Cookies in China

I never knew how much I loved cookies until I came to China. Ok, well, I take that back. I've always known that I love cookies, but I love them just as much in China. A more accurate way of putting this might be: cookies take on a new meaning in China � something rare and fascinating, exotic, even. Each ingredient is carefully sought after. Improvisations are made as you realize you don't have the proper mixing spoon or bowl. There is a sense of suspense and slight worry as you wonder whether cookies can really bake in the land of steamed bums and dumplings. It's really quite an exciting experience, and even more exciting when the cookies come out.

Well, I got to share this experience with 2 of my good Chinese friends � Jenny, 江皓 (Jiang Hao) and 赵水燕 (Zhao Shui Yan). I was over at Shui Yan's home for the day, and Jenny came over. Shui Yan had just received a toaster oven from a friend. Well, she didn't know how to use it, but was quite excited when I told her that I often baked in America. So, we went to the super market and looked for ingredients. Originally, we were going to make some scrumptious quick bread, but Chinese supermarkets don't carry baking powder apparently. So, I improvised and switched from quick break to chocolate chip cookies.

Once we had bought the ingredients, we headed back home to begin the process. I had to keep a close eye on the mixing process, because when the Chinese make food, they don't measure ingredients. They just throw in some vegetables, some meat, salt, soy sauce then sprinkle on some MSG. It turns out tasty enough, but with baking, the Chinese way of cooking is just asking for disaster. Fortunately, I have superb baking skills, and even with an unplanned banana thrown into the cookie dough, I managed to pull out some tasty treats.

I believe I added too much salt, and the banana threw off the cookie dough consistency so that I had to add practically another cup of flour…then somehow, most of the butter baked out of the dough in the toaster oven and started sizzling and popping on the little pan. Ah, yes, superb baking skills. However, Jenny and Shui Yan thought it was wonderful. And we happily ate out chocolate chip, banana cookies with our chopsticks. Now Shui Yan knows how to use her toaster oven.

Turkey in China!

Turkey in China, a whole turkey at that too.

So, this is my Thanksgiving post.  It is quite late coming, but I think it's still worth an update.

Until about a week before Thanksgiving Day, I had no plans whatsoever for one of my two favorite holidays of the year (up there with Christmas). I wasn't actually troubled by this fact, oddly enough. And as it turns out, there was no need to be troubled by it; the Lord provided. The week just before Thanksgiving, an American friend of mine who I know from church asked if I had any plans. Upon hearing that my Thanksgiving seemed to be doomed to an evening with myself, a lone, stray American in Beijing, she told me she had some friends hosting a dinner and she'd ask if they had room for one more. Later that evening, I received a text from her informing me that the Thanksgiving hosts were more than happy to welcome one more stray "Yankee" into their fold. I couldn't have found a better home for Thanksgiving…

I was graciously welcomed into the home of Sarah and Marian, two middle-aged single ladies working in Beijing. They have lived in their current apartment 3 years, but have lived in China for a decade at least, I believe. They are old pros at decorating and making even a Chinese apartment feel like an American home – which was obvious as soon as I walked into their door.

As soon as I stepped in, I smelled strong coffee brewing, spotted soft whips of pumpkin pie, heard the clatter of pots and knives busily at work in the kitchen and saw American football on an Apple monitor – it felt like America. Their living and dining area was painted a deep red, almost burgundy. I saw a few pumpkins sitting randomly on top of shelves. On the coffee table was an assortment of pre-feast snacks, ranging from almond cookies to cinnamon fruit dip to real candy corn. It was everything I could do to keep myself from filling up on snacks. So, as the Thanksgiving feast was being finished up, I scavenged the snack table and talked with the other guests. There were 2 young couples also at Sarah and Marian's home. One couple had just recently married and moved to Beijing, while the other couple had been living in Beijing several years and had 3 little boys. There were 3 other single ladies, whom I already knew from church, there also. Everyone there already knew each other. However, I still managed to feel quite at ease.

For the actual dinner, we had all the essential Thanksgiving bits – turkey, both white and dark meat, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. We also had salad, pumpkin and yeast breads as well as apple and custard pies. Needless to say, I ate until I couldn't eat anymore. Even with a break in between food and pie, I was still struggling to walk at a normal speed when I left.

I don't know how I would have managed this year without a proper Thanksgiving. Thankfully, the Lord gave me such a wonderful one with such wonderful people. The meal was delicious; the fellowship was uplifting. The supper was followed by a time of singing hymns of Thanksgiving, then capped off with the various pies. Celebrating this holiday in China has given me hope that if I am ever in China living one day, it is quite possible that I have perfectly fulfilling holidays even while abroad. Joy and celebrations can exist regardless the circumstances.

Earn Miles

MIA, but I'm Back!

So, it’s been quite awhile since my last post. I recently had a friend set up my email-to-blog system (thank you, Nathan). I am sorry I have been MIA for so long. However, you can thank the Great Firewall of China for that. The People’s Republic of China celebrated her 60th birthday this year. It seems the PRC’s favorite type of party involves a lot of crack—down. Hah, forgive the poor pun. But it’s true. In the months leading up to 国庆节 (Guo Qing Jie, Independence Day), it seemed the whole of China was mobilized and put under lockdown. Every Beijing person I ran into had some role to play in the great celebration. Entire schools and classes were practicing and preparing performances for the big show in Tiananmen Square on October 1. Some schools even cancelled whole weeks of class (totally unthinkable in China) so students could practice! Professors at the various Beijing universities were also busy polishing up their contributions for the big party. The Beijing 老百姓 (lao bai xing, common people) also played a part. On every street corner in Beijing, 老爷爷’s and 老太太’s (lao ye ye and lao tai tai; lit. old grandfather, old grandmother) offered their services by sitting on stools and…well, sitting on stools. I’m pretty sure they didn’t really do anything except sit and talk to each other all day. I personally found them quite helpful because I would often ask them for directions when traveling around the city. You always knew who they were because they all wore a semi-official looking red arm badge that labeled them as a volunteer. I’m fairly certain they weren’t volunteering to give directions to 老外 (lao wai, slang term for foreigner); the word on the street was that they served as eyes and ears for the government. I’m disposed to believe this, because the more official security in Beijing was also heightened prior and during 国庆节. On every street bridge in Beijing, there were at least 2 security guards posted. It’s reassuring to see guards posted on bridges, especially when walking back to your dorm room late at night, but then again, I don’t think their main purpose was to protect the 老外 exchange student as she made her way back to her room from the 24-hour internet bar. You might think I’m being unfair to China and not giving her the benefit of the doubt. However, now that 国庆节 is over, there are no more 老爷爷’s or 老太太’s, and there are no more security guards.
    But life has continued without a hitch, despite the decreased level of security and convenient source of directions. October 1st seems like so long ago now. Since that time, I’ve been busy getting settled into my classes, learning Tai Qi, finding a new appreciation for grilled cheese and climbing mountains.
    I should probably change the header to my blog now b/c I am no longer in the Chinese Modern Literature department. I am now in the Chinese Culture and Language department. As interesting as Chinese Modern Literature can be, I was finding those classes to be a misuse of my time. Studying language and culture is a much better fit for me. And so, after 2 weeks of being bounced around to different offices and filling out different forms and getting different signatures, I finally switched departments. I am now happily settled in the 302 level 本科二班 (ben ke er ban, 2nd undergraduate class). I am the only white person in a class of about 15 Koreans, which is fine, seeing as this forces me to only speak Chinese with my classmates.
    There is one other white person in my Tai Qi class, but I believe he is from Russia; so once again, Chinese is the common language. Unfortunately, my Tai Qi class only meets once a week. Tai Qi is already a slow-moving form of martial arts, so only having class once a week makes it even slower. But I’m happy to just be able to learn it.
    It really is the little things like this that make life in China so pleasurable. Grilled cheese has even taken on a deeper meaning. I recently introduced the dish to a few of my Chinese friends. My Chinese friend invited me over to cook supper one day at her house and I volunteered making an American dish – the simplest thing I could think of was grilled cheese. It’s a comparably expensive dish to make in China because its most important ingredients (butter and cheese) are on the expensive side of food in China (the Chinese very seldom eat dairy products). But it’s well worth it. My Chinese friends appreciated the warm, toasty bread and sharp melted cheese, just as I appreciated their stir-fried carrots and potatoes and such.
    The Chinese appreciate a lot in life, come to think of it. They especially appreciate mountains. Beijing’s famous mountain is 香山 (xiang shan, Frangrant Hill). I have already climbed it three times. And each time, it has been packed with people. I don’t quite know why the Chinese so enjoy climbing mountains, but it just seems to be a matter of course. The Chinese seem to view mountain climbing as one of the most standard ways of touring an area or spending the weekend. It’s often an activity for the entire family, as well. The elderly as well as the very young all climb the mountain. To be fair, the mountains in China usually all have stairs or paved pathways, but they are nonetheless mountains stairs and pathways. Before my semester is up, I will probably be back at 香山 sooner or later.
    Well, I hope this has caught you up on my life to date. I hope to be able to fill in a few gaps soon, as well as keep this more updated.

Get me to the Church On Time

Well, so far, my church experiences in China have been quite eclectic. Here is a summary:
o    Saturday, Sept. 12: Attended Southern Catholic Church’s Saturday mass
o    Sunday, Sept. 13: Attended Beijing Baptist Church
o    Wednesday, Sept. 16: Attended an English-teaching Bible study on Solomon building the temple
o    Sunday, Sept. 20: Attended a house gathering of Lutheran American English teachers/missionaries
I suppose that is not as eclectic as it could be. It is possible I could have found an Armenian congregation, attended a Chinese church and then worshipped with Charismatics. However, I think my experiences so far have been varied enough to be dubbed “eclectic.” I mean, by the mere fact that the second-ever mass in my life occurred in China and transpired completely in Chinese makes my church attendance as of yet worth a blog post, I think.

So, to begin, I met a wonderful Chinese girl last Saturday, Jenny, or 江皓 (Jiang Hao). I went to her work, and once she got off work, we began walking. She informed me that we were going to 天主堂（tian zhu tang, Catholic Church). So we arrived at 南堂 (nan tang, Southern Church) around 5:30. Mass began at 6:30, but by 6:00, the church was packed full of people. We sang hymns, had Scripture readings, listened to the homily, partook of the Eucharist. I watched the line of people go up for the Eucharist – old, young, some well dressed and some who looked like they had just pedaled up to the church on their old, rusty bicycle carts. I spotted two other Westerners in church as they approached the Chinese 神父 (shen fu, priest). I caught one of the Westerner’s eyes and nodded to him in acknowledgement. By all accounts, it seemed just like a Western Catholic Church – except all in Chinese.

The following day, I struck out on my own in search of 中旅大厦 (zhong lv da sha, middle road mansion). My Uncle Tom Nettles, a professor at Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY, had connected me with a man who lives and works in China and attends Beijing Baptist Church. As it turns out, Phil had just returned to the States for 2 months. We passed through the same airport terminal at the same time, but have yet to meet. I shamelessly played the name game, though, when introducing myself to people at BBC, dropping his name and my connection with every new acquaintance. The BBC fellowship consisted of about 50 people, from all over the world – the States, New Zealand, Canada, Thailand, South Africa – all in China for various reasons, but all together for this special time on Sunday.

My friend, Jenny, had recommended that I attend an English Bible study that her American friend Josh led. The original plan was for me to accompany her Chinese friend to the study. The friend never answered her phone, though, and because I had already arranged for Josh to meet me outside his apartment complex, I stuck it out and traveled the 45-minute commute to the Bible study location. I listened for two hours as Josh led a group of six Chinese women and one American (myself) through 1 Kings 5, 6 and 8.

Josh is part of a larger group of Americans who are living in China as teachers/missionaries – teaching English to everyone from small children to engineers and chemists. There are about 15 Americans currently in Beijing as a part of the Lutheran Church’s Friends of China ministry. Josh invited me to fellowship and worship with their group Sunday morning. So, once again, early Sunday morning, I struck out on my own and met Josh at the subway stop at 知春旅 (zhi chun lv). We met in some of the girls’ apartment and studied the prophetess Miriam then held a small service, complete with chocolate chip cookies for break and a trumpet.

Quite a mix, right? There is a uniting factor, though. And I’m slowly but sincerely realizing that there is at least one thing in life that breaks all boundaries – time zone, language, culture, location etc. For my third-generation Catholic Chinese friend, who’s father was beaten and abused for his faith during the Chinese Cultural Revolution and the group of American missionaries meeting in a Chinese apartment reciting liturgy and singing to a trumpet, God’s love exists. Even in the simple English Bible study, where the language is simple and slow, God’s truth exists. And no matter the language or the level, it is still life changing. That’s neat, and I’m glad I’m a part of that.

Pictures of Southern Catholic Church in Beijing

到了！

 到了北京！
Or for the English-speaking readers… I’m in Beijing!
Ah! A breath of fresh (kind of) air in the land of dumplings, kung fu and flat butts. I’m finally here, and will be for the next 128 days. It’s hard to believe. Yet it doesn’t seem strange. The transition from airport to dorm was much smoother than I imagined. And my transition from English to Chinese has been quite smooth as well. Everything feels very natural, which is good feeling to have when you arrive on the other side of the world.

As always, the Lord was very gracious to me and provided airport to university transportation in a wonderful manner. Last time, He had me meet a nice Chinese family on my trans-Pacific plane. The family ended up giving me a ride to my hotel, even though their car was already full (with 4 people and 4 pieces of luggage) and were not going toward my hotel. This time, I happened to meet a guy who is studying at the same university. Originally, we were going to split a cab to 北师大 (Beijing Normal, bay shi da), but on our way out of the terminal, we ran into a 北师大 representative. Neither one of us had reserved a shuttle to come pick us up. However, it was there – waiting for other students, honestly – but as it turned out, we were the only students to show up. We didn’t actually get to ride the shuttle (it’s too complicated to explain, but you can thank the lovely Chinese bureaucracy); so we caught taxis, but the university paid for our 90 kuai trip.
I seem to have lost my newly found American comrade, though. I am sure I will run into him again soon. But come to think of it, I haven’t run into many people at all. There are a lot of Koreans around and few 外国人 (foreigners; wai guo ren) who appear to possibly be American. Right now, I’m just soaking up this intoxicating feeling of complete independence. It’s a wonderful feeling when you walk around and know that there is not a soul around you who knows your name. You could be anyone or anything, and no one would ever know the difference.
I even have my own room right now. I am supposed to have a roommate. However, she has not arrived…and perhaps she never will. 无所谓。It doesn’t matter. I went ahead and chose my side of the room and have made it as homey as possible for the time being. I believe I improved the aesthetics of my half of the room loads. Take a looksee yourself: 

Before my "homeyifying" took place.

 

Multitudes of thanks to Susan Hedglin for giving me the color wall dots!

I have been told that classes begin Monday. But even though I asked some 北师大 students, they really didn’t seem too sure about the start day themselves. Not surprising, really. I have decided to just accept the way China works. One Chinese acquaintance once described me with the chengyu (4 character phrase) 不拘小节 (bu ju xiao jie), which means “unconcerned with trivialities.” It seems to be a natural fit for adjusting in China. I hope I can keep this naturalness flowing.