Raglan Beauty!
- Posted by under Travel
- Thursday January 31st, 2008
- 1 Comment Leave a Response
So this last weekend was pretty exhausting, despite the fact that it was supposed to be a relaxing weekend at the beach it turned out to be pretty draining. We left on Friday and loaded into the vans for the two hour van ride. I really enjoyed the ride. We finally got out of the city and saw of New Zealand’s beautiful landscapes. I was probably the most excited about seeing sheep, up until this point they were purely legend…a myth. It is “rumored†that there are over 60 million sheep in New Zealand, more sheep than people; however, I had yet to see one. FINALLY, after two weeks I saw one…actually I saw many, they were basically all over…lots of sheep and cows and grass and hills. The drive was beautiful and it was really nice to see a different side of the country.
Our campsite was made from old train cars. Our cabin had seven beds in it that were built into the walls. We had a kitchen car connected to it. It was a really cute site, I felt like the boxcar children! The nicest part about the site was that we could see the ocean and beach from our cabins. It was so beautiful! The first day we got there we went down to the beach. Now, earlier in the week we went to Piha Beach and tried to do some body surfing. But these waves took it to another level. Luckily there are some people who are as nuts as me and we all ran into the water to take on the waves. It was awesome and at times painful, not to mention that I had the constant fear that my swim suite would fall off! The waves were pretty big, so big that if you didn’t swim under them you would get pounded. It was absolutely LOVELY!
That night we attempted to go see a sunset from a look out point, but missed it. The next day we made our way down to the beach once more…the only problem was that my only pair of shoes got locked in our caboose! Oh well, I thought, I will just be like the Kiwis and rough it…probably the worst decision I have ever made! I somehow forgot that the path was covered with black rocks and thorns of despair. It was painful, especially since the 20 minute walk was all downhill. However, I survived and even managed to surf that day at the beach…I’m not saying I ever got up, but I tried really hard. I guess surfing isn’t one of my gifts. A few guys in our group put on wet suits and suddenly became pros…oh well.
That night we went to the Parachute music festival. We had time to look around and eat and then went to see Switchfoot and Jonzetta. They were so good and it was really fun to be crammed in a huge crowd of Kiwis! We drove back the next day and stopped at Bridal Veil Falls (a waterfall). It was lovely, I didn’t have my suit so I didn’t get in, but several tested the water and came to the conclusion that it was absolutely freezing. Today was a nice slow day after the exciting weekend. I got to talk to my parents on Skype for an hour which was really really nice. It was good to hear them and get to tell a little bit about what has been going on. I have a feeling skype will be my new obsession, so if you don’t have it….get it, we can chat!
Overall, It was an amazingly beautiful weekend! God is good!
Mongo is my favorite stuffed animal. He is a white monkey with long, wiggly arms, and a long wiggly tail. I think at one time he must have been fuzzy and soft. He’s still a little fuzzy, but not very soft. You see, Mongo is a very old Monkey. He used to belong to my brother Michael, but now he’s mine (Mongo’s told me that he likes me better, so it’s good that he’s mine now). But because Mongo is so old, his fur is a little matted. Okay, more than a little, a lot. His mouth (a brown string) has broken many times, but my mommy is always nice enough to fix him. Even if Mongo doesn’t have a mouth, there is nothing that will ever stop making me love him. He is wonderfully squishy and just the perfect size to snuggle in with at night.
Here’s the horrifying part…..In the crazyness of having to pack in a couple hours (I ended up having to work) I tragically forgot Mongo in my room. I know! That makes me a horrible person! I felt awful when I realized my negligence and horribleness to my most beloved Mongo.
Here’s the victorious, happily-ever-after part….My mommy and daddy love me enough to send me Mongo in the mail. So today at 3:00pm Mongo and I were reunited and we were able to share our true-love for one another. It was the highlight of my day.
My mommy and daddy also sent me my Nintendo and I was very entertained for 45 minutes before dinner where I beat levels one and two of Super Mario Brothers 3.
The rest of my life is the typical roller coaster that everyones life tends to be. The high parts are: My Costume History and Design class, spending time with my wonderful friends, Awana, and of course Mongo. The low points are: My Environmental Science class, the blistering cold that makes it hard to walk home, and not knowing the reasons why God does somethings the way He does.
That’s my life. Praise God even though he has different plans than I do.
Who knew what you can do with a piece of paper?
The Mathematical Sciences Department has invited a speaker from Riverbend Community Math Center named Amanda Serenevy to come speak on origami polyhedra. If you’ve never heard of the word “polyhedra” before, think of a solid figure made up of flat faces and straight edges. Here are some pictures of origami polyhedra:
An icosidodecahedron
A buckyball (that’s right, you Chemistry fans!)
A truncated icosahedron
Now, don’t get me wrong… you don’t have to love math to like origami. Check out this picture:
If you look closely, you’ll see that this is a Kraken (seen the Pirates of the Caribbean movie?) attacking a traditional sailing ship. Isn’t that amazing?! The phenomenal thing about this is that the entire origami design was constructed from a single uncut square of paper! See the website
http://www.langorigami.com/art/challenge/2006/2006_challenge.php4
for more details. (Thanks for the tip, Mark Yoder!)
If you’re interested in origami, come out to the department’s presentation on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at 5 pm in the basement of the Science Building to improve your origami skills!
Much is happening in the Mathematical Sciences Department these days. Most of this is due to work in the fall semester, which explains the dirth of blogs I was putting out last fall. We’ve put the pieces in place to:
- hire two new tenure-track faculty for Fall 2008 (one in applied mathematics and one in pure math);
- clean up some of the courses that are already on our books;
- ready ourselves for major changes and additions to the math major itself;
- set up a new major by Fall 2009 in Applied Math, with ties into other disciplines like Environmental Biology, Biology, Physics, Business, and Computer Science; and
- establish opportunities for community outreach in area schools and community groups that work with students in math.
Whew! This next year is going to be an exciting time for us! The Life Sciences department has a new faculty member named Kevin Drury coming in Fall 2008 that studies mathematical models of predator/prey situations. This could lead to some exciting opportunities for undergraduate research!
Stay tuned for more exciting happenings!
Kiwis and Kiwis
This past weekend we had an excursion. We packed up our stuff on Friday and left right after lunch at one. We headed to Ragland. It was surfer country for the native New Zealanders, or as they call themselves, Kiwis. (Just to get that clear. Kiwis are the little birds that run around the ground and are shaped and named after the brown fruit. The natives are called Kiwis after the brown birds that are named after the fruit, and the fruit itself, which everything is named after, is called Kiwi Fruit. Confusing, huh?)
Ragland
Anyway, we headed to Ragland. We drove through the slopping foot hills and past the many cows and sheep that were grazing on them. This country is really beautiful, probably one of the most beautiful places I have been to. It reminds me of Ireland, but with really nice weather. Ragland was about three hours away from Auckland, where we live, and the drive was rough in the rental vans. For some reason, I can’t do homework in the car or basically anything moving. When I even look at words, I feel like I am going to puke. As many worked on the large amount of work we have to do, I looked out the window, and tried to sleep in the 90-degree angled seats. We stopped at a gas station and I bought some weird drink and some Turkish delight. Contrary to popular belief and Edmund from Narnia, Turkish delight is nasty. Think of it as an unknown fruit jelly inside a chocolate coating. There would be no way I’d sell out anybody for that stuff.
“Solscape was the strangest place”
We arrived at Solscape, our accommodations for the weekend. My family and I have traveled to countless campsites and trailer parks in our day. We have been almost everywhere in the United States, but this Solscape was the strangest place I had ever stayed. Our massive vans pulled up the steep snaking path to the cabins, or should I say train cars. The girls in our group stayed in an old train car. They were red, yellow, and blue, and seemed extremely small compared to the locomotives I have seen before. The girls had a kitchen and a bathroom in their train, the guys and I were a little less lucky. I don’t really know what to call what we stayed in. They were some type of train, but they looked more like a toaster. There was nothing in them except three beds, and I mean nothing. We had no mirror, trash (rubbish) bin, bathroom, plugs, anything. They were steal and like a toaster heated up what was in them. By around 9 am we were roasting. If they had chimney’s there would be smoke rising. Speaking of smoke rising. The other campers were mostly hippies. As in dreads, cloth pants, bandanas, drums, guitars, and surfing hippies. The smoke rising from their toasters might have been something more herbal, if you know what I mean. Two of us guys slept right next to the “Railway Station” the main hub, where our friends of mother earth, could conserve water, talk all night and play music bright and early. It was an experience. We headed to the beach, which was about a 10 minute walk from Solscape. The wide black sand beach spread from mountain to mountain. The water was beautiful and the sun shined bright. So bright that I should have put more suntan lotion on.
I went surfing. There was a vender there where you could rent a board and a wet suit for 20 bucks, so I did. I had always dreamed of surfing. I had imitated my way of being a surfer most of my life. I bought Quiksilver clothes and wore board shorts to the pool. In my heart I knew that I was a natural surfer and that it would come easy if I ever had the chance to try. I was wrong. I should have spent the extra money on a lesson. I spent most of the hour on my belly lying on the board in my smelly-used wet suit. I caught a few waves only to flip over and launch the board over the wave. Fortunately it was tied to my ankle and dragged me with it instead of drifting alone out to sea. I say with out any prior knowledge of surfing, I did well, I did stand up for about three seconds. The most of the day I kept to body surfing, that I was good at. The waves were big and each curl brought enough salt into my mouth and nose to make me gag. I was in the water most of the day, and I was having trouble getting tan, so I didn’t put any sun tan lotion on my back or shoulders; bad idea. After the painful night, in the morning I felt like I was beat up. The waves had crashed upon me like a truck the day before and I was feeling the after effects, but my skin felt exfoliated. 
(I think that’s the right word)
Parachute Music Festival
We went to Parachute Music Festival the next day. If any of you know what Cornerstone is, it was like that. Parachute is this big three day long Christian music fest where people stay camped out in tents and watch bands perform, go to the skatepark, listen to seminars, and eat carnival food all day. We just went for one evening. The youth culture here is basically the same as it is back hope. The kids are all the same and they act in their same weird ways. It was kind of nice to know that everybody everywhere behaves the same in some sort of way. We watched Jonzetta, and Switchfoot play. I had seen Switchfoot play before but this concert was much better. I was very impressed at the talent growth and the creative changes they made since I saw them at Wheaton College, back when their album just came out. I bought some sweet shades at the festival. I think they made me look 10 percent cooler. At least that’s what Chelsea and Hannah said. The night was fun and long. We returned to our hippy camp at around 1:30 am.
Bridal Veil Falls
On the way home from our weekend away, we stopped at Bridal Veil Falls. It was this waterfall that was back in the country side. It was really pretty and reminded me of Lord of the Rings. It was the first freshwater I had seen in a long time so I decided to swim in it. The water was freezing. Freezing, like I can feel the effects of hypothermia setting in, freezing. It made my sunburn feel better, I’ll tell you, but it made my jaw hurt like I just went for a walk in a snowstorm. On the way out I stepped on an eel. It was gross, and had just bit one of the girls in our group, but nobody told me that it was there. I put it in its place though. It felt like a huge fish as it squirmed away. John ran out of the water after I got out, fearing for his life. He hates eels.
The long van ride back felt good. My sunburn was frozen and I nodded off a couple of times. We stopped at the same gas station on the way back, and, no, there was no way I was getting Turkish Delight again. I got some ice cream and enjoyed the ride back to the college. This was the first of many outings, and I think we’re off to a good start. Thanks for reading,
Reed
p.s.I put pictures up on an open facebook album you can check them out here:
http://bethelcollege.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2012552&l=69c5b&id=62401250
Last Friday was the “Right to Life” chapel. Being extremely pro-life myself, I was excited, but I hadn’t anticipated the effect it would have on me or how it would start an incredible excitement in my heart. During chapel, listening to all the different presentations about the tragedy of abortion and about the amazing gift of life, I realized how deeply this issue of “pro-life” is embedded in my heart. I really truly believe that God values each person’s life SO much, without distinctions or exceptions. I really truly believe that His love knows no end, measurement or limitation. I really truly believe that each human on the earth is created in the image of God. And I really truly believe that we are supposed to love each other as God loves us: without condition, without end, without limitations. As I’ve been thinking about this whole idea, a verse from Ephesians keeps coming to mind, “And I pray that you, being rooted and established in Love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Can you imagine what someone’s life would look like if they were really truly rooted and established in Love? It would be amazing- I think they might actually glow! I think I’m going to make that one of the goals of my life, not to glow but to be rooted and established in love. But not just any love, the everlasting Love of God!
I’m getting more used to living off campus, though it’s still weird to have to scrape off my car every morning to go to class. I love snow, but I’m kind of hoping there won’t be snow in Oklahoma. I’d like it to be just a few degrees warmer too. I like winter, but I’m ready to not be freezing all the time. The house that I’m staying in is a bit drafty so I feel like I’ve been cold for the past 2 weeks. Today I checked the weather in Oklahoma City and it’s a little warmer than Mishawaka, not by a lot, but I’ll take what I can get. I have a feeling that I’m going to exchange snow for wind 
Curly hair and wind are not best friends! but I’m sure I’ll manage.
I will be leaving Mishawaka in 12 days and exactly 2 weeks from right now, I’ll be in Hesston, KS visiting my sister. I’m getting more excited for practicum. I’m beginning to realize how much an act of faith this is going to be, but it’s encouraging to know that the Interpreting department here at Bethel has prepared me and they have faith in me and in the training they have given me. Now I just have to take my own leap of faith and GO!
Everyday stuff
It’s snowing! It’s beautiful and not as cold as it was previously. Earlier this week I actually walked back to my dorm with my scarf over my face and just trying to see though it to find my way down the sidewalk. If I didn’t do that I would have ended up being one of those people with the skin peeling off their cheeks because of frost-bite. Yeah so I’m sure that’s a happy thought for you all….Anyway.
Well, it’s just as busy of a week, but not quite as overwhelming. Everyone is asking me questions about Russia now. (More than just “How was it?) I’m also realizing more how being in Russia has affected my perspectives on life. I suppose it’s nothing drastic, but still different. I think it can most be defined as just caring about the rest of the world. I know we’ve all heard it before, but American’s really are ethnocentric. They care more about reading about what Brittney Spears did with her weekend than what is happening in Israel or Kenya. I’m not trying to be condemning, but I do think we should maybe think about this.
So two of my guy friends just came over and my roomate and I are going to play a game with them. Thankfully, I’m already done with my homework. Oh…and quickly. I went to Awana tonight and it was awesome….I love being back. Okay, bye now.
So the last three days have been pretty chillax. This week and next week are considered study weeks, which means you study….all the time! Honestly, I am grateful for this time because the more work I get done now, the less I have to do later. Luckily God knew that we would be having this time of study and made the weather rainy, this way we wouldn’t be missing out on any of the glorious NZ sunshine while we were pouring over our books for hours upon hours. I have been feeling a little overwhelmed. I am taking 16.5 credit hours and I have a lot of work to do……all the time. And no matter how much I accomplish in a day, it doesn’t matter, because there is always more to do. It seems to multiply daily like that monster in Hercules, you chop off one of it’s heads and it grows two in it’s place. It’s never ending! Oh well.
All this down time has allowed our team to get close. Many times it seems that homework time is hang out time. This does not allow for much work to be completed, but it does allow for some good group bonding. Over the last few days we have had several movie nights…and days. Two nights ago all the girls played Mafia (the card game…..not the mob) for two hours. We have also made it a habit to visit a coffee house a little ways down from the college. They have excellent mochas and a delightful little drink called a fluffie (it’s for kids but reed and I felt the desire to get it). Last night we walked to the movie theater (a 45 minute walk) to see “Cloverfield” (a terrible movie). Kinda wished I would have saved my money. But other than that it has been nice to have a schedule for the past few days. I am slowly getting used to the food and waking up at 8 in the morning….every morning. It allows for a full and productive day!
It feels great to be here, especially when I hear the it is only 5 degrees back at Bethel….sorry but I’m not ready to go back to that. This next weekend should be awesome because we are heading out to the parachute music festival and are planning to have a beach weekend!!! Yay! Until then….
(I would just like to take a second to educate everyone on the wonders that are Cheezles. Cheezles have sort of become an obsession with our group. Cheezles are similar to Cheetos but are far superior. The description on the bag calls it the “Cheesy cheese snack.†But to me it is so much more. Hannah and I ate a whole bag today….)
HOLY COW!!! I have been MIA from the blogging world for way to long, I guess thats what happens when you go on break! Soooo now I have a million things to catch everybody up on! I had the most incredible break, and did anything and everything there was to do, and enjoyed every last minute of it. Because they were putting a new roof on my classroom I could not be in it, sooooooo I lived it up! Having my mom here after Christmas was a blast! Now its back to reality, and I know the rest of the school year is going to fly by! Enjoy the pics:)
Welcome back to Bethel Amy!
You are loved and cared for by so many people here and you get biblical teaching and training for a future as a Christian. I love it here so much. I could make a whole blog out of listing everything I love about Bethel. I not only love the people and the activities, but it’s so good for me. The people and the classes challenge me to be a better Christian. It’s harder to get that at home.
Even though it’s been so fulfilling to be back among all these people I love (and new people) it’s also been strange. Which I didn’t really expect. I expected it to be reunioney *like a reunion* but other than that I thought it’d be normal. But it hasn’t. It’s been strange, which I didn’t expect. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is, but sometimes it just feels a little funny that I’m here.
There have been some fairly huge social changes in what I call ‘my group.’ Most of it’s just expansion, which is awesome. I really like the new people. And most of them aren’t really new, they just didn’t hang out with us as much before. There are also some people I see a lot less, which is a major bummer. But not all of that is social group changes, some of it is just the fact that schedules don’t coincide at all. There’s also all these people with boyfriends or girlfriends and that’s been strange.
Sometimes I don’t deal well with change, so I think seeing some of the new social stuff has been a little hard. But honestly I think the thing that has made this week the hardest is just my absolutely full schedule.
This has been one of the best and one of the hardest weeks of my life. I don’t think I’ve every been so glad that it’s Saturday and I really mean that. I mean I’ve had hard finals weeks and hard emotional weeks but this was everything. I have an insanely busy schedule. I know everyone says that, but it’s really true for me. I have classes or work from 8-5 everyday. BUT..on Monday,Wednesday, Friday I do have an hour and a half break after choir that I think will start to come in as a nice break. However, all this week that break has been filled with running errands. Like getting my car registered, getting a new I.D card, going back to get the I.D card fixed, getting measured for a choir dress, paying for the choir dress, paying for spring break, trip to the financial aid office to make sure that I can pay for spring break….etc. (I think I’ve mentioned this before, but my choir is going to Hawaii for Spring Break).
So on top of that I am trying to do some extra work in the admission office in the evenings. I can’t get enough hours in during the day(because I have class) so they are letting me come in the evenings. Then it’s been kind of full socially. I think mostly it’s because it’s the first week back and everyone is excited to see everybody else. We’ve had a blast though. We played some pictionary, where the girls almost won and then I’ve watched some American Idol and some Masterpiece Theater(PBS Special on Jane Austen) with various friends. I’ve also been trying to work out everynight. I haven’t done it everynight, but I did do it on Monday and Wednesday.
Speaking of working out. I played basketball this afternoon. I know….you’re shocked. So am I. But it was just with a small group of friends and they assured me that Chris knew nothing about basketball and they let him play still. So they were really nice. I did end up getting plowed some how and ended up(according to what they saw) somehow being horizontal and spinning sideways. I ended up on the floor and my elbows and head were hurting. I don’t know. Whatever. I’m really proud of myself, even if I was awful.
Last night was a blast too. I won’t explain the night in detail, but I’ll outline it. We talked at dinner. Then we sat and talked here at the apartment. We ate oreos. We played “Mario Kart” on the Nintendo (Game Cube), we colored, then when the boys left we sat and girl talked for a while. It was a wonderful night.
Now I’m avoiding homework. Mostly because we are leaving to go eat pizza soon and if I start reading my textbooks I might fall asleep. I don’t have a lot of homework for Monday but I do have a good bit for Tuesday so I’m going to try to be good and do some tonight, because my evenings are already full for the next couple days.
So anyway. That’s my wonderful life.
Birthday in New Zealand!!!
Today was a lovely day. Today was my birthday…in New Zealand. This has been a long week with all the travel and now with all the working. This has been a study week and it has been killer. Suddenly I feel like I have excessive amounts of work to do and I am not really sure what to do about it. I am taking 16.5 credit hours and I am now starting to feel the full weight of it. I know that I just have to pace myself and be productive whenever I get the chance….easier said then done….
However, as I said, Today was very pleasant. We went to Mission Bay Beach today. It was like 75-80 degrees and I think the burn time (the time it will take for you to turn a lovely shade of red/magenta) was 10 minutes. Now, you need to understand that I am a very white/pale person…..If sun burning was a sport I would be the gold medalist. However, it is not a sport it is just a painful curse. And today was a special bonding day for our group; we all were able to bond together by burning together. I think that every person in our group got sunburn….some worse than others. However, there were many things that made this terrible situation better; the beautiful blue sky, the golden sun, the amazing ocean (very salty), and the most delicious ice cream that I have ever tasted. Those things helped…a little bit.
Overall, today was an amazing day and I had an amazing birthday. Even though I have known some of these people for only a few days, I feel like we are all really good friends and they all did an amazing job of making this day special. What could be better then spending your birthday at the beach in New Zealand? I feel pretty blessed. Thanks friends, thanks family, thanks God!!!!!!
Consistent Schedule
Contrary to the past few weeks, these last couple of days have begun to show some signs of a consistent schedule. They are our study days in New Zealand. We usually wake up for breakfast a 8:00 am and eat during our group devotions. We have class at 9:00 and were studying different priorities found in the Gospels and Acts. It is a very good time. We just finished up looking at the Holy Spirit and the level of dependence needed to truly walk in the power of the Spirit. After class we have free time for the rest of the day with meals in there, of course. It has been a little bit rough. I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t do well with independent study. I have to admit, I procrastinate a little; okay a lot. We have a lot of work to do in the few study days that we have. So far I’m doing pretty well, I read a book yesterday, a 200-page book. I just hope that I can keep up.
“I still can’t get over the fact that I’m in New Zealand”
Right now, the sun is super bright and its fairly hot, almost too hot to do very much else other than study, but I still can’t get over the fact that I’m in New Zealand, and my other classmates, family, and friends are stuck in the winter weather of Illinois and Indiana. I can’t wait until we can get out and see the rest of this beautiful country, but until then I have to get some work done. Some times I think that If I drop all my classes will they really send me home, or will I just be able to have a long vacation, but its just a thought, and this is a blog not a schedule.
Talk to you later, And thanks for the posts,
Reed
p.s. The pictures might come, but they might not, there is something wrong with the size of pictures I’m taking, and the size the internet wants. If you want some you can give my mom your email, and I might be able to send you some, but that might not work either, the internet is finicky.
As promised, here are some pictures of my Christmas break.
One of our random traditions is making fondue on Christmas eve, so the first is a picture of my whole family at the table. (It’s yellow-ish because I didn’t use the flash and there were a lot of candles and Christmas lights)
Then on New Year’s eve we got crazy amounts of snow all in one night. So the next morning my family decided that we HAD to go out, get bundled up like little kids and play in it
There you have it, an itty bitty snapshot of my break. I have more pictures, but maybe I’ll save those for another entry. Hope you all have a great day!
Here are some pictures that I tried to post the other day!!
I thought that this trip began with a bad start. My first day of the Pacific Rim trip, was spent in the restroom of an Applebee’s in Mishawaka, throwing up. I might attribute it to the headache I had and the fact that my nerves were running on over drive, but it wasn’t such a picturesque start. But don’t worry it has gotten much better, much better.
Right now I am sitting in New Zealand in 78 degree weather. We just went swimming at beach today and ate ice cream in Auckland. Yeah…I’d say its gotten better. Over the past week, I have been in air for 36 hours, been to 7 airports, and arrived and departed from 5 different countries. It was a rough start. It’s a good thing that I don’t mind flying.
Beijing, China
We arrived in Beijing on Friday. The temp was about the same as back home but that was the last of the simliarities. We spent 3 days getting used to the city. We ate gi dong bing (kind of like eggs over-hard), and other un-pronouncible foods. Beijing has 21 million people and is roughly the size of our Auckland area in New Zealand. In Auckland, there are only 4 million people. That’s a little picture of how crowded that city is. Every where you go the amount of people stays constant. There are crowds and traffic jams at every stoplight and crosswalk.
During our second day in China, we took off on a journey to Tienaneman Square, home of the forbidden city, Mao Ze Dong’s burial grounds, the memorial to the fallen Chinese soldiers, the Chinese government building, and the Red Gate. In order to get to the square, we took the subway… That was an experience in itself. In China people don’t wait in line. There is no common courtesy of giving others the right away or letting people go before you. When the subway door opens then everybody runs in and runs out at the same time. At McDonald’s there are no lines to wait in before ordering your food. You just push you way to the front, and I mean push. Its not that the Chinese are rude, it is just the way their culture works.
There is also no such thing as personal space. The Chinese have no reservations when bumping into you or standing really close to you. The subway is always packed, and I mean claustrophic packed; lose a small child in the dense jungle of legs packed; not pay attention and you will be lifted out of the train at the wrong stop packed. Its shoulder to shoulder, chest to chest, back to back, packed with people you have never met nor seen before. Its like going to a metal concert and moshing your way to the door every time you get off the train. But I love it. It just seems nicer. People smile and our ridiculous attempts to say “ni hao ma?” or how are you doing. They are more just more personal and communal, and you can tell. The square it self was intimidating. It is big enough for 1 million people to stand side-by-side on it. There are guards everywhere and merchants who want you to buy Mao watches and North Face gloves. So different.
Potty Pants
The past few days have been rough, fighting off jet lag and traveling throughout an unknown culture. But it will be better when we come back for six weeks later. Hopefully it will warm up and we can get a bearing on the local, and the customs. …Speaking of customs. Did you know that in China, the little kids wear potty pants. They don’t have diapers. Before the kids are potty trained, they wear pants that have no back, and they just go to the bathroom where every they are. Just right there in the road…it is very strange. I guess if we are on the topic of going to the bathroom, I should also say this; the majority of the toilets are “squatties,” toilets that have no seats. You just squat down and do you business in a hole. Weird, I know. Things like that might take a while to get used to.
New Zealand
Now I am in New Zealand; a complete 180 degree turn. The weather is warm and the country is closely related to England in the culture and the customs. It is more individualism than the mass push of collectivism in the communist China. This is just the beginning. I will come to find out more and have many new and exciting experiences. I know that God will work on this trip, but I have begun to learn that I have to invite him and be in the right mindset and heart-set. Things will change and I am just looking forward to see what happens.
Talk to you later,
Reed
Ps. Speaking of God, right now I am in New Zealand and speaking of God is okay, but to all my readers, as a forewarning, when I get back to China It might seem more vague. They have a strict policy and every email and phone call is read and listened to. So obviously certain words can’t be said and names can’t be mentioned for fear of being kicked out of the country. So as a precaution, after the first six weeks could you not send me any heavily spiritual emails, and If you do, don’t be surprised if I don’t respond to specific questions.
Pps. well looks like the pictures are not uploading very well. I’ll post just this and hopefully will be able to fix it soon.
Hello all!
It seems like it’s been a bit too long since I’ve wrote on here, but I’m just getting settled back in Mishawaka. The transition out of dorms has been a bit strange, I still think it’s weird to drive to class and drive to see my “roommates” at their other apartment, but I think it’s going to be a good transition in between dorms and Oklahoma. Speaking of Oklahoma, I just counted and I have exactly 23 days before I leave. YIKES!!!!! I’m sure that in 23 days I’ll be very excited, but as of right now, the excitement is mixed with a bit of nervousness and a small amount of raw fear BUT the good news is, God is highly involved in the situation, preparing the way for me in Oklahoma and traveling with me along the way
Remember that test from awhile ago that I was so nervous about? Well, I got the results over Christmas break and….I PASSED!!!! I don’t really understand the scoring system so my score doesn’t really mean anything to me as of right now, but I was so relieved to find that I passed. Now, I’m an official “candidate for certification” and I have 5 years to pass the performance part of the National Interpreter Certification Exam. It sounds so official I’m not even sure how to respond.
My Christmas break was wonderful. I spent lots of time with my family and also worked quite a bit at the cutest little “paint your own pottery” studio EVER! I guess that’s all for now. I’ll try to post pictures of my Christmas break as soon as I can. Happy Tuesday!
32 hours on a plane and 7 airports later we are finally in New Zealand, the first of the three countries that we will be studying in this semester.
So far it has been an amazing trip and we are only five days into it. I had so many apprehensions coming on this trip. I knew that I was supposed to take this time to study abroad but I had many worries. I was worried about our team and how we would all get along, I was worried about how I would manage my work, and I was worried about being away from my family. I was even worried about loosing my luggage or forgetting something vital to my survival….like toothpaste. After being in and experiencing two countries God is showing me that he will provide in every way.
So far this trip has been quite eventful. Our plane left on the 9th at 8 am (with a 4:00 wake up time to get to the airport) and arrived in Beijing on the 10th in the evening. Beijing is 13 hours ahead of us so we lost a day…..strange to think I will never live out the 10th of January. Anyway, we went over to our hotel and went to bed.
I soon discovered that JETLAG is the worst thing in the world. I still don’t know what time it is or what day it is; I also don’t have a watch so that doesn’t help the situation. We were so tired. Some of the group ended up waking up that morning at 3 or 4 am because of the time difference. I woke up at 7:35 am….25 minutes before we had to leave. Thankfully, I have no problems sleeping….ever since I traveled to Korea I have developed the gift of sleep; the ability to sleep anywhere at anytime.
The next day we took the subway (an experience in itself) down to Tienanmen square. I was definitely not prepared for our first stop where it seemed twenty people all crowded in at once, eliminating any chance of personal space. It was AMAZING! Being surrounded by the Chinese, I experienced first hand what it is like to be the minority. Standing in the subway, a 6 foot blonde American girl, I sort of stood out. People were staring at me and possibly talking about me….I couldn’t understand them. I tried to blend in….it didn’t work.
Tienanmen Square was intense. There were lots of people there, mostly Chinese, and lots of soldiers. There are lots of soldiers all over China. It was really funny; our group of twenty gathered around to take a picture in front of the Forbidden City. While we were posed a Chinese man came and took a picture of our group and walked away….it was a bit random. We seem to be something of a novelty in China. Wherever we go I see people taking pictures of us…this might be because we are all extremely good looking…or because there are not many groups of Americans walking down the streets of Beijing. It is strange being the minority.
We had one Chinese class and I learned a few phrases, so I can say “hello, how are you?” “I am fine” “One bottle of Coke” “Good morning” “Good Night” and I can count to 10 in Chinese with the proper hand signs! Then whenever we would walk around I would go out of my way to talk to a Chinese person. Mostly I would say, “Ni Hao†and they would just look at me and smile. Overall I loved the three days spent in china. I loved the people, the city, and the food….oh yes, and chopsticks are another one of my gifts.
The one rough thing about China was the temperature. It was in the 20’s and 30’s everyday we were there, and in China…you walk a lot. It was also a very dirty city. There was a lot of dust and dirt everywhere and after walking around all day there is nothing you want more than a shower.
We left on Sunday. In the morning we went to an international church. We went to the airport after to catch our 3:30 flight. After another series of long flights with questionable food and malfunctioning ‘in flight’ movie devices (grr), we finally arrived in New Zealand.
Best Moment of the Trip thus far: walking out of the New Zealand airport into 75 degree beautiful weather, and knowing that I would not be flying again for six weeks. No more airplane food, no more jetlag, no more lay over’s, no more 20 degree days, no more customs, no more security checks…..at least for six weeks.
New Zealand IS the most beautiful place I have ever been. We have been here for two days and it has been simply lovely. Driving out of the airport I was excited and a little freaked out…we were driving on the wrong side of the road. Crazy! Luckily we got a crash course on New Zealand while we were in China. We learned a little about the history, we learned about present New Zealand, and we learned that New Zealanders call themselves Kiwis. However, they also have the kiwi fruit here and they have a little fat bird here called a kiwi…but you are never to mix these three terms up. Our team soon learned that Kiwis (the people) are the nicest people on the planet and they have amazing accents.
We are staying at a Bible college in Auckland. It is really nice because we each have our own room and laundry is free. They cook dinner and lunch for us (and so far the food has been really good). We are the only people on campus because the students are on holiday (notice how I am turning into a bit of a kiwi with my lingo!) It is a beautiful campus with a nice view of downtown Auckland.
Today (sorry it took a long time to catch up to here) we woke up, ate breakfast, had devos, went to a mall, and then went to the beach. Rachel, Hannah, Bethany, and I climbed the rocks around the side of the cliff while the waves came crashing in. It was pretty amazing. I felt like Ariel from “The Little Mermaid” minus the tail. This evening we are going to the top of a hill to watch the sun set…ah lovely. God is really the most creative person I know. It’s sort of hard to fathom that he thought up something so amazingly exquisite. As I sit here, outside in this wonderful place I thank God for the opportunity to experience this. I can’t wait for tomorrow.
p.s. between all the joys of travel and beautiful landscapes I also have extreme amounts of work to do for the 16.5 credit hours I am taking….yeah.
Interpretive dancing in the airport.
I watch a lot of movies…
I just saw a good movie. “Juno” it is about a teenage girl who gets pregnant. Sounds heavy. In real life it is, but the movie was actually very funny and happy. Not that they made the situation unimportant, but it just wasn’t melodramatic. Anyway, very good! Josh, who was with me thinks it’s one of the best movies he’s ever seen. That’s way too far for me, but I’m glad he liked it.
Now what I would put on one of my best list would be the movie “Enchanted” that I saw with Ashlea the other day. “I am dreaming of true loves kiss and the prince that goes along with this.” Yup…good song. Funny movie. I highly suggest both movies to the general public.
So now that you’ve had my movie review for the week….ummm…let’s see. I made strawberry mousse tonight and it is delicious. It’s really easy too. I will make it for you people back at school if you like. All I need is a blender. I’m sure I can get that solved. And tomorrow I am expanding my domestic skills even further by making tater-tot casserole. Isn’t it just so momish to be cooking casseroles? I like it. Now I just need to add cookies and banana bread to the menu and I’ll be the perfect mom. Maybe you people don’t think of banana bread as particularly motherly, but I do.
I never did tell you about my New Years. Here goes: It was wonderful!!! I am a little ashamed to admit that I’m pathetic and that by 11pm on new year’s eve I was fighting sleep and that by 11:15 I stopped fighting and lost the war. My wonderful friends Ashlea and Erin came over, as has become tradition and we played Nerts for a long time. (Nerts is the playing cards version of dutch blitz, just in case you didn’t know) Ashlea went wild with the food and bought us way more than we could eat, but it was great. We had a veggie tray and a meat & cheeses tray and then chips and dip. Muy Bueno! (you’d think I’d be saying it in Russian, but the first thing that comes to mind is Spanish. But here’s the Russian: Ochin Harasho!) Then, Ashlea really wanted to watch the “Newsies” which Erin and I of course love, but as I previously stated, I loved sleep a little more that night. In my defense though I had stayed up late the nights previous and been forced to wake up early that morning, because I was called into work. But the girls woke me up for the count down and we had sparkling grape juice, then I was able to stay awake for the end of the movie.
Other than the fun stuff, I’ve been working a lot. Which actually has been pretty fun. And some of the time that I’ve been home I’ve been working for my dad. But that’s not really hard as I get to watch my favorite movies (like “Lord of the Rings”) while counting parts. That’s my life. I love it. Praise God! I am getting excited to go back to school! I love Bethel!
So I feel a little lost as to what to say here. Life has been going beautifully, but I feel like you all will be disappointed that it’s not amazing tales from Russia (amazing just because they are from Russia). Not that I write this blog exclusively for you people, but I do think about what you might like to hear. But if you’re bored, too bad. The euphoria of being back has finally worn off, but I am still truly loving being home. I’ve gotten to catch up, at least a little, with all of my friends here in town and all but two of my Bethel friends. I love having plenty of stuff to do…I thrive off it. I’m not always the best self-motivator so having obligations and commitments keeps me going. Today was probably my most relaxed day. I stayed in my PJ’s the whole day until I had to go to work, which wasn’t until 6pm. Then I was only at work for an hour and a half, came back and within an hour was in my PJ’s again.
Today I watched “Lord of the Rings: Two Towers” while counting parts for my daddy’s business. It’s been fun watching my old videos, and of course LOTR is always a good bet.
The aftermath of being in Russia has been interesting. I suppose “aftermath” sounds really dramatic, but it hasn’t been that dramatic, just interesting. Some of the things that I thought would stick with me from Russia, have flown right out the window. Like cooking for myself. I thought I’d be better about not wanting to eat out all the time, but that’s totally not true.
I do however want to walk more places, but it’s so different. In Russia if you want to walk to certain type of store (say grocery or clothes store) it’s maybe only 4-5 blocks away. But here (in my town) we have such defined districts, that there’s not a clothes store in 12 blocks. I decided I was going to walk to the video store yesterday and although it was quite fun, I felt like a bit of a freak. No one walks any where here. One cross country runner did pass me, but otherwise I was completely alone on the street (there were plenty of cars, but no walkers). In Russia people would be all over the streets, regardless of the cold.
And yes…although I have not checked the latest temperatures in St. Petersburg, I do believe it’s colder here than anything I felt in Russia. With that being said, I must contribute a second point. I was never cold in my room in Russia, and here in my own room I’ve had a horrible time keeping warm. I don’t know what it is (well, actually it’s probably my mom wanting to keep the house at 64 at night and 66 in the day) but I can’t seem to get warm inside. This is a bit of an exaggeration…sure, but still I’ve noticed being cold a lot. But there were plenty of times in Russia, during chapel and during class that I kept my coat on. My mom told me to move the space heater into my room, so that’s what I’ve been doing. I should also point out that the nice heated water bed that I’m used to in my room was sold and the air mattress I’m now sleeping on is in no way heated.
Okay…so that’s enough of my ramblings. I would like to let you all know that by the end of this week I’ll have worked 9 days in a row. I can’t say that I love not having a day off, but honestly it hasn’t been that bad because I’ve only worked one opening shift and no closing shifts…the rest have been shifts where I come in and help out for a couple hours and then leave. We’ll see if I get Monday off (the schedule’s not posted yet), if not it will be 10, which is my record.
Now I’m done. Okay goodnight!
