You know it's cold when...

The refrigerator temperature is warmer than the temperature outside.

Seriously! I walked to work this morning, and the outside thermometer said it was zero degrees. When I put my food in the refrigerator at work, the fridge thermometer said it was 3 degrees. Crazy!!

In Bloomington for a limited time only....

The man. The myth. The legend.

A Whole New World

Two words:

1) Gobi.

2) Desert.


Speaking of *awesome* trips I've taken in my life.....perhaps my favorite trip while in mainland China was the last one that I took - into western China. Finally, *finally*, I am posting some of my favorite pics from that trip for your viewing enjoyment! Be on the lookout for them, and check out those camels!! :)

(Gobi Desert, Allen! Gobi Desert!!)

SNOW!!!! :)

Sooooooooooo pretty!! :)

(these pics were taken with my camera phone from my bedroom window this morning...Hooray!!)

Currently reading: Miracles (C. S. Lewis)

Without a doubt, one of my favorite authors. Perhaps even my *favorite* author. Having read this once before, I'm coming back to it with a slightly older and (hopefully) wiser intellect, looking to see what new insights can be gained.

Some of my past favorite quotes include the following:

"All prayers are heard, though not all prayers are granted. We must not picture destiny as a film unrolling for the most part on its own, but in which our prayers are sometimes allowed to insert additional items. On the contrary: what the film displays to us as it unrolls already contains the results of our prayers and of all our other acts. There is no question whether an event has happened because of your prayer. When the event you prayed for occurs your prayer has always contributed to it. When the opposite event occurs your prayer has never been ignored; it has been considered and refused, for your ultimate good and the good of the whole universe. (For example, because it is better for you and for everyone else in the long run that other people, including wicked ones, should exercise free will than that you should be protected from cruelty or treachery by turning the human race into automata.) But this is, and must remain, a matter of faith. You will, I think, only deceive yourself by trying to find special evidence for it in some cases more than in others."

This is actually a subject that has been occupying my mind a lot recently. The text comes from one of the appendices of the book, rather than the book proper, and as such should be excused from the fact that it doesn't contain Lewis' arguments in support of Miracles as found in the greater portion of the book. Admittedly, the book has many memorable quotes and points made by Lewis. As stated, the book is Lewis making arguments in support of Miracles. Sometimes his style and his intellect are so deep that I have a hard time completely grasping what he is trying to say, but in this case I feel that I have enough of a grasp that I can apply what he is saying in this passage to what is going on in my own life.

I remember when I was a teenager being at a restaurant with my youth group in pretty bad weather. It was raining, windy, you know, the perfect recipe for something bad to happen. Then we heard the tornado sirens going off. I was, naturally, kind of worried, and I suggested to one of the youth group members that we should pray about it. Her response was: "That won't work. Prayer doesn't work." My reaction to that was pretty much just shock. I think that was probably the first time in my life that I heard another Christian doubting the efficacy of prayer.

I think still to some degree I have that same feeling any time I hear a fellow Christian tossing aside prayer as something less than it is. It's simply part of my makeup to assume that prayer is effective, and certainly heard, whether the answer is what I want or not.

All that being said, let's take a look at this passage (one of my favorites) from the book. Lewis is making the point that all prayer is heard, and that it carries weight whether we perceive that or not. He argues that we should never stop praying simply because we think it's ineffective, or because we're not getting what we ask for. Prayer is a matter of faith, just as trusting in a good, loving, perfect God is a matter of faith.

I am very much looking forward to this reading of an old favorite, and seeing what new things God has to show me through it.

Senior Recital

My brother, Allen, recently performed his senior recital as a bassoon major at Indiana University. It was, in one word, wonderful. I am constantly amazed at how good he is! Although that really should come as no surprise.

He actually performed this same recital twice - once for his bassoon professor/s and once for anyone who couldn't make it to that one. I got to go to the second one, and I was very pleased, of course. The ambiance was nice (albeit cold), and the piano was out of tune, but overall it was a wonderful performance. And one day, when he's playing in Carnegie Hall, I'll be able to get some free tickets. ;) Older sibling privilege is claimed!!

I love you, Alleny!!!

Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving was spent in North Carolina with my dear grandparents. We unfortunately don't get to see them very often, living so far away, and this was an especially good time to go see them (not knowing how many more Thanksgivings there will be). I know that they also enjoyed seeing us.

It was also really great to see extended family - cousins, aunts, uncles - who we haven't seen in a while. We ended up eating at my aunt's sister's home, with their family. It was really a great time! It was close enough geographically that my grandmother was able to join the party, which was great for everyone. Great food, great company, great everything! Hopefully I can get some pictures from my mom and post them here!

On the way there I got to stay in my friend's parents' cabin in the Smokies. It was a great stopover point, although there was some trouble actually getting there. It was definitely worth the stop, but would have been even more so had I gotten to stay longer. Here are a few shots of the view (taken by my phone camera, so admittedly not the best). Not bad, eh? Maybe a future summer home? ;)

Retirement Age

I have good genes (thanks, Mom & Dad!!) :)

Most people wouldn't guess how old I am. Bet you wouldn't either....if you couldn't just look it up in my profile. :)

My birthday this year (Nov. 14) was lots of fun! It was perfect, really - exactly what I wanted. Dinner with a bunch of friends & family. Well, I guess some things could've been different (waiting for an hour for a table, despite inclement weather, getting an odd waiter who badmouthed the restaurant, not getting actual cake or ice cream for my birthday, but rather an odd dessert-type thing made personally by our odd waiter, etc.)....but on the whole, it really was just what I wanted. I just wanted to have dinner with a bunch of my friends and family, and relax and enjoy the company. Happy birthday to me! :)

No, I'm not going to tell you how old I am.....

Return to Neverland

Just a quick FYI - I've been trying to finish the posts I made about New Zealand (it's only taken me, what 2 years now?). Go back and read them!! What an incredible trip.....I would love to go back some day....

Hiatus

Why hasn't Gwyn been posting here for such a long time? You may ask....Well, it all started in China....with a certain stalker......

So, the story goes that some of my friends back in my city in China were trying to counsel a Chinese friend who has some mental disorder. One of my friends in particular put tremendous effort into counseling this young man as a Christian and as a friend. The other friend, a woman, is about the same age as me, and also tried to do her part to help this young Chinese man. Eventually, though, it became clear that he was asking too much, and my friend (the one who is my age) began to firmly tell him that he couldn't come over to her apartment to use her computer, and basically tried to redefine her own personal space. He became irrationally upset and threatening. Although he never became physically violent towards either of these two women, he did send many threatening e-mails and at one point cut the power to at least one of their apartments.

The threatening e-mails and situation eventually became such that both of my friends had to be moved out of the city.

Although I never felt directly threatened by this young man, I have a certain vicarious sense of dread. I do know him personally, and have my suspicions that he has tried on more than one occasion to look me up on the internet. Indeed, I don't think I have any need to be afraid, since his chances of getting into the U.S. are slim to nil. But while I was still in China, I had my various blogs set so that only my friends could see what I was writing. Now that I am back home (and have internet, etc.), I have changed the settings back to public, and am hoping to actually post more than once in a blue moon. We'll see how that goes with work and school. ;)


*Note: Mid-way through my Psychology (P102) class this semester, we went over various mental and personality disorders. If I were to give my very unprofessional opinion, based on the information I got from my class, I would guess that the disorder exhibited in this guy was "Borderline Personality Disorder" (a maladaptive personality pattern in which the person is moody, unstable, lacks a clear sense of identity, and often clings to others).


Now I'm in the process of trying to revamp my blog. Hopefully make it more interesting. :) This begs the question: what is the purpose of this blog? I suppose mostly it's a way for me to kind of ramble about my take on things....no, no, no, that's too obvious. Maybe I'm just trying to change the world, one blog post at a time? No, too generic. I'll think of it one of these days. And when I do, I'll post it.

Reflections since China

Things to do:
-finish all those old blog posts that I started (i.e., New Zealand, Western China, etc.)
-revamp the site
-become more technologically savvy
-get someone to help me (hint hint) connect to other blogs and do other things to make this one more interesting ;)

My life has taken interesting turns. In general, and recently. I graduated from college with a Bachelor's degree with relatively no idea of what to do next, and BAM! God drops a golden opportunity in my lap - a chance to go to China. That decision was a very difficult one to make, but I will never think that it was the wrong decision.

That decision stretched out into 2.5 wonderful and challenging (in many ways) years on the other side of the world, only fueling the fire of the travel bug in me.

Last year, summer of 2007, I returned home from the field. It took me a while to get going after that. Believe it or not, returning to America after living abroad for a significant amount of time takes some readjusting and getting over reverse culture shock. :) "Wow! This grocery store is Amazing! They have everything here!!" Ahhh those were the days....

Almost exactly one year ago I began my tenure at Bloomington Hospital as a "nurse tech" (aide). Interestingly, I know that many of the orientees in my group are no longer there. Why have I stuck it out for an entire year, doing jobs that most people I know would never do? I think it mostly has to do with my personality. I get joy out of meeting people's needs. A hospital setting provides may opportunities to meet people's specific needs in an often specific way. I am also currently taking classes/pre-requisites to prepare for nursing school. It's only taken me several years to figure out not only that I *want* to enter the health professions, but also that I am *capable* of entering such a demanding field.


What have I learned? ... Well, that's a subject for another post. ;)

The Information Age

To my one faithful reader out there (you know who you are): this is shamefully overdue. But, thankfully, now that my house has internet I will hopefully be able to make this a slightly more interesting little corner of the internet. Yes, we just got the internet. Yes, we also have running water and electricity. :) Still working on a little thing called "heat" though....

More to come, stay tuned!!!

Leaving Town

5 DAYS!!!

In five days I will be heading back home. My plane leaves Friday, July 20, at 6:30 p.m. from Beijing International Airport. I will finally be back in Indianapolis some time close to midnight on the same day. I am SOOOOOOO ready to be home!!

It's really weird to think I'll be leaving China for who knows how long. Been keeping myself busy with packing and saying goodbye to friends, etc. I think the hardest thing about leaving will be saying goodbye to all my close friends (as I've already had to do a few times). I'll be ready to leave a lot of the cultural aspects though. :-P (more on that later)

Anyway, the trip out West was awesome (for the most part) and I can't wait to show pictures, etc. when I get home in just a few days!! Woo-hoo!!! :)

Into the West....

So, just a quick note to say that I am on my last big adventure before heading home! My friend and I have traveled to the western part of China - Gansu province. I've been wanting to come here since I first thought about the possibility of coming to China, because this was where I was going to be originally placed. I am SOOOOOO excited to finally find myself here!! I will update more when I get home and have pictures, etc., but some of the highlights have been: seeing the westernmost part of the Great Wall; seeing the Gobi Desert; and (today) riding camels around a ginormous sand dune. TOO COOL!!! :) More to come later!! I'm still alive! ;)

Aotearoa - Last Leg

Feb. 8-10, 2007: Hong Kong - Wuhan - Tai'an

Hong Kong

In the morning I had to make sure I was all packed, and then we went out to the delicious Dim Sum restaurant. Stephanie went into town for some computer stuff, but we didn't have enough time to burn a CD for me of all the pictures they took. The Poons were gracious enough to let me have copies of all their pictures. I really am ever so grateful that we were all able to go together! Since Stephanie was going into town (with her family) to get something straightened out with her computer, I was able to go along and catch the lightrail to the train station that would take me into Shenzhen for my long train to Wuhan. At the Shenzhen train station, I actually had to go through customs! It seems a little strange that one would have to go through customs if you're going into the same country....but that's China for you! :) I guess Hong Kong isn't really a part of the main land....hmmm..... but I had no trouble going through customs, except for the fact that I tried at first to get into the wrong line! Once through customs, I just had to get to the train station, which wasn't too far, fortunately. After that, I simply had to wait around a while before getting on the train to Wuhan. At this point, I was just ready to be home....

Wuhan

I have a very dear friend named Samantha in Wuhan. She was one of my students from my first year (semester) here, so I was excited that I would be able to see her, even if it was only for a few hours. :) She also introduced me to one of her best friends when I visited her last summer (Lynn), so I was able to see them both. It was kind of a madhouse trying to meet up with them, though. They were able to get a ticket for me to Tai'an, which is another reason that I really needed to see them! That was a blessing, though, because I wasn't sure whether or not I would be able to get one if I had to do it myself once I got there. Samantha also wanted to introduce me to another friend of hers, and we spent some time waiting around for her. Finally we met up with her, then went back to town to her house. For lunch, we met up with Lynn and Lynn's family (her uncle). It was great!! Chinese people are ever the hosts/hostesses, and they know how to make their guests feel welcome. They were SO nice and sweet! After lunch, Lynn and Samantha were supposed to have an interview for a part-time, short-term job, but the boss was a no-show. That's something you don't see every day in the west. That is a key difference - in America, it would be incomprehensible that a boss wouldn't show up to an interview, but in China, in a way it was simply reinforcing who was in charge, as if the boss were saying "I'm much more important than an interview". After that little escapade, though, it was getting close to time for me to catch my train, and we had to RUN like mad to make it to the station on time! We were really cutting it too close for (my) comfort, and we ended up having to stop the taxi before they actually got to the station because the traffic was bad. We all ran with my luggage at least a full Chinese block to the station!! Fortunately (God is good!) I did make it onto the train in time, but I had to walk through several cars of hard seaters (yikes!). Along the way, there was just way too much "hello" for me to deal with. I was smelly, sweaty, and tired, and still ready to be back home.


Tai'an

Ahhhhhh, home sweet apartment!

Every time I take the train back into Tai'an, I'm always amazed by coming up into the city. It always takes me by surprise to see how it either looks the same or different, depending on the time of day, the direction you're coming from, the side of the train you're on, and just how you're feeling at the time. Most of the time I'm coming back from the North, and this time I was coming in from the South. The view - of the city, of the mountain - really was stunning! It was really beautiful - I almost didn't recognize it. I always think that's so neat, when you see the familiar in a different light that makes it seem so fresh and new. A good life lesson. :)

Aotearoa 20 – "Come back to me! Come back to me, and say my land is best"

Feb. 7, 2007: Auckland/airport

Today was spent mainly getting ready to leave and leaving New Zealand.....

In the morning we were mostly packing and getting ready to leave, making sure we had everything ready and cleared out of our Top 10. It was a strange feeling. I suppose it shouldn't be a strange feeling to anyone who travels often, but there you have it. It's hard leaving a place that you get attached to, even after only a few weeks.

We stopped by a Christian bookstore (haven't seen one of those in a long time!) on our way to the airport. It was a 7th Day Adventist Christian bookstore. It was kind of fun to poke around and see what they had there. It reminded me of the States a bit. :) The one thing there that I really wanted to get - I thought this was soooo cool! :) - was a Bible in the Maori language. That would be a pretty sweet purchase! Alas, I did not get it. I got the ISBN though, so maybe a potential birthday/Christmas present? (hint, hint) ;)

After that short side trip, there was nothing left but to go to the airport. I think I always have a hard time leaving the places I travel to, and this was no exception. I had some awesome, amazing experiences here, and I didn't really want to leave. At all. I didn't really want to go back to China at this point. I didn't want to leave the green....the mountains....the people....the language....the ocean....the memories..... and so I already wax nostalgic. At the airport, as we were checking in we learned that there is a $25 airport tax. Let that be a lesson to the lot of ye - when traveling to New Zealand, be prepared to pay an airport tax as you leave the country! We were not informed of this when we arrived (yes, we should have been. That would have been the right thing to do. But what can you do?). Fortunately, I did have enough money to left to pay my portion.

My one fun memory from the airport before leaving was that the worker who stamped my passport told me that I should come back to New Zealand as a teacher - they have a shortage, they need more teachers, I'm a teacher in China, it works out! :) Sigh. Wishful thinking. It is a thought though! :)

The flight was very uneventful. No one was sitting next to me, so I was able to take up two seats!! Not too shabby! :)

We arrived back in Hong Kong, where we were again greeted by Stephanie's family. Praise the Lord, Stephanie's aunt was able to get me a train ticket from Shenzhen to Wuhan!! I was really kind of worried about that, but thank You Father, You always provide!!

Sigh.

Already I wish I were back in New Zealand....

So.

If I were to live in New Zealand, and if I had to choose one place of all the places we visited to live, I would probably choose....Wanaka. Definitely Wanaka. I had lots of fun there! I may be biased because that's where we went skydiving and it had Puzzling World, but it was just plain fun! And had a pretty lake. :) But Wanaka or not, I would definitely choose the South Island over the North Island to live. What can I say? I'm a simple, small-town girl. :)

Aotearoa 19 - It's times like these you learn to live again

Feb. 6, 2007: Rotorua to Whakatane (beach) to Auckland

To Legolas she sent this word:
Legolas Greenleaf long under tree,
In joy thou hast lived. Beware of the Sea!
If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore,
Thy heart shall then rest in the forest no more.

Today was....an amazing day. An interesting piece of history for all you history buffs: this is the anniversary (or at least the important national holiday) of the signing of a treaty between England and the Maori people. "Waitangi Day," as I learned from watching the news this morning, is a public holiday on Feb. 6th commemorating the signing of the "Treaty of Waitangi". It looked like there were probably some really interesting things going on around the city and the country (think of July 4th - or maybe Memorial Day - in the U.S.).

In the morning (after the news) we drove the rest of the way to Whakatane, a small community on the north-central edge of the North Island (just to the east of the main north-pointing "finger" on which Auckland is located). That was the point of departure for the next big adventure. The Poon's were taking a helicopter ride to "White Island" - actually an active volcano, not too far off the coast. There used to be a factory on the (now) island, but sadly the volcano erupted (several years ago - don't know exact number) and buried the factory along with all of the workers. (you can see the site where the factory used to be in the second photo at the bottom of the island - it's the really flat part)

How awesome to go up in a helicopter!! Those of you who know me know how much I love flying and would love to be able to fly on my own (and if you didn't know that about me, the whole skydiving thing is a good example of this force in action). I would love to just go for a helicopter ride, hot air balloon ride, go hang gliding, go skydiving on my own, be superman, etc. So, needless to say, I would've liked to go on this little adventure with them. Sadly, though, I lacked the funds. Sigh.

BUT......in the end, I was very glad that I stayed behind, and I'll elaborate on that after I talk about the rest of the day....

So, the morning was spent driving to Whakatane, where the Poon's took the helicopter ride/tour to White Island, while I stayed behind. I know, I know I should know better, and my Mom wouldn't like to know this, but I got another sun burn (#3? I think), and this was a pretty bad one. Why don't I like to wear sun screen? Me, a prime candidate for skin cancer with my translucent, reflective, pasty white skin. Yikes....

The evening was spent pretty much driving to Auckland, since we would be leaving the following day ....don't remind me...... The Auckland highway was kind of like the highways around Wellington: much more like American highways than what I'm used to back in China. Except, of course, for the fact that everyone is driving on the opposite side of the road. Whose idea was that? ;) For dinner, the Poons went to a nice (probably expensive) buffet down the road from our last "Top 10". I, however, opted for more conventional (and less available) fare: WENDY'S!!! What can I say, I'm a woman of simple tastes. :) It was pretty good, too - I haven't had Wendy's in how long?

Last fun thing I don't want to forget, before I talk about the really cool part of my day. So, while watching the T.V. I saw one commercial a few times that really just cracked me up. It's advertising deodorant of all things. Basically, it's just this guy who has these fire hose streams of sweat pouring out whenever he raises his arms. Why do I find that so funny? Well, you have to know me *reallllllly* well to know that. ;)

*****

The really amazing part of my day happened while I was waiting for the Poons to come back from their helicopter ride/volcano tour. I stayed behind on a local beach.....it was deserted.

Let that sink in. This beach was deserted. There was no one else around. I don't think I have ever, ever been on a deserted beach before. There was no one there. Eventually there were a few stragglers - probably locals - who came by, but they were few and far between.

So, being on a deserted beach, looking out over the sea, I became awfully reflective. At first I didn't really know what to do with myself. Actually, it was kind of fun at first. I found a bunch of shells (I mean, these shells were all over the place!) that, to me, look like they could only be manufactured and not occur naturally. Of course, they're that much prettier when found in nature. :) But once I got past the fun of finding these pretty shells and started staring at the vast expanse of sea, I became rather pensive. It kind of began with me asking myself the question, "What have I learned from New Zealand?"

At this point, I was standing with just my feet in the water. To my untrained eye, the waves that were meeting the shore were pretty tall, and it was kind of windy. I have no idea how tall the waves really were, but the point was that, to me, they looked tall, and I had this intense urge to go out and ride on those waves....



When I was much younger, attending a Christian school, I remember being told (more than once) the analogy that God is like the sea. The sea is vast and incomprehensible. It is a source of life and sustenance for many things, including us. We can't see the end of it from where we are. We can enjoy the beauty of it, we can play in the water and swim in it, we can ride on it, we can even do things like surf and parasail, etc. on/in it. The sea is fun and enjoyable. At the same time, we have to realize: the sea can kill you. You have to respect the sea. While you are enjoying it, you have to have a certain sense of awe about it.

God is like the sea. He is the source of life and sustenance for all things. We can't see Him clearly from where we are. We can enjoy Him, we can laugh with Him, we can experience Him in many exciting ways, but at the same time we have to respect Him. We have to have that sense of awe in His presence.

While I was thinking all of this I was also thinking about how much I want to experience His love more and more, how much I want to be a part of His plan, and how much I want to know what that plan is and how I fit into it.

As I was thinking all of this, it hit me right out of the blue: I wanted to experience God's love in unimaginable ways, but without really trusting Him and giving Him myself fully, just like I wanted to go out and experience the thrill of riding those ways while I was standing on the seashore....

WOW.

I wanted to stay safe, to not have to really exercise my faith. As a result, I could only experience so much of His love. God's "tame love" - the love of a Father for a child, of a teacher for a student, of a friend for a friend - is definitely exciting, enjoyable, and intimate, but His wild love - the overwhelming, passionate, thrilling love of a Lover pursuing the Beloved - the love of the Creator for His Creation, and especially for the crown of His Creation, the kind of love that drives us into holy adventures - simply leaves you breathless. And that's the kind of love that I want/ed to experience from God.

This is the kind of love that you can't experience while staying within your comfort zone, I think. You have to go out on a limb. You have to step out in complete faith and trust that He will catch you. You can't stay on the shore and expect to ride the waves....

Eventually, after being alone with my thoughts for a while, I did change into my swimsuit and play a little in the breakers. It was tons o' fun! A father and child showed up after a bit and were also swimming close to the shore. It was a great experience, although partly somewhat scary realizing that if I got too far away from shore I wouldn't be able to get back - another theological connection (we, in our present state, can't get too close to His face and live, just like we can't get too close to the big waves and live). :) It was a *really* special time, because I hadn't had an experience like that in a while. I felt like I had been getting kind of complacent about some things in China. I wanted to live in China as a Christian without really going out on a limb in relaying my faith.

"To be a Christian is to live dangerously, honestly, freely - to step in the name of love as if you may land on nothing, yet to keep stepping because the something that sustains you no empire can give you and no empire can take away."--Cornel West

When asked the question: 'do you prefer the mountains or the beach?' my answer, hands down, is "mountains." No question. But after this experience, I definitely have a soft spot for the sea.

And God never ceases to amaze me.....

Ancient Silk Road - Xi'an

So, this year for our "spring break" (a.k.a. "May Holiday") I decided to visit a friend of mine (and a few students) in one of the must-see places in China, the ancient city of Xi'an. Most people will probably recognize the Terra Cotta Warriors....
















....but there are other things to do/see in the city as well. For example:


Bell Tower & Drum Tower





(in ancient times, the warning system that heralded imminent peril - today we like to call them "tornado sirens")

;)


City Wall



(by day or by night, a neat place to see)


Muslim District/Market



(one of the largest - basically, in this case, a huge tourist trap with tons of shops, etc.; excellent dried fruit, as is true of most Western China; lots of "bargains" and gift ideas for the folks back home)


Big Wild Goose Pagoda & square
Small Wild Goose Pagoda

(alas, time did not permit my seeing either of these places, although my understanding is that they're really neat - just like most other pagodas I've seen.....)


Banpo Village

(an interesting place on the way to the Terra Cotta Warriors - an ancient village that is still being excavated; a neat look into history - unfortunately no pictures right now)


History Museum

Including some interesting artifacts:







(the cool thing about the horses has something to do with the glaze and how they got their color - I don't remember specifics, though)







(I think we found the missing 8th dwarf....)


Forest of Steles Museum



(a nice garden surrounded a veritable treasure trove of these ancient "libraries", called "steles"; the museum included whole rooms filled, wall-to-wall and all between, with these large slabs of stone covered in Chinese characters; some more commonly known steles include writings of Confucius and ancient Chinese dictionaries)





The favorite stele for myself and most Christians is the one pictured above. If you look very closely at the top of the black space you can barely discern a cross etched into the stone. An early sect of "Nestorian Christians" settled in China, as evidenced by this particular stele.



(Kudos if you can read this sign! It explains a bit about the previous stele)


Xi'an itself is quite a modern, westernized city.



It seems that, no matter where you go in the world, you will always be able to find a little piece of home....




Other things to do:

enjoy the local flora/fauna....



go out for a night on the town....





sample the local cuisine....



and just be generally silly....



Pretty cunning, don't you think? :)


And it was, of course, great to see my friends and students. :)

Accomplishment

Well, since I've been going to the gym, I recently accomplished a long time goal of mine: I touched my knees with my head without bending my legs. Even when I was dancing almost every day I don't think I ever was able to do that!

Granted, it was so far only a one time thing, but it still felt great that I was able to do it. That also gives more motivation to keep going to the gym. :) Maybe one day I'll actually be able to do the splits!! Woo-hoo!! Ha ha! :)

It's the little things.....

Motivation

I've been going to the gym again recently with a friend of mine. It always feels good, even though sometimes I'm not so motivated to go.

There are 2 gyms in town, an older one and a newer one. The newer one is bigger and more expensive, so we go to the older one. But when I first went to the newer one to see what times it was open, I ran into one of my friends from the old gym. I hadn't seen her in several months, mind, but one of the first things she said to me when she saw me was, "I think you've gotten a little fatter!" ..... grrrrrr .........

First, I do *not* think that I am fat, but hearing someone say that just shoots your self-esteem to the ground. But on the other hand, it also provided more motivation for me to go back to the gym and work out more. And that's what I do in my 'free time' now. ;) Ahhh, such a wonderful life I lead.....