Beijing 2008

We got to visit Beijing on our way back to the States. We visited some friends of Luke who came to the city to visit. We got to see the new venues of the Olympics such as the Bird's Nest, the Natatorium, and the Olympic Village. We could only get so close because they have everything fenced off to protect it from terrorists and everyday Chinese people who would walk on the flowers or otherwise spoil the newness of the area. We also got to visit the grandiose Temple of Heaven.

Peking Duck

Quack!! We had a good farewell dinner the day before we flew out with our good freindes and fellow foreign teachers from school.

Home Again

We're home! We had a great trip coming back to the States and are now spending some time with family. We'll have some more pictures of our last few weeks on-line shortly.

Minority Village

After finishing up at the mountain, we rode down the cable cars to a large park which highlights the various minorities who inhabit the different parts of the province (or the overall country). It was a little too spread out, and our stomachs were growling a little to much to cover it all, but it was good just to see a few of the lifestyles of minorities we haven't seen yet.

Anniversary

We celebrated our anniversary in the big city by testing the cuisines of various Asian countries. We went to a Korean place and a quasi-Japanese restaurant where they at least cook in front of you. The Korean place was most interesting due to the frequency of cats hanging around the place and the one which darted for his life out of the front door! We were also way too giddy over the fact that we could watch movies--in English at the stadium-seating theater. We probably could have watched Ishtar in there and we still would have been happy. Who says dinner and a movie is a lame date?

Dragon Gate 2

Here are some of the views of the gate and from the gate.

Dragon Gate

While on our anniversary excursion, we visited the nearby mountain and climbed up to the Dragon Gate overlooking the city. The stairs were a bit perilous at times, but we managed to do ok. Along the way we encountered some interesting signs, spider-webs, and random people who just wanted to take a picture.

Good Friends, Good Times

We were so refreshed and delighted to have some friends from our home fellowship visit the university for a few days. They got to speak in our classes and play games with the students. But the main reason they were here was to do a concert. It was amazing and we have gotten to have many impactful conversations about the songs they sang. We were sad to see them go, but thankful for the time we got to spend with them.

Some more daily life!

Here are some more of the strange(yet common) things we see as we are riding the bus or walking around campus or town.

Making JiaoZi

Some of our students invited Robyn over to make jiaozi(or dumplings) with them. It was a great time for getting to know the girls better and getting to see where they live and how they manage in their very small dorm rooms.

A new kind of cultural experience

Usually, we interact with students or people around town, such as store clerks or waiters. Most of these people are at least within 2 or 3 decades of our age and speak something we can understand...possibly. We had a totally new experience last Saturday when we visited a park near the lake where many elderly folks gather to talk, play games, dance, or play folk music. We had some extra time on Saturday, so we took our books to read while we enjoyed the music. It wasn't long before WE became the major attraction as people crowded around to talk to us and find out who we were. This was a little tough as they spoke NO English. However, we were able to connect a few words together and understand a good deal of what they wanted to say, and we think we told them what we wanted to say as well. Overall, it was a delightful experience, and although it was a little draining to speak so much of their language, it was refreshing to share a cultural experience and to be able to communicate that much in the first place.

Gone swimmin'

We got to take some students swimming yesterday! Everyone had a great time and we even got some good eatin' done afterwards.

Teaching Vietnamese English in Chinese

Luke has an extra night of teaching Vietnamese students, which has been better than he thought it would be. He was happy to be proficient enough in Chinese to teach English, oddly enough. There are 11 of them, so it's a managable size.

Stop Theif!

One night on our way back to our hotel, we were waiting for our bus near a busy shopping district. While Luke was standing there, he felt something brush against his leg. When he looked down, he saw a strange metal object trying to fish out the camera in his pocket. He caught the guy next to him by the collar and tried to get help. The pickpocket tried to lie his way out, then apologize, then started to unbutton his shirt to get away. Luke tried to ask for help, but the language barrier was too much, plus, no one really wanted to help. He put the guy in a head-lock, but he was too sweaty to hold with just one arm. Luke chased him one block and called for help from an army officer, who pretty much ignored him. The bad guy got away, but we got his mammoth-sized tweezers! He must have had some nasty splinters in the past!

A quick break

We got a chance to hit the beach for just a couple of days in early May. Our school gave us "3" days off: Thurs, Fri, Sat...with the expectation of us "making up" classes on Sunday. Oh the joys! But we did get to relax a little. Luke caught a puffer fish with his hands. It squealed and actually puffed up, so he let it go. There was a good deal of travelling, but overall it was worth it!!

Nephew Taran

We just want to announce the birth of our new nephew, Taran. Here are a few pictures. Congratulations, Matthew and Amy (Luke's brother & sister-in-law).

Cooking Lessons

Sports do not seem to be the thing for girls, so in order to better get to know some of the girls we have been having them over to teach us to cook local cuisine on Tuesday nights. The fellowship has been great and the food, delicious.

Bubble Boy (and Girl)

For those of you Seinfield fans, we have a nice new post. We recently visited the lake in town and played in the large bubbles that they have there. It's basically like being inside a large beach ball. It was much harder than it looked, and after the 5 minutes were up, we were each happy to be birthed from our plastic prisons! We now have a new respect for the many hamsters that are enclosed in similar confines.

**NOTICE** No Moops were harmed in the making of this blog.

Chang Ge!(Sing)

We attended our first(and probably last) professional concert this week. It was quite a production and thousands of students set up their chairs in the middle of the soccer field to watch the performance.

Hot Springs

For our Memorial day three day weekend we were invited to the hometown of one of our students. It is also the home of the largest cigarette factory in the province. The town is also famous for its hot springs. The cigarette company decided to use this to their advantage and built what is similar to a resort. There are many nice restaurants and a really nice hotel all surrounding a lake. But the highlight of the resort is the hot springs. For about $6 a person you can spend some time in the hot spring baths and swimming pools. Swim wear is required!! It was a very relaxing time.

Luke's a barber!!!

Ok, so he's not really a barber, but he did get to cut some hair! One of the local hairdressers did a number on Robyn's hair--four or five to be more exact. She told the lady what she wanted, even through an interpreter, and somehow she got a multi-layered hairdo that didn't. After a couple of months of frustration, she handed Luke the scissors, showed him where to cut, and viola, Luke's a barber! Now Robyn is down to two or three layers that look nice and certify that her husband can do as he's told!

Da guys

Luke's been spending a good deal of time with several students this semester. Whether playing ping pong, ultimate Frisbee, or Settlers of Catan, much time has been spent with these guys. Here are just a few of them. They've also been teaching me some more language, or even how to use the dictionary, which has been quite useful, so it's been time well spent!

Around town

We recently found out that we can rent (really inexpensively) motor bikes. So, we did just that and took some time to explore the area around campus.

Spring is in the Air

This week has been filled with evening rain showers and blooming flowers reminding us of the beauty and majesty of the Creator.