In an attempt to offset the weight of my last post, and with apologies to the late George Carlin (may he have changed his mind at the last minute), here's my list of "Seven words you can never say in China":
7) Church
6) Missionary
5) Christian
4) Bible
3) Censorship
2) God
and...
1) Jesus (well, OK, you can say it but...)
These are words I've heard "code" for (or have observed were noticeably absent from people's conversations) since we've been here...AJ & I went to a small group on Friday for the first time since coming here...we studied the "Book" and prayed for someone's daughter who is on an "M" trip.
Reminded me of something I read on the US Embassy website before coming here....You can never assume privacy in China.
Pretty weird stuff for a girl from Rome, NY!
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
“Line Between Chimerica & Frenemy”
Seriously. Above is the title of tonight’s “Dialogue” episode on CCTV news. There’s a lot of heated discussion about the US presence in the South China Sea these days—so the news gurus put together a Chinese Poli Sci professor, a US “International Relations Expert” and a Sino-über–conservative anchorman and let them go at it. And this was the title their editors came up with…sort of reduces a very serious, very important international issue to “Brangelina” status.
This weekend, the hot topic was China’s global image, and what the country can do to present an appropriate image for a rising power…I’m thinking, hire a pragmatics consultant? That particular news program featured the lady I call the Disney Princess (or Barbie Doll lady, or Lady in a prom dress, depending on the day). She is actually a very good news anchor/host, and knows how to get her guests to discuss the stickiest issues in the best (yet still censor safe) ways. But—she typically wears pink fluffy dresses, ruffles, flounces—basically, Barbie Doll clothes.
After nearly three months, I’m getting a hint about the image problem. Have I already mentioned—the country is a study in contrasts? The hard-hitting news anchor looks perkier than Katie Couric, if that’s possible. We left the Summer Palace on our bikes Sunday afternoon, where tourists from China and abroad spent thousands of Yuan to wander about looking at artifacts and eating overpriced hot dogs, and rode through a street the businessmen’s Mercedes and Audis could barely fit through because of the fruit peddlers broken-down, rusty carts and equally broken-down, corroded shacks. What may be the most frightening US-Sino relationship problem of the decade has a Brangelina-esque label. Experts scratch their heads and wonder about the country’s image on the Sunday news, and I have to subscribe to a VPN to tell you about it. We have buffoonery in the media (at least in that area China has caught up to the US) but don’t have freedom of speech or religion, which were honestly two things I never thought about when I had them.
The most discouraging day of my China adventure to date was directly related to these particular freedoms. We met a very friendly grad student from Beijing while we were still in Albany, and had her over to dinner to pick her brains about life in China. While she was home for the summer, she offered to help us go to the post office and mail some things out. We arranged a meeting time for a Sunday—China doesn’t care about Sundays, so we can do banking, postal errands, whatever, all weekend.
I told our friend that we could meet her after church and she said— “I’ve been wondering about that—I’d really like to go to the service with you.”
For the first time in my life, I was on the opposite end of the church invitation turndown. In America, we ask people to come to church, and they turn us down. Here, they want to come along—and they can’t. See, the Chinese government allows foreigners the freedom to worship in our own way—as long as we promise not to include any of their people. Anyone who knows about Martin Luther and the Renaissance knows that thinking too hard about church can certainly give one troublesome ideas, and the Party wants to avoid this at all costs. Only those with foreign passports can go to foreign churches. Chinese citizens who have a non-sanctioned church (one that doesn’t come under official State leadership) soon find it very difficult to rent space for meetings, to gather without being harassed, to explore that freedom we Americans take for granted. And if we allow anyone from China to come to our service, we, too, will be shut down—or even have the dreaded “detained and deported” experience.
You might wonder—with all of these people, presumably seekers at core, why do they tolerate it? Why not do something, say something, make change happen for themselves?
That’s where the other lack of freedom comes in. When I told my friend that she couldn’t go along because of her citizenship, she was shocked. She seemed to have no idea that such restrictions existed. If you can control speech and religion, you, too, can have a blissfully ignorant populace, where eighteen-year-old students tell their dismayed, speechless English teachers, “I am a free man”. Freedom is pretty relative, and I suppose this is truer for him than it was for his grandfather. Still--not my idea of an accurate sentence.
Image control problems? You bet. It’s pretty tough to present a positive image to the outside world while keeping your people behind the wall. The Stepford-wife news anchor might be a move in the right direction, but for heaven’s sake, tell her the truth about what the outside sees—not knowing you’re in captivity doesn’t make you free. It’s like the little kids who color the sky gray in their drawings—there’s blue out there somewhere, but let’s not talk about it from inside the Great Pall.
This weekend, the hot topic was China’s global image, and what the country can do to present an appropriate image for a rising power…I’m thinking, hire a pragmatics consultant? That particular news program featured the lady I call the Disney Princess (or Barbie Doll lady, or Lady in a prom dress, depending on the day). She is actually a very good news anchor/host, and knows how to get her guests to discuss the stickiest issues in the best (yet still censor safe) ways. But—she typically wears pink fluffy dresses, ruffles, flounces—basically, Barbie Doll clothes.
After nearly three months, I’m getting a hint about the image problem. Have I already mentioned—the country is a study in contrasts? The hard-hitting news anchor looks perkier than Katie Couric, if that’s possible. We left the Summer Palace on our bikes Sunday afternoon, where tourists from China and abroad spent thousands of Yuan to wander about looking at artifacts and eating overpriced hot dogs, and rode through a street the businessmen’s Mercedes and Audis could barely fit through because of the fruit peddlers broken-down, rusty carts and equally broken-down, corroded shacks. What may be the most frightening US-Sino relationship problem of the decade has a Brangelina-esque label. Experts scratch their heads and wonder about the country’s image on the Sunday news, and I have to subscribe to a VPN to tell you about it. We have buffoonery in the media (at least in that area China has caught up to the US) but don’t have freedom of speech or religion, which were honestly two things I never thought about when I had them.
The most discouraging day of my China adventure to date was directly related to these particular freedoms. We met a very friendly grad student from Beijing while we were still in Albany, and had her over to dinner to pick her brains about life in China. While she was home for the summer, she offered to help us go to the post office and mail some things out. We arranged a meeting time for a Sunday—China doesn’t care about Sundays, so we can do banking, postal errands, whatever, all weekend.
I told our friend that we could meet her after church and she said— “I’ve been wondering about that—I’d really like to go to the service with you.”
For the first time in my life, I was on the opposite end of the church invitation turndown. In America, we ask people to come to church, and they turn us down. Here, they want to come along—and they can’t. See, the Chinese government allows foreigners the freedom to worship in our own way—as long as we promise not to include any of their people. Anyone who knows about Martin Luther and the Renaissance knows that thinking too hard about church can certainly give one troublesome ideas, and the Party wants to avoid this at all costs. Only those with foreign passports can go to foreign churches. Chinese citizens who have a non-sanctioned church (one that doesn’t come under official State leadership) soon find it very difficult to rent space for meetings, to gather without being harassed, to explore that freedom we Americans take for granted. And if we allow anyone from China to come to our service, we, too, will be shut down—or even have the dreaded “detained and deported” experience.
You might wonder—with all of these people, presumably seekers at core, why do they tolerate it? Why not do something, say something, make change happen for themselves?
That’s where the other lack of freedom comes in. When I told my friend that she couldn’t go along because of her citizenship, she was shocked. She seemed to have no idea that such restrictions existed. If you can control speech and religion, you, too, can have a blissfully ignorant populace, where eighteen-year-old students tell their dismayed, speechless English teachers, “I am a free man”. Freedom is pretty relative, and I suppose this is truer for him than it was for his grandfather. Still--not my idea of an accurate sentence.
Image control problems? You bet. It’s pretty tough to present a positive image to the outside world while keeping your people behind the wall. The Stepford-wife news anchor might be a move in the right direction, but for heaven’s sake, tell her the truth about what the outside sees—not knowing you’re in captivity doesn’t make you free. It’s like the little kids who color the sky gray in their drawings—there’s blue out there somewhere, but let’s not talk about it from inside the Great Pall.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
The Fourth of July Post
If the band opens with “Fortunate Son,” you know it’s gonna be a good set.
Well that’s my opener for this Beijing update, folks…not sure whether to be cheery or gloomy but both seem appropriate after a month away from home.
So, AJ & I were really really wishing for some honest-to-goodness American food tonight…nothing fancy, like you’d find at “Grandma’s Kitchen”, but just a burger or fries or a chicken Caesar salad. I got the salad & he got the wrap.
At Lush (honest, it’s the real name of the bar/restaurant near our office) there was a new band for “live band night”—pretty sure that's the name--a bunch of young-ish guys who turned out to be AMAZING! We enjoyed it so much. It was a lot like Lark St without Aunt Dorie & Uncle Dave (which, if you think too much, is actually rather pathetic). Whatever. The band was good, the food was good, the relaxation went very well. Lush has several awards on the wall—Beijing’s best weekly happy hour specials, best student hangout, best bar food….guess that sums it up. We were, hands down, the oldest people in the place—and possibly the only ones who knew all of the lyrics, including the lead singer ;0)
For a little hint at the income disparity that exists here--migrant workers, who are a large part of the Chinese labor force, were featured on the business news a couple of nights ago--because China has just raised the minimum wage to 900 yuan (about $133 US) per month. Our food alone (not including any drinks but water) cost 90 yuan at Lush. We would only get to eat ten times a month if we made minimum wage. Every now & then, in class, I'm reminded of where my students have come from by some little thing...Thursday we had a dialog where one woman said she was "doing taxes". Nobody understood taxes, so I told them they are money paid to the government to help maintain society. Blank stares all around...it is very possible that neither they, nor anyone they have ever lived with, has been fortunate enough to make an income that requires the payment of taxes. And after reviewing my first paycheck, I'm pretty sure that the rates begin at 2,000 yuan monthly.
Anyway...just before diner, I braved the back alleys & upper rooms, and got my first Chinese manicure& pedicure. We found a little shop off of a hair salon & I sat down for what they said was a one-hour session…about two hours before i left! AJ had plenty of time to go home, change clothes, come back, go shopping…
The girl who did my nails was very good, and spoke some English as well. She told me that she likes studying English but doesn’t have time for it now. She was very excited to learn that I’m an English teacher—so much that she asked me to “write English name” for her. I couldn’t figure out what she wanted for a while..then realized that she wanted me to NAME her! Her Chinese name was something like Seia Sho, so I though…Samantha! She couldn’t say Samantha, but “very liked” Sammie. Long story short—I now have a nail technician named Sammie. All of the other girls in the shop laughed, but she assured me that she very liked the new English name, and made me write it down & say it several times. At least that solves the mystery of how all of those Chinese students who come to New York get American names---some random lady in a nail salon arbitrarily picks one and—viola! You have an English name!
We are missing home a lot these days—I heard someone learning to play saxophone outside of the office yesterday, working on a rendition of “America the Beautiful” throughout the day. Over and over and over. Sure made me homesick, especially when the Nadeaus are gathering in Ticonderoga for “The Best Fourth in the North” and the Hallenbecks are gathering at Verona Beach for who-knows-what Reunion insanity. The band guys gave us the name of the club where they’ll be playing on the 4th & the pastor from the Beijing International Christian Fellowship called today—who knows if they may have a cookout going too. It could go either way. Oh, and some guy from DC named Chris is throwing a pool party at a swanky hotel in the Central Business District…150 yuan gets us transportation, LOTS of drinks, swimming, and, if the flier is accurate, an after-party with Eva Longoria. Hmmm. Better throw Chris off the short list.
It’s a bit of a toss-up…when I work I know the kids benefit from me being there, even if I do feel like it‘s a cross between The Twilight Zone & Let’s Make a Deal (because there are too many bizarre things to describe, although AJ has definitely tried, and you really need to have EVERYTHING in your purse, in case you’re called on to define something like “Charge it” or “Sewing”). The kids are, have been, and will be rewarding, and remind me daily of why I’m here. But then there are the very long sessions in the office doing weekly paperwork, writing lesson plans (not to mention inventing curriculum) and the times at or en route to home when I get the impression that there is NOTHING dust-free in Beijing. And by the way, there are NO women in my office, unless we count three twenty-something part-time Mandarin teachers who I’m going to be teaching conversational English to beginning next week. Also, of course, I miss my kids & grandbabies incredibly. I am honestly not sure how people do this for years & years at a time. If you ask me, I will say that I am certain this is where we belong—there were too many “coincidences” that led us here for me to think otherwise. And when I see a sentence in the homework that says “We loving the teach very much”, it doesn’t hurt. When the kid who doesn’t really care if he stays or goes lights up for AJ’s tutoring sessions, that’s pretty awesome, too. I've heard a cheesy preacher saying that rings true at times like these...the will of God won't take you where the grace of God can't keep you. I am finding this to be quite true.
I heard a rumor today that the school closes over Christmas for a week or so. Not sure how the guy came to this conclusion, seeing how we've only been open since March, but…wouldn’t that be amazing, to be able to come home instead of wallowing in limbo between Narnia and Nirvana? One can only hope. And by the way, yesterday we finally found ground coffee—AJ had bought me a VERY expensive, VERY tiny coffee maker, only to discover that the stores that sell the pots don’t really understand about the coffee….Starbucks carried some for around $50 a pound…not happening…then, finally, there was a small brick of French coffee at a market where they have some imported goods. It tasted AMAZING this morning. Now all I need are some authentic Italian herbs…basil oregano, parsley, maybe some Parmesan cheese…and I will be in business. Italian night, here we come!
Whatever happens, I’ll let you know how the concert goes…or how the pastor’s barbecue tastes. Eva will have to wait for another time. Don’t you wish every day was the Fourth of July?
Well that’s my opener for this Beijing update, folks…not sure whether to be cheery or gloomy but both seem appropriate after a month away from home.
So, AJ & I were really really wishing for some honest-to-goodness American food tonight…nothing fancy, like you’d find at “Grandma’s Kitchen”, but just a burger or fries or a chicken Caesar salad. I got the salad & he got the wrap.
At Lush (honest, it’s the real name of the bar/restaurant near our office) there was a new band for “live band night”—pretty sure that's the name--a bunch of young-ish guys who turned out to be AMAZING! We enjoyed it so much. It was a lot like Lark St without Aunt Dorie & Uncle Dave (which, if you think too much, is actually rather pathetic). Whatever. The band was good, the food was good, the relaxation went very well. Lush has several awards on the wall—Beijing’s best weekly happy hour specials, best student hangout, best bar food….guess that sums it up. We were, hands down, the oldest people in the place—and possibly the only ones who knew all of the lyrics, including the lead singer ;0)
For a little hint at the income disparity that exists here--migrant workers, who are a large part of the Chinese labor force, were featured on the business news a couple of nights ago--because China has just raised the minimum wage to 900 yuan (about $133 US) per month. Our food alone (not including any drinks but water) cost 90 yuan at Lush. We would only get to eat ten times a month if we made minimum wage. Every now & then, in class, I'm reminded of where my students have come from by some little thing...Thursday we had a dialog where one woman said she was "doing taxes". Nobody understood taxes, so I told them they are money paid to the government to help maintain society. Blank stares all around...it is very possible that neither they, nor anyone they have ever lived with, has been fortunate enough to make an income that requires the payment of taxes. And after reviewing my first paycheck, I'm pretty sure that the rates begin at 2,000 yuan monthly.
Anyway...just before diner, I braved the back alleys & upper rooms, and got my first Chinese manicure& pedicure. We found a little shop off of a hair salon & I sat down for what they said was a one-hour session…about two hours before i left! AJ had plenty of time to go home, change clothes, come back, go shopping…
The girl who did my nails was very good, and spoke some English as well. She told me that she likes studying English but doesn’t have time for it now. She was very excited to learn that I’m an English teacher—so much that she asked me to “write English name” for her. I couldn’t figure out what she wanted for a while..then realized that she wanted me to NAME her! Her Chinese name was something like Seia Sho, so I though…Samantha! She couldn’t say Samantha, but “very liked” Sammie. Long story short—I now have a nail technician named Sammie. All of the other girls in the shop laughed, but she assured me that she very liked the new English name, and made me write it down & say it several times. At least that solves the mystery of how all of those Chinese students who come to New York get American names---some random lady in a nail salon arbitrarily picks one and—viola! You have an English name!
We are missing home a lot these days—I heard someone learning to play saxophone outside of the office yesterday, working on a rendition of “America the Beautiful” throughout the day. Over and over and over. Sure made me homesick, especially when the Nadeaus are gathering in Ticonderoga for “The Best Fourth in the North” and the Hallenbecks are gathering at Verona Beach for who-knows-what Reunion insanity. The band guys gave us the name of the club where they’ll be playing on the 4th & the pastor from the Beijing International Christian Fellowship called today—who knows if they may have a cookout going too. It could go either way. Oh, and some guy from DC named Chris is throwing a pool party at a swanky hotel in the Central Business District…150 yuan gets us transportation, LOTS of drinks, swimming, and, if the flier is accurate, an after-party with Eva Longoria. Hmmm. Better throw Chris off the short list.
It’s a bit of a toss-up…when I work I know the kids benefit from me being there, even if I do feel like it‘s a cross between The Twilight Zone & Let’s Make a Deal (because there are too many bizarre things to describe, although AJ has definitely tried, and you really need to have EVERYTHING in your purse, in case you’re called on to define something like “Charge it” or “Sewing”). The kids are, have been, and will be rewarding, and remind me daily of why I’m here. But then there are the very long sessions in the office doing weekly paperwork, writing lesson plans (not to mention inventing curriculum) and the times at or en route to home when I get the impression that there is NOTHING dust-free in Beijing. And by the way, there are NO women in my office, unless we count three twenty-something part-time Mandarin teachers who I’m going to be teaching conversational English to beginning next week. Also, of course, I miss my kids & grandbabies incredibly. I am honestly not sure how people do this for years & years at a time. If you ask me, I will say that I am certain this is where we belong—there were too many “coincidences” that led us here for me to think otherwise. And when I see a sentence in the homework that says “We loving the teach very much”, it doesn’t hurt. When the kid who doesn’t really care if he stays or goes lights up for AJ’s tutoring sessions, that’s pretty awesome, too. I've heard a cheesy preacher saying that rings true at times like these...the will of God won't take you where the grace of God can't keep you. I am finding this to be quite true.
I heard a rumor today that the school closes over Christmas for a week or so. Not sure how the guy came to this conclusion, seeing how we've only been open since March, but…wouldn’t that be amazing, to be able to come home instead of wallowing in limbo between Narnia and Nirvana? One can only hope. And by the way, yesterday we finally found ground coffee—AJ had bought me a VERY expensive, VERY tiny coffee maker, only to discover that the stores that sell the pots don’t really understand about the coffee….Starbucks carried some for around $50 a pound…not happening…then, finally, there was a small brick of French coffee at a market where they have some imported goods. It tasted AMAZING this morning. Now all I need are some authentic Italian herbs…basil oregano, parsley, maybe some Parmesan cheese…and I will be in business. Italian night, here we come!
Whatever happens, I’ll let you know how the concert goes…or how the pastor’s barbecue tastes. Eva will have to wait for another time. Don’t you wish every day was the Fourth of July?
The Great Wall...is broken
This was the first of my email messages, sent June 13th. I thought I'd copy them in here to get all of the updates under one virtual roof, so to speak.
Enjoy!
We had the amazing experience of hiking the Great Wall of China today--I was wondering what that item on our field trip schedule meant...sort of thought Jason, who arranges all of these things for our group, was exaggerating by using "hiking".
It was definitely NOT an overstatement! We began the day pretty much like every day--driving very slowly through incredible traffic--but this time the bus left the city proper & went to a fairly remote area, not "touristy" at all, where we were served the most delicious grilled, seasoned fish (maybe trout?), cold chopped greens with spices, Tempura-style fried leaves, lamb, potato/tomato/ eggplant salad, Egg foo young-ish things, real Coke, and a surprise birthday cake for Gui Hua, the kids' mentor, all for LUNCH before the hike. We were the only people there, and while our hosts prepared the food we played ping-pong, pool, and badminton with the students--outdoors! It was a great time.
After lunch we went straight UP the side of the wall, on a path that said "closed to the public" but that Jason had hiked before & said was fine. Well....it was definitely the toughest workout I've had in a while, and there were times I wasn't so sure I'd make it! But we got to the top & took a bunch of photos to prove it. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, an amazing combination of man-made and natural.
One thing about my students that was totally impressive--not only do they treat us with incredible respect (Peter, who sat between AJ & me at lunch, made sure to pour us Coke before he had any), but they also really care for each other. They have only been together as a group since March--I think a couple are from the same orphanage, but generally they are a new group--but they really act like brothers & sisters most of the time. I think it's good that there are only eight of them for this first year. One of the guys, Tom, has a mild case of CP and has some difficulty walking. Well, we weren't so sure how he was going to do when we saw that trail--but the other guys helped him get to the top. The trip down was even more hazardous, what with the slope and the rubble, so rather than risk Tom getting hurt, Peter and David took turns carrying him the entire way. I was amazed.
Then after the hike (and the three-hour trip covering thirty miles back to the center of the city--no joke--) the students had their first American dinner at Paul's Steak & Eggs American Diner. What a menu! Most of them had huge burgers& fries or spaghetti --one had chicken parm, and one stayed safe with rice & veggies. It was pretty funny--they were giving us chopstick lessons at lunch & we gave them fork & knife lessons at dinner. Paul, the diner's owner, knew their story and gave all eight of the youth their dinners for free. It was a rather surreal experience but my Reuben & fries--and A & W root beer float--were amazing.
Afterward we walked around the Forbidden City & Tienanmen Square grounds for a while--even at night it is really impressive. AJ & I plan to got here on our own maybe next weekend, when we are brave enough to try the subway and have no work commitments.
Anyway enough for now-
Ayden and Angelina, Grammy & Papa miss you very much. Ayden--Bear said he loved the "big brick wall" and he wanted me to send you his picture there & at the cool place called Tienanmen Square we visited after dinner. Angelina, tomorrow after church we are going to visit the silk market and look for a special birthday present for you!
Oh, by the way, one of the girls provided the title for my message--when we were almost to the top of the first tower, she said(in excellent English): " Doctor Melody--the wall is broken. It's not great--it is a bad wall." Funny stuff--but the same girl asked me, on the way up, if I believe in God and in "Jesu" his son. As I said before--I am very impressed with these students. Their contrasts sort of remind me of the country in general.
Love to all, and I hope to write once a week or so--I am much busier than AJ with classes and training and curriculum development, but I have to say I am really enjoying all of it. Life is good. Check out the website at www.abridgeforchildren.org if you want to meet our kids! Sadly, we can't access it here--but I hope you can see how amazing they are.
Enjoy!
We had the amazing experience of hiking the Great Wall of China today--I was wondering what that item on our field trip schedule meant...sort of thought Jason, who arranges all of these things for our group, was exaggerating by using "hiking".
It was definitely NOT an overstatement! We began the day pretty much like every day--driving very slowly through incredible traffic--but this time the bus left the city proper & went to a fairly remote area, not "touristy" at all, where we were served the most delicious grilled, seasoned fish (maybe trout?), cold chopped greens with spices, Tempura-style fried leaves, lamb, potato/tomato/ eggplant salad, Egg foo young-ish things, real Coke, and a surprise birthday cake for Gui Hua, the kids' mentor, all for LUNCH before the hike. We were the only people there, and while our hosts prepared the food we played ping-pong, pool, and badminton with the students--outdoors! It was a great time.
After lunch we went straight UP the side of the wall, on a path that said "closed to the public" but that Jason had hiked before & said was fine. Well....it was definitely the toughest workout I've had in a while, and there were times I wasn't so sure I'd make it! But we got to the top & took a bunch of photos to prove it. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, an amazing combination of man-made and natural.
One thing about my students that was totally impressive--not only do they treat us with incredible respect (Peter, who sat between AJ & me at lunch, made sure to pour us Coke before he had any), but they also really care for each other. They have only been together as a group since March--I think a couple are from the same orphanage, but generally they are a new group--but they really act like brothers & sisters most of the time. I think it's good that there are only eight of them for this first year. One of the guys, Tom, has a mild case of CP and has some difficulty walking. Well, we weren't so sure how he was going to do when we saw that trail--but the other guys helped him get to the top. The trip down was even more hazardous, what with the slope and the rubble, so rather than risk Tom getting hurt, Peter and David took turns carrying him the entire way. I was amazed.
Then after the hike (and the three-hour trip covering thirty miles back to the center of the city--no joke--) the students had their first American dinner at Paul's Steak & Eggs American Diner. What a menu! Most of them had huge burgers& fries or spaghetti --one had chicken parm, and one stayed safe with rice & veggies. It was pretty funny--they were giving us chopstick lessons at lunch & we gave them fork & knife lessons at dinner. Paul, the diner's owner, knew their story and gave all eight of the youth their dinners for free. It was a rather surreal experience but my Reuben & fries--and A & W root beer float--were amazing.
Afterward we walked around the Forbidden City & Tienanmen Square grounds for a while--even at night it is really impressive. AJ & I plan to got here on our own maybe next weekend, when we are brave enough to try the subway and have no work commitments.
Anyway enough for now-
Ayden and Angelina, Grammy & Papa miss you very much. Ayden--Bear said he loved the "big brick wall" and he wanted me to send you his picture there & at the cool place called Tienanmen Square we visited after dinner. Angelina, tomorrow after church we are going to visit the silk market and look for a special birthday present for you!
Oh, by the way, one of the girls provided the title for my message--when we were almost to the top of the first tower, she said(in excellent English): " Doctor Melody--the wall is broken. It's not great--it is a bad wall." Funny stuff--but the same girl asked me, on the way up, if I believe in God and in "Jesu" his son. As I said before--I am very impressed with these students. Their contrasts sort of remind me of the country in general.
Love to all, and I hope to write once a week or so--I am much busier than AJ with classes and training and curriculum development, but I have to say I am really enjoying all of it. Life is good. Check out the website at www.abridgeforchildren.org if you want to meet our kids! Sadly, we can't access it here--but I hope you can see how amazing they are.
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