There are many things I love about China, and yogurt in a bag is one of them! You can buy yogurt in a bag at every market over here. You just bite off the corner of the bag and start sucking it out! A 180 g bag (6.3 oz) of yogurt costs 1.3元, which is just $0.19.
The date yogurt in the center is delicious!
If you click on this link www.gfa.org/resource/books/living-in-the-light-of-eternity you can download a GREAT book for FREE!
K.P. Yohannan’s book “Living in the Light of Eternity” is a must read! You have to create an account and log in and after that you can download a PDF version of the book or you can download the mp3 audio version of the book!
Caution: If you’re not really interested in being sold out for Christ, you may not want to read this book; it may cause you to squirm uncomfortably. On the other hand, it may change your life in ways you never dreamed of.
People poured into the hospital doors, so unlike anything I had ever seen, unless I use the comparison of cattle being herded into a coral! There were so many people that a lady was hired to maintain order at the elevators. She wore her hair in a tight bun with a little nurse cap perched on her head and a microphone attached to her lapel with a speaker on her waist. She would remind everyone to “pai dui,” which means to line up. Many people, apparently oblivious of the fact that there was an incredibly long line leading from the elevators to the end of the corridors, would push right up to the elevator doors at which point they would be told to pai dui. Roused from their stupor, they would notice the “Great Line of China” and march back to the end of the line.
Once the elevator doors opened, people would scramble onto the elevator, some would even dare to cut in line, but thankfully, the “elevator monitor lady” would call to them on her microphone and send them back where they belonged. After cramming themselves into the elevator, the siren would go off indicating an overloaded elevator. At this point, you would think whoever was the closet to the door would quickly take their leave, but not in China.
So here I am with my friend, closest to the door, with the siren ringing. I try to step off, only to feel my friend’s hand grip my arm and pull me closer to her, as if to say, “No, don’t step off!” Her head is down and she whispers, “stay.” The siren continues to ring and everyone is talking about how someone needs to leave. I am thinking it is obvious that it should be us since we are nearest the door, and not wanting to waste anyone’s time, I again attempt to step off. I feel her grip on my arm again requesting me stay put! I’m amused and wondering what will happen. Those of us nearest the door try to keep our bodies from the door, thinking perhaps it’s our clothing in the doorway and not our weight. Eventually people talk louder and the microphone lady is saying something and finally my friend relaxes her grip on my arm and nods her consent for us to leave the elevator!
We “pai dui” once again (but now we’re in the front of the line) waiting for the elevator to empty its contents and return to the 1st floor. Once the door opens, we quickly move to the back of the elevator. I have very little breathing room, but I manage to keep my pregnant belly from getting squished. Once again the elevator is quickly packed beyond capacity and the siren starts ringing. Once again those in the elevator start talking about how someone needs to get off and once again those closest to the door are staring at the floor, ignoring the siren, and hoping someone else will get off. At this point I am giggling to myself!
It’s comical. It’s crafty. It’s completely Chinese! I’m squished into an elevator where the air is thick with the smell of soy sauce and garlic. The obnoxious siren makes it obvious someone needs to hop off the elevator, but no one is willing and it’s the fight of the fittest! Finally a lady relents and steps off the elevator, the doors close, and everyone is content. I imagine it all happening again and again throughout the day and suppress the desire to laugh out loud!
I love China. The shear amount of people sometimes astounds me! I felt like an entire city of people was in that one hospital! The elevator ride was just another reminder of how the people have learned to look out for themselves and fight for their positions. Although it was a comical sight for me to watch in the elevator, it is an everyday battle for them that is not comical!
Tonight our family enjoyed an outing to a nearby restaurant. After walking a few blocks, we crossed some road construction and then parked ourselves in a hole-in-the-wall restaurant where we enjoyed dishes like guo bao rou (sweet-n-sour pork), tu dou si (shredded fried potatoes), niu rou mian (fried beef noodles), and shao yun dou (fried green beans). Yup, China serves almost everything fried!
We left with full tummies but just three or four more doors from the restaurant is a drink place we’ve recently found called, “ManGo” that serves great fruit slushies; there’s always room for a slushy, right? Tonight I had my favorite, lemon, while Jolie enjoyed mango. The boys opted out since their bellies were too full. As we waited for our drinks to be made, Lily was outside drawing a crowd and getting acquainted with a little Chinese girl.
Wherever we go, if there is a Chinese child around, their parents will excitedly bring them up to us and want to introduce them to our children. They often use this phrase “wo, wo, shou,” which is an invitation to shake hands. Lily is quickly learning the phrase and becoming more accustomed to offering her hand for a shake!
“Lao Wai!”
Wherever I go in China, I hear people stating the obvious, “Lao Wai!” which is slang for outsider or foreigner. Tonight’s walk down by the river was no exception. It’s not unusual for people to say this as they pass by me, but I don’t feel it’s disrespectful, prejudicial, or rude. They are simply stating the obvious: I am a foreigner in their country!
In this culture it is not unusual for someone to openly stare at you, point you out in a crowd, holler out in the only English they know, “hello!” and like I mentioned above, proclaim to those around them that you are a foreigner. Nonetheless, it can and often does rub me the wrong way as it goes against what I have learned in my culture, never make people feel uncomfortable by pointing out differences.
So, as I was praying for a deeper cultural understanding, the grace to accept people and their behaviors as they are, and a love for all people, I chuckled inwardly as a man flew past me on his scooter and yelled out to his friend, “Lao Wai!” just as I was saying amen. Grace Father, give me grace… ;-)
Once again Mother’s Day has rolled around and to help me celebrate, Peter made the following video for me!
Be patient
. It takes a while to load.
Dangerous for drowning…but I think it’s safe for swimming! ; )
What’s so different about light switches in China?
Well, first, they are shaped differently than the switches I’m used to in America, and secondly, they are often located outside of the room! Yup, as you approach the room, you will find the light switches.
At first I would often go into a room, close the door and find myself unable to locate the switch, but now I am accustomed to switching the lights on before entering the room. Whereas when I first arrived I used to be so annoyed, now I see the sense of having the switch located just before entering the room!
Some of you have enjoyed following our foster son’s journey to his adopted parents and home in America. We are thrilled to report to you that he is transitioning well and loving his new life.
Since moving to America in November, only 5 months ago, he has gained a whopping five pounds and grown 6 inches! He attends a daycare/preschool where he enjoys playing with other children and learning. It’s obvious from pictures that he loves his new setting and especially adores his parents.
His story is a great reminder to us to never grow weary in doing good!
I ended a recent post saying I would post something about how we have gotten used to some of the cultural differences here.
As the season changes from winter to spring, women and children will be sporting scarves around their heads! Yeah, you read that right, not around their necks, but their heads! When we first arrived I thought it was so funny to see a woman with a colorful scarf wrapped around her face as she bicycled her way to work, but now, I’m tempted to use one myself and have put one over Lily’s face a time or two!
What’s the purpose of these scarves? Well, they enable a person to see, but keep the dust and grit away from their eyes, nose, and mouth. (As a result of sand storms and strong winds, the air is full of dust and grit.)
Another interesting thing they wear here are what they call purity masks, or what we might refer to as dust masks. These pieces of cloth come in all sorts of colors and prints, with rhinestones or not and are worn for the same purpose as the scarves around the face, to keep the dust and grit out of one’s mouth and nose (perhaps a better filter for the lungs but lacking the eye protection of the scarves). These are worn by many locals during the spring, but they’re also worn during the winter season to keep the face warm and to prevent viruses and bacteria from reaching their lungs.
When we first arrived, I tried wearing these dust masks but felt so embarrassed about it that I gave it up! Recently, however, I put one on and wasn’t at all self-conscious; nonetheless, I didn’t like how it felt around my face and how it captured so much moisture. I would rather have a scarf around my nose and mouth than the mask!
In the next post, Ill write about light switches! What could possibly be culturally different about those?! Read on!
