Saturday was Alex's birthday!  Ama organised a surprised birthday party - by getting some students to take Alex on a wild goose chase - while we met all the other students and took them to the World Park.

 

It was a beautiful day - and we got to visit a lot of places all over the world.  I even made it back to NZ for a few minutes, and educated a few students about some Maori words...the very very few I know.

 

Enjoy the photos!

Kinda random story to start with.  But let me warn you there really is no point to the story, I'm just gonna tell ya what I ate for lunch.

Gong Bao Ji Ding.  If thats spelt right.  But the cool part was we at this little place that has recently been erected outside the school back gate.  The ceiling is just high enough for you to stand, and seriously the whole place is a bit of a lead-to.  You walk in and the menu is on the wall (this is pretty common at little eateries - if they bring you a menu the place is a little classier, but the foods not necessarily much better), there are low tables and three legged stools.  Students are scattered around, some are watching a basketball game on the box in the corner, and the cute little waitress comes to take your order.  And as has become the biggest cliche for our students, we order the most common dish that foreigners order.  Gong Bao Ji Ding.  Chicken, cucumber, chillies, carrots and peanuts.  Stir fried the royal style.  Thats what the Chinese characters mean - royal in some way.  Whether its really royal or not I'm not sure, but it does taste good.  And it has vegies - so I'm all for it.

That was lunch.

Now for the cultural discussion.  One of my students did his speech on the difference between how Chinese and Westerners deal with their elderly.  His opening sentence which almost made me stand up and correct him was, 'Westerners put their parents in nursing homes when they get old'.  It is possible that our parents are a lot more independent than perhaps their parents are when they get old.  Our parents hope that we will have kids and will visit them and love on them - and they look forward to seeing us grow up and have our own lives separate from them.  But most parents I know (in NZ I'm meaning) are not relying on their children to provide for them when they get old.  If they haven’t had some saving scheme of their own they will probably live off the miniscule pension they get from the government.

To my student this idea seemed almost disgusting.  That our parents who gave birth to us and raised us and spent a lot of time and money on us would not be 'paid back' in old age.  The Chinese way (as I am aware) is that as your parents get older and retire, you become financially responsible for them, and often they will come to live under your roof, and perhaps take care of your child.

So my student asked me…don’t you see this as being selfish?  And I had to be honest…no I don’t.  But I do feel a little selfish saying that I don’t feel selfish!  Believe me, I love my parents and will look after them in their old age.  But they have planned for this time, and are looking forward to retirement (I think J).

I guess this is just one of some very big gaping cultural differences.

I have come this fine day to share with you some craziness from the foreigners who already stick out A LOT in China.

 

Apart from all the other work I obviously do...(cough cough)...I have taken time out of my day several times to break from the ordinary and have a little fun. 

 

These are my attempts...

 

 

SO many things to say!  And pictures to share. 

Firstly more birthday pics...click on the Birthday folder to the right and you can see all the pics I added from the dinner we had on Saturday night.  All my CTF friends from Beijing came and we had Italian at a restaurant called Annies.  It was fun!   Everyone had a great time (I think) and afterwards we walked through the city.  It was a beautiful clear night, and the lights are so pretty in Beijing.  Here is everyone who came!

A friend of Joell's is visiting at the moment, he is staying at the boys apartment.  Last night we went into town to enjoy yet another western meal at the Hard Rock Cafe.  It was a little ouchy on the pocket, but fully worth it!  We couldn’t believe how big this brownie & icecream was.  IT WAS SO GOOD.  I felt incredibly full afterwards and insisted we walk for a while before getting a taxi home.  Again we were blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather.  The air was warm and the conversation good.  Makes for a good evening!

In other news (beep beep beep beep beeeep - you know the sound of breaking news), it is offically only 24 sleeps until Mum and Age arrive in this amazing exquisite land!  I am over the top excited.  More excited than I was about travelling before ATC.  Yay!!  I wonder what they will think, I wonder what things will surprise them, and if I will be reminded of some the things that I thought when I first arrived.

Things have changed a lot for me since August last year.  In so many ways I feel like a different person, not so afraid of life...kinda like someone above has been working on my heart.  And I know he has.  Thinking back on things that have happened this past year and how I've had to grow up in so many ways, really makes me so grateful for how the potter has been working on me.  Believe me, I have a long way to go.  I realise that more now that I ever did.  It is so amazing to see how Dad is working in our school, the people we have been able to share light with this semester and those with longing hearts has increased a lot. 

What a blessing to be part of what is going on here.  And its so humbling to know that it will continue long after I am gone.  I guess thats how he keeps us humble...in knowing our place, in knowing our time, and in knowing that if we allow, he will order them all.