Clarks: This Evening

We've just come back from a really nice evening out with a student of mine (Jason's). She is a Sr. English major whose name is Wei Na; she goes by the English name "Venus". She is a modern-looking, talkative, and open-minded girl, a good student who really helps to make the class discussions come alive. For example, when the topic came up in class recently, she was quite willing to discuss the very sensitive issue of her mother's divorce, even though this is something most Chinese students find unpleasant and would prefer not to talk about -- even if their own parents are still happily married.
So anyway, Wei Na had invited us over to her and her (still-single) mother's home for dinner. She also asked another female student, Fei Fei, to join us, and had her own boyfriend come over, too, after he got off work. So, once everyone was there and sat down, we had dinner (which was really great, by the way) and made small talk -- mostly in Chinese, actually -- and you know, just had a real nice time. Then, when dinner was over, we left straight-away for the beauty salon where Venus and Cecely were going to get their hair washed (which means not only a hair-washing but an upper body massage, too) and have their nails done. [Yes, our life here is full of toil and trial, isn't it?]
But that left the boyfriend and I (Fei Fei went home) to either sit in the salon looking dumb or get our own hair washed (also dumb) or... and here comes the interesting twist... go to the Starbucks we had passed a couple blocks back and have coffee and talk. Except, the boyfriend does NOT speak English! So this means, if we decide to go for coffee, we are essentially agreeing to an impromptu "blind (and mute) date"! He was like, “ 我不会说英语”that is, he can't speak English, as in, "What am I supposed to do with this foreigner?! Go sit there in silence and stare at him!?" But Wei Na insisted, "Jason can speak Chinese. Go on!" And so, we went.
Really, it was so much like an awkward first date... he even held the door open for me when we left the salon and again when we entered the coffee house! He also wanted me to sit down while he ordered and then insisted that he pay for both of us. So we found a nice, romantic... NO, WAIT A SECOND!... let's just say we found a table and sat down, very macho-like.
And then the most amazing thing happened: We carried on a conversation. A real conversation.
We discussed coffee culture -- the whole "third place" phenomenon, if you understand what that means. We discussed politics. We discussed religion, namely the major differences between Catholics (his grandma is one) and Protestants.
I shared my story of growing up mostly with a single-mom, and how one of my step-dads did drugs, and how it has influenced my younger brother, and how I had to help take care of him when I was only nine-years-old and he was just an infant, and how that -- when my brother turned nine, himself -- I looked back at my experience growing up and wondered, "How in the world was it that I was taking care of a baby at nine-years-old when Lance can't possibly take care of himself at this age now?!"
And of course, he listened intently and sympathized and said things like, "What a hard life; you were really forced to grow-up too quickly... but, you know, every family has its problems, and likewise, every country and every culture, too, has its weaknesses. Like, in China, parents never want to let their kids grow-up at all or have any freedom or learn to do things for themselves, so at least your experience gave you the opportunity to learn how to take care of yourself at an early age."
"But to tell you the truth," I continued, "I feel like I didn't really grow-up at all, until just recently. I mean, when Cec and I got married... we were 20 and 22 at the time... I thought I was grown-up, but really I was so immature. We had a lot of trouble at the beginning of our marriage because I wasn't really a true man yet. You know what I mean?"
"Well, it's that way with every marriage, though..."
"Yeah," I said, "of course, that's true; but really, sometimes I think, if we weren't both Christians... I feel certain we would have gotten divorced."
"No way, ba!" [If you speak Chinese, you'll get the "ba" thing, otherwise...]
"Really though," I insisted, "being a Christian has improved my life so much, and I truly believe our faith is what kept our marriage together through the tough times."
He was like, "Whoa, dude... that's deep."
[OK, maybe he didn't exactly say that, but...]
Anyway, it was really cool. I mean -- in the interest of full disclosure -- it didn't sound quite so elegant and moving in real-time: Think more like Tarzan in a counseling session with Sigmund Freud and you've probably got a more accurate representation of what it must have sounded like to him. But anyway, we did communicate. And for that, I am thankful.

We expect to spend time with them again, some weekend before long. And who knows what we'll talk about then. But I'm praying for the best.

Toddlers Group

Caleb enjoys his life in China. I think what he enjoys the most is fresh made chicken and fish soup. In China, you can buy fresh produce such as live chickens and fish still in the water tank and fresh picked vegetables. Caleb likes to go to the market with me. He helps me pay all the vendors. All the good food has made him grow stronger and bigger everyday.

Caleb also loves the playground downstairs in our neighborhood. There are always so many kids and moms and grandparents downstairs. Caleb won their hearts. We love our neighbors. They are so kind and friendly. We started a Thursday morning mom and toddler class. We met the first time last week. Josh teaches six toddlers B-songs while the moms talk. Last week, we did a self-introduction. I am hoping to share and discuss some books on raising children and discipline. Hopefully we can grow from there. We plan to develop another group on Saturday with dads and kids.

Clarks: Elaine

Just wanted to add a quick note about last night: Cecely had Elaine over yesterday for reading and talking [wink, wink] and is planning to keep up regular Monday evening appointments with her (and probably some of the others) for at least a while. Cec wants to see Elaine stand on her own, but it doesn't seem to be the time for that yet, which is certainly understandable. So we [again, it's mostly Cec] are going to mix teaching, then just listening, then letting them be alone, then getting back together and reflecting... and so on, for a time, so that they will be well-supported and, at the same time, allowed to mature somewhat independently.
Anyway, this has been a major concern of ours, and we are thankful to have finally gotten something really started with these ladies. Keep thinking about this situation, if you will.

Clarks: Weekend Trip

Hello everyone! We are so excited to be able to see the blog for ourselves! Let's pray that it remains visable to us -- it certainly makes it more fun when we can see our finished product.

So, we went out of town this weekend with Wei and her family. Wei ["Way"] is the mom; she takes yoga from Cec here at the house; she is also our landlady. Zhou ["Joe"] is the dad; he teaches and does computer tech service for a big university (same place that Wei teaches business, actually); he's nice but quiet, a loving and playful dad. Meng-meng [meaning, "Dream-dream"] is their 4-yr-old daughter; she is well-behaved and very clever; she really likes Cec & I a lot.

The trip was billed as us going to somewhere called Huzhou (a lake resort town?) and seeing alligators, 1000-yr-old gingko trees, and... well, I can't remember what else; but, we never actually made it to Huzhou, instead spending our time in and around a dusty little town called Changxing.

Also, the alligators never quite materialized; although, we did see a billboard advertising that there were some alligators somewhere; and of course, there's that statue over there:

We ended up going to a geological park and viewing dinosaur remains and a 4-D movie.

[Yes, in China we have a whole other dimension: the theater seats wiggle, spray water on your head, and poke you in the back with a hard, plastic nail!]

Also, we got to spend a lot of quality time with Wei and her family, seeing this and that in the surrounding countryside. We took everything at a relaxed pace and just enjoyed the people and the scenes. People collecting and preparing gingko berries... Loofa gourds [from whence loofa sponges are born] hanging in the vines along the roadsides...

I even had time to play a game of Chinese chess with Meng-meng: She had to remind me of some of the rules, and give me advice before I made any foolish moves. Still, despite her coaching, I lost. [Yes, I was mentally out-manuvered by a four-year-old.]

She was a kind winner, though, telling Cec that "we are pretty well matched; he plays on my level."

The blog!

This morning, I was messing around on the computer and clicked on the team blog, and it worked! I used this time to update the colors of the blog and to add a couple of elements. On the side, I added a list we hope to keep updated. It is a list of things that we are asking you to think about and talk to Him about. On the bottom of the page, we also have a list of things that you could send us. We are excited that we are able to actually view the blog, but it may not last. Hope you like the changes. Thanks for all you do.

Jenn

[P.S. from Jason: We can also read your comments now, so post comments directly if you like.]

Cooking in China

Well, it could have been worse.... Jon had class until 5 and then he had class again at 6:30, so I thought it would be easier to eat at home....but nothing is as simple as it should be in China.... I knew we had eggs and some ham and cheese, so I decided to make omlettes.

We only have an electric hot plate thing to cook on. It uses magnets to make ferrous metals hot...it is pretty cool technology if you are not trying to cook on it. The first pan I grabbed did not work (wrong kind of metal). Of course I did not realize it did not work until after I dumped the ham in it. So I got out another pan, but it immediately burned some of the ham! I took it off the eye and knew that I would need to clean the pan or else the omlettes would taste very burnt. About this time, Jon came home and suggested another pan, that was in the drawer. I forgot to look in the drawer...who keeps pans in drawers...oh they do in China. That pan worked better and I cooked the ham some and then moved on to the eggs....

I remember my mom and grandmother always telling me to crack open an egg in a separate container than your mix (or the other eggs). I almost forgot that advice....but it could have been worse...on egg number 5, I cracked it, but something seemed off...I noticed the smell and the green liquid about the same time. I am glad that none of the yuck landed in the other eggs. I am also very thankful that I did not open the egg all the way!! I can only imagine what I would have found. The smell was the worst part! I kept smelling it all night even way after I took out the garbage and scrubbed the kitchen.

Well like I said, it could have been worse. I started to cook the eggs, but the silly hot plate thing either gets very hot or not hot enough... finally they were cooked enough to add the ham and cheese. However, the omlette fell all apart. So I called it Topsy-turvy omlettes and the kids were excited. It was covered in cheese (a rare treat). The kids gobbled it up. Then I made one for Jon and me. It was ok, but I did have trouble getting it cooked all the way. I ate two bites, and it tasted fine, but I still smelled that other egg and had lost my appetite for eggs!

Everyone was still hungry, so when Jon went to class and took out the garbage, we got a snack at the cafeterria next door. I scrubbed the kitchen and washed the dishes, at least I could do that right!
Like I said, it could have been worse..at least we did have something to eat. I think tonight, we will go out to eat!

Clarks: Soon to Be on the Cover of Runner's World?

From Jason:
I'm thinking of starting a running program.
I need the exercise and, frankly, the weight loss and muscle toning.
I know, you all think I'm so skinny [at least, I hope that's what you think] but that's b/c you haven't seen me with my shirt off [lucky for both of us!].
So, I'm sitting here at the computer reading about running. I'm not running yet, mind you, but I am thinking about maybe running. Maybe even today.
There's gonna be a marathon here in HZ next month. That's what got me fired up about running. But the deadline for entry is at the end of this month, and the fee is pretty high, actually... and also, I've never in my life run even one mile without stopping.
Maybe I will buy some new running shoes. That seems to be important, according to all the websites I'm reading. Great sites, by the way. Physically fit, smiling, energetic people--all running along there, like it's so much fun! Looks like something I might enjoy.
Then again, I have the electric bike. And I just aired-up the tires yesterday.
Shame to waste that air.
Then again, I guess it will keep.
Maybe what I need is fresh air in my lungs. Gasping, panting, lapping it up. "Feel the burn. Be the road." Chariots of Fire. "Dum dum-dum da-dum dum..."
The weather is perfect for running. I can tell just by leaning back, away from the glowing monitor of the computer, and looking out the window--yep, perfect running weather, looks like.
So, here in minute, after I'm done typing, and maybe after I look at a couple more training regimens online, and do some side-by-side shoe comparisons, and maybe finish checking my e-mail... and then I need to hang out that laundry that just beeped... oh, cute! Moonbeam just jumped into my lap!... and I do need to finish my lesson plans for the week...
I don't know if I'm going to have time to go running today. Maybe tomorrow.
We'll just have to see what happens.
Wish me well.
(1 Cor. 9:24ff; Heb. 12:1ff)

[UPDATE: I did go running. And I enjoyed it.]