Thursday, December 31, 2009
blog update
I just added several new entries, so just scroll down until you see one that you have not read! I have a few more to add in the next few days. Enjoy!
Team celebration
The day after Christmas we had a team prayer meeting and our Christmas celebration at our house. We prayed,ate snacks and goodies, and exchanged gifts.
Another one of my traditions is to make this fruit tree for the kids. I use Granny Smith apples. They can be expensive here, the kids love them and Christmas is only once a year. I made it to share with the team, but I think my kids ate most of it.
We drew names for our gift exchange. I had Jason's name and got him some mocha powder and caramel sauce from Starbucks. (sorry, no picture)
Jon had Josh's name and got him chocolate. He looks pleased.
Caleb got a truck!
Another one of my traditions is to make this fruit tree for the kids. I use Granny Smith apples. They can be expensive here, the kids love them and Christmas is only once a year. I made it to share with the team, but I think my kids ate most of it.
We drew names for our gift exchange. I had Jason's name and got him some mocha powder and caramel sauce from Starbucks. (sorry, no picture)
Jon had Josh's name and got him chocolate. He looks pleased.
Jason got Jon a dozen donuts from "Best Bite"
Cec. got this cool bracelet for Yan. It has a dog and tiger on it.
Cec. got this cool bracelet for Yan. It has a dog and tiger on it.
Caleb is a dog (Chinese zodiac) and the new baby will be a tiger.
So sweet!
So sweet!
Caleb got a truck!
We are grateful that we have a team that we like spending time with!
Hardins: Christmas Day
I think Santa came!
Look, someone changed the countdown....
Someone ate the cookies we left (well, most of them)...
Look at all the stuff! The stockings are full, and there is other things too!
Hallie got an mp3 player!
Eryn received some stickers in her stocking...
Yeah, I know, he will probably shoot his eye out...
Liam got several Transformers, Jon is trying to figure one out.
Jon cooked us a big brunch with Christmas shaped biscuits!
Then we talked to Jon's family on Skype.
Eryn is all dressed up to go eat.
We had planned to go eat dinner at a nearby Western buffet. We dressed up and bundled up and set out to walk there.
We also brought a bag of apples
Apples are a symbolic gift for Christmas in China.
The kids handed out apples to the guard at the gate and several of the workers that sweep the streets. It was fun to see the kids give them an apple and wish them a Merry Christmas (in Chinese). I was not able to get any good pictures of it.
When we got to the buffet, we found out that they added an extra 100 yuan to the price because it was Christmas day. We thought that was way too much, so we walked back home, ordered pizza, and watched The Muppets Christmas Carol. We promised the kids we would go back in a few days when the price was normal.
It was a good day, but a long one! We had a great time, and were exhausted!
Merry Christmas! Sheng dun kuai le!!
Look, someone changed the countdown....
Someone ate the cookies we left (well, most of them)...
Look at all the stuff! The stockings are full, and there is other things too!
Hallie got an mp3 player!
Eryn received some stickers in her stocking...
Yeah, I know, he will probably shoot his eye out...
Liam got several Transformers, Jon is trying to figure one out.
Jon cooked us a big brunch with Christmas shaped biscuits!
Then we talked to Jon's family on Skype.
Eryn is all dressed up to go eat.
We had planned to go eat dinner at a nearby Western buffet. We dressed up and bundled up and set out to walk there.
We also brought a bag of apples
Apples are a symbolic gift for Christmas in China.
The kids handed out apples to the guard at the gate and several of the workers that sweep the streets. It was fun to see the kids give them an apple and wish them a Merry Christmas (in Chinese). I was not able to get any good pictures of it.
When we got to the buffet, we found out that they added an extra 100 yuan to the price because it was Christmas day. We thought that was way too much, so we walked back home, ordered pizza, and watched The Muppets Christmas Carol. We promised the kids we would go back in a few days when the price was normal.
It was a good day, but a long one! We had a great time, and were exhausted!
Merry Christmas! Sheng dun kuai le!!
Hardins: Christmas Eve
It is our tradition to have a nice meal on Christmas eve. When we are in the States, we eat with Jon's family. Here in China, it is just us. Last year I cooked a roast. This year we had HAM!! We ordered it cooked from the Hyatt. It was pricey, but oh soooo yummy! I cooked the rest of the food (mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and green beans). We invited Frank to eat with us. We all ate until we were stuffed and we still had leftovers. That is the way it is supposed to be at the holidays, right?
Liam is ready to eat!
We gave Frank a Christmas present.
After Frank left, we finished decorating the cookies for Santa.
Then we called Poppa and Granny on Skype and opened presents. They had to get up very early to watch the kids (and us) open presents.
After we cleaned up the mess, and calmed down. The kids put out cookies and milk for Santa and settled down for a long winters nap...
Liam is ready to eat!
We gave Frank a Christmas present.
After Frank left, we finished decorating the cookies for Santa.
Then we called Poppa and Granny on Skype and opened presents. They had to get up very early to watch the kids (and us) open presents.
After we cleaned up the mess, and calmed down. The kids put out cookies and milk for Santa and settled down for a long winters nap...
Hardins: Stockings
You know, we have some pretty strange traditions. We usually don't think much about them, they are just traditions. But when you are faced with trying to explain them to another culture, well. the results can be interesting to say the least.
An example?
Christmas stocking...picture a stocking in your head. As westerners, we all know what a stocking looks like, but now translate that into Chinese. hmmmm....
....socks!
Some of Jon's students got together and gave him "Christmas stockings" . The kids got toe socks, and Jon and I received wool socks.
Oh yeah, and they had candy in the socks too!
another example along the same line is this picture. I noticed something odd about this mannequin. Can you spot it?
How about a closer look?...
Yep, those are Christmas stockings!
Makes sense to me!
An example?
Christmas stocking...picture a stocking in your head. As westerners, we all know what a stocking looks like, but now translate that into Chinese. hmmmm....
....socks!
Some of Jon's students got together and gave him "Christmas stockings" . The kids got toe socks, and Jon and I received wool socks.
Oh yeah, and they had candy in the socks too!
another example along the same line is this picture. I noticed something odd about this mannequin. Can you spot it?
How about a closer look?...
Yep, those are Christmas stockings!
Makes sense to me!
Hardins: Chinese Christmas party
The Sunday before Christmas we were invited to a Christmas party hosted by the W3 group (or the local family).
The Chinese version of a party is very different than our idea of a party. The biggest difference is that they almost always have performances. This party was no exception. They also had games and this year, square dancing! I tried to video the dancing but it was just too crazy to make any sense on the video.
Jon told the story of the first Christmas, and Shelly translated.
You can see Joseph in the background here. Notice all the peanut shells, and orange peels? You can't have a party without snacks! The party was very well organized, we think by George. We left right before they played "dirty Santa" but that is always a lot of fun too. I will look forward to this party every year.
The Chinese version of a party is very different than our idea of a party. The biggest difference is that they almost always have performances. This party was no exception. They also had games and this year, square dancing! I tried to video the dancing but it was just too crazy to make any sense on the video.
Jon told the story of the first Christmas, and Shelly translated.
This is Chuck and we can't remember her name. They sang a song in Chinese. Chuck is one of the guys that Jon studies with on Sunday evenings.
You can see Joseph in the background here. Notice all the peanut shells, and orange peels? You can't have a party without snacks! The party was very well organized, we think by George. We left right before they played "dirty Santa" but that is always a lot of fun too. I will look forward to this party every year.
Hardins: Christmas traditions
A friend of mine had an album on Facebook based on traditions and decorations that they put up each year. I thought it might be interesting to show how we (the Hardins) decorate and get ready for Christmas in China.
The holidays in another country can be very strange. We have a mix of our old traditions and we make some new ones. The next several blog entries are about how we celebrated this year. This is our second year in China so we didn't have to buy as many new decorations this year.
We have had this guy for several years. The kids like to keep up with how many days are left...
We have a tradition of taking a picture of the kids in matching Pj's in front of the tree.
This one of Jon's favorite decorations. I remember having one when I was a kid too. You light the candles and the angles move and make the bells ring. We need to find replacement candles for next year.
This was a new tree this year. The kids wanted a white tree. We found it for only about 20 yuan! A great deal! This stayed in the school room most of the time.
I found this guy last year. I have one similar to this at home, but did not bring it. I love snowmen!
I use these boxes to pack some ornament away after the holidays.
Every year my dad and Karen (a.k.a. Poppa and Granny) give us a family ornament. This is the one for this year. They also give the kids Hallmark ornaments and we let them choose an new ornament. I brought all the kid's yearly ornaments when we came on the survey trip before we moved here.
I found this little guy at Toys R Us this year. It is small and wooden. The kids really like it. It will be a tradition from now on.
Last year we bought the biggest tree we could find. Almost all of the trees in China are pretty Charlie Brown, even the tall ones, but if you put enough garland, lights, and ornaments it does look pretty good. It is still magical, even if it is a little different.
We have a tradition of taking a picture of the kids in matching Pj's in front of the tree.
This one of Jon's favorite decorations. I remember having one when I was a kid too. You light the candles and the angles move and make the bells ring. We need to find replacement candles for next year.
This was a new tree this year. The kids wanted a white tree. We found it for only about 20 yuan! A great deal! This stayed in the school room most of the time.
I found this guy last year. I have one similar to this at home, but did not bring it. I love snowmen!
I use these boxes to pack some ornament away after the holidays.
Every year my dad and Karen (a.k.a. Poppa and Granny) give us a family ornament. This is the one for this year. They also give the kids Hallmark ornaments and we let them choose an new ornament. I brought all the kid's yearly ornaments when we came on the survey trip before we moved here.
I found this little guy at Toys R Us this year. It is small and wooden. The kids really like it. It will be a tradition from now on.
Every year we make cookies and some of the cookies we make and decorate are the ones we leave for Santa. The kids love to do this.
Last year we bought the biggest tree we could find. Almost all of the trees in China are pretty Charlie Brown, even the tall ones, but if you put enough garland, lights, and ornaments it does look pretty good. It is still magical, even if it is a little different.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Clarks: Christmas Day - Sharing the GIFT
To tell the truth, I (Jason) have a pretty "humbug" attitude about being bothered on, or even around, Christmas. Usually, if anyone wants to visit, I'll say no. And that goes for everyone - Christian and non-Christian alike. How's that for a mission field confessional?
What's more, if there's any one person here in Hangzhou (and there is) who I especially try to avoid seeing, I must confess, it's this Chinese Christian named George. For some reason I really have had trouble being patient and friendly to him. I know, it's terrible. He's a brother, after all. He's had us out to his hometown; he's taught us Chinese; he's always been very nice... It's the perfect storm as far as guilt goes - he's done nothing wrong, yet I can't seem to tolerate him!
So, when Cecely came to me with the news that George would be coming over, on Christmas day, it was assumed I would not take it very well. After all, we'd already agreed to break with our usual policy and host three girls for a Bible study Christmas Eve. Now we were looking at having guests both days! But, without much complaint, I agreed to George's visit.
Well, as it turned out, we and the girls had to reschedule for Christmas Day - meaning that all four guests would converge on our apartment at once. And so they did.
And it was great!
It turned into a very, very long Bible study and discussion that did a lot to teach and challenge the girls and stretch and strengthen our own faith. George - as I had already known but not experienced firsthand - has a passion and gift for patiently and thoughtfully explaining the gospel. He and I and Cec all took turns, as it were, adding to the conversation, and each of the girls were also fully engaged. Cecelia (middle) is the closest to saving faith - PRAY FOR HER. Her roommate, Katrina (far right), has now come over twice as Cecelia's invitation. And Ashley (aka, Ice, nearest George) has also been over maybe two or three times with Cecelia. George and a sister, Joanna from Wuhan, have talked to her before. [Joanna also recently bought and sent to us a Chinese copy of Purpose-Driven Life to give to Ashley; Ashley and Cecelia have both read The Secret, which, if you don't know, is more-or-less the anti-Bible.]
Anyway, it was a productive and meaningful Christmas.
The gifts of God - the message of salvation, brotherly love - were enjoyed by us all.
What's more, if there's any one person here in Hangzhou (and there is) who I especially try to avoid seeing, I must confess, it's this Chinese Christian named George. For some reason I really have had trouble being patient and friendly to him. I know, it's terrible. He's a brother, after all. He's had us out to his hometown; he's taught us Chinese; he's always been very nice... It's the perfect storm as far as guilt goes - he's done nothing wrong, yet I can't seem to tolerate him!
So, when Cecely came to me with the news that George would be coming over, on Christmas day, it was assumed I would not take it very well. After all, we'd already agreed to break with our usual policy and host three girls for a Bible study Christmas Eve. Now we were looking at having guests both days! But, without much complaint, I agreed to George's visit.
Well, as it turned out, we and the girls had to reschedule for Christmas Day - meaning that all four guests would converge on our apartment at once. And so they did.
And it was great!
It turned into a very, very long Bible study and discussion that did a lot to teach and challenge the girls and stretch and strengthen our own faith. George - as I had already known but not experienced firsthand - has a passion and gift for patiently and thoughtfully explaining the gospel. He and I and Cec all took turns, as it were, adding to the conversation, and each of the girls were also fully engaged. Cecelia (middle) is the closest to saving faith - PRAY FOR HER. Her roommate, Katrina (far right), has now come over twice as Cecelia's invitation. And Ashley (aka, Ice, nearest George) has also been over maybe two or three times with Cecelia. George and a sister, Joanna from Wuhan, have talked to her before. [Joanna also recently bought and sent to us a Chinese copy of Purpose-Driven Life to give to Ashley; Ashley and Cecelia have both read The Secret, which, if you don't know, is more-or-less the anti-Bible.]
Anyway, it was a productive and meaningful Christmas.
The gifts of God - the message of salvation, brotherly love - were enjoyed by us all.
HuKou
Finally GaoYan has her own HuKou or household register, Hangzhou city citizenship, official documentation, and so on. For the past ten years GaoYan’s HuKou has been in Changsha where she went to university. We had to travel back to Changsha when we were legally married. We had to spend several hundred dollars to hold her HuKou while we lived in America. When we bought our home, GaoYan had to travel back to Changsha for paper work. GaoYan most recently had to get “permission” to have a baby sent from Changsha. Finally GaoYan’s HuKou has found a home in Hangzhou.
Honey
Our honey is bought from real life bee keepers, not from no supermarket. Near our home, the bee tents are where we have to get off our bikes and push up the hill. The first time we bought honey they let us sample several different kinds from large metal containers in their tent. Another day a tarp covered in orange pollen was drying in the sun. They said bee keepers are welcomed by the government to set up camp on any open land for free. The bees are valuable for pollinating crops and fruit trees. Yesterday we bought honey, and they opened up one of the bee hives. The honey man pulled up a tray swarming with hundreds of bees. He said “Don’t worry. It’s too cold for them to sting you.” We even got to see a queen bee resting in a small bamboo cage for the winter. The queen bee is held in a cage otherwise she would be busy about the hive laying eggs. Only one queen bee per hive or they will fight with each other. In the spring and summer the bee keepers will travel all over China with their hives collecting honey.
Christmas Presents
Christmas presents come on Christmas Eve to the university post office and they pedal home on our pink bicycle. Christmas presents come after a long day at day care. Christmas presents come when the school semester should have been long over, when we are trying to explain the incredible gift of baby Jesus with students. Christmas presents remind us of love. Christmas presents remind us of giving. Christmas presents remind us of friends and family. Christmas presents are filled with books and toys. Christmas presents are filled with Estee Lauder, GaoYan’s ancient Chinese secret. Christmas presents are filled with black chocolate and candy. Yum!
Thank you for blessing us so richly this Christmas.
Thank you for blessing us so richly this Christmas.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Clarks: Christmas Eve
Here's a picture of Cec decorating the little Christmas tree in our apartment:
We had a really nice Christmas Eve today: First off, we slept in! When we got stirring, Jason made lattes (decaf for Cec) and we sat and talked on Skype with Jake & Shelly and then Jason's mom. Next, we headed to the doctor, but first the background story: On Monday Cec had started a beta-blocker to help her heart not beat quite so fast, and it's really helped already. We've noticed, though, that the baby hasn't been so active since starting the medicine -- the baby moves enough according to kick counts, but just not as much as it had been -- so we decided that we'd like to go to the hospital to hear the heartbeat and make sure that everything's OK.
Anyway, we had a very good doctor visit -- the baby's heartbeat is completely normal, Cec got a really good EKG report, her pulse and blood pressure were both in the best range they've ever been during pregnancy, and... we have reconfirmed that the baby is a girl! We're thrilled! We've had the name(s) picked out for a long time now, for either a boy or a girl. We're going to name her Phoebe Ruth Clark -- P.R.C. (as in People's Republic of China) -- we couldn't resist! Cecely is a "Ruth" as were both her grandmothers; we're the Clarks, of course; and we've always liked Phoebe, which also happens to be a Bible name. It's obviously meant to be!
So, after the doctor visit... and by the way, we need to say, too, that there's this sweet nurse there (English name Jan) who has been so helpful and encouraging to us -- she's really like an angel put there to minister to us... we went downtown for McDonald's followed by Cold Stone ice cream. We bought a last-minute gift for each of us. And we topped off the evening by seeing Santa Claus! A foreign guy in the Hyatt!
We're blessed, and we want to thank you for your prayers, which we believe had sustained us and helped turn the tide of emotion in recent days.
We love you.
We had a really nice Christmas Eve today: First off, we slept in! When we got stirring, Jason made lattes (decaf for Cec) and we sat and talked on Skype with Jake & Shelly and then Jason's mom. Next, we headed to the doctor, but first the background story: On Monday Cec had started a beta-blocker to help her heart not beat quite so fast, and it's really helped already. We've noticed, though, that the baby hasn't been so active since starting the medicine -- the baby moves enough according to kick counts, but just not as much as it had been -- so we decided that we'd like to go to the hospital to hear the heartbeat and make sure that everything's OK.
Anyway, we had a very good doctor visit -- the baby's heartbeat is completely normal, Cec got a really good EKG report, her pulse and blood pressure were both in the best range they've ever been during pregnancy, and... we have reconfirmed that the baby is a girl! We're thrilled! We've had the name(s) picked out for a long time now, for either a boy or a girl. We're going to name her Phoebe Ruth Clark -- P.R.C. (as in People's Republic of China) -- we couldn't resist! Cecely is a "Ruth" as were both her grandmothers; we're the Clarks, of course; and we've always liked Phoebe, which also happens to be a Bible name. It's obviously meant to be!
So, after the doctor visit... and by the way, we need to say, too, that there's this sweet nurse there (English name Jan) who has been so helpful and encouraging to us -- she's really like an angel put there to minister to us... we went downtown for McDonald's followed by Cold Stone ice cream. We bought a last-minute gift for each of us. And we topped off the evening by seeing Santa Claus! A foreign guy in the Hyatt!
We're blessed, and we want to thank you for your prayers, which we believe had sustained us and helped turn the tide of emotion in recent days.
We love you.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
It's begining to look a lot like...
....fall!
Just last week, I noticed a tree just outside our building! It was bright red. I had not noticed any leaves changing color until then. I started looking around and saw lots of reds and yellows. So many trees don't change here, so we rarely see the colors we do at home. Once I noticed the colors, I got my camera and snapped several photos.
This photo was taken near the lake.
This is my favorite one. It is now the desktop background on my computer.
Just last week, I noticed a tree just outside our building! It was bright red. I had not noticed any leaves changing color until then. I started looking around and saw lots of reds and yellows. So many trees don't change here, so we rarely see the colors we do at home. Once I noticed the colors, I got my camera and snapped several photos.
a closer look at the red leaves
This photo was taken near the lake.
This is my favorite one. It is now the desktop background on my computer.
Hangzhou and Shan shui ren jia (our apartment complex) are really beautiful!
Thanksgiving
We hosted a Thanksgiving gathering at our apartment on Friday (the day after Thanksgiving).
We did not have Thanksgiving off, so we just celebrated on Friday (most of us do have that day off). We ate tons of food and had a great time fellowshipping with each other.
This year we even had turkey! Heather ordered a turkey from Shanghai and she got a hotel to roast it. They did a great job! We ate turkey, dressing, corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, homemade bread, apple sauce, brownies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, apple cider, and boiled custard. It was all great. I am very thankful we have this group to support each other and to fellowship with.
Jon carved the turkey, and Jeff helped.
We did not have Thanksgiving off, so we just celebrated on Friday (most of us do have that day off). We ate tons of food and had a great time fellowshipping with each other.
This year we even had turkey! Heather ordered a turkey from Shanghai and she got a hotel to roast it. They did a great job! We ate turkey, dressing, corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, homemade bread, apple sauce, brownies, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, apple cider, and boiled custard. It was all great. I am very thankful we have this group to support each other and to fellowship with.
Jon carved the turkey, and Jeff helped.
The spread!
Everyone eating
Hallie enjoyed the turkey.
Eryn did too.
Now that Thanksgiving is past, it is the holiday season. We have our tree up and it kinda feels like Christmas. However, the holidays in China are not the same as at home. I have had some homesickness lately. This can be a tough time of the year here. Please remember us in your prayers.
BUT we are thankful to be where we are and doing what we are doing. We do love it.
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