I love my girls!

DAD has blessed me a lot recently. Last week I met with some of my girls. They are new believers, and we hadn’t seen each other very much since getting back from the vacation. So I asked them if they had been reading over the break, and if they had learned anything. Well, it’s funny how you can be surprised by people. One of our original skeptics has really become dedicated to reading the Word. She finished what I had asked them to read, and started reading some other books on her own. The others had been reading some too, and we all shared some things. One of the girls (she’s really sweet!) said that what she learned over the break was about fellowship and being encouraged, because she went through a difficult time and didn’t have anyone to encourage her. That was a good lesson for all of them about how important fellowship is.

In hearing them all share, I was aware that I was also being encouraged. I often feel like I’m kind of an island unto myself here, being one of the few foreigners, and one of the even fewer foreign believers in this town. It was a great reminder to me of how precious these girls are, and how God can use them to bless me and encourage me as well.

Aotearoa 7 - Unspoiled Landscape

"He pai rangi tahi" - The beauty of a single day

Jan. 25, 2007: Milford Sound

We had to get up early to drive to Milford Sound. It's about the same latitude as Queenstown, [we crossed and re-crossed 45 deg. Lat.] but there's only one road that goes there (very few roads in New Zealand....). So, instead of going straight across the mountains, we had to drive pretty far south (around Lake Wakatipu), then west a bit, then back up north. Maybe a little inconvenient, but the drive was really beautiful and therefore worth it. :)

We stopped for lunch in a little town called Te Anau. It has this theater that's supposed to have a spectacular film of a helicopter flying over Fiordland - one of the most beautiful areas of NZ, I think. We didn't have time to see it though...

The mountains along the drive were INCREDIBLE and everywhere you looked were crystal clear streams. Again, it reminded me a lot of Lord of the Rings. We stopped at a small waterfall that was really beautiful! We also stopped at a small place called Mirror Lakes. They were more like ponds, not lakes - kind of small. :) We had our first encounter with "sandflies" here. They're nasty little insects kind of like mosquitoes - they bite. (they didn't bite me, but they got Steph and her folks) I read somewhere that in the past the government would punish criminals by sending them to an island infested with sandflies. If the criminal deserved the death penalty, they would be tied to a tree, naked. The sandflies would've cleaned them out in 3 days.

To get to Milford Sound we had to actually drive across/through the mountains, which made for spectacular scenery and windy, dangerous roads. We had to go through one long, dark tunnel (through the mountain!) that was pretty cool - a little over 1 km long. VERY dark - you couldn't see from end to end.

We also saw what I think was a Kea bird at the tunnel. They're allegedly ferocious, with beaks that can tear through a car roof. They let humans get really close to them, though.




MILFORD SOUND...is not really a "sound". It's actually a "fiord", but I forget exactly what the difference is. I think a Fiord is a mountain valley that filled with snow (that turned to water) and a sound is a river bed. Anyway, this Fiord/Sound was filled with freshwater and saltwater. The saltwater from the sea flowed in, but the freshwater from the rain has a lighter density, and therefore stays on top. That gives it a kind of dirty, dark color. That also tricks marine life into thinking it's deeper than it really is, so rare species of coral live closer to the surface. The freshwater is about 2-14 m deep. The freshwater and salt water together go down about 220 meters, even at the edge of the water next to the mountain, so the boat can get right next to the mountains. Our boat went up to one of the smaller waterfalls to get some water for all the passengers.



If you use your imagination, you can see shapes in the mountains: a lion, steps, and kissing turtles. :) It also has one really pointy, easy-to-recognize mountain called Mitre Peak.

There are some gorgeous waterfalls there. There are 2 or 3 perennial waterfalls: Bowen Falls, close to the docks, and Sterling Falls, farther down, which are the result of glacier run-off. The other waterfalls are caused by rain, and therefore aren't always there. 6 days without rain is considered drought here. When we passed by Sterling Falls, the boat took us up right under it so we could get wet.



The Sounds/Fiords in Fiordland all open out into the sea. This one was apparently particularly hard to find, and most explorers missed it when they were exploring the area from the sea. It also has a beach with lots of "greenstone" (jade). The Maori legend is that a man "cut out" the Fiords. He had to leave his 3 wives to do it, and their tears turned into the greenstone. You get the jade by throwing the rocks into the fire, then throwing them into the sea when they're really hot. That will split them open where you can see the inside. The outside isn't very attractive, but I think the jade inside is even more beautiful than the jade you can get here.

There are two kinds of jade: one is harder and darker, and was used mostly for tools and weapons. The other kind is more malleable and translucent, and was used in jewelry and trade. You can still buy lots of jade necklaces, but they're a little pricey.



Also fun, we got to see a bunch of seals. They're all natural in this area - better than a zoo!



The Sound/Fiord opens into the Tasman Sea. From there it's just a 4-day boat ride to Australia/Tasmania....the guide said we had enough fuel, but not enough beds. So....maybe next time. ;)



This was my first encounter with the sea in a long time....and it was just the tip of the iceberg for me...

...and now back to our program

Chinese New Year (Beginning of Spring Festival): Feb. 18, 2007
Lantern Festival (End of Spring Festival): March 4, 2007

I spent a few days during Spring Festival with a friend of mine (Tina) in Qingdao, a port city in my little province of Shandong. Qingdao is a pretty well-known city in China. It was invaded by both Germans and Japanese, and there is a lot of European architecture throughout the city. It's also on the sea, which I've discovered quite a fondness for.

So here are some pictures! :)



1.) City Street looking up towards St. Michael's Catholic Church



2.) Zhanqiao - a big, famous bridge on the beach where the Germans stormed the city



3.) My friends' parents in her home, where I stayed - my 'nth' set of Chinese parents



4.) Golden Sand Beach - notice the lack of people....I thought we were in China...??? :)
Beautiful.....the Beautiful Sea......



5.) Symbol of Qingdao - "The Wind of May" (something like that) in the main city square



6.) My friend Tina and me in front of the sculpture



7.) Famous little area of the city with lots and lots of European-style buildings. We actually went inside this mansion. This is where I want to live if I move to China permanently. :)



8.) St. Michael's Catholic Church....VERY German, ja?



Again, me at the Sea..... (sigh)

We interrupt our regularly scheduled program to....

Yes I know it isn't so much a "regular" program....

Anyway, I was in Beijing this past weekend visiting some friends! In college I was in an a capella singing group called Soulstice for a while. One of the members married a Chinese woman, and they were in town visiting her family. Fortunately, our schedules all worked out so that I could go up and pay them a visit while they were here! :)

It was really fun to see them after such a long time and just hang out with other English speakers. I got to eat a lot of western food....good ol' Outback....Subway....Pizza Hut....all the western amenities you can't find around here....anyway, it was a good time. Now I'm back....(from outer space....name that song!)

Classes started back for me last week. Again, I am the only foreign teacher, so again I get all the responsibility put on my shoulders. I'm teaching both freshmen and sophomores again. There are 4 freshman classes, and 6 sophomore classes. Last semester I taught the freshmen each week, and I rotate sophomore classes (3 one week, the other 3 the next week, and so on). This semester I thought I'd try something a little different. I'm teaching 2 sophomore classes at one time. This way they still get to have the number of lessons, but it makes me more tired. It could be good for lecture classes, but not so easy for the spoken English aspect. We'll see how it turns out!

Aotearoa 6 - LOTR Country

Jan. 24, 2007: Queenstown - Ben Lommond hike

First full day in NZ....wish we'd spent a little less time planning in the morning, and more time walking around the city. Queenstown is so named because it was dubbed "fit for the Queen" at its foundation. (Queen Victoria, I believe...?)

The "Top 10" where we were staying was just outside of town, far enough out that you felt really close to nature, to the mountains and rivers and such, although you still feel close even in town.



Drove into town for lunch. Tried the local everyday specialty - "fish 'n chips". :) "Chips" are what we Americans refer to as "fries". It was really delicious! Between the 4 of us, we tried 3 different kinds of fish: orange roughy, sea perch, and blue cod. The orange roughy was by far the best.



We walked around the town for a little while before and after lunch. Queenstown is a very touristy town, somewhat reminiscent of Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge. Again, the country gets a lot of its income from tourism, so it follows that there are lots of touristy places with touristy prices. It's on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, and I was amazed that even so close to a city the water was clean enough to see the bottom (even next to the boats!).



After walking around a while, we took a gondola up the side of a mountain. At the top there are some fun things to do, like this little "luge" track that you can ride a little scooter on. There's also a restaurant and a place to go bungee jumping, but we just took the luge. :)



Also at the top of this area was the trailhead for the Ben Lommond Track ('track' is NZ for 'trail'), which took the rest of our day.

This was where the landscape really started looking like Lord of the Rings. First we walked through some pine forests, then we were above the tree line and there was pretty much no shade. Yeah, I got sunburned.... (I know, I know better!) The hike was long and strenuous. At first it wasn't too bad, just a lot of walking a narrow path through scrub/brush. It reminded me of the scene in "Fellowship of the Ring" where they stop before going into the mountains - you know, where they see the birds that are really Saruman's spies. Anyway, about halfway up you come to a small saddle (flat area - reminded me of the C.S. Lewis Book 'Til We Have Faces) before the really tough part begins. Lots of switchbacks, rocks, and narrow, steep pathways. The view from the top was worth it, and of course the sense of accomplishment is great. Actually, I found a little place near the top behind a big rock that would be perfect for a sleeping bag. ;) Some day....some day I'm going back there, spending the night on the mountain, and watching the sunrise from the top. :)

We had to hurry back down the mountain before the Gondola closed (we made it just in time!). The way the sun hit the surrounding mountains as it was going down was really beautiful, though. The sun doesn't go down until 8:00/9:00 p.m. Big change from 5:00/6:00 here! Couldn't see the stars as well that night, because it was a little cloudier.



One of my favorite things about the trail: we saw a total of maybe 9 other people during the whole climb. At one point Stephanie was ahead of me, and her parents were behind me, far enough in either direction that I couldn't see them, and I realized - I was completely alone. There was No One in eyesight. It was awesome!!! In fact, if you needed to go to the bathroom it wouldn't be a big deal, because no one was around to see you! It was a nice change from being in a place where you can't go anywhere without seeing other people.

One other fun thing - on the back of the doors to the stalls in the women's restroom, there are signs that say:



...after living in China for 2 years, you can fully appreciate this sign! (this picture courtesy of Mr. P)

Aotearoa 5 - Flyer

Jan. 23, 2007: Arrival in Auckland - Queenstown

"Welcome to the land of the long, white cloud!"
- That's what the pilot said to us when we were within sight of the North Island. It's called that because the first Maoris to see the islands saw either a long, white cloud (signaling land), or snow on the mountains that they took to be a cloud. Looking out the plane window, I could see the city of Auckland, lots of water, and the rolling hills of the North Island (used in Hobbiton in LOTR).

One of our first sights upon arrival in the Auckland airport was this sign:



This quote is now one of my favorites, because it just captures how I feel about flying or traveling in general. I always get excited when I go to an airport or train station, even if I'm not the one traveling (but especially if I am the one traveling). I just loved it that this was one of my first impressions of New Zealand.

If you ever go to New Zealand, make sure you have confirmation of return tickets before you go through customs. The lady clearing me was a little cranky that I didn't have a receipt or something, even though I had the confirmation number. She just told me to have it with me next time.

We checked in for our domestic flight to Queenstown, our first stop, then walked outside to the domestic terminal. It was a gorgeous, clear day, the first day in a long while that we were able to wear tank tops.

Kiwis (New Zealanders) are well known for their friendliness and hospitality, and we found that to be true through the whole trip.

I slept through pretty much the whole flight to Queenstown (on the South Island), and woke up just in time to see a big, beautiful, blue lake and mountains before we touched down.

Queenstown is a touristy area on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. In the Queenstown airport, we got our rental car (driving on the left side of the road!) and drove to our first accommodation - Top 10, which turned out to be really good to us. Kind of like KOA, but we stayed in the little cabins at each stop on the way. Nice, soft mattresses, cheap prices, and discounts on lots of stuff! :)

One thing that impressed me the whole trip was how gorgeous the water was. It was all clean, all clear, all turquoise blue....you could drink it straight, although not knowing what kind of animals are upstream, it's probably safer to boil it or treat it. We saw tons of rivers all over the islands, and they all looked good enough to drink, winding through fields and forests and mountains....sigh. I loved it!



And you can walk around barefoot! :)



Still the first day we were there, we drove from Queenstown to Glenorchy, which is supposed to be one of the most beautiful drives in the world. It goes along the shores of Lake Wakatipu. Notice the clarity of the water!



Lake Wakatipu is in the shape of a giant "S" - looks kind of like a sleeping giant from the air. The legend is that a princess was captured by a giant, and her father promised that whoever rescued her could marry her. The man who was in love with her waited until the giant was asleep to go and get her, but he couldn't cut her chains. Finally she was so distraught that she cried and her tears melted the chains.
Later he went back to kill the giant. While the giant was sleeping (again) he set fire underneath the giant, and he was so fat that he burned a huge hole in the ground, which later filled with snow and turned into the lake. They say that only the giant's heart was left after the fire.
Funny fact: the lake regularly rises and falls (every 6 minutes...?), like a heartbeat, but no one really knows why.





That night, the first night we were in New Zealand, was one of my favorite. It was the night when the sky was clearest and the stars were most visible. There are two things about the Southern Hemisphere that I've wanted to see more than just about anything: one was seeing the direction the water spins when it goes down the drain (what's that called again? _____ affect?) and the other was seeing the constellations in the southern sky.

AMAZING. I saw the Southern Cross and Orion (upside down), and that first night was so clear I could also see the Milky Way and of course thousands of other stars and constellations that I didn't recognize. I LOVED it!!! I lay out on the trampoline under the stars for a while, just soaking it in.....would've stayed longer if it hadn't been so cold. :)

Aotearoa 4 - Getting there/airport

Jan. 22, 2007: HK-Auckland flight

Our flight from Hong Kong left in the afternoon and was an overnight flight, so in the morning we had dim sum again and then took a bus to the airport. The HK airport is on one of the many islands and it was really neat to be able to see the water, harbors, islands, and mountains during the bus ride. It really is another world!

The plane ride was interesting. :) I sat next to a guy from New Zealand, and we talked most of the plane ride. I learned a lot about the country in those 12 hours, but unfortunately I didn't get as much sleep as I had planned on.

Aotearoa 3 - Anticipation (HK)

Jan. 21, 2007: Hong Kong

Steph's family had a birthday celebration for her grandmother, since a good portion of the family (usually spread over the globe) was there. For breakfast we ate traditional HK "dim sum" - they bring a lot of small dishes, mostly steamed, some made from rice paste (?) that everyone shares. It's yummier than I can describe. :)

We went to a grocery store after breakfast, and it was so exciting to see all kinds of foods that are available at home, but not where I am (like waffles).

Hong Kong is much more crowded than my city, but people still seem to watch out for each other, and it's still much cleaner. Her grandmother lives outside of the city itself, in a nice little district/community. Since it's so far out of the city, though, it has a little grocery area where you can buy just about anything you need. It's quiet and convenient, a nice place to live! :)

Stephanie's aunt cooked her grandmother's birthday dinner. I was asked by one of the aunts to talk to one of her cousins who was going to study in Australia, you know, since I'm a foreign teacher and all. I was reluctant at first because, hey, this is my vacation and I don't want to be a teacher right now! but we did get to chatting after dinner, and it was pleasant.

Cantonese (the language) is definitely different from Mandarin. It has a beautiful sound to it, actually, having 9 tones and all. :) Sounds a bit like singing....I could only recognize a VERY few words....but I could read some characters! :)

Aotearoa 2 - Getting There/HK

Jan. 20, 2007: Nanchang - Shenzhen - Hong Kong

Stephanie and I got to the airport in Nanchang just in time (thank you Jesus!) We took an airplane to Shenzhen, the closest city to Hong Kong in mainland China. At the airport, her cousin's driver picked us up and took us to her grandmother's home in the New Territories of HK.

It's funny how much of a difference there is between the mainland and Hong Kong. I'm generally against countries taking over other countries or parts of other countries, but there have been some improvements made in some cases. People actually smiled at us when we were going through customs into HK. WORKERS actually smiled at us! Customer Service exists!

The food was really great too. We ate with her family that night. LOTS of seafood there, being so close to the sea. The food in Hong Kong uses more soy sauce than what I'm used to in the mainland, but something about it is more like the Chinese food we have in the States. (Less vinegar, more soy sauce, less garlic....)

Aotearoa 1 - Getting There

Jan. 19, 2007: Tai'an to Nanchang

I went by train to Nanchang (capital of child adoption in China) to meet my friend who I was going with to New Zealand. No problems on the journey, just a long, smelly, crowded train ride. I got there at 2:00 a.m. and was going to get a taxi on my own to my friend's house (where I had never been before), which worried me only slightly. Outside of the train station, the taxi drivers were vultures, as usual, and my moment of triumph was when I yelled at one of them (in Chinese) that I didn't speak English. :) Take that Mr. Crazy Taxi Driver!! Anyway, I just found the one that wasn't trying to yell at me to get in his taxi, and told him where to go. After I got in the taxi, another driver opened my door and was asking me where I was going. I just shut the door in his face. YOU try being cheerful at 2 in the morning surrounded by a bunch of piranhas. :) Got there just fine without a hitch!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RONNIE!!! :)

Lazy Bug

I know, I know, I should be posting more often, especially since now I have a computer of my own at my home and high-speed internet.....so why haven't I been posting? Well, basically, because.....I'm lazy. Yep, no good reason. I've just been lazy. And you know, I enjoy being lazy on occasion.

Spring Festival/Chinese New Year has come and gone. Most of the time I spent at home just, again, being lazy, but I did spend a few days visiting a friend in another city nearby (Qingdao).... Spring Festival is when your neighborhood turns into what sounds like a war zone. Fireworks are not illegal here, even the relatively big ones. It was actually kind of fun to look out of my window and see some big fireworks being shot from the parking lot outside my apartment. Don't try to listen to anything during Spring Festival. It just won't work. The gunshots....I mean fireworks....are just too loud and go on too long. :)

I also have been hanging out with a new friend in my city, trying to practice my mad cooking skills. In fact, I made a pie - lemon meringue. I made the crust ALL BY MYSELF and HAND-BEAT the meringue. Man, that took a while. It turned out pretty good, but I still need practice. :) You can see the final result here....oh well, next time will be even better.





School starts in about 10 days. I'm not really ready, but I will be by then I hope. :) Still trying to figure out where I'm going or what I'm doing next! Yarp it up for me! Miss you all!!