Welcome to paradise

First thing I noticed when I stepped off the plane in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: 

OH MY WORD MY SKIN DOESN'T FEEL LIKE SANDPAPER!!! ITS HUMID!!!! PTL!!!!!

Second thing:

What's with all the women in burkas? 

Third thing:

I can flush toilet paper down the toilet? WHERE AM I? AMERICA?!!

My first day in Malaysia, I spent most of it in the airport waiting on my friend Malaysia's flight to get in. Yes I was in Malaysia with my friend Malaysia. TOTALLY AWESOME RIGHT?!!!! Anyway we got to the hostel at 12:30 am so we pretty much just crashed for the night. 

Me and my friend Malaysia in Malaysia.

But the next day was amazing. I fell in love with Malaysia (the country, not my friend. Although I do love her too). According to a guy at the hostel, Malaysia "is the best country in the world." (Read that with an Indian accent and you got the feel for it)

I am inclined to agree with him. 

Granted I only spent 6 days there, but I fell in love. The Malaysian people are some of the sweetest, gentlest people I have ever met-they go out of their way to help you and make sure you feel welcome. One thing I loved about this country was the diversity. People from all backgrounds and walks of life live there-it's amazing. 

Our second day there we went to the Bird Park, which is the largest free-flight aviary in the world. We saw lots of birds. Go figure. 

After the bird park we walked around the city a little bit. It's a beautiful blend of old and modern architecture, which I love. 

Hailey and I also got to go into the National Mosque. I'd never been in a mosque before, so it was a very new experience for me. They made us put on these heavy, purple robes. I kind of felt like I should be walking in Rivendell or Lothlorien wearing that robe. (That's right I totally just made a Lord of the Rings reference in my blog ... I like to embrace my nerdiness)

Oh yeah and look at what we found in a mall:

KRISPY KREME!!!!! SAY WHAT?!!!!

Let's just say all four of us about had a heart attack when we saw the Krispy Kreme sign. And of course we got major blockage in our arteries after our consumption of the most amazing donuts in the universe. But hey, as my little sister constantly tells me "YOLO!!!!!" Guess which sister that is ...

After our trip to KRISPY KREME, we went up the famous Petronas twin towers. These are the tallest twin towers in the world. 

First we went up into the skybridge, which is on the 41st floor. The views were pretty sweet. 

Me and my travel buddy Joy.

Me and Malaysia

Me and my teammate Hailey. We're kind of a mess ...

After our tour of the skybridge, we went up to the 85th floor, 370 meters above street level. The views were absolutely stunning. Malaysia is a beautiful country. 

There was a peace I felt in Malaysia that I've never felt anywhere else in the world. It was a very restorative trip, filled with lots of laughter, humidity, good conversations, and time spent with Father. 

I'm continually amazed at how Father uses different things in my life to slow me down ... I usually rush through things so fast I don't see what's around me. But I can't do that  in Asia. The pace of life here forces me to slow down and take everything in. That's what I loved about Malaysia most, I think. Father used this beautiful place of slow me down and make me rest. 

So to wrap up this post on the paradise of Malaysia, I'll end with a truth Father has been continually laying on my heart during this trip: "Be still and know that I am Father." Ps. 46:10

Kids say the darnedest things

So you know how kids say the first thing that pops into their heads and usually it's hilarious and/or completely inappropriate?

Chinese first-graders are beasts at this.

Examples:

1) day one of teaching: "teacher, you are very white."

Thanks kid for pointing out my ridiculously pale skin.

2) kid mispronouncing short ... I'll leave it at that.

3) Gavin running up and down the hall screaming "Oh my god! Oh my god!" 

I swear I didn't teach him that.

4) Dustin after exercise time: "Meesa Lindsay, next class we have is matches."

Me: "What?"

Dustin: "Next class we have is matches."

Me: "What?"

Dustin: *rolls his eyes* "Next class we have is matches."

Me: "math?

Dustin: "Matches."

Yeah I got no clue on that one either. So my genius kid doesn't have perfect English. Eh, he's still a genius.

5) 36 kids singing, "Happy Birseday to you!!!! Happy Birseday to you!!!!! Happy Birseday to yoooooouuuu!!! Happy Birseday to you!!!"

6) 36 kids singing "We wish you a merry Christmas! We wish you a merry Christmas! We wish you a merry Christmas! And a Happy New You!"

Don't ask.

7) After the class in which I gave the kids Christmas cookies, Dustin comes up to me "Meesa lindsay, your food is very good."

Quickest way to an Chinese first graders heart it through his stomache.

8) Zoe: "Meesa Lindsay, you are very tall."

Me:  "Say what?"

9) All 36 kids "hamburger, hamburger, hanbaobao!" (Pronounced hanbowbow)

I make them do this chant just for kicks because it's freakin hilarious. 

10) I asked the kids where the were going for Spring Festival/winter holiday. I got lots of answers, and one kid said he was going to America. This went down:

Kid A: "Mei guo." (America in Chinese)

Kid B: something in Chinese

-whole class and my coteacher bust out laughing.

Me: *totally confused* "Monica, what did he say?"

Monica:*trying hard to keep from dying* "he said his mother said that all Americans are fat."

Me *nearly fell over laughing*

Monica: (at the kid in Chinese) "but Meesa Lindsay is American and she isn't fat!"

Apparently I am breaking the Chinese stereotype of tall, fat blonde, blue eyed Americans. Go me!!

11) again when I was asking the kids where they were going, one kid told me he was going to visit his brother. I was like "that's cool." 

Then after class, he came up to me and starting chatting animatedly in Chinese. What I got was the his brother is 20 years old. He then asked me how old I was. I told hi. I was 22. He then got this huge grin on his face and started talking excitedly ... I'm a wee bit worried he's trying to set me up with his brother. 

Hope you enjoyed these little random things my kids sat. It's been a joy and a blessing to be with my babies, and I'm missing them terribly while I'm on vacation. On my last day of th semester they freaked to until I told them I would be back next term. They quickly calmed down-but it made me think of how I will have to say goodbye to them in 5.5 months. Don't know exactly how I'm gonna do that ... But it has to happen. 

WE'RE HALFWAY THERE

WOAH! LIVIN' ON A PRAYER!!!!!!!

Phew sorry, couldn't resist

Now there's just something I have to say. 

I AM HALFWAY THROUGH MY TIME IN CHINA!!!!!!!

SAY WHAT???!!!

I'M HALFWAY THROUGH MY YEAR IN CHINA!!!!!

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!!!!!

Crazy right? Hard to believe just 5.5 months ago I landed in Beijing. 

I can't really remember a time when I didn't live in China. It just feels so much like home. Granted I haven't gone completely native yet. I still can't speak Chinese, I don't understand why the babies wear split pants in the dead of winter, why hot water is the cure for every disease, why my babies wear at least five layers of clothing inside, why people spit everywhere, why people refuse to drive in lanes, why people wear so many colors and patterns that I will get a seizure if I look at you, or how it's possible to produce so much smog that people have to use their GPS to find their way home. 

But I love China. Father knew what He was doing when He brought China in my path. He knew I needed China.

He knew I needed China to break down my walls, heal my wounds, open my eyes, soften my heart, silence my tongue, teach me to trust, show me grace, fill me with mercy, learn to love, and bring me to my knees.

I am not the same person I was when I landed in China 174 days ago. And I expect that when I land in the USA in 154 days I will not be the same person I am now. Father still has many China lessons to teach me.

As I reflect back over my semester in China, I can't help but get emotional. All the MOMENTS that happened this semester. It's been an amazing ride, and it isn't over yet. 

I can't recount everything that happened this past semester to you using words-I'd have to write a book about the size of Les Miserables in order to get half of it down. So I'll just show you some of the highlights in pictures 

Never take a moment for granted. Cherish every minute with those you love for it's a gift from the one who loves us more than we could ever imagine. 

Family

When I came to China, I thought it would never feel like home. I was certain that nothing could ever feel like sitting around the living room with my family, laughing and joking and telling stories.

I was so wrong.

I have a family here in China. I have a HUGE family here in China. And when I’m with my China family, it feels like I am home.

Let me introduce you to my China family:

Taiyuan teens: this is the youth group I volunteer at. It’s an English corner where highschoolers in Taiyuan come to practice their English. All these kids are like my little brothers and sisters. And there’s also the college students who volunteer at Taiyuan Teens too. 

Let me introduce you to some of them.

This is Nina. 

Me and my Nina

Nina is AMAZING! And funny, and smart, and full of energy. She is my adopted big sister. She helps run Taiyuan Teens—I love my Nina. She is destined to do big things. It’s so funny—she refuses to tell me her age until I go back to America. Several of us have a bet going as to how old she is. She has also repeatedly offered to help the girls on our team find Chinese boyfriends.

And these are my two adopted Chinese brothers: Jeff and Lee. 

Jeff, me, and Lee

Oh my gosh they are a MESS! But I love them for it. Jeff is in his last year of pre-med and is looking to become a doctor, so we talk about that. He told me if I want to come and visit the med school here in Taiyuan, he will be my guide. Lee is a computer engineer major (a.k.a. a genius). They are both very sweet and funny. And VERY competitive. We play games at Taiyuan Teens, and last meeting we played a game called Trainwreck where people had to run around and find their seat again and so on. Let's just say Lee and I practically tried to kill each other during the game. 

My favorite moment with them was at camp. We all brought different food to share, and I brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I gave them each one, and what did they do? Started using chopsticks to eat the PB&J!!! CHOPSTICKS!!!! I told them “THIS IS AMERICAN FOOD! YOU WILL EAT IT THE AMERICAN WAY! WITH YOUR HANDS!” They looked at me like I was crazy, but they put down the chopsticks.

And there’s my family here at SMBS:

Jenny (left) and Felicity (right)

Felicity: Felicity is our language tutor/awesome friend. She is another adopted Chinese sister. I’ve never met someone so sweet and sarcastic. She is a joy to be with and so encouraging. I feel bad for her though because her mother keeps setting her up on awful blind dates, so we laugh about those a lot. The other day, we were talking about how I will go on to be a doctor and she said, “I think you will make a very good doctor. Because you make people happy.” It about made me cry. 

My co-teachers: Mary, Monica, and Candy.

 

Me and Mary

Me and Monica

Me and Candy

Oh my gosh these three are quite the trio. They are so different but they work together well. I love them all for their different personalities and teaching styles. For Christmas, I gave them each perfume and a pretty hair accessory. I came back from our break to three presents from them. Monica gave me a wonderful, warm, cream-colored toboggan, Candy gave me a beautiful, yellow scarf; and Mary gave me a sparkly, pink, frilly scarf. I’ve never had anything so pink and frilly in my life, but I LOVE it! One of Monica’s classes won my Christmas competition, so they got a Christmas party as their reward. The kids all made Christmas cards and even Monica joined in. This is the Christmas card she made me. My favorite part is on the back of the card: 

Section 3 Grade 1 English teachers!! WE ARE AWESOME!

And of course you all know Dustin. 

I’ve decided he is another adopted little Chinese brother. I don’t know how I’m going to say goodbye to my little brother at the end of the year. His smile lights up my day, and he always says the sweetest things to me. Almost every day he tells me, “Meesa Lindsay, you are very beautiful today.” During exercise time my kids have to go and run in formation, so I go out and run with them in the freezing cold. Every time I run with Dustin’s class, he asks me, “Meesa Lindsay, are you cold?” To which I always reply, “Yes I am very cold.” When I ask him the same thing,  he smiles and says, “My ears are cold.” His class also won a Christmas party. And as the movie played and I passed out Christmas cookies, I came to give him his cookie. He grabbed my arm and pulled me down and said, “Meesa Lindsay, today I am very happy.” It took everything in me not to burst into tears right there. Later in the class, when we were trying in vain to take a group picture of the class, he grabbed my arm again and said, “Meesa Lindsay, I love you.” With tears in my eyes I hugged him and said, “I love you too, Dustin.” 

My Dustin with his Christmas card

And then there’s my friends out around Taiyuan.

Miki and Summer: 

Miki (left) and Summer (right). Aren't they adorable?!

These two are just adorable. They are in the same class, same major, and same dorm room in college. From what they tell me they are practically inseparable. I love hanging out with them because they are so precious and sweet. And boy I have never seen two girls eat so much. I went out to lunch with them, and they just kept eating … and eating … and eating … I’ve heard Chinese are the best at marathon eating, and now I believe it.

And then there’s my Jenny. 

Me and my Jenny. 

For those of you who don’t know, Jenny left SMBS. I don’t understand it, but she assured me it was just the Chinese way. Even though she is no longer my co-teacher, she is still my best friend here in China. Last week I got the opportunity to go and visit her in her hometown. She took me around her city and then out to the village where she lives. As we drove down the dirt road that led to the village, I had a sudden moment of realization, “This is REAL China.”

When I stepped out of the car in front of Jenny’s house, I was greeted instantly by her mother, one of her 16 cousins, and her grandmother. I was practically carried into the house, where her mother forced me onto the couch to sit and have a rest. Her mother, grandmother, and uncle all sat in the kitchen making dumplings because Jenny told them that dumplings were my favorite. Jenny told them I wanted to try to make dumplings, but they wouldn’t let me. I was the guest (a foreigner no less) who was supposed to just take a rest. Jenny did convince them to let me make one dumpling. So I sat down and got to make my one dumpling, and when I did, Jenny help it up proudly and said, “This is Lindsay’s dumpling!”

We sat around the table eating, and I was amazed at how at home I felt with her family. There was noise, laughter, joking, yelling—it felt like I was back with my family around the dinner table. They asked me lots of questions (with Jenny translating of course) about America.

After lunch, Jenny’s aunt showed up with her little 2-year old little boy. The poor kid was terrified of me, seeing as I was the first foreigner he’d ever seen. But after I gave him a chocolate chip cookie, he decided I was a decent enough person to allow into his presence. Her other grandmother and grandfather also came over to visit. And while I was there, all the workers on Jenny’s dad’s farm of course had to peak their heads in to see the very white, bundled up American. And of course we had to have the family photoshoot with the foreigner. 

Left to right: Jenny's mom, Jenny's cousin, Jenny's Dad, me, and Jenny's aunt

What I loved about my day with Jenny’s family was how normal it was, and how welcoming they were to me. Jenny’s mother told me she wanted me to feel at home in their house, that their home would always be open to me, and that they would be my family in China while I was so far away from mine. When Jenny told me this, I about burst into tears. 

So now you have met my Chinese family. I am so thankful to Father for providing these sweet people to love me and care for me. And I just hope that while I am here I can show Father's love to them.