, that is Dariy Queen!! It should be a swell end to my already wonderful day!!

Hope your day is as awesome as mine is!!

I'm not FAT I'm just FLUFFY!!! :)

This is what a poster read that we (my sisters and I) gave my dad when we were little. On it is a picture of a teddy bear with sweatbands on running (on the beach I believe)! I always remember that.
I just thought that was a good segue into what happened on Wednesday evening!
At 7:30 we have (the dreaded) English Corner. English Corner is 1+1/2 hours every Wednesday night for the freshman to come and practice English by speaking with us native speakers. (Though I am not sure I am doing them any good, I feel like my English speaking skills, just aren't what they were. We all have noticed our speech has changed a bit. I just hope it easily changes back when I return or nobody in the US will understand me!!) Anyway... I also say dreaded because it is uneventful, boring, and makes me wish I was sitting in a lecture (even a Chinese lecture!) Have you ever had or tried to have a conversation with someone where you felt you had to "carry" the conversation because they just weren't speaking, so it was a little awkward and quiet awkward? This is EVERY week for us!!
When we walk into the canteen (cafeteria) they begin to pull us apart to sit at separate tables. They then proceed to ask a million questions. Generally they are repeated over and over...

Do you like Chinese food?
Can you use chopsticks?
Have you acclimated to China?
Is it colder/hotter in China than your home?
Have you been to (the name of their obscure small hometown)? Why not? It's beautiful.
Where have you been in China?
What did you do for the (name of holiday)?
The Olympics will be in Beijing this year. Will you go? Why not?
What do you think of China?
Can you cook Chinese food?
You go to town alone? How can you do that? How do you buy things? (when shopping alone)
What is the difference between teaching in America and China?
and of course two of my favorite "questions"...
Where are you from?
Can you show us some customs of America? (Right then in English Corner?! Hmmmm...)

WHO IS TEACHING THEM???
Anyway back to the story so talking this past Wednesday was actually pretty good. I only had one "here's your sign question", the first on the above list. The rest of the conversations were pretty good!! I find a good way to pass the time is to be ECCENTRIC or OVERLY ENTHUSIASTIC about EVERYTHING.
During conversation, one of the girls turns to me and says "You should lose weight." Just like that with a smile on her face. You should have seen the faces of some students and Jessi sitting next to me! It was rather interesting. It is not the first time that has happened in China. I have learned not to take offense at that. I went on to explain with a smile that I am happy as me and I don't need to change my appearance to make others happy. She asked why and I said I had no reason to do that and that my friends and family love me for me and not for my body. I told all of them people will love them for who they are not what they look like.
This is a common statement in China. It is not considered rude or anything. It is like saying "It is sunny outside."
I told my friend Classia and she had the best reaction!! She said who is the girl I will go take care of her. Classia told me though it is common for Chinese to do that, they know (especially if they learn English) not to say that to foreigners. It was quite entertaining. It made me think of the poster and smile!
Just one of many experiences!! As I have said a million times before, there are some things I will miss dearly and some, yeah, I won't miss at all!! :)

BLOCKED AGAIN!

Well it was really nice to read all of your blogs while it lasted. However, blog pages are currently blocked, yet again!
Here's to hoping they will unblock again soon. They seem to be opening websites because of the impending Olympics. Something about trying to prove they are a "free" country! LOL :) Interesting, like an oxymoron in a way!
Ah well back to grading mid-terms!!

Mini CRAZY Shorts (Stories that is!)

Double Takes

We finished picking strawberries a few weeks ago and ate lunch at a nearby restaurant on the edge of town (DJK - Danjiangkou). As we (Jessi and I) were waiting for bus #2 with our Waiban, Robert, and a student a truck was coming towards us. It drove past us a few feet, stopped, and backed up. I said to Jessi they must have missed the turn onto the dirt path we had just come from (where the restaurant is). NOPE! She was right, they backed up just to stop and stare at the two foreign blonds!! After sitting there staring at us for a minute or two they continued on there way. Just something else to remind us we CAN'T BLEND IN!! :)

MINI OLYMPICS?!

Our school has a Sport's Meeting annually for which classes are cancelled for 3 days! During this time the students and some faculty compete against other departments (Science, PE (not allowed to compete), English, Chinese, and Math). I do not teach freshman so I was not asked to participate much. I was fine with that! However the last day we went to watch Rusty do shot-put and they asked me to do Tug-O-War. 16 on 16 for each department (8 women and 8 men). Rusty was one of the men and they asked me to be one of the women. Why, you ask, well I am about the size of 2 Chinese women! Women are generally very dainty and not very strong. I'll leave it at that! We won against the Chinese department which was a big deal! YAY!

A Bug's Life
...is very short in my apartment!! A few weeks ago I went to the market to buy groceries and returned to find swarming termites all over my bathroom and kitchen. Luckily I had closed the kitchen door. But this did prompt the entire scrub down of my kitchen. At first they did not believe me but I finally convinced them so they came and sprayed pesticide. It helped but did not solve the problem. Then I found them crawling out of the wall, in mass numbers, in the room where my "front door" is. They came again, drilled holes, more pesticide, took the ceiling out of the bathroom for more as well, and then put putty in all the holes. This seemed to take care of it, until... this weekend when they started creating new holes and coming through more cracks! Woo Hoo!! I have also found millipedes, worms, roly polies, stink bugs, and fruit flies! Needless to say I am almost on my fourth can of RAID!! the fun things tend to go for a swim in my toilet after enjoying a nice "raid" shower!!

Unchartered Territory

We found a new market in town. They were NOT used to seeing foreigners! Boy do I love to be stared at and followed while I shop. I am not sure what I will do when I come home and have to shop without being the center of attention and with no one following me.

Sunny Sunshine

The weather here has made a drastic turn. Have I told you that spring here lasts for about one week. Two if you're lucky! All week long it has been in the 90's. The sun has been shining with a pretty clear sky (at least clear for China)! Jessi and I have found that we can go use the roof access on Rusty and Brittany's building where we have found a corner that is generally hidden from just about everyone. We like to go out in the sun and read, at least those are our intentions! Usually we just end up talking of course, as girls do! It's nice to enjoy the sunshine and not feel like we are on display... it's also great for a tan too!! We all are already feeling the heat of Chinese summers!! Be thankful in the states that just about everything has AC, here it is a rarity, but my apt is using it!! Confused about one thing - why are they still wearing jackets and layers?!?

Knuckle-sandwich - I WISH!!!

The thing I worried most about coming over here was... my teeth! I know it sounds odd but I always have problems. I have BAD teeth! This has definitely given me some interesting experiences here in China. Some I wish I didn't have to experience but am nonetheless and trying to make the best of it. If you have been reading then you know I already had one broekn tooth with a not so great experience with a dentist here in DJK. Well about 2 weeks ago I was eating a piece of dried banana (I love dried fruit - a good healthy snack!) and half of one of my teeth broke. I did not feel pain but of course was thinking this is not what I need. So I got in touch with friends that know dentists in our capital of Hubei province, Wuhan. I had 5 of my classes cancelled and left last Wednesday for Wuhan, stayed with some friends, and saw a dentist that surprised me with how well he spoke English. Thursday he analyzed my tooth, took, xrays, and they began working on it. I asked for novacaine, which they gave... and it WORKED!! I did not feel a thing as they drilled. They put medicine on it, basically a root canal. Thursday night I was brushing my teeth and yet a third tooth broke. Just my luck! So Friday I went back and within 15 minutes of sitting in the chair he had it filled! Saturday, Timothy put the posts in my other tooth and fit me for a crown. I go back next weekend (10th) for him to put the crown on. The good thing is dental work is cheaper in China. My filling was only $10! However, my sister Rachel has informed me, that crowns originating in China have high lead content which is causing problems in patients now. So I will have to ask about this when I go back. Please be thinking about this for me!! It's the last thing I need now!!

(TOUCHING THE YANTZE RIVER!!)

$5 or LESS!

Since I was in Wuhan for 5 days, when I returned there was no food other than a potato and an apple in my apartment. I went to my lady at the market. I will miss her smile dearly when I leave China! I visit her stand first for all the food I need to buy. I had Melody with me one day when I saw her and Melody translated that she thinks of me like her daughter. Her daughter is away from home at school, like me in a sense. She knows that her daughter misses home like I do as well. She said she likes to think someone is taking care of her daughter and so she would do the same with me, her foreign daughter! Not only do I enjoy her smiles but she gives me good prices! After I pick what I need/want to buy, she adds extra stuff; a handful or two of garlic, 2-3 bunches of cabbage, a melon, or other random stuff. It's great!!

In the following picture everything on my counter cost me a little less than $5!!!

Darkness Sheds New Light
Jessi, Melody, and I headed to town as the sun was going down. We walked there and arrived soon after it set! Since it was May holiday with no school the next day we wanted to check out the town square action! There is almost always something going on!! We had a great time shopping a little and walking around. We noticed many more people staring at us because we are usually not out at night in town. (Our Waiban, the over-protective parent, wants us on campus by dark and not in town alone due to protests in China against the French. He thinks people may think we are French and attack us. Not true, besides we all know the phrase "Wo shi mei guo ren" = "I am American". We are fluent in that phrase!) Have no fear we are safe here in our city, not a protesting type city, unlike Wuhan. Needless to say we had a lot of fun walking around and watching people dance in the square!! The kids loved having their pictures taken!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well, 2 of us (Rusty and Jessi) have been talked to about English tutoring with the Good Book. Nothing was said flat out but things have been noticed. We are always noticed though!

Tonight is foreigner's movie night here in my apt. We like to get together every so often to hangout and be American!

Tomorrow (Sunday) we have to make up our Friday classes from the May holiday - aka: crazy Chinese holiday schedules!

2 MONTHS EXACTLY UNTIL I AM IN CALIFORNIA!!! YAY!!