This sequence of numbers has to be on all of my important forms and documents. I need it to tell the taxi where to take me home. I need to give it to my friends when they want to come by and make dumplings or watch a DVD on my laptop (since I don't have a TV yet). This sequence of numbers is my address. 199 is the number for phase 3 (the section of apartments I am in), 10 is the number of my building, and 306 is my apartment number. Phase 3 is the newest phase of apartments, which is nice, but it's also the furthest from the school and the other two phases where most of the other teachers live. The community I live in revolves around one main street - QingTong Road (pronounced, Ching Tong). I planned on taking some pictures of the street this afternoon as I waited for my laundry at the laundromat, but when I went to take the first picture, I was quickly reminded by the flashing red battery icon on my camera screen that my battery needed to be recharged. That ended my excursion right there. So, tomorrow after church, I'll take pictures and post them here on the blog.
I haven't written much about life on QingTong Road much because right now there's really not much going on, other than teacher training meetings, lesson planning at my apartment in my living room with a bowl of popcorn and a Sprite, and decorating my classroom (the theme is "Nature", so it's been fun getting all of my bulletin board visuals put up... but that's a story for another post. I'll take pictures when it's all finished). Life here in this area of Shanghai is very slow and peaceful, people walking around or riding their bikes. The same things seem to happen every day, reminding me of The Truman Show with Jim Carrey, for those of you who have seen it... There are little shops and restaurants lining the streets and our meeting place* every Sunday is down on the opposite end of the street and around the corner. Everything is right here for us.
It's very easy to get lost in our little bubble here. It reminds me too of a college campus. I see the same teachers all the time around the campus and in the restaurants and grocery store. I really need to make it a point that I venture out and get to know my Chinese friends more, not spending all my time with my Western friends. ~Perhaps I should have waited to make this post when I had the pictures as visuals, but I will post them all very soon now that my battery is charged.
School starts a week from Monday, and prior to that we have our first parent-teacher meeting in just a few days on Tuesday. I can't believe I'm actually going to be a teacher... man. Just yesterday I was playing school in my room with my stuffed animals, or Mom if she wasn't too tired from her day of "real" teaching as I called it. I'll soon feel her pain. Heh.
I bought a yellow bicycle on Thursday. I love it! I didn't think having a bike would make that much of a difference, but it actually does. It's really good to have another type of exercise and transportation available to me. I just lock it up every night at the bottom of the stairs in the apartment complex, and it's there when I wake up in the morning.
I'm sure my entries will be much more interesting once I post the pictures and once school actually starts. Thanks for the comments, everybody. It's good to know you're reading!
Sidenote: I just realized I can post video on this blog, so I'll try to see if I can get that to work!
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
shadows
Every flower, even the most beautiful, has its own shadow beneath it as it basks in the sunlight.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
speechless
I am so overcome with emotion tonight over how GREAT my Maker is... Man, the King has been answering so many of my prayers since I have been here.
He's drowning out the noise of every other object of my desire, and He's only using a whisper.
He's drowning out the noise of every other object of my desire, and He's only using a whisper.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
a thought
The Sahara Desert. It is the largest desert in the world. It spans 3,000 miles from east to west, and 1,200 miles from north to south. It's total area covers more than 3,000,000 square miles. Interestingly enough, the name Sahara not only means desert, but also ocean.
www.thesahara.net
I am in desperate need of Water. I am in desperate need of nourishment. How ironic that I would be taken to the desert in order to have those needs met... I was brought to the book of Hosea this morning as I was journaling and reading. I am like Gomer, Hosea's prostitute wife. The Lrd has stripped me of everything, trying to get my attention. There are still things I am holding onto, idols in my life. I don't want to release them. Sure, it may seem that I have it all figured out; I packed up my things and moved to China to do work for the Lrd. But, I still have things in which I am like Gomer. She "put on her earrings and jewels and went out to look for her lovers but forgot all about [the Lrd]." Now, i am in the desert. There isn't anything for miles. I can run after those "lovers" all day long, but everything in the desert looks the same and I will soon, very soon, become lost. I'll never make it on my own. I must look so ridiculous running towards something that isn't there...
BUT
"...then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from captivity in Egypt."
This time in the desert, I will have nothing but the Lrd. Literally. It's funny. I was thinking, "Lrd, why didn't you send me to a Latin American country? That IS the place that captured my heart. Now I'm in China. What's in China for me?" It's then that I heard the Lrd speak softly to me saying, "You are not ready for Latin America. If I had moved you there right away, you still would have been dependent on yourself. You would have been too comfortable in Latin America, Emily. You need Me. Not comfort. You need Me. Not familiarity. You need Me. Me. Me. Me. ME."
I am standing in the desert. It's hot. It's lonely. But it is so beautiful. It's captivating to know that G-d loves me this much to place me here, to save me from myself and to draw me to Himself.
Moving to China has been one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.
Those of you who know me know how hard it is for me to make decisions, especially decisions concerning my future, for fear that I will make a huge mistake and ruin my life forever. (I also have the tendency of being a bit dramatic. Heh.)
My dear friend Timmie has a favorite passage of Scripture that is quickly becoming one of my own favorites -
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9
www.thesahara.net
I am in desperate need of Water. I am in desperate need of nourishment. How ironic that I would be taken to the desert in order to have those needs met... I was brought to the book of Hosea this morning as I was journaling and reading. I am like Gomer, Hosea's prostitute wife. The Lrd has stripped me of everything, trying to get my attention. There are still things I am holding onto, idols in my life. I don't want to release them. Sure, it may seem that I have it all figured out; I packed up my things and moved to China to do work for the Lrd. But, I still have things in which I am like Gomer. She "put on her earrings and jewels and went out to look for her lovers but forgot all about [the Lrd]." Now, i am in the desert. There isn't anything for miles. I can run after those "lovers" all day long, but everything in the desert looks the same and I will soon, very soon, become lost. I'll never make it on my own. I must look so ridiculous running towards something that isn't there...
BUT
"...then I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope. She will give herself to me there, as she did long ago when she was young, when I freed her from captivity in Egypt."
This time in the desert, I will have nothing but the Lrd. Literally. It's funny. I was thinking, "Lrd, why didn't you send me to a Latin American country? That IS the place that captured my heart. Now I'm in China. What's in China for me?" It's then that I heard the Lrd speak softly to me saying, "You are not ready for Latin America. If I had moved you there right away, you still would have been dependent on yourself. You would have been too comfortable in Latin America, Emily. You need Me. Not comfort. You need Me. Not familiarity. You need Me. Me. Me. Me. ME."
I am standing in the desert. It's hot. It's lonely. But it is so beautiful. It's captivating to know that G-d loves me this much to place me here, to save me from myself and to draw me to Himself.
Moving to China has been one of the best decisions I have made in a long time.
Those of you who know me know how hard it is for me to make decisions, especially decisions concerning my future, for fear that I will make a huge mistake and ruin my life forever. (I also have the tendency of being a bit dramatic. Heh.)
My dear friend Timmie has a favorite passage of Scripture that is quickly becoming one of my own favorites -
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts and my ways are not your ways. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
IKEA
I was told that my furniture would be delivered today between the hours of 2pm and 8pm (assembly will be done tomorrow) Everyone told us, "expect that they come closer to 8pm..." Since we figured we would have to wait a while in an empty apartment for the furniture, we decided we would make the trip to the apartment from the guest house with a couple of bags of stuff so we wouldn't have to make more trips later. As we walked up to the apartment, the IKEA movers pointed to the bags as we were walking by and joyfully said "IKEA!". We knew right away those were the guys we needed... --luckily, they hadn't been waiting too long.
All of the furniture, in two rounds, was delivered by 1:58pm, plus, they set up my orange couch for me today. The only down side to all of this was that we had to cancel our tour of the Company and our lunch plans. But, it's nice to have a place to sit down in the apartment.
Two points for you, IKEA.
All of the furniture, in two rounds, was delivered by 1:58pm, plus, they set up my orange couch for me today. The only down side to all of this was that we had to cancel our tour of the Company and our lunch plans. But, it's nice to have a place to sit down in the apartment.
Two points for you, IKEA.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
lost in translation
If Mom and I were on the Amazing Race, we would be smokin the other teams...
Tonight, Mom and I decided that we would venture out into the city by ourselves for once. None of our Chinese friends were able to come with us, so perhaps we were forced to venture out alone, but nonetheless, we were confident that we could navigate the streets of Shanghai. All we had was a little elaminated card with the names of familiar places written in both English and Chinese. All we had to do was point to the place and our driver would take us there... so we thought. I had my cell phone just in case we needed someone to help us with translations...
First...
Our mission: the cloth market. The cloth market is a three story building lined on the inside with wall to wall mini-shops in which you can custom make your own clothes or purchase already made clothes. (let me put this into perspective - a cashmere full-length coat would run you about $80. A silk shirt would cost about $9...) Normally, you would take the subway to the nearest road, then catch a 5 minute taxi ride. We weren't feeling that brave to tackle the subway system alone, so we wanted to take the taxi the whole way there so we could see the city as we rode. Once we made it to the cloth market 30 minutes later, we walked up to the main entrance and a Chinese guard said something to us rather forcefully. We paused, then kept walking as if to enter, and he said the same thing again. Once he realized we had no clue what he was saying, he pointed to a sign. The cloth market had apparently closed 10 minutes prior to our arrival. Drats.
Since we were in the brave mood, Mom and I walked around the surrounding streets. 40 minutes later, after obtaining a full belly from our dinner at KFC, a beaded kleenex box for Mom, and a few poses for the camera, we decided to head back. This is when the Amazing Race flashed before our very eyes...
Hailing a taxi in Shanghai is rather difficult. Man... we would open the door, point to the name of the place we needed to go on the card, and would get a Chinese version of the phrase, "Lady I don't know what you're talkin about" plus the hand wave like, "Get out of my cab.".... Finally, success! We were on our way back to the living quarters.
It took us three taxis before we arrived home. The first taxi cab told us, after we were in the cab, that he didn't know where he was going, so I pointed to the word for the Chinese Wal-Mart. 'Surely we can get a cab from the wal-mart to the living quarters' I told Mom. Once we got there, we got into another cab, only to find out he wasn't sure where our place was either. So I had him take us to the subway station, which is a few blocks away. Once there, we hailed a final cab that took us to our guest room. I must confess that once we were in the third taxi cab, I called my American friend and principal, John, to talk to the cab driver and let him know exactly where we needed to go. Luckily for us, John knows Chinese very well.
This whole situation was rather comical. Good thing we weren't being followed by a camera crew who would then broadcast our evening for millions of people to see. Mom and I had a good laugh about it, and so did the final taxi cab driver when John explained to him our situation. I love china. I really do. :)
I can hear Phil saying now as we jump on the mat, "Emily and Sandy, (long pause) you are the 4th team to arrive. Fortunately, this is a non-elimination round." heh.
A G-d moment.
Mom and I had a wonderful conversation in taxi #2 about the work that the Father will be doing in my life while i'm in China this year. The radio was on in the taxi and was tuned to a Chinese station. In the middle of all this Chinese music, an American English song was played. It came on at the perfect time. Though the song is a cheesy one, I know that the Father gave us that song at that exact moment. The song lyrics from the chorus are posted below:
There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail
It's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe
Somehow you will
You will when you believe
This is the chorus from the song "When You Believe" from the movie "The Prince of Egypt". After the song ended, it was back to the Chinese music. Even the our taxi cab driver seemed a little suprised that an English song had just been played...
In my next post, I have much to say about the overwhelming peace that the Father has placed in my heart about being in this wonderful city half way around the world.
I am so blessed to be here. This is the time of my life.
Until next time,
Emily
Tonight, Mom and I decided that we would venture out into the city by ourselves for once. None of our Chinese friends were able to come with us, so perhaps we were forced to venture out alone, but nonetheless, we were confident that we could navigate the streets of Shanghai. All we had was a little elaminated card with the names of familiar places written in both English and Chinese. All we had to do was point to the place and our driver would take us there... so we thought. I had my cell phone just in case we needed someone to help us with translations...
First...
Our mission: the cloth market. The cloth market is a three story building lined on the inside with wall to wall mini-shops in which you can custom make your own clothes or purchase already made clothes. (let me put this into perspective - a cashmere full-length coat would run you about $80. A silk shirt would cost about $9...) Normally, you would take the subway to the nearest road, then catch a 5 minute taxi ride. We weren't feeling that brave to tackle the subway system alone, so we wanted to take the taxi the whole way there so we could see the city as we rode. Once we made it to the cloth market 30 minutes later, we walked up to the main entrance and a Chinese guard said something to us rather forcefully. We paused, then kept walking as if to enter, and he said the same thing again. Once he realized we had no clue what he was saying, he pointed to a sign. The cloth market had apparently closed 10 minutes prior to our arrival. Drats.
Since we were in the brave mood, Mom and I walked around the surrounding streets. 40 minutes later, after obtaining a full belly from our dinner at KFC, a beaded kleenex box for Mom, and a few poses for the camera, we decided to head back. This is when the Amazing Race flashed before our very eyes...
Hailing a taxi in Shanghai is rather difficult. Man... we would open the door, point to the name of the place we needed to go on the card, and would get a Chinese version of the phrase, "Lady I don't know what you're talkin about" plus the hand wave like, "Get out of my cab.".... Finally, success! We were on our way back to the living quarters.
It took us three taxis before we arrived home. The first taxi cab told us, after we were in the cab, that he didn't know where he was going, so I pointed to the word for the Chinese Wal-Mart. 'Surely we can get a cab from the wal-mart to the living quarters' I told Mom. Once we got there, we got into another cab, only to find out he wasn't sure where our place was either. So I had him take us to the subway station, which is a few blocks away. Once there, we hailed a final cab that took us to our guest room. I must confess that once we were in the third taxi cab, I called my American friend and principal, John, to talk to the cab driver and let him know exactly where we needed to go. Luckily for us, John knows Chinese very well.
This whole situation was rather comical. Good thing we weren't being followed by a camera crew who would then broadcast our evening for millions of people to see. Mom and I had a good laugh about it, and so did the final taxi cab driver when John explained to him our situation. I love china. I really do. :)
I can hear Phil saying now as we jump on the mat, "Emily and Sandy, (long pause) you are the 4th team to arrive. Fortunately, this is a non-elimination round." heh.
A G-d moment.
Mom and I had a wonderful conversation in taxi #2 about the work that the Father will be doing in my life while i'm in China this year. The radio was on in the taxi and was tuned to a Chinese station. In the middle of all this Chinese music, an American English song was played. It came on at the perfect time. Though the song is a cheesy one, I know that the Father gave us that song at that exact moment. The song lyrics from the chorus are posted below:
There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail
It's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe
Somehow you will
You will when you believe
This is the chorus from the song "When You Believe" from the movie "The Prince of Egypt". After the song ended, it was back to the Chinese music. Even the our taxi cab driver seemed a little suprised that an English song had just been played...
In my next post, I have much to say about the overwhelming peace that the Father has placed in my heart about being in this wonderful city half way around the world.
I am so blessed to be here. This is the time of my life.
Until next time,
Emily
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