Aotearoa 8 - a-MAZE-ing place!

Jan. 26, 2007: Drive to Wanaka - Puzzling World

This morning we woke up, packed, and checked out before heading to our next destination. You wouldn't think it, but driving the New Zealand countryside can be a pretty hair-raising experience! We were just a few km out of the city (of Queenstown) when the roads started getting steeper and more windy. They offered some spectacular views, though, and we stopped to admire them for a bit at one of the beautiful overlooks.



On the way to Wanaka, we passed by/through a small town called Cardrona. The roads wound through the smaller mountains (larger hills), which were really pretty to look at. Cardrona looked like it didn't have much to offer (I thought America had small towns - then I went to New Zealand), but it did have a few historic buildings, including what looked like an old schoolhouse/church. I would've liked to take a closer look, but we were preoccupied with getting to our next stop. We also saw a lot of monster trucks parked in random places in Cardrona. Apparently that's one of the things to do there.

When we got to Wanaka we walked around a bit and checked into our Top 10 (LOVE those places!) We rested for a bit in our nice little private room (reminded me of camping in the States, especially KOA's - I probably said that already). After a good, long rest, we went to one of the main attractions of the city: Puzzling World.

Puzzling World is a fun, eccentric little place dedicated to such things as optical illusions and playing with the mind. It was FANTASTIC! If I could take my family anywhere in New Zealand, I would want to take them here. :) There are 4 main rooms, plus a little gift shop/entrance hall and some outdoor things.

The first room is just the entrance hall. It's free to go in and play, and there are several tables set up with "puzzling" items, such as Rubik's cubes and the like. The ceiling of this room is a conglomeration of several mirrors, creating a kaleidoscope effect when you look up. I would've liked to spend an hour or more just playing around there! The other rooms have a small fee, but are worth it.

From the entrance, you go into a room full of holograms. There were some really neat ones! My favorite was a hologram of one of M. C. Escher's paintings (of a lizard crawling on his desk). From there, you walk through a small hall that has a few optical illusions painted on the walls, and then you enter the "Hall of Faces". The walls are covered with carved faces that are made in such a way that any way you move, it looks like the faces are following you. They had such familiar faces as Beethoven, Mother Theresa, Albert Einstein and Nelson Mandela.



After the Hall of Faces, you moved into what is known as the "Ames Room". This is a special room designed in such a way that if one person stands on one side, they look big, and if someone stands on the other side, they look small. This technique is used very often in movies, most notably in Lord of the Rings. I also remember watching a movie called "Babes in Toyland" when I was a child, and it used the same technique. It was really cool, because it really worked! :)



After that, we went into the "Slanted/Tilted Room". The room is built with the floor slanted at a 15 degree angle. It was CRAZY! As soon as you walked in, you felt like you were going to fall down! I even had to sit down for a minute, to let my head adjust. :) It really messed with your mind because your perception is completely altered. Inside were some more fun things, such as a pool table that was slanted so that it looked like the balls were rolling up hill, a fountain where the water looked like it was flowing uphill, and a chair that looked like it was sliding towards the ceiling. Just walking around was a real trip! I loved it though, it was so much fun! :)



The bathrooms were another fun feature. The guys and girls go in different sides, of course, but come into the same room! In front of the real bathrooms is a large room with replicas of Roman-style toilets, complete with a painting on the wall of the proper way to use said toilets. (not as bad as you think!) Inside, the bathrooms were also fun. The toilet seats and covers were made of clear plastic that had random items inside.



The main attraction outside was the Great Maze! According to the designer of this little attraction (Stuart Landsborough), it was not meant to be the most difficult maze in the world, but is meant to be the most enjoyable. :) There are four corners, each with its own tower, and the challenge is to make it to all four corners. There are also some stairs and bridges, making it even more exciting.



Outside of the building there is also a fun sculpture called the "Leaning Tower of Wanaka", complete with a clock that runs backwards. My one regret about Puzzling World was that we went too late in the day to enjoy it longer.



After visiting Puzzling World, we hiked around the lake (Lake Wanaka) to a place that was supposed to have a pretty little waterfall. Alas, we didn't find the waterfall (I doubt its existence), but we did have a nice walk. Lots of vineyards on the walk - I was reminded of Tuscany (only what I've heard of the place - I haven't actually been there). By then it was almost night time, and we barely made it back to the car before it got dark. It was a little too cloudy to see the stars, unfortunately, but all in all a good day. :)

These are pictures of Lake Wanaka - some of my favorite pictures from the entire trip:

It's not about the money

…I know it’s not, really. I’m supposed to get paid around the tenth/fifteenth of the month. Usually I don’t end up getting paid until the twentieth. Okay, no problem, I can get by, no need to complain about that. This is what frustrates me – going in to get paid, and finding out that I actually am getting paid less than I expected. This has happened to me numerous times before. Okay, I guess I should just be used to it, right? Well, one of my American friends (you know who you are, probably) told me that it’s our job as foreigners to let our Chinese friends/contacts know when something like that bothers us, so that they can handle it differently for future foreigners.

For this most recent incident, I decided to take my friend’s advice. I’m supposed to be paid 4500 yuan per month. It says so on my little salary sheet. So, imagine my surprise when I go in to get paid (just in time to visit my friends in Beijing – after getting no response from the Foreign Affairs Officer), and I’m handed 3000 yuan, instead of the usual 4500. I inquire as to why, and she (the FAO or “Waiban”) pulls out the contract, showing me where it says, in English, that my salary is 4500 for every full month, and it is prorated during partial months. Because the Chinese New Year/Spring Festival happened so late this year, March was not counted as a full month at this school. Okay, no problem, I can understand and accept that. The thing that really bothers me is that I expected to be paid 4500 yuan, and I didn’t find out otherwise until I went to collect the money.

So, the Waiban and I had a nice chat about how important it is to let the foreigners know immediately if something like that is going to happen, so they aren’t surprised and get upset. She apologized, and I did feel a bit better. It all but settled in mind, though, that I’ve about had it with the way things are done here. I’ve pretty much decided that I will not be back here next year.

I have mixed feelings about leaving. I really don’t want to leave my friends, and I really don’t want to leave and “loose ends.” I enjoy living in a foreign country, and I’ve gotten pretty used to living here (especially living on my own). On the other hand, it could be good for some of my friends to step out on their own without clinging to me, and I definitely am looking forward to being home again, seeing friends and family there. Still pr*ying about the next steps.

What's my age again?

Recently I’ve been spilling or dropping a lot of stuff. I don’t know if that means I’m just more accident prone, or more tired, or just more under attack. It’s kind of frustrating though. Last week it was a glass bowl full of my supper that fell and broke. WARNING: Glass is sharp. Don’t try to find this out, just trust me! Today I dropped a container full of apple slices on the bus. WARNING: DON’T pick up apple slices after they drop onto the floor of a Chinese bus. (I didn’t – I’m not that dumb!)

Rest for the weary

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." - Matt. 11:2

"And He said to them, 'The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.'" - Mark 2:27

"And on the seventh day God finished His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done." - Gen. 2:2

This past weekend (Palm Sunday) I again took the trip up to Beijing to visit some friends (different ones this time). It was just what I needed! There’s a couple up in Beijing who I met through some friends who let me stay at their place if I’m ever in the area. They are seriously my parents in China!

It’s only been 2 weeks of being back to school, and already I’m worn out. That seems to not bode well for the rest of the year, but I already can’t believe how quickly it’s going by.

Anyway, I haven’t been to a service in such a long time that I really wanted to go to one. I wanted to go last weekend, but I was busy visiting with some other friends (which was fine, and I really enjoyed seeing them!). I decided to come back the next weekend and visit again. I didn’t even realize it was already Palm Sunday! (time passes in odd ways in China)

The weekend was just what I needed. All we did was visit, watch movies/news, put together a puzzle, and chat. And we went and bought some western food for me to take back with me. I haven’t just sat and watched the news in such a long time – I had no idea about the tornados all over the South-Central, or the British sailors taken captive by Iran. I feel so isolated and out of it where I am. I also had my first experience of a Chinese movie theater. This one was high quality: just like back at home! We watched the new movie Deja-vu. We all thought it was really good! I recommend it! It seemed to have some spiritual undertones to it, which I really liked.

After we watched the movie we ate at a Mexican restaurant! I haven't had Mexican food in such a long time.... on the way there we drove past the new Olympic Stadium in Beijing. It was really neat to see the real thing! It was also really interesting to see the difference between that part of the city and the rest. Most of the city is dirty, crowded, and polluted, but this area was nice and clean and modern-looking. One of my friends commented that that Olympic Stadium looks like a huge, metal bird's nest that was definitely designed on a computer. So true!

One fun thing that happened to me was that just after arriving by train, and while sitting in the McDonald's waiting for a more decent hour to go over to my friends' house, I met some other believers who don't live too far from me. It was just a random encounter, but encouraging nonetheless, and hopefully I'll be able to go visit them.

I also loved being able to just sit around and not have any demands made on me. It was wonderful to just be able to fellowship with some mature believers. I have believing friends in my city, but a lot of them are new believers and look to me as kind of their leader. It was wonderful to just go somewhere where I didn’t have to ‘be strong’ if that makes any sense.

Sunday morning was pretty emotional for me. Most of my fellowship here has gone home. The fellowship I have is with non-native speakers, who again look to me as kind of the leader (although we’re trying to break them of that habit – I have so much more respect now for my Dad and all Ch. leaders). The fellowship where we went is for ex-pats. It was so wonderful to be singing again in English some familiar songs, and seeing the kids come in, waving their palm branches. I seriously almost cried! And it was wonderful for me to be able to take communion, not only with so many other believers, but also with my adopted family.

I love them so much! They are the sweetest people in the world! And since they’re going to be back home this summer, hopefully I can stop by Dallas and see them while I’m making my cross-country fishing trip. ;)

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!!