rambling

Maybe the saddest part of my life right now is forgetting what it feels like not having to constantly look over my shoulder, making sure I haven't done anything wrong. If I could wish for things to come true I'd gather every star from the sky to make the perfect beginning and ending to my life. Unhappiness is not equivalent to being ungrateful but there it looms over my head and I am paranoid. What is cultural can be understood. If injustice or hurt is done it can only be forgiven but not undone. But meet me half way for goodness sake.

I miss riding my bike to and from school, early mornings at Chestnut Hill Cafe, late nights at Park City Diner, Ugandan food at Central Market, movie nights, study dates at Prince Street and F&M's library, stargazing on roofs and in parks, riding bikes at night, Tsunami sushi, hanging out at Millersville, First Fridays, Tuesday nights with Overflow - I miss Lancaster!

Chinese New Year Resolutions

1. Practice saying no when you mean it! 
2. WORK OUT LIKE A MOFO! 
3. Eat healthier/cleaner.
4. Pray even more. Trust me, you always feel better when you do. 
5. Be more productive (i.e. finish that darn resume, send out job applications, practice Chinese more, etc...)
6. Be a better you; live life to the full and let love shine through!

Shanghai Calling

Monday, 28.1.2013

            So, it’s my third day in Shanghai and I already feel like I’ve been here for a month. Maybe that’s an exaggeration but it’s because I’ve been spending a lot of time in my head for the last few days. I haven’t had this much solitude for so long. It’s comforting yet at the same time it’s been such a while that I feel a little unsettled. Yesterday, I spent a few hours at the café getting into the Word, writing emails, catching up with friends, and preparing my mind for this week that was to come. Even though I enjoy personal quiet time to myself I already felt myself fearing being alone.

            In Nanchang, life is so different. I’m constantly surrounded by my peers when I’m not hanging out on my own in my room. Not mention, life back in Nanchang is so much more modest. Being here in Shanghai, I feel like I’m in a totally different world, especially living in the area that I’m in. The garage of my apartment complex is luxury car showcase - Porsche, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Bentley, you name it. I live with all their owners.

            The woman I am currently living with owns both a Benz and a Beamer. She has been nothing but kind to me. She’s taken me into her home, given me a room and a bed to sleep in, food and more! We have an a yi (“auntie”/maid that lives with us in the apartment) that cooks and cleans for us and I barely have to do anything. I can’t help but want to do the dishes after a meal but a yi doesn’t even let me touch my dirty bowl and chopsticks after eating. My yiyi (that’s what I call the woman that’s taken me in) even invited me to her home in Congming (sp?), another city not far from Shanghai, for the Chinese New Year. I think it’s an island and that’s where she owns a farm and runs a small business or something. I feel so blessed, it’s overwhelming. I don’t know how in the world I even got here especially when everything was arranged in so little time. It’s simply amazing.

            The church I’m attending here seems to be pretty solid too. The worship is really awesome and it’s really encouraging to see that there are a lot of young expats here from all over the world. I’ve already spoken with both of the pastors and the worship leader and they’re helping me out with getting involved. Actually, they all work on the same floor as me. Speaking of work today was my first day of volunteering at the Community Center Shanghai (CCS). CCS is an NGO that assists expats in getting settled here in Shanghai. I work every day from 8:30am-3pm at the office and I see expats coming in and out. I’m glad I spent the last four and half months living with people from all over the world so I’m not overwhelmed by all the foreigners that walk in. However, it still baffles me that so many foreigners live here in Shanghai. I basically pick up the phone, transfer calls, and help out my co-workers with whatever they need. Pretty straightforward and much like the receptionist and clerical assistant jobs I held at StonerBunting and the MU Visual Performing Arts Center, respectively. Unlike my past jobs, however, I get to speak both Chinese and English here (with the exception of waitressing at Tsunami, where I was speaking a mixture of English, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Spanish!). Win. This morning I felt so boss as I walked out the door because my contact here arranged a driver to pick me up from my home and take me to the Center. It was pretty neat starting the day like that because I could see a few other /career people waiting outside for their rides to work.

            In addition to working at the Community Center I am also tutoring a young boy the age of 10. His name is Simone and he’s half Chinese, half Spanish (his mom is from here and his dad from Spain). He’s a fun kid and he loves to talk A LOT. Unlike my other student in Nanchang, Simone speaks English fluently (with a British accent!) but I’m helping him with his reading and writing. I think we’re getting along pretty well. He already calls me his friend “even though [he] only met me two days ago” and we have a secret handshake. I just hope I can be a good tutor to him and really help him improve in those areas of the communication arts. His mother is also a sweet woman who is helping me out immensely just by paying me. Fereal, people here are baller. I no longer fear going broke living here in Shanghai. “Blessed” would be a good term to use yet again.

            After tutoring, I came home to dinner made by a yi and ate with my Shanghai family. I think I’m getting along with James, the boy I’m living with and his cousin, whom we gave the name of Michael just tonight (I wrote a list of English names and that was his favorite!). James is 10 and Michael is 15. I’m really glad I grew up with nearly all boy cousins or else I wouldn’t know how to interact with all these kids now! Oh, I forgot to mention that the family I’m living with doesn’t speak English, even though we’re surrounded by foreigners. Michael knows a bit but we predominantly speak Chinese to each other. Putting those studies to practice! Booya!

            Tomorrow is a new day and I get to bike to work. I’m pretty excited about that. I really do enjoy city life. I’m hoping to get a substantial amount of work done, including lesson preparations and just life stuff. Wednesday, Irina and I will be meeting up since she’s spending the week in Shanghai as well.

Praising the Father for being with me all throughout an awesome day and praying for many more to come! Thanks for all your prayers everyone – they are not going unnoticed!

    

             

update!

A very quick update:

Last week I was traveling to and through Yunnan Province with Ellie, Josh and Dave (friends from church).

This week I've just been chilling in Nanchang and laying low. My current living situation is pretty neat. Staying in a nice apartment that belongs to a friend of a friend's. Just last night my roommate and I discovered that our heater does, indeed, work and that we should have tried it out several days ago. Before last night we went to bed and woke up every night and day to seeing our own breath. We were pretty used to it but having heat is pretty darn awesome. Oh well. This is the real China experience.

Tomorrow is my last day here before I move to Shanghai where I'll be volunteering/working at a community center there for the next six weeks and hopefully helping out at a church. I'll be living with a family whom I've never met before but they've been gracious enough to take me into their home. Time to get onto another overnight train! Looking forward to seeing what the Father has planned for me. Really looking forward to some quiet, introvert time, which I have not gotten in forever. I can feel myself getting exhausted from all this running around and being with people. I need my balance of space and interaction!

Okay, it's midnight. I should sleep. Good night.