"...the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." -C.S. Lewis

More from Yangshuo

2009-04-16T10:11:00.010+08:00

Pictures, as promised, from the awesome adventure trip! Enjoy!

Mountainous Medicine

2009-04-04T20:35:00.016+08:00

So, I know you haven't heard from me in a while and some of you probably think I've fallen off the grid---BUT, good news, I've been traveling and exploring A LOT! These are some pictures of this past week's 10th Grade Spring Trip to Yangshuo-the outdoor Mecca of China! I was SO HAPPY I was chosen to go on this trip out of all of the others because my soul was SO THIRSTY for some hiking, climbing, caving, and ANY ADVENTURE I CAN GET! It was also nice to be muddy 14 hours of each day-that's the state in which I prefer to exist-muddy but HAPPY! It rained everyday there so it made each activity that much more challenging (especially for those students who have never touched mud in their life-yes they DO exist!) I loved every minute of it-it was like I was a caged up bird set free in the mountains! Now, I do live in the mountains AND on the ocean but never do I get a chance-as my 'job'-to lead/guide these kids into doing my most favorite of things! Now THAT'S a job, right?! Anyway, we had a great time-check out the pics below-more to come!

A view from the top of the small town of Yangshuo

Everyone rides bamboo rafts up and down the river for transportation

These are cormorant birds-used for fishing. The fisherman tie a string around their neck (I KNOW, it seems harmful but really is not) and he takes the fish out when they are hungry and the birds dive/swoop down into the river and catch the fish and then swallow it half-way so they can 'spit it up' later when they come out of the water. This is how most villagers earn a living. The average income of this village is 2000 RMB a year which equals out to about $300 USD per year which actually-compared to the rest of the world (using globalrichlist.com) is one of the higher annual incomes throughout the world. CRAZY HUH??

Fisherman in action

Li River

Streets of Yangshuo-the red stuff on the ground is the results of fireworks-YEAR ROUND in China

During our caving/spelunking expedition (this is a pic of the brave kids and myself) there is a mud pit which is around 30 meters by 50 meters and about 5 feet deep in some areas that you can play ALL YOU WANT IN! Now, it was freezing, but who can resist this AWESOME experience to get dirty and enjoy mud?

After hiking out a river we came up out of the cave and this is where we ended up. Hiking out a river, I have to say, is one of the COOLEST things when you are a mile INSIDE of a 12,000 ft. high mountain! Looks like we are on the show "Land of the Lost"

In the airport in Shanghai, some of the students ran into "Noah" from the movie "The Notebook"-REALLY!

pic from our 30km hike

The start of our 30 km hike

We started our hike in a small fishing village called Xin Di. This is a picture of a SWEET old lady who was selling peanuts for 1kuai (about 13 cents)(This is how they make a living). I ONLY wanted a picture with her because she had smile lines like I had NEVER seen ANYONE have before. They set up camp at her eyes and cheeks and hiked all the way up her face-BEAUTIFUL LADY! When I asked to get a picture with her (in minimal Chinese because Chinese people over 50 different dialects of the spoken language) she acted sassy and said "You have to pay me 2 kuai if you want to have a picture with me!" I didn't have money so I asked a student to sneak in a picture :)

30 km bike ride through rice paddy fields. One time I toppled over into one because the mud was SO THICK and AWESOME!

Front door of a 300 year old village house

the downtown of Yangshuo

WE GOT TO EAT BURGER KING IN SHANGHAI!! WOO HOO!

What my feet/pants looked like EVERYDAY after our activites/adventures! YES!

This was the pond we got to jump in after the caving/mud pits! It was freezing but awesome!

Group 1 after rock climbing for the day! I topped out on a WICKED 5.10a

Group 1 girls rocked out!

Jin San and Yae Jin

Me and Amanda-one of my best friends here in Qingdao who also teaches at QMIS! Thank goodness I've found someone who loves to hike/climb/explore as much as I do :) She is a God-send!

Group 1 boys

Normal setting on a village road

Limestone Karsts are the mountainous-structures located in Yangshuo

This is where we got to hang out all the time, ChinaClimb, they are the group we came through to use their equipment, etc. They had a climbing wall IN their office/building. I salivated the whole time and got a quick fix for bouldering.

Out welcome sign

The ChinaClimb office-Lizard Lounge

Group 1 boy's breakfast

Leaving the hotel

Chunjie Kuaile!

2009-01-27T23:50:00.007+08:00

Chunjie Kauile!! Happy Chinese New Year! As you may or may not know, the Chinese go ALL out for Chinese New Year. This holiday is celebrated as if it were Christmas (from an American's point of view of what "Christmas" should look like). So with holidays comes time off, right? RIGHT!! So our school let out last Wednesday and will not resume school until fourteen days later, February 5, 2009. Being that when I have time off I usually have an 'itch' to go SOMEWHERE because c'mon, I'm in CHINA-I'm literally SO CLOSE to so many cool places on this side of the globe...so that's what I did, I went on a snowboarding adventure to the NanShan Quiksilver ski village right outside of Beijing/close to the Great Wall. As SOON as the bell rang on Wednesday, I hopped on a van with 8 other female teachers and 1 male teacher and we were on our way to take the 5 hour train to Beijing to then hit the slopes, literally, the next morning at 7 am. Boy was that the BEST TRIP EVER!! Not only was snowboarding awesome (you should really check out this park-its an awesome place to board, especially for not having real snow..shhh) but Beijing is just a really rad city anyway. It is FILLED with fun markets, Pete's TEX MEX (YUMM-which had DR. PEPPER-my first time since July 2008), an American hospital, and the list goes on. This trip was very fulfilling to say the least. Before coming to China, one of my 'sad moments' was the thought that I wouldn't be able to snowboard for TWO WHOLE YEARS because let's face it-China's not to 'hip' in some areas and I hadn't heard of any shredding going on on this side of the world. Well, I was wrong, and my heart was FULL of joy on January 22nd!! So here are a few pics of the trip. I taught 5 teachers how to snowboard on this trip (I would love to do this as a full-time seasonal job at some point on my life) and one of which is a proud 56 year old grandmaw! AWESOME, huh?

After we returned home we had big plans to re-do our living room/common area. It is STARK white and had this akward weird chinese-y wall and so we thought some paint and window treatments would do wonders...and we were RIGHT!! We headed straight for a store like Home Depot and also while we were in Beijing we picked up curtains from Ikea (the SECOND largest in the world) and a few other cool wall art pieces (see pics below of frames and flowers) that we thought might spice up the area. Below are pictures of the before/during/after our painting adventure. Enjoy!!

I hope you are all doing so very well. You can pr for our company as we are preparing to lose a few families which means we are in the process of recruiting (stateside) to fulfill SEVERAL teaching positions for the Fall of next year. If you are or anyone you know are interested, direct them to www.teachwithisc.com or send them my way via email or Facebook. Love you all so much!!! COME VISIT CHINA!!!

(weird chinese-y wall before)

(living room arrangement before)

(looking into the dining room before)

(and the painting begins...excuse our drying rack)

(Gloria comes to help us put on the first coat of paint)

(first coat drying for the night)

(our new curtains from Ikea to separate the dining room from the living room!!)

(new paint job and new lamps from Ikea)

(We covered the chinese-y wall with a few coats of paint and cool picture frames!)

(our new flower wall art and finished living room-well one wall at least!)

(NanShan Quiksilver ski village)

(Notice the TWO of MANY mountains covered in snow :) We take what we can get here!)

(maybe I was a little bit TOO excited to get back on a board!!)

(Gloria and Patti-the super buff grandmaw that learned to snowboard! Notice the ski lift goes over non snow-covered ground to take you to the top where there IS snow!!)

A few of the women on the trip!! It was -16 degrees here!!

Me, Gloria, Patti

Tag, I'm IT!

2009-01-24T23:54:00.004+08:00

I just realized Steph tagged me on her blog. Sorry I'm just now noticing, I just got in from a WONDERFUL snowboarding trip in Beijing! (pics to come) So, to continue the trend...

8 Shows I'm Watching this Spring

1. Grey's Anatomy Season 5 (only when youku.com allows me-which is almost NEVER)
2. I think I will start Arrested Development (I've heard its funny)
3. We have no regular TV programs here...

8 Things That Happened to me Today

1. Navigated successfully (in Chinese) my way to the Beijing United Family Hospital (where thankfully they speak English!!)
2. Bought some great clothes in the LiDo Market
3. ate French Toast at Peter's Tex Mex (a 'have-to' in Beijing)
4. Bought DR. PEPPER AND STRAWBERRY POPTARTS! (Beijing has imports! pricy, but WORTHY!!!)
5. went to IKEA and bought fabulous new curtains for our apartment!
6. Somehow managed to pack EVERYTHING I brought/bought (including snowboard apparel) to Beijing for our Snowboaring adventure into ONE PACK weighing in less than 15 KILOS! WOO HOO!
7. ate BURGER KING for Dinner in the BJ airport!! Mouth-watering people, seriously, YOU take it for GRANTED!!!
8. Called it a night with installing our new curtains in the apartment and checking Beijing off the "to-do travel list"

8 Things I Look Forward To:

1. Chun jie/Chinese New Year 2 week vacation
2. repainting the living room tomorrow!
3. NOLS Coming to CHINA and working alongside them in February!
4. School Spring Trips/Spring Break traveling etxtravaganza!! Where shall we go? India, Philippines, Europe?? The choices are endless
5. Backpacking in Mongolia for a month this summer
6. Also backpacking in Yunnan this summer!
7. Mom possibly coming to China in the summer!! (brings tears to my eyes and SO MUCH JOY TO MY HEART to even think about!)
8. Intensive language study this summer!

8 Things I Wish For: (I'm changing this to "8 Things I'm working towards to achieve" because I really think anyone can do ANYTHING they can put their mind too-oops, cheesy but TRUE!)...

1. My student loans could be paid for so that I would never have to be financially tied down again and I could have nothing binding me from where He moves me and where He will take me in this life!! (so FUN to think about, eh?!?!)
2. More hours in the day
3. A sea kayak
4. The endurance of Lance Armstrong while I'm training for the Great Wall Marathon
5. More lovers of the outdoors in QD (thankful for the few)
6. That I could teach snowboarding/outdoor education as a full time job
7. I could see my mommy and give her a giant hug. I want her to see my life here in China more than anything right now
8. To finish all my post-graduate work, obtain my PhD in Epidemiology, with NO STUDENT LOANS! (Barf!)

I TAG:
D.O., Karen

Ok, I miss you all!! Stay tuned for awesomeness regarding NOLS training/courses that are being offered here in China next month! Dreams come TRUE, people! And I promise, pics will come soon, especially as our remodeling projects progress...

Bedroom Pics and Halloween

2009-01-01T18:11:00.006+08:00

These first few pics are from the Halloween Party (thanks mom!) we hosted back in October (sorry its taken so long-I'm finally clearing out my memory card) and also pics of my room at my apartment PLUS a few pics of some things I received in the mail from Mom and Mamaw. Enjoy!

I got PB Captain Crunch and Strawberry Special K! Thank you Mom and Mamaw! I LOVE IT!

Also got the Grey's Trivia game in the mail! WOW! This is a chart-topper!

This is a touristy-y pic of a pic of the parasailing adventure

My NEW jersey-knit sheets Mamaw Marcy sent me for Christmas! THANK YOU!!

See the red flowers on the wall? LOVE THEM! Got them at IKEA in Hong Kong :)

Wall of fame. Click to see a close-up. I apologize if I do not have a picture of your pretty face up there.

New shoes I got in Bangkok. This is my FIRST pair of Nike Shocks. I think I'm a few years too late to still be apart of the fad :) And these shoes were less than twenty bucks-I don't mind waiting a few years!

My closet

My LOVELY bed. Now that it has 4 comforters (that I sleep on top of) plus an electric blanket and a matress pad from IKEA it is now comfy to sleep in. If you take away any of these components you will literally be sleeping on plywood.

New pillowcases I got in Bangkok-LOVE 'em!

View looking from the windows in my room

West side of the room

More westward...

My chest of drawers (with a scrap piece of material I got at IKEA for a dollar!)

If you know me at ALL, you know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE maps and you know that I would never go or move ANYWHERE without them. If you ever want to give me an amazing gift, get me a map (one that is not pictured here-plus the newly acquired Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam map I just got in Thailand)

Finally, my room. I'm not finished because I want fabric to be draping from every inch of my ceiling. I'm going for a Moroccan style-kind of like my apartment back in Dallas :)

Hope you enjoyed the tour of my room! You are ALWAYS welcome here!

Sawadika!

2009-01-01T15:06:00.014+08:00

Sawadika from Thailand, or more commonly said, "Hello! (to a female)"!

I wanted to give you a look at what Christmas looks like- S.E. Asia Style! Me, Karen, and a friend from The Village back in Dallas, Val, who also now lives in Wenzhou China, traveled south of the Border for Christmas. Last Tuesday we loaded our backpacks and were on our way to Thailand! Our first stop was the Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport and from there we had to catch a taxi two hours south to our first beach destination, Pattaya. We arrived there about 3:30 am and awoke to find our friend Val who had safely made it the night before! It was Christmas Eve our first full day and we decided that exploring our litte town and relaxing on the beach would suffice. The next day, Christmas Day, we decided to go out on the scuba diving boat for an all day adventure of diving and exploring 2 hours south off of the coast of Thailand. The diving company, Mermaids, took us to two private islands and we even had a chef on board to cook an authentic Thai Christmas lunch-it was AWESOME! The price for the boat all day, the equipment, food, and rentals was about thiry dollars! Can't beat that! For Christmas dinner we went out to a nice dinner and then proceeded to go to bed early-little did we know that the TV in our hostel had a few ENGLISH Channels and for the first time in six months I got to watch CNN-IN ENGLISH!! (This kept us up late many o' nights!) The next few days were spent Elephant Trekking, Para-sailing, getting henna tattoos, reading, reading, and more reading (excellent recommendation, The Shack, by William P. Young), relaxing, market shopping, and consuming tons of great street Thai food! Of course I got to work on my tan as well :) After 5 nights in Pattaya we headed north to Bangkok for 2 nights/ 3 days to explore and see what it had to offer. We stayed in the BEST hostel I've ever stayed in-in the entire world (HQ Hostel). It was so modern and urban and even offered free internet, CEREAL FOR BREAKFAST (that was the best part because in China we can't get cereal), DOWN COMFORTERS, and it was located in a great area of Bangkok. We spent the next few days going to markets, to the Grand Palace-where King of Thailand and all of the government officials reside, taking boat trips up the river, going to an English FILM, eating blizzards from Dairy Queen, going to bookstores (ANOTHER HUGE PLUS!), and buying groceries that we cant get here in China (see the picture below). We left Bangkok with a great tan and a heart full of joy-thankyou Thailand for a great Christmas! I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas! Love you all!

street food

Grand Palace

Monks in Training

Val and I

At HQ-sporting our new fisherman pants!

Being culturally sensitive with Ronald!

First A&W in SIX MONTHS!

Pink Taxis in Bangkok

Oh oreo blizzard, how I have missed you!

Goodies we can't get in China!

In our Dorm at HQ

Parasailing

The Parasailing team~

Back the basics while elephant trekking

Dive site #1

Christmas Day Diving

Wearing one of my favorite things, my pack, always means traveling is ahead :)

Henna

Weird picture of this baby in our room

Outside our hostel in Pattaya

Christmas Curry Dinner

HUGE strawberries at the airport!

Bangkok street food~

He/Shes always have the BEST FOOD to choose from!

saying goodbye to the King and his palace!

Centuries of stories painted on the walls of this palace!

Travel buddies :)

traveling is by way of Tuk-Tuk or Baht Bus

Sunset in Pattaya

Me and Val-Love her and am so thankful she lives in China!!

Street food in Pattaya!

Good Morning!

Disclaimer: all of these pictures would not be possible if it weren't for my awesome roommate, Karen or my amazing travel buddy, Valerie. They take all the pics and I'm using hopefully with their permission :)

It's SNOWING in Qingdao!

2008-12-22T09:53:00.006+08:00

Zhongshan Park fellowship

Joshua, from the Pre-K P.E. Class

Minchi and Emily from Pre-K

Mrs. B's Pre-K Class (MY FAVORITE!)

Qingdao's Hisense Shopping Mall

Wu Si Guang Chang, May 4th Square

The sidewalk outside of our apartment

The beach outside our apartment

A view of the coast looking West

Looking East

Looking outside an apartment window

Well Sunday morning was a little different for us here in Qingdao. Karen and I awoke VERY early because we were going to a Christmas performance that was put on by a few different fellowships. As we walked into the kitchen we saw blizzard-like conditions and we couldn't believe our eyes! Qingdao only gets "one day of snow each year and it isn't even enough to stick." Boy, are we lucky because we've had THREE snow days so far and this one wins by a stretch! Thankfully we bought jackets that were made to perform efficiently at these weather conditions (high wind, snow, below freezing temperatures, ice, etc) so we were able to put them to the test. The jackets were such a blessing! We blazed a trail up the sidewalk (pictured above) and hailed a taxi not knowing the next hour of our life would be slipping all over Qingdao's barren highways. The taxi's/cars/trucks are not made for these weather conditions AND there is no education on HOW to drive in these conditions so you can imagine the (X) # of car pile-ups along any given OVERPASS (aren't we supposed to stay OFF of bridges/overpasses when these conditions arise?) It was an adventure, nonetheless, and always is when Karen and I are traveling together. We arrived safely in Si Fang and found my friend, Paul, whom we came to support in the first place. We walked inside and were the only foreigners of course, but that is never a problem :) I was so excited for Paul because he's been practicing for this for months now! I went into the performance thinking it was going to be thirty minutes to an hour max, but BOY was I wrong. The production was WAY over THREE HOURS and I was stuck sitting in the middle of the crowd-unable to move the entire time. However, it was the best performance I've seen in a REALLY long time. It was beautiful because all ages were involved. There was dramas, a choir, children's program, youth, solos, and the "just older youth." After the performance was over I was so happy to see some familiar faces that work at our school who also happen to be some of my closest Chinese friends. After the production we prepared to go back out into the fronzen tundra-like weather conditions and decided to call it a day by grabbing lunch and going home and hibernating.

Tonight I'm helping with the first ever "English Service" at another fellowship. It's going to be grand. I'm in charge of singing and hand-motions (because we all know Chinese LOVE dancing and any hand motions). Please YARP for this time because the Good News will be shared for all to hear and there will be many many many people there who have never heard of Him. Then tomorrow we head off to Thailand! That is also another YARP-request. That we have SAFE and SMOOTH travels with no complications. We will be traveling for 8 days, Dec. 23-31. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. Even though I miss family traditions and dinners and time with friends there is comfort knowing that I'm here at this time for such a bigger purpose and reason and Christmas-time is a GREAT reminder of that. May His name ring louder than ever this Christmas.

With Love,
Tan Mei Shan 谭美山

Christmas is here!

2008-12-09T08:35:00.008+08:00

The last month and a half has FLOWN by, literally. I've traveled a lot for games and tournaments, but my favorite destination thus far has been Hong Kong. Our company flew all of our expats for five days of training at the ICEC conference. It was great to spend time with teachers and administrators from all over the world! Some came as far from Brazil! We had a great time and were able to spend our evenings and nights out on the town. Since I had been to Hong Kong a few times the previous year I was able to re-visit some of my favorite places, one of those being the Giant Buddah (see pictures). You literally have to take an hour bus ride to the bay, take an hour ferry across the harbor to Lantau Island, then take another 45 minute bus ride up the moutain, THEN hike all the way up the thousands of steps to the top to reach the Buddah. I also was able to catch up with a friend from The Village and have MEXICAN FOOD with him on Thanksgiving night. It.was.GREAT. So we have less than two weeks left and then its two weeks of vacation for the Christmas Holidays and we, Karen and I, will be going to THAILAND :) I'm so excited. I'm also meeting a great friend, Valerie, whom I also met through The Village, there and we will be hostelling and peeking our nose into the surrounding islands and even SKYDIVING and scuba diving (hopefully). I'm super excited about it. But what excites me even more than Thailand is how lovely I have found Qingdao to be as my home. It truly is my home away from home now and whenever I leave for a while then come back, its nice to say "I'm ready to go home" and home meaning Qingdao. My relationships with Chinese friends here are so precious to me and they truly are a huge reason why I am here. Language is coming faster than I expected and I'm hoping one day to study full time at Qingdao University (Father-willing). Anyway, just wanted to give you a quick update. If any of you want to chat, you can call the local number anytime for free, 903-689-4229, and I'd love to catch you up to date. Love you all!
-Mei Shan (my chinese given name meaning beautiful mountain)

Fantastic Fall

2008-11-01T16:55:00.008+08:00

Wow, lots has happened after looking back at the month of October! Here are a few things that have happily filled these great 31 days!

I've had friends get married
Seen volleyball season come to a close after the ACAMIS tournament
Had Pneumonia for three weeks
Had my first RED Winter coat made
Celebrated my 23rd birthday
Caught up with old friends back in the States
Was told that I'm going to be sent to get my Wilderness First Aid, Wilderness First Responder, and possibly my Wilderness EMT-B certification in December with China Climb! (possibly my FAVORITE of this list because it has been a LIFELONG dream of mine to be certified in these areas, but it is just too expensive in America and takes quite a while. After pr-ing about this for years, now the time has come where they are needing someone to fulfill this role at school and He has provided a way in which I will not have to pay ANYTHING! Yay for rock-climbing, backpacking, mountain-biking, rappelling, white water rafting, mountaineering, orienteering, and the WILDERNESS during the month of December! BRRRR!)
Experienced 14 parent teacher conferences in 1.5 school days! WOO HOO! Complete with Korean/Chinese translators and all!
Celebrated Halloween with first-timers here in Qingdao
Celebrated the cool ocean breeze that the Fall rains have brought us! The weather has been BEAUTIFUL!

I'm sure there are LOTS of other important things I've forgotten, but for now this list should suffice! Here are recent pictures of beautiful fall scenery in our backyard literally (also known as the Yellow Sea), our school, Qingdao, yummy street food, my birthday dinner, and Anderson's wedding!

QMIS is nestled at the foot of that little hill, xiao shan, in this fishing village known as Shazikou.

The way we dry our greens over here!

View of the Qingdao coast looking West!

View of Qingdao looking East!

Our front yard fisherman friends!

Winter swimming is VERY popular here in Qingdao!

Sunset in our 'side yard'!

Side yard view again!

mmm.....yum yum!

More YUMMY (tails included!)

Birthday dinner with roommate, Karen! I had Lamb!

My friend Echo!

My best friend, Anderson (gege-big brother in Chinese) finally getting married! Also my FIRST wedding to EVER go to! WOO HOO!

As you can see, there is a lot going on here in the Fall! Lots of birthdays, celebrations, and what I love most-CHANGE! In other news, my health has been improving significantly in the last week. After three weeks with pneumonia, I almost started giving up and just coping with the idea of having a chronic lung infection the rest of my life. I still have a wicked cough but I'm gaining energy more and more each day. I think pollution really does take a toll on our poor lungs! Praise Him for clean air-SERIOUSLY! Well, its been over THREE months now since I moved to Qingdao. I can honestly say the best part about being here is my Chinese friends and the relationships I have with them. Praise Him that I work with most of them, allowing me to see them everyday! If it were otherwise, I would NEVER see them because being a teacher/coach/Athletic Director basically is your life (who forgot to tell me this!) I literally come home after practice each day, scarf down Chinese, and then sleep until 5AM which is when the next day begins! Honestly, sometimes this is a huge downer for me because I want my life to be intentional here, truly, and when I go, go, go all day and all evening it leaves no time for the other stuff like friendships/relationships (which is why I came in the first place). After seeking wise counsel MANY MANY times a week on this, I have found that if I verbally voice myself it really does help. I'm NOT used to expressing how I feel-especially to superiors-so it is DEFINITELY a growing time in my life. Father is teaching me patience, understanding, kindness, and gentleness right now. Sometimes I wonder, "why did I move halfway around the world to finally be able to audibly hear Your voice?" It's a mystery in itself, but such a blessing! YARP for my friendship with Echo, specifically, and for better health, and for clarity of mind in this next new month. November will be one of the stressful months because I'm in charge of organizing tournaments and all the fun that goes with it. Sometimes when I think of the holidays I get a bit homesick because my family really knows how to celebrate, so YARP that I will find the same fulfillment and satisfaction here in and with my new friends. Lots of traveling will be going on soon, Hong Kong, Yangshuo, Guilin, Thailand, and a possible visit to the States during Chinese new year (YARP for that as well that I will find the funds if it is His will).

I love you all more than you know! I'm so thankful at this time in my life for EACH of you and who you are in my life!

Kayla

Campfires

2008-10-24T23:46:00.004+08:00

Hello! Sorry its been a little while since my last post. Still sick, still no change, still no clear answers as to why I feel like I have bullet holes the size of Montana on my right lung. It's ok, really, I'm getting used to the hacking although it is not very glamorous, I assure you. You can hear me from a mile away :) I will get better sooner or later. PR for that, really.

In other news, on Friday we had the Middle School Girls Volleyball team over to our house for an 'end of the season party.' My roommate Karen is one of the head coaches so she was the event coordinator of all the fun festivities! She made caramel apples and funnel cakes and best of all=she planned a campfire on the beach outside our house! Despite my whooping cough I made the journey outside or door to the beach and finally was in my 'element.' It seemed that the sound of my coughing vanished and all I could do was take in the time I spent around the fire pit. You know, if you know me well at all, you know that campfires are not just any ole' thing to me; they are VERY dear to my heart. Lots of magical things can happen around a campfire, whether it be good conversation, deep thought, stillness, meditation, or what not, there are good times to be had when there is wood and fire involved. Here are a few pictures of the night with the girls. Stay tuned for pics of the Varsity Party.

New-Moan-Ya

2008-10-16T20:40:00.004+08:00

First, these are a few pics from around Qingdao (thanks to a good friend) and Yes, you read correctly-I'm very sick. I have pneumonia AND bronchitis and have been sentenced to the bed since LAST FRIDAY! I will admit, yes, it has been seven days of misery, physically speaking, but from a pneumonia-pro, like myself, many terrific things have happened because of this. I will now begin to explain why sometimes being sick is not so bad afterall (for someone like myself):

1. Rest. Rest. Rest. Most of you know I do not do this well. I am an action-junkie and a 'doer' of sorts. I am constantly on the move, playing some sport, talking with this person, going this place, etc. It.NEVER.STOPS. I think my soul longs for "it" to stop, but I keep cluttering and littering my life with these "things" that I feel the need to accomplish or "check off the list." After arriving to China July 26, it was GO,GO,GO ALWAYS. Moving to a new country/CONTINENT requires many new things: new language, new culture, new norms, new house, new friends, new house-mates, new job, new expectations, new groceries, new recipes, new foods, new customs, new Gathering, new Fellowship, new pollutants, new ample time for opportunity, new adventures, and a new beginning. As you can see, it never stopped after I moved here and almost THREE MONTHS have flown by right before my eyes. I've done so much "stuff" that I could list for you, but the beauty is not in the stuff I do. So, sickness provided me an ample time to catch up on silence, on reading, on movies, on Father Talks, on self-reflection, on worshiping Him, on understanding WHY THE HECK I'm in CHINA, and on WHY He is SO DANG GOOD TO ME!

2. New friends. You know those people that you see at work or at Fellowship that you wish you had extra time to spend with them, but you never do? I always heard that coming out of my mouth when I attended the Village. I would meet such cool people and say to myself mentally, "OK, Kayla find out a way you can work that person into your 'list'-even if it means exhausting yourself in this area..." I don't believe that is healthy, and that is something I'm relieved to have discovered after moving here. I don't have to be JC to EVERYONE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD! That is why HE died so that HE can take care of EVERYONE, He can fix EVERYTHING, He can heal all wounds. He is Savior and I no longer have to live up to these expectations that are too high-never able to be reached. My expectations were so taxing on myself, physically, that I couldn't sleep for many, many, months. I blamed it on other things, but it was purely my inability to stop, breathe, and rest. I think I thought that if I stopped, I would have to stand under a light (like the one in an operating room) and just look at myself, look at my afflictions, look at my wounds, and look at my holes-all for Him to see. This is not a pretty sight, nor is it comfortable, alas my reasons for never resting.(oops, this section wasn't meant to be about "new friends" after all, eh?)

3. Self-Reflection. This is the kicker. I am restless when I have nothing to do. I get bored, I get cranky, and I'm ready to go back to work even with 103 degree temperature, no voice to speak with, and coughing like I'm hacking up my right lung. Everyone says "stay home, rest, take it easy" when my heart is saying "get back in the game, Kayla! You're being lazy! You're not over-acheiving at anything which means you are behind, you are failing, you are not WINNING!" I then step outside my body and laugh because what race is their to win in this game of sickness besides ultimately confiding in Him for FULL HEALING? I get so wrapped up in this sort of mentality all the time. Back to the Go, Go, Go mindset. So, after the first few days of staying home, I began thinking about why I'm really here. I'd had the opportunity to talk to many great people about this very statement. Even a counselor from the states came over here to serve our team and he asked the same question (because I still dream of finishing medical school and doing epidemiological research in a third world country). I couldn't help but resort back to many unforgettable memories I have at The Village and with Village people. There I learned how to "be-loved." I have the gift of loving other to no end-I can love and love and love on others and never get tired of it, but the "let others love me" part of the equation was non-existant; hence the reason why I Go,Go,Go all the time-no time to come to terms with this part of the equation. Now to the part of why I am here. I could tell from the first few times spent with new team members that I had a key part on this team. A LONG time ago Father put this spirit inside me that was able to LOVE others without ceasing, to love without seeing wounds and scars, to love others despite their ackwardness and their quirks, to love period. In every person I can find some commonality between them and myself; it never fails. I have this unstoppable nature to share myself with others, and I love this about myself, I truly do. I have never met a stranger. I have this lifelong feeling of being somehow different, like an oddball, like a stranger in a strange land (literally in China), never quite fitting in. This also comes with a longing to'go home,' but that desire will never cease until we are truly Home. When I meet new people this effervesent nature to love and to put at ease comes out in me and it is a light. The only source this GIFT I have is Father and His love for me. He put this inside of me a LONG time ago and new that it would be used to sew new hearts and souls together and to bind kindred spirits. It's a magnet, and it.is.HE.ALONE.bottomline. So, to get back to the self-reflection, I've really learned to embrace this gift and it has been such an exciting journey, especially with my Chinese friends. Chinese people are not like this-you know-they are more introverted and not eager to share their whole entire life story the first time they meet you (like me). BUT, I think that they are looking for this and they are seeking this sort of boldness. There are so many Chinese women believers who are walking SO CLOSE with Father that its mouth-watering hearing their stories. They truly are the army of the Father- - - NOT KIDDING. I'm serious people, I've never heard the voice of Father more clearly in my life since being in China. Why I had to come 1.7 Billion people away to hear Him, I don't know, but He.Is.Here.IN.THIS.PLACE! He is raising up these people in such a mighty way. Most of the time I feel so immature in my faith because so many times I rely on JC music, or JC gatherings, or fellowship, or PR groups, or praise conferences, etc. to uplift me or edify me in my relationship with Father. Let me tell you something. In China there are no Mercy Me concerts and there are no Beth Moore Book studies (sorry if that's offensive). There are no organized groups to get together to talk to Father and there are no programs you go to for your accountability. Sorry. Not hear. Its just you-you and Father, walkin' side by side down the beach. It is He who hears my cries, He who hears my struggles, He who hears my gossip (though He doesn't want to), He who hears my jokes, He hears praises, He who gets admired, He who gets astonished, He who gets exalted, it is He. All the Earth rejoices to say "He is holy," yet this He became my honestly best friend when I came to China. So praise Him for that. I miss my small group more than EVER back home, but when I step out of my selfish sunglasses I see that I'm here for a much bigger person and He was cultivating this a LONG time ago in my life. Every incident and occurring in my life happened for a reason, so that it could divinely be knitted together to produce "such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).

Ok, brain bulimia for now. Sorry I type like I'm talking-just me. D.O. sorry for all the grammatical errors. I love you all more than you know, I really do. I PR for you all daily and I remember you one by one. For those of you who have asked for my mailing address, here it is (print it off both chinese and english and paste it on the box/envelope/package-hint hint).

English:
Qingdao MTI International School
Baishan Campus
Shazikou, Dongjiang
Laoshan District, Qingdao
China 266102

Chinese:
青岛MTI国际学校
中国山东省青岛市
崂山区沙子口东姜
白珊校园内

or you can go to www.qmischina.com (my school's website), then click on the Contact Us link and the addresses are on the right side of the page. Copy them into a doc. and print them out.

OK, I'll leave you with this-this which I feel speaks most closely to my heart:

"Better to love Father and die unknown than to love the world and be a hero; better to be content with poverty than to die a slave to wealth; better to have taken some risks and lost than to have done nothing and succeeded at it."

Roommates

2008-10-05T00:23:00.006+08:00

Friends, meet Karen, Amy, and myself

These are the cool glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth mom sent us for Halloween!!
(MEGA Thanks MOM!)
Chinese Fan-Fighting is a favorite past-time of ours!

...in deep thought...always...

Thought I would share a few great pictures of my wonderful roommates. They are spectacular and I don't know what I would do without them. Father REALLY had us in mind when making this combination! Enjoy!

P.S. Thanks MOM for sending the vampire teeth for us!! They come in handy when it's photo shoot time! love you!

The Road Less Traveled

2008-09-30T16:03:00.008+08:00

So this October Holiday (9 pleasant days off from school) our entire staff and the families of our staff attended a retreat near LaoShan. I recently just made a new investment in a bike so I decided to join the group of men riding to LaoShan some thirty miles away. Being that Qingdao is VERY known for its mountainous terrains and killer hills, it was SUPPOSED to take us three hours to get to the retreat, but little did we know....There were two groups of riders, the first being the 'follow the rules' kind of riders which chose to go the normal route via the highway. The second group (which I was a part of) chose to go the road less traveled. Our group of 10 triumphant athletes decided to follow our nose to the sea and create a new way to LaoShan (the hotel was on the sea so if we could FIND the sea, we could find our hotel, right?) Well after the first 20 miles we were ready for a new and more scenic adventure so we cut off the highway and started climbing through a nearby village. There was only one small road so we shared it with bikes, chickens, goats, tractors, and horses. After riding up and up and up through random villages we finally got to the end of the road and hit an almost vertical climb to the top of the mountain (and we still had no idea where we were-we were still trying to find the sea). During this time we were not able to ride our bikes because of the severe and drastic degree of incline and the lack of ample road to ride on. So, we created a new sport-bike hiking. We then for the next 3-4 hours CARRIED our bikes up the remaining portion of the mountain to the saddle and then down switchbacks on the backside of the mountain. After no more switchbacks we were on to plan C. We decided to follow a river bed (which was thankfully dry) and our poor bikes became our springboards for bouncing from boulder to boulder. We knew that all rivers lead to the ocean, so why not? After SIX hours and almost FIFTY MILES of biking and bike hiking we were able to find some farmland to ride down and FINALLY able to see the ocean. Our hopes were HIGH!!! During this time were were able to use what our bikes were created for=MOUNTAIN BIKING! Man, it was a rush! Our top speed was 40 mph although this was probably one of the most risky things i've been apart of. I loved EVERY minute of it. These are a few pics of the weekend and the special people I got to hang out with. The last picture is of Anderson, Eric, and Gloria (my co-workers at QMIS). Mom sent them Texas hats to wear as a gift for Mid-Autumn Festival. They are now converted to lovers of this great state, thanks mom. Enjoy!!

International Day

2008-09-23T15:03:00.007+08:00

These pictures are from the QMIS annual International Day. Mostly the pictures are just of me and the guys but there are some of traditional Korean Dress, Chinese Dress, American, ETC...enjoy!

Shenyang ISC Volleyball Tournament

2008-09-21T19:32:00.009+08:00

Well first of all, I'm TERRIBLY sorry for not being able to blog as much as I would LOVE to do. I know some of you have been WAITING patiently on pictures and I have TONS to share, yet no time for commentary. Here's a quick update for those of you who have been waiting on pins and needles. As most of you know, at QMIS one of my many job titles is the head coach of the varsity volleyball team. Although I PLAYED varsity sports, coaching them has been QUITE the humbling experience, and its a little difficult to spit out the right words at the right times (if you know what I mean). I think the COOLEST part of being the coach is that at certain times, I have the ability (from father only of course) to inspire, encourage, ignite, and to teach truth to these girls at perfectly created instances. It's so neat, really. For example, this past weekend we traveled to Shenyang, China for our ISC (international schools in china) volleyball tournament and I had the opportunity to coach my girls into placing FIRST OVERALL of the entire tournament!! It was the coolest thin g because at certain divinely appointed moments it was like I could say ANYTHING to my girls and they would listen and cling to it as if it were their last words of instruction before heading to the battlefield. I could see it in their eyes. It is such a new feeling to me because my entire life I've spent on the outside of the huttle, never on the inside with the power of the white-erase board and the expo pen. It was DIVINE! So yah, these are pictures of the tournament-most of which I did not take. Thankfully my students and players have an obsession for photography and they do all the picture-taking for me. Enjoy!

I forgot to mention. Look above through the pictures and you see the one with the covers and blankets up around my head? Ok, that is some of my favorite girls, Miriam on the left and Mary on the right. Now, in China we have no Physical Therapy, right? Well Mary (on the right) has a partially torn quad. after our brilliant game and what does the coaches say we should do? ready: GET. A. MASSAGE! So, I'm the coach and I get to go with her and she brings a friend (and we all live happily ever after). This massage was over TWO HOURS long and boy was it GLORIOUS. You get to wear LOVELY grandpa night-gown type of clothes if you don't have leisure clothes so I got the pleasure of experiencing 15 year old pajamas (worn by every man, woman, and child that has come through that massage parlor probably! ) No worries, if you know me-you know that was fine-as long as you BRING ON THE HOT STONE MASSAGE! Besides school, practice, and games all the time, I have been VERY VERY tired. I knew that being a coach and a teacher would take up lots of time, but man-it really does. It's at these times that I thank FATHER for being single. I would really feel lost if I had to balance a 24 hour job as a coach/teacher and a 24 hour job as a spouse. So, in these troubled times, thanks Father for allowing my eyes to see more clearly and my heart to love more freely.

...things you can YAPR for...
1. that father would bring supernatural strength and energy to our school and to me
2. for a decision to know father for my friends Echo and Sunny
3. for a 'down-n-dirty' opportunity. This sounds crazy, but if you know me-you know I love the VERY wounded, the VERY weary, the VERY sick, the VERY nasty type of things, people, places, etc. I was CREATED to have a heart that has a never-ending capacity to love these sometimes unsightly people, places, and things; my personality THRIVES in these times of crisis, famine, disaster, etc. (For those of you that know the Meyers Briggs Personality Test, I'm an "SP"-you know what that means). My heart YEARS for those situations and times and opportunities. Would you lift up to father that I would have eyes to see the needs around me. I feel sometimes that I neglect that huge part of my heart and I never want to forget that special gift that he has given me. I get clouded with tons and tons of relationships, you know me, and first I should to contribute to the Body as a whole instead of just being a few limbs.

I love you all more than you know.
Coach Tater (since my kids can't pronounce 'tatum' they say 'tater'...gotta love it)

Post Olympics/ Pre-Paralympics

2008-08-31T00:07:00.008+08:00

Olympic Time!

2008-08-08T13:52:00.013+08:00

Hello Everyone!! I just thought I would post some pictures of what's been happening the last few weeks here in Qingdao (and also some pics/shot-outs to my friends back home). The last week I've had teacher training/orientation and we here at QMIS are in FULL SWING. Working at an international school is COMPLETELY different than what I pictured working for a public U.S. school back home. Let's just say, they are on top of their game in EVERY aspect. This is why I love working here so much already. If you have talents, they put you to work in that specific area. Why? BECAUSE you were given gifts/talents for a reason-to edify and serve others. So, with that in mind, I will just say that the school overall is VERY concentrated in all aspects. There is NO dilution here whatsoever. In other news, our apartment rennovations are coming along just fine and we FINALLY got water this week, a rice cooker, we got a kong tiao (brownie points to the first person who can tell me what it is), I got to take my FIRST hot shower in three weeks, and we got an ayi (also more brownie points, D.O.) Needless to say, it's been a big week. Also the OLYMPICS are HERE TODAY! The city has been filled with spirit and everyone is practicing their Chinese national song. Sailboats and ships line the harbor every morning on the walk to school and the soldier's efforts in cleaning up the harbor have been phenomenal-no more algae in site, which means swim time for me EVERY afternoon after school. The beaches here in China are GORGEOUS and the water is crisp and cool-almost like a spring or river. It could ALMOST substitute for a bath (colby and d.o.-i know you agree with this one) but the salty part is a kicker-although it is an excellent in helping keep us buoyant for the hour long swims. At night, the city is lit up with all sorts of light and laser shows you can view from the harbor and there are foreigners from ALL walks of life EVERYWHERE. I. LOVE. THE. OLYMPICS! I have to say, I'm glad I packed a U.S.A. t-shirt. On the work side of things, I got a new job title: I'm the assitant Head Athletic Director, Head Health Department, Climbing Rock Wall Coordinator, and whatever else they tag on. I have to say I'm ecstatic about my job titles and responsibilities; it couldn't have been a better match for me, right guys and gals? Honestly, I can see myself here for years in Qingdao. I have the LaoShan mountains right behind me at a brisk 30 minutes away or right out my front door step I have the calm Yellow Sea that provides me with night time music to my ears, a day time place to hang out with locals, and an all around place where I can escape from everything and dwell in his presence. That is what I love most about it here in QD. OK, well I hope the pictures suffice. I would LOVE to skype and hear all about what's going on state-side. Miss you all, I'll post in a week or two.

Zhaijian

ps, Chinese lesson are coming along GREAT

2008-08-01T11:45:00.004+08:00

Ni hao.
Well the past few days have been full of shopping, eating, navigating, and more eating (thanks to our host families). We've bought cell phones, had medical exams (scary-ask me about it later), bought groceries, had our hair cut, caught taxis, used the public bus, visited our new school, and most importantly PLAYED ON THE BEACH! I have to say life here in China will be very different, but I'm adjusting very well and the transition has been very successful. The local people are very welcoming and eager to practice their English (as much as I want to practice my Mandarin).

I've found that the key to practicing Mandarin is confidence and when pronounciating ANYTHING you must first position your entire mouth and throat as if you were going to eat a popsicle. It feels unfamiliar at first, but it produces the best tones-and we all know that in order to succeed in Chinese, you must first master your four tones. So, I keep that rule of thumb in mind, plus a spoonful of confidence and it seems to go very well. We took our friends Beth and Amy to get phones today (without our translator) and I was able understand quite a bit from the lady assisting us.

I have to say my favorite food so far is Korean. ANYTHING Korean (especially coffee, curry, and kimchi) is just absolutely amazing. And, since more than half the population of Qingdao is Korean-it's easy to find.

The weather here is very tropical. Yesterday there was a typhoon off the coast of Japan and we got the crazy wind and 30 foot high waves. Our apartments are located right on the water so it was scary walking home and getting blasted by these huge towers of waves. After the rain always comes a nice breeze and we get to open up our house and our clothes have a chance to finally dry out on the back porch. During the day it is very humid, but that always means that an afternoon shower is on its way which also translates into naptime in China.

Today we are going to help my supervisor teach English to 30 local national teachers. Group teaching is the key to success here so our job is mainly to facilitate discussions among the groups. I have also found out that QMIS (my school where I teach) is willing to build a rock wall at the school. The only problem is that they had no one with the knowledge to build it. So, they asked ME! So, this year we are beginning the process of building a rock wall outside the school. I am HONORED to set up this project and EVEN MORE HONORED to participate when it is finished!

That is all for now. I miss you all more than you know. I heard a rumor that we can get half-price round tickets from USA to here/here back to USA. If ANYONE is interested, have a bag packed. We have empty apartments here waiting on you!

Kayla

Qingdao, the city by the sea

2008-07-29T19:34:00.007+08:00

Ni hao and greetings from Qingdao!

Well our crew arrived safely to Qingdao around 2PM on Sunday the 27th. The airplane ride was the best I've experienced so far traveling internationally (thank you Cathay Pacific). I got to watch the movies: Fools Gold, Definitely Maybe, Horton Hears a Who, and 27 Dresses. Also, the trip went fabulously well thanks to sleeping medicine. Arriving at Qingdao International Airport was quite the experience. I had TWO GIANT Rubbermaid tubs (80 cubic inches) that weighed 70 lbs. each AND TWO other luggage pieces that also weighted 70 lbs. each. All went well UNTIL we had to claim our luggage and place it on ONE cart and then hand carry it through customs. Luckily I had a small cart only the width of ONE tub so I piled all the luggage on top of one another and had someone hand guide me through the 2 foot wide aisle. As soon as I got to the counter the cart toppled over and all I could do is burst into laughter. I think the Chinese workers thought I was crazy, and I think I was just delirious. All in all, on the other side we saw the smiling faces of other team members and that was the best thing I've experienced in a LONG time.

After loading over 100 pieces of luggage at 70 lbs. we all squished into a bus and headed to our new homes. My roommates (Karen and Amy) and I walked into an apartment that is nicer than apartment I've lived in. WOW-that was a shocker. I am VERY thankful to have my own bedroom AND bathroom (this is CRAZY). After we toured our new home, we found the apartment was fully stocked with food, linens, furniture, and internet JUST FOR US. For those of you that have moved overseas-it is very stressful but to arrive with all the amenities in place is just magical. Here are a few pics of my room and the apartment.

The second day we got to go shopping at Jusco (the wal-mart of China) and just buy the essentials to make our house our 'home'. We found mulitple items and bought a microwave, water cooler, tons of food, and 10 carts full of stuff for our house for under $100 U.S.

Today we took the 104 bus by ourselves to the Baishan campus to our school: QMIS MTI International School. The bus ride is 45 minutes to our school and is located seaside on the side of a gorgeous mountain. I got to see my NEW office and the gym and my classroom; wow, I really am here. I even found out that the school had reserved a certian amount of money so that I (ME) can begin to build a rock wall for the school. Wow, father really had me in mind when he placed me in this position :) ME, they want Me to do my FAVORITE THING (climbing). Needless to say I was beaming with sunshine. After school tours, we had survival Chinese lessons. This was our first 2 hour session of our weekly chinese lessons. It went VERY well and I really feel I've got a knack for Chinese tones. Last, we got CHINESE bank accounts today-we are official. (sidenote: I was able to order food, buy flowers, and ask directions ALL in Chinese today SUCCESSFULLY. IT WAS A VICTORIOUS BREAKTHROUGH!)

It's really nice here-really. It reminds me of Santa Cruz, California on PCH Highway one in California. It is BEAUTIFUL and lush and green and laid-back. It's truly a gem. What's even better is the team we arrived to. Every night someone cooks us dinner, answers our questions, takes us to new places, teaches us to ride the buses, takes us to language lessons, shows us new restaurants, etc. You can imagine how much work they put into us new people and it's SUCH a relief. Thank you father for preparing this LONG before I even could fathom this place and purpose. Love you all! Check facebook for more photos!

Kayla

On the Road Again

2008-07-26T00:55:00.011+08:00

For those of you who missed the memo, I'm moving to CHINA! My departure date is finally here, my bags are packed, my goodbyes have been said and I am out the door-literally. I just wanted to say thank you ALL for your all your hospitality, your support, and most importantly your love. It is SO encouraging knowing that I'm not doing this trip alone. A few pictures of Qingdao...

In other news, if any of you ever decide to move overseas, please call me and I will help you pack. I ASSUMED that I could get everything I need for two years in two giant Rubbermaid tubs. Little did I know that YES everything WOULD fit, but the weigh-in after packing was FIFTY POUNDS OVERWEIGHT. I decided to do this at midnight, the night before my flight (Thanks mom!). So, I had to find other containers to ship my life away in and just settle for paying the OUTRAGEOUS extra-baggage fees.

I just got word today that the Olympic torch has been passed through my city, Qingdao. Here is a pic. below (D.O. please tell me if I'm doing this right).
This is so exciting to me that I get to WATCH the Olympics first hand this go-around. Ok, check back for updates during my travels. I love you all VERY much and look forward to your comments of LOVE.

Here is a fun pic that myself, Kenner, and mom took after our gather. Talk to everyone soon!