thoughts on china.

We'll be walking around the park, or on the bus, and a student from my group will say, "Guys, we're in China." And sometimes I'll think, "Woah, you're right. I AM in China. That's pretty crazy." Because anywhere you go in this world you can still get into a routine. The newness wears off and you find yourself tracing the same paths to work, school, the store, etc. Even half way around the world, in an oh-so-incredibly-hot-and-humid place, where coach roaches are your house buddies and women do tai chi on the streets early in the morning, you become accustomed to it. But I like when someone or something points out the fact that, "Hey! You're living somewhere in the world. You're doing cool stuff. You're alive!" Because it makes me appreciate life so much more. 

I never thought I'd go to China. But being here, it's like I was always going to come. I try to take it all in. The noises of honking scooters, nighttime frogs, and drizzling rain. The sight of a lone man meditating near the lake's edge. The bombardment of a hundred different smells at the wet market: fresh watermelon, green vegetables I've never seen before, and dangling chicken feet.

Here, I see the very old and the very young together. A grandfather holding the hands of a toddler. A sharp juxtaposition of age. Children here are raised by an average of three adults: their parents and a grandparent. And families are small, often with just one or two siblings. But they are close. They care for each other. 

Teaching has been an incredible experience so far. I teach 2 classes of 6th graders. Their English is very good. The little relationships we form make me smile. There's an innocence about these kids that is so refreshing. They always say hello when they enter the classroom and goodbye when they leave. They stand up when giving an answer. They are excited to learn. They are hilarious. They have the best names: Middle, Jaguar, KK, Yoyo, Cherry, Happy, Kitty, Yuki, and Electra, to name a few. Happy is obsessed with the game rock, paper, scissors. I didn't even know that was a thing. Every day she comes up to me and says, "Hi, Searle." And then she motions for a game of rock, paper, scissors. I always say, "Best out of 3." She usually wins. 

Being a teacher is both terrifying and amazing. I love it. You're constantly learning. Sometimes you feel very confident and the next minute the kids are bouncing off the walls or a lesson flops and you wonder what the heck you're doing. But you learn the most from the challenging moments. And all it takes is one smile or thank you from a student that day and it's all worth it all over again.

On Friday I took a picture with both my classes. Pictures are my favorite souvenirs from a place. I didn't realize taking a picture could cause such chaos. The teacher, Ms. Dean, was trying to get the students to line up tallest to shortest, which immediately led to all the girls laughing because they were taller than the boys. And then we had to move the tables back so they wouldn't be in the picture. Which meant three children who were too slow to get up were suddenly pinned between the table and the wall. And all the students were laughing and Ms. Dean was yelling at them to "Knock it off!" and I was trying not to let her see me laugh. Kid humor. It's the greatest.

Almost half way through my time here in China, I can already see the impact it's having on me. China reminds me to be myself, to be ok with sweating, to not worry so much about what others think. It reminds me to bike more, and enjoy getting caught in the rain more. It reminds me to eat what I'm given with a smile, even if it's a pile of pig tails. (Ok, actually I didn't eat that.) China reminds me of a lot of the important lessons I've learned in life, but that I've forgotten or taken for granted. 

I am grateful for the opportunities I have had in my life to visit different parts of the world and interact with so many good people. I am reminded of a thought by Gordon B. Hinckley.

"People are the same everywhere really. There isn't a place I've been across this broad world that I have not met people whom I love. It doesn't matter the slant of their eyes, the color of their skin, or anything of that kind; what matters is the kindness of their hearts."

tonight in china.

Tonight we walked to the corner market to buy a snack. It was dark, but the park was lit by dim street lights and the moon. A group of older men and women were doing some form of tai chi, chanting to each other in the dark. Families walked down the long path; their children biking ahead, peddling furiously. Older couples walked slowly, holding hands. Wind blew through the trees. The humidity soaked into my skin. Frogs belted out the song of the night.

wait time.

Walking home from school this week on a particularly misty day. 

At school, 

I have learned to give my students adequate wait time. I ask a question, and then wait at least 3-5 seconds for an answer. Those few seconds sometimes seem like a really long time. But they are crucial moments of silence that help the students process and really think about the answer. I love seeing a child think. It's incredible how capable they are at solving problems. The teacher just needs some patience, and the child needs some time. 

At home,

the wait time for my family is almost over, because Peter gets home from his mission THIS WEEK. I can't believe his 2 years are almost up! I'm so excited for my family to pick him up at the airport. Homecomings make the waiting ok. 

“Patience is power.

Patience is not an absence of action;
rather it is "timing"
it waits on the right time to act,
for the right principles
and in the right way.” 
-Fulton J. Sheen

stuff your eyes with wonder.

One of my favorite things: When a normal day leads to an unplanned, crazy adventure.

Yesterday, we went to a ward party in Guangzhou. It was a 30 minute taxi ride to get into the city. We had subway sandwiches, met some of the ward members, and were planning on swimming. Then, one of those huge monsoons I've been talking about came out of nowhere. The little kids ran outside to a garden walkway in their swimsuits and ran around. They were basically swimming. The rain was coming down so fast and there was at least 1/2 a foot of water along the pathway.

Alyssa, Bekstrand, Amber, and I decided to explore the city. First that meant finding the metro. It turned out to be a couple blocks away. We had umbrellas, but they didn't help much! It was still raining like crazy. We ended up wading across 2 very big streets. I say wading because there was over a foot of water in the streets. Apparently crosswalks are casually observed here...you just have to cross when there's a break in traffic and hope you make it! We were waiting at the first street and the cars would zip by, splashing water into the air and sending waves of water towards us. Finally we made a dash for it. About half way across the road I turned back and saw Bekstrand trying to save her flip flop which was floating away. A big bus was heading right towards her. It was an intense moment. Luckily she got the flip flop in time and we made it across safely. Just a little wet. We were all laughing. I think it was a pretty exhilarating moment.

We finally made it to the subway and rode several stops. I've never been pushed on a subway with so many people. When we got off, we were literally herded to this escalator to exit. You did not have a choice if you wanted to go that way or not. You just had to follow the crowd. I was pushed to the far side of the escalator and right when I stepped on my pinkie toe got jammed into the side of the escalator. I prayed that it didn't break skin, but when I looked down, my toe was bleeding. I thought I'd be fine, but with the combination of all those people, the humidity, and my hurt foot, suddenly I felt very faint. Luckily there was a place to pull over at the next level. I just sat down on the nasty subway floor and drank some water. Also, being raised with boy scouts, I was prepared with sanitary wipes and some tissue. So I made a makeshift bandage. Hahaha it was such a crazy moment.

We finally made it out. And guess what? Magnum was doing some promotional thing where you could make your own Magnum Bar for free. So naturally we waited in line for our Magnum bar. The ice cream, coupled with making it out of the subway alive, made me one happy camper.

The rest of the day we walked through the streets of Guangzhou and also through this crazy huge mall that included an ice skating rink, aquarium, movie theatre, and game place. And so many people. You know that U2 song where it talks about how after it rains all the colors come out? That really is true. And after the rainstorm finally ended, Guangzhou was stunning.

Here's my custom made Magnum bar. Vanilla dipped in dark chocolate covered with white chocolate, chocolate cookies, almonds, and peppermint. :) Also, you can see my injured toe. Had to document that. 

Welcome to a free ice cream store where they do it your way. Just don't go crazy. 

Here's part of the super huge mall. 

Walking the streets after the rainstorm.

Til next time, Guangzhou.

there's a lizard in our apartment.

Life in China goes on much like life back home. People hop on and off the bus. Grandmas walk their grandchildren slowly through the park. Cars race to and fro. Cafeteria food is slopped onto lunch trays. Students laugh in class. 

Sometimes I forget I'm living in China. But then I hear my students chattering in Chinese, or I run from the bus to our apartment in the middle of a freaking monsoon and within 10 seconds I'm completely drenched, or I wake up and find a lizard on our kitchen wall. And I remind myself, this is China.

Traveling to and living in another country is a wonderful thing. You leave the familiar in search of new experiences and adventures. You accept a little discomfort, and in return, you make some of the best memories of your life. 

Yesterday, I was on the bus back home when the rain started. At first, it was just a drizzle. Then, a normal rainstorm. Then, a torrential downpour. Then, a monsoon. The progression happened over the space of a few blocks. I looked out the window and watched all the people zipping around on their scooters, mopeds, and bikes. Sooo many people ride scooters here in China. All the people on scooters were wearing rain ponchos. Not those flimsy little ones you pack in an emergency kit. We're talking flow blown head-to-toe ponchos, the ones where you can hardly see the persons face. It looked like a fleet of death eaters were zooming through the streets. 

After the rain, because it never lasts too long, I went for a run around the park. Even though it was darker outside, I was sweating in no time. How neat is that?! There's a path around our lake that I went along. 1 mile once around. The second time around I passed a family of frogs jumping across the path. I thought they were just some leaves until one of them started moving! 

Teaching gets better each day. I love my 2 classes. The kids have great names. Some of my favorites are Jaguar, Buffet, Candy, Elektra, YoYo, and Cherry. Mom, I'm thinking of naming my first born one of those. I'm already teaching at least half of the day. It's pretty intense how fast it's going. But I'm learning a lot! Teaching is great fun. Hard work, but so rewarding. I love hearing the students go "ahhhhhh!" when they get something. 

After school today one of the teachers took us to Sam's Club. Who knew they'd have one in China?! Not exactly the same as the ones in the states, but pretty similar. The best part were all the free samples. :) 

Life is good here in China.

a weekend in hong kong.

Ni hao from China! I've officially been here 1 week. I think the jet lag is finally wearing off. :)

I live in the city of Guangzhou. That's in the south of China, 2 hours out of Hong Kong. Speaking of Hong Kong, over the weekend we took the 2 hour ferry ride and spent a couple days there. It was awesome!

I made a little video of our adventures. Some of my favorite moments were taking a cable car to Victoria's Peak and looking out over the city, visiting the Hong Kong temple, wandering through street markets, eating fries at a McDonalds (yes, I already miss American food), walking along the ocean, and running into Bekstrand as we both tried escaping a very strange art exhibit. It was a wonderful weekend.

in 3 years time.

When it comes to people, have g r e a t  e x p e c t a t i o n s. 
It will be good for your soul, and it may touch theirs. 

I read this little phrase from a book several years back and wrote it down because it struck me as being important. This week I noticed it pinned up on the bulletin board in my room, amidst random little notes, running bibs, dove chocolate wrappers, paintings from around the world, and too many pictures to count. A collage of memories of my life. That quote reminded me that I have exciting hopes and dreams for my life, and I try to see and cheer for the hopes and dreams of others. It makes life more beautiful.

In 3 years time a lot can happen. Like never writing on this blog. :) I've decided to start writing again...that is, if I have access to my blog in China. P.S. I'm student teaching this summer in China! I downloaded an app to help me learn some Mandarin, and so far they've taught me this: wo shì nü rén. Translation: I am a woman. Not quite sure how much that will help me while in China. Also, I'm really glad I got to learn French on my mission. Huge blessing right there.

Anyway, here's to a summer full of new adventures!

Stuff your eyes with wonder, 

live as if you’d drop dead in ten seconds. 

See the world. 

It’s more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories.

– Ray Bradbury