Life in Asia

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2010-05-01T09:40:00.001+08:00

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Busy busy busy!!

2009-04-22T22:56:00.009+08:00

So - since my last post we had a youth conference, celebrated Easter (and I got to drink coffee again after 46 days w/o it!), I went out of town for "Po Shui Jie" (Water Splashing Festival), had a dance performance, and a 3 day volleyball tournament! Whew! I was trying to upload pics of all these but my internet has issues, so I've just put links to another site where I have pics up... Enjoy!

First was our youth conference, PERMEATE!! This was an awesome time with over a hundred students in attendance. I explained a lot in my newsletter, so if you didn't get that let me know and I can send it to you... Here's a couple pics and you can click below to see more...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034255&id=61800615&l=82c937cbdb

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034526&id=61800615&l=74bf05dfe3

After the conference was over I desperately needed a little R&R, so what better to do than go to the biggest water fight in the world? Every year the Dai minority group celebrates their new year (which is in April) by having a "water splashing festival." For 2 days they have various parades, performances, dragon boat races, etc, and then on the last day they literally have a huge water fight. It's a little insane and overwhelming, especially being one of the few foreigners there, but it was fun! Here a some pics from the various activities, sorry I don't have any of the water fight b/c literally if you walk outside with anything valuable it will get ruined.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034911&id=61800615&l=88798e8411

After returning from my trip, it was straight to rehearsals for the dance performance. The first half consisted of our normal selection of dances - some contemporary, hip-hop, etc, along w/ a new one - Fusion. This one was really fun as it was a combination of hip-hop and chinese fan dancing - extremely difficult but fun! After those we did an Easter song since it was right after Easter and we wanted to share the story. When trying to decide what song to use, we were thinking of all the songs we've seen performances to before and of course, what better song is there than Carman's "The Champion." So, I got the role of playing Gd and got to help choreograph for it! Of course there were minor mistakes, but for the most part it went well and hopefully people got something out of it.

Lastly, this past week-end we had a 3-day volleyball tournament with some of the Chinese schools in our city. This was an awesome experience for our students to get to meet other kids their age and to improve their volleyball skills. We lost all of our games, but they played hard, and it was the first time they'd really played, so I was quite proud of them! GO BEASTS!!

Here's a link to pics from the performance and the tournament:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2034912&id=61800615&l=56f270aaf1

Fan Dance

2009-03-26T23:05:00.002+08:00

So tonight I went to the "fusion" class at the dance studio. It was my first time to go because it's on Thursday nights and normally I have youth group, but this week is spring break so I was free. I was really excited about it because I've heard it's a really fun class. What is fusion you might ask? Basically - it's a mixture between a Chinese style of dance and a western style. It could be ballet and Dai minority together, or hip-hop and Wazu minority, any number of things. Well, tonight was a hip-hop / chinese fan dance. And what looked really cool and fun, ended up being incredibly difficult! Who knew that these girls who grew up using fans would have no problem flipping them open and closed so easily! Me on the other hand, being the only foreigner in the class, looked like a freak! I'm used to doing OK in dance classes simply because I've done it so long, but that was not the case tonight! I kept dropping the fan and throwing it across the room and couldn't get it open at the right time - it was a disaster! But it was fun, and now that's my new goal - to learn how to do this well. The teacher is my roommate (so convenient) so she said she'll help me at home =) So, if / when I do master it I shall try to post a video of it for you to see... I do have to say though that by the end of class I was starting to get the hang of it...

A Day in the Life...

2009-03-22T22:40:00.006+08:00

So, since buying a fancy new camera while in the States I've been itching to just walk around and take pictures of everyday scenes around my house. Well, today I finally had the time to do that, and thought I would share some of those pictures. The whole time I was wishing I could be invisible though b/c there were so many pictures I wanted to take but unfortunately not everyone likes being a model. They did however volunteer their kids for pictures... =) Anyway, enjoy the pics!

NYC Dance Studio Grand Opening!!

2009-03-05T22:08:00.005+08:00

So, my friends Liz and Chen Jia's dance studio opened this past Sunday and it was so exciting! It was awesome how all the doors were just opened perfectly for this, and it's such a blessing to be a part of it. We did several performances to give people a glimpse of what kind of classes will be offered, and just to get them excited about dancing! I really hope that someday I'll be able to be a more "active" member of the studio, but until then I'll thoroughly enjoy taking classes there! Hereare a few pics from the day.

It looks like we're looking in a mirror...

Chen Jia doing a solo Chinese Dance

Two of our hip-hop dances - fun fun!

What is true "praise?"

2009-02-21T16:21:00.004+08:00

Last night I asked my high school students "what is praise?" Here are some of their answers.

Worship. Prayer. Giving your heart to the Lord. Saying God is good even when life isn't. Thankfulness. Contentment. Seeing the beauty in things. Giving your “bad stuff” to God. Making a connection to God. Something you do every day, every minute. Lifestyle. Exaltation. Adoring. A compliment the person already knows, but you give it anyway. A compliment because of who or what makes them “them.” Your life and your actions. Encouragement. Love. A hug. Dancing. Running. Everything can be praise.

I just thought that was cool. And here's a quote from a book I've been reading: "What if we were so moved by who God is, what He's done, what He will do, that praise, adoration, and worship continuously careened in our heads and pounded in our souls?"

Praise and Service

2009-02-14T14:11:00.004+08:00

Praise

Ok, so last night was the first real youth group of the new semester and we decided to do an all praise night with jr. high and high school together. The students leading the night had been preparing for months - learning new songs, replacing music equipment, setting up new lights, and who knows what else. I was in the States for most of this, so I was just really excited to see how the night went. We've never done an all singing night, and while the night wasn't perfect, I think it was definitely the start of a tradition. One of my favorite moments of the evening was during a really upbeat song with everyone singing and in the middle of it all were two little 6th grade girls jumping up down and singing with all their might. They didn't care that they were surrounded by a bunch of non-jumping high schoolers or that they looked silly, they were just enjoying praising God! And it challenged me so much because how often am I more concerned with what others may think instead of just praising the Lord? And I thought about how much He must have loved that, the purity and innocence in their hearts.

Service

Over Christmas break a few people had the idea of collecting extra blankets and passing them out to people in need, so today we finally had a chance to do that and what a blessing it was! About 15 students met at the youth center at 10am this morning (it's Saturday mind you!) and headed off to an area where homeless people are generally at. We split up into 3 groups and spread out. I was on "team red-head" and we headed down the street looking like one big family. We quickly found one lady sitting on the street obviously in need but trying to sell a few pictures. We gave her a blanket and some bread to which she replied "xie xie, xie xie, xie xie! (thank you)" with a huge smile on her face. Feeling pretty excited, we kept walking to see who else God would bring our way. One student knew of a section of the street where people usually are, so we headed there. We found several people in a row doing whatever they could to earn money: an armless boy drawing with his toes, a handless man singing, and a blind man playing a traditional instrument. To each one we gave bread and a blanket and received huge smiles and words of gratitude in return. My favorite story of the day though was when we found a blind mom and her approximately one year old son. We knelt down and offered food and the blanket and the son immediately began to eat it and the mom just started crying and saying how thankful she was. So, did we tell each of them about our faith and beliefs? No. But were they impacted by the love of God anyway? Heck yeah!

Trying Again...

2009-02-12T14:16:00.003+08:00

Ok, so I obviously haven't posted anything in over a year. But, as I have just told many of my supporters, I really am going to try to be more committed to writing on here this year. So, we'll see how it goes...

For my first post of this year, I keep trying to think of fun stories to share, but I have too many... So, I guess I'll go with the first one I thought of. As most of you know, I just returned from a trip to the States, and while in the States I cut off about 15 inches of my hair. So of course it's a bit noticeable, and is definitely the first thing people have commented on when they've seen me. And most of them have been very nice and said they like it (and I think most of them actually do!) but there's always a few that are a little more honest. For example, my local friends said they liked it the first time they saw it when it was straight, but the next day I saw them and had it curly and they were like "What did you do to your hair?? What's wrong with it? Why did you mess it up?" and were literally pulling on it trying to straighten it out. And then they were so confused when I said I wanted it that way...

I think my favorite story though is of a 6th grade boy. When he saw me he didn't even recognize me at first, and then when he figured out it was me he slowly walked up and carefully gave me a hug and says "You cut off all your hair! You look....different..." I asked him if it was a good different or a bad different and he goes "Umm....I don't really know, just different..." and at this point my co-worker pulls him aside and says "Anytime a girl gets a haircut you need to tell her it looks great. So go tell Amber she looks beautiful." The poor kid was mortified!! Tell a girl she looks nice??? Ewww!! He literally ran away. And it made my day. =)

So, that's the story of the day. And this isn't the best picture, but it's the only one I have at the moment...

Help! The Police Are After Me!

2007-10-24T15:04:00.000+08:00

So, I just got back from Thailand a couple days ago and my neighbor came over to tell me that the police had been looking for me while I was gone! He said they came by a few times! Apparently they needed something for my registration, b/c here everyone has to register your exact location with the police and give them copies of all sorts of stuff. Well, I guess I forgot something. Then later that same day, a lady from my apartment called me and, after a friend's translation, I found out that the police had called her looking for me! They told her my visa had expired and I either needed to take them a copy of my new one or leave the country! It was crazy. So I tried to go today so they didn't get more upset, only to find out that they need a copy of my apartment contract and their copy machine is broken so I have to find somewhere to do it myself! Good grief. I knew the police kept close tabs on foreigners, but this is much more than I've ever experienced! My friend said they'd also been to his house asking all sorts of questions... Welcome to Asia! : )

birthday feelings

2007-10-11T12:53:00.000+08:00

Well, it's that time of year again - my birthday! I always have mixed feelings around this time b/c while it is my birthday, there are also sad memories that come with it. Exactly ten years ago today one of my best friends died. I always think about this, but for some reason this year is exceptionally hard. I should be "over it" by now, but I keep thinking "Where would she be today?" "What would she be doing?" "Would she be married?" and so much more... Then I remember so many things about our friendship - good and bad. I remember the first time I met her and thought she was "such a baby" b/c she was still sucking her thumb, but after about 30 minutes we were inseparable. I remember going to her house and riding horses and playing with all her dogs. I remember playing "house" all the time and arguing over who had to be the dad. I remember making presents for each other at Christmas. I remember taking Valentine's Day pictures with her one year b/c it was supposed to be a family picture but her parents were fighting. I remember getting soo angry at her when she would try to tell me I couldn't have any other friends but then she'd ignore me. I remember being so worried about her parents and how they treated her. I remember her struggle with not eating. I remember some of the horrible decisisons we made together and things we did. I remember the cards, and phone calls, and "make-up" gifts we always gave each other after fighting. And then I remember her funeral and the misery after. I've never hurt that much in my life. But then I remember the amazing healing power of Christ slowly coming into my life and, after many years, slowly putting my heart back together. So now, ten years down the road, I don't question God with why, I just remember and thank God for bringing her into my life and ask that he would be with her family today. The verse that comes to mind today is Psalm 40:2-3 which says "He brought me out of the pit..., out of the miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock...He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God."

Having Company...

2007-10-07T21:04:00.000+08:00

So, this week was October holiday here and I had several friends from Shanghai come visit. This was such a blessing! There were a total of 6 people, 4 of which I knew, 2 were new. We had so much fun though! We rode bikes around the city, found some rice fields in the outskirts, ate a LOT of really good food, and went to a place w/ these awesome outdoor hot springs. This was one of my favorite parts of the week by far. It's so beautiful and relaxing, out in the pine trees and cool mountain air. Plus you get a body scrub and full body massage along w/ the rose, green apple, lemon, and just normal scented hot springs. Definitely a great place, which I will take anyone to who comes to visit me, hint hint. : ) Another highlight was having them come to my youth group just to see what it was like. It just reminded me how much DAD has blessed the Shanghai group w/ amazing leaders and how honored I am to know them. It also revealed some areas in my heart that needed changing and growth, and in the end it gave me a bigger heart for my group here. But now they're all gone, and I'm sad. I'm remembering what it was like to have people all around and missing the community. Plus talking to Shanghai youth students is hard too b/c I know them so well and now I'm starting all over again. I know it will be ok, I still know this is where I should be, but I'm currently asking for strength and fellowship here. I know that DAD is faithful though, so I'm trusting Him until then and seeking out what He's trying to teach me. Anyway, I now need to start to do all the work I avoided while my company was here.... oh dear, this could be a long night....

New city

2007-08-23T12:25:00.000+08:00

Ok, so it's been umm... a while since I've written anything on this, but I really want to try to keep it updated this year, so we'll see...

I'm in my new city now, but I've only been here like 3 days... First on my list is finding an apartment - Liz and I have been traipsing around looking at different ones, and let me tell you there are some strange apartments here! One had the kitchen in the living room(which consisted of a sink w/ a cabinet above and below it), one was like 7 feet wide and 40 feet long, one didn't have a kitchen, one had a glass partially see through wall w/ no doors anywhere in it, and so much more. I'm actually considering the one w/ the glass wall though b/c the price and size is good. I might go back and look again today to see if it's worth it - it's not finished though so I'd have to put in a stove, a sink, a shower, a hot water heater, doors, etc. So yeah, that's my current adventure! There is another one I like much better, but it's 3 bedroom (2 are tiny though) and a little more expensive. It's really close to my friends though, so I don't know. We'll see... I start language classes on Monday and Liz and I are working out a dance schedule... I haven't met w/ the youth people yet, so curious to see how that's gonna work... so yea, that's me for now!

a little sad...

2006-12-06T15:29:00.000+08:00

It's Christmas time... I'm listening to Christmas music, my house is decorated, I'm practicing for our upcoming Christmas play, and planning caroling with the youth, but it still doesn't feel like Christmas...not without my family. I actually looked up tickets to go home, but they were WAY too expensive... : ( I rarely get homesick here, but this is one time of year I do... I've decided that if I'm supposed to stay here longer I'm gonna have to find a way to go home for Christmas, at least some...

On a happier note, I am excited about Christmas this year b/c we're gonna have a dinner for some locals and share the true meaning of Christmas with them... So yeah, very excited about that, please keep that in mind on Christmas day if you think of it... Anyway, I should finish grading papers...my favorite activity in the world..."Jackie is on the chair. Joseph is under the table. Winnie is behind the door." (We learned prepositions today.)

Guest Speaker

2006-11-25T14:52:00.000+08:00

I just realized I never posted this, so might as well post it now, better late than never, right...

So Friday I was a guest speaker in a second grade classroom...my topic? Being a cowgirl...wow, out of all my family members, I am the last that should be sharing what it was like growing up as a cowgirl, but alas, I did... The kids loved the stories about playing with my sheep, gathering eggs, branding calves, being in rodeos, etc. It was all so very foreign to them and reminded me how much of a stranger and freak I am in this country; not only to locals though but to other Americans here as well... Oh the joys of growing up in the middle of nowhere... : )

Ni Hao!

2006-11-22T15:10:00.000+08:00

Ok, so I am attempting to start this "blog" thing, although I really have no idea what I'm doing. I guess my goal is just to write out random stories and thoughts from my life in Shanghai for people to read, and for friends to keep up with what's going on here. I'm not sure how often I'll post, but we'll see...

So, for today, it's raining in Shanghai, and I never thought rain bothered me, but here, it does. My shoes get soaked, my pants soak up water to my knees, and my hair frizzes out... Unfortunately for me, it rains pretty much all winter. I keep reminding myself to be thankful for the rain though...if my ranching family at home ever heard me complain about rain they'd probably disown me... Speaking of thankful, tomorrow is Thanksgiving and it's always wierd being in another country for American holidays...definitely not the same. I really miss my family this time of year...fried turkeys, hanging out with cousins, cutting our Christmas tree, decorating for Christmas... I should be thankful though that we do have an American restaurant here that does an excellent Thanksgiving dinner, so we're taking some of the youth there tommow since their families don't celebrate this...Should be fun...Anyway, I guess I should probably get back to work now since I'm at school...