Rise up, it's Fall!

I'm pretty excited about my first witty title since I've began our blogging experience.

Yes, it's Fall in Wuhan. Two weeks ago we had our much needed October Holiday which lasted a full 8 days. Then, this past week we were back at school finishing up week number 6 of the school year.

Like everyone else who irregularly blogs, I'll make the comment about how fast times seems to fly.

We are settling into life back at school. This year is a challenging year in my students' curriculum and I look forward to seeing their English blossom. With that will come some deeper conversation that's harder to have when two parties don't share much of the same vocabulary. I've been making an effort to make my words and actions show my love for my students. Many of them work so hard, and try to meet such high expectations (these are mostly 2nd-4th graders) that they are obviously impacted when met with love. At the end of each class I bow and say, "thank you students," and they respond with a bow and, "thank you Teacher Luke." On the Friday before our holiday we had a short discussion about how I discipline them for incomplete homework because I love them. This was a little foreign to some but not unattractive. At the end of class, instead of saying "thank you students," I said, "I love you students!" and they all shouted back, through laughs and smiles, "I love you Teacher Luke!"

It's a tangible reminder for me that little things throughout the day can speak volumes to soft hearts. I think my students' hearts are soft.

On the weekends I like to go to a nearby university and join a pick-up soccer game that may be happening. At first it's a little awkward for me as a foreigner to join in a game, but I am always met with gracious invitations to come play. Last week I went and, as I was putting my soccer shoes on by the side of the field, two university students came up to me to practice their English. Before I knew it, I was sitting in a circle with at least 10 or 11 young university guys, all wanting to know where I was from, whether I liked China, etc. I was able to exchange QQ numbers with them (which is an instant messaging software in China) with the hopes of continuing our conversations. Some of them wanted me to help them find English names!

I am frequently amazed at the respect shown to me because I am a foreigner. Instead of treating me as a nuisance because I don't know the language or customs, I am treated with respect, patience, and much grace! I will not forget this when I go to America. Too many times I have been ungracious to foreigners. And aren't we all foreigners in a strange land?

Phew, I start with a witty title and it gets me philosophizing.

Below are some pictures from the first few months here.

May we all have soft hearts, and may we not forget that we are all foreigners in a foreign land!


Luke and Steph

My brother came to visit us at the end of August. We visited Beijing and the Wall!

Chinese hand poses!

United we sit! At the Stone Forest in Kunming, where we went for October Holiday.

These creatures were everywhere on a hike in Kunming

I can touch the sky!

We got to see Steph's sweet cousin Kim in Kunming. She showed us around!

Brownies and Blogs

Steph and I made a deal that she would bake something yummy if I wrote a blog post. Let the posting begin!

We've been in China for a little over two weeks and it seems like a lot has happened. For instance...................

We got a kitten. His name is Felix (it's a combo namesake, receiving inspiration from the old-school cartoon "Felix the Cat" and the trouble making Felix King from Avonlea). Just in case you can't tell from the picture whether he is a cat or not, take a closer a look at what he's laying on. Yes, it is our scrabble board, which was in session moreover. Is there an animal other than the feline who lays down on your scrabble board in the middle of a session? No. Therefore the animal is a cat. A cat we now own. We found him outside our apartment complex and took him in. He's pretty rambunctious! As I write this he is showing the couch who is boss....

Taking Felix to the vet with some teammates

We've also been able to enjoy some quality time with our foreign colleagues. We gained two more American teachers at our school this year, which puts our non-Chinese teacher count at nine. It's been great to start the year off well within community and we all really look forward to a unified year. We think of friends and family back home and lift up requests for the same kind of unity within their fellowship circles. 

We started back at our school on the 15th and have until September 3rd to prepare for the arrival of our students. I will be teaching the same group of students as I had last year, which will be a lot of fun. They are a great group of kids and I look forward to more good times with them. Also, through advances in the moral education program at our school there will be further opportunities to encourage character growth in the students. This will bring up great questions about character and the effects certain ways of Western thought have on it. We hope for great learning to take place.

Stephanie will be seeing most of her students from last year minus the graduating K-2 students plus the incoming 2 year olds. She is really going to do a great job this year, with a better idea of what to expect thanks to last year's experience. All of her fellow teachers were happy to see her as well as some parents and students that live in our complex. She is well-liked.

As we start a second year we thank you for being with us. It was hard to go back to the States for just a short summer, however, seeing many of you made it more than worthwhile and it will be a renewing experience to hold on to as we gear up for year two. Stay well! I smell some brownies that are almost done......

Getting some shut-eye in the Beijing airport. Notice the creative maneuvering around armrests.

One Year Down! Let's do it again?!?!

Yes, the blog is still alive! I'll try to get you up to speed with what has happened since our last post (oops, three months ago!) and then make true effort to update more frequently.

Members of the welcoming committee at the airport!

We finished up our first year of teaching and living in China! On July first we made it back to America after a long overnight train ride (12 hours and no sleep), a day in Beijing (the Summer Palace is cool!), a night in Beijing (4 hours of sleep), and a long flight to Seattle (12 hours and no sleep). Yes we were tired, but that was to our advantage when it was time to battle jetlag. Arriving in Seattle was a breath of fresh air, thanks to the clean, cool Northwest climate and the smiling faces of Steph's family. Hooray!

Luke and Rafe with their new sister in China!

Our end of the year was quite a whirlwind, with many things going on. Perhaps one of the most meaningful was getting to host Luke's parents and brother at our apartment, show them around our city and school, and then send them on their way to meet the newest member of our family! Yes, Luke's parents welcomed a Chinese daughter into their family and she is a wonderful addition. We got to meet them and her in China a week after they went to meet her, and it was a special time of getting to know each other, explore the area around the hotel, and just spend time together as family. She is 14 years old, and we think it is meaningful to her that members of her family have connection with China. Right now we are staying with Luke's family and able to spend more time with her. Of course, everyone must adjust, have grace, and be patient, but we are confident that the whole situation is overseen by greater eyes than ours. Keep Luke's family in your thoughts and hearts.

Three brothers and two sisters!

Parents' Day! Steph teaching how to make ice cream.

Of course, life was pretty intense at the school as the year finished up but we all survived. I am extremely proud of Stephanie, who battled and excelled through a challenging year of teaching. Imagine a class of 18 two and a half year olds who don't speak your language! And that was just one of her four groups she taught every day. She finished the year with a stupendous parent day lesson on how to make ice cream (on parents day parents of her students come to class with their child and watch the lesson). It was very impressive. Also, Luke's class did well on their final exam and showed much growth in their English skills. 

Exploring a park on our second anniversary!

Students from Luke's class doing a Children's Day performance

 Lastly, relationships seemed to blossom towards the end of the year. We were thankful to spend some quality time with teachers and parents of students as well as our American teammates. Life is so busy and tiring, it is hard to have energy to invest in activities outside of the school, but lately Steph and I felt more grace in this area as we are being equipped where we are weak. This is perhaps one of our greatest encouragements as we look forward to next year. Yup, that's right! We are going back for YEAR NUMBER TWO. It will be sad to leave family, friends, and the Northwest a second time, but we are excited for the opportunity to continue the relationships and work happening in our host country, city, school, and apartment complex. Stay tuned For The Telling of Year Number Two!

At the Kindergarten graduation. Steph played piano while her student sang "It's a Small World."

"You're never safe from surprise, 'TIL YOU'RE DEAD!" Thank you, Rachel Lynde. Well, that's not a new phrase, but it's my motto for China. Or maybe it should be, "You're never safe from surprise, 'til you at least leave China." The thing is, you'd think, wow, so many surprises in life should start to get predictable. You should be able to prepare yourself for the unexpected. But the unexpected is (as perceived) so unattainably random, that you can't possibly be ready. People talk about things coming out of left field. Well, here, something happens out of left field, and you somehow end up in that spot in left field. And then that is your new point of reference, and then five minutes later something happens in your new left field, when you just got settled on on your new pitcher's mound.

Even with this crazy truth, we are finding that it is becoming easier to adapt to new surprises. Whereas in the beginning, when we were reeling from change anyway and new things caused varying degrees of downward spirals, now, we can hold our heads a little higher. And we can take deeper breaths. And we feel a little more whole. What a thing to be thankful for.

Okay, slightly sick picture but in honor of Rachel Lynde (see quote) and the fact that we finished the 7th and final season of Avonlea! The picture is of us starting the last episode in Thailand. Boohoo, I guess we'll just have to watch them again! But it was Luke's first time seeing them! BTW, if you don't know what I'm talking about, you're missing out and you should watch them.

I'd like to share a few more things we're thankful for! 

Luke's family has been anxiously anticipating the approval to adopt their new daughter from here in China! And, the time has finally come. We will see them in just over a week, and are beyond thrilled to get to have them here in our home, for them to see a little of what life is like here, and then we get a new sister! She turns 14 in just two months, which would have made her forever un-adoptable according to the Chinese system. Thanks to the Father for his provision.

It was a long, cold winter, and the sun is shining it's warmth on us again! Five layers of leggings and long underwear really gets old. I just put all of those necessary winter items away, because there's no more winter for us this year! It's actually been perfect outside lately, with a light breeze and in the 70's and 80's. Soon we'll be crying because it will be upper 90's and nearly 100% humidity, but until then, let's party!

Another celebration we're having on an ongoing basis, is the slow but steady process of language acquisition! It's exciting to have breakthroughs like understanding 6 words out of a whole conversation, but because of that partially knowing what they were talking about! Or being able to explain a little of what I mean to kids that don't know any English. Or little pops of understanding here and there, that help us get a grasp on grammar and how the language is set up and used. Really, our level is SO elementary, but it's exciting to have these little milestones. 

One of the things that prompted my most recent thought on surprise, was, "Surprise! The Kindergarten is closed for two weeks!!" It's a policy that if there is an outbreak (5 kids) of an infectious disease in the Kindergarten, the school has to close for 10 days. We were at 4 kids with Hand, Foot and Mouth on Monday, and by Tuesday night there was another one down. So, I went in for a work day on Wednesday, and don't have to return to work until May 7! Unfortunately for Luke, the elementary is still in session, so I have an impromptu vacation while he's still working his tail off. Also (extremely) unfortunately for us, I technically have to make up those missed days of school in the summer. We are really hoping because of some extra work I'll be doing this next week on behalf of the school, that they'll still let us come home at the original time. If not, it's hard to say when we'll be home and it will cut into our visit to the States, not to mention unmentionable prices for plane tickets now (we bought ours for a good price quite awhile ago)!

We're really looking forward to the visit home the summer. (let's hope it doesn't get cut short!) We're doing fine here, but we miss home and people (you!). But the countdown is on! In just a few days we can say "We're leaving next month!" Technically we won't be in the States until July 1 (and that's if everything goes okay with the closed Kindergarten stuff), but we're leaving Wuhan on June 30.  And it's almost May! Yippee skippee.

Blessings on you!

Love, 

Steph

Even though it was a rainy day, it was so pretty out and we got to see the countryside.

Luke's group went on a field trip to a nearby university. This is a pretty building!

I went on a field trip with some of my little cute students. Cross your fingers for me, because he was one of the 5 sick kids! (don't worry, I think I'm past the danger zone time period) 

Casi Cielo=Almost Heaven

We have some friends from Ferndale who are visiting here in Wuhan, before they go to adopt their son in another city here in China! Very exciting for them. They were very generous to bring some supplies from home we had asked for--various necessities we can't get here, including pepperjack cheese and Easter candy! (Cadbury mini eggs.) It was so fun to open all of the treats--it was like Christmas! I had thought at some point to ask Peter (my brother, who works at Starbucks) to send me some coffee, too. But I never did. And I was boohooing this week because I was almost out of coffee and I didn't want to trek across town on a school night to go buy some! Imagine, then, my surprise and elation when I opened the package and saw coffee, not one bag but two, of my very favorite! Oh! I had to break open the Casi Cielo first, and I'm drinking it as I write this morning. To top it off, when I poured it into my cup, some crema swirled into the shape of a heart. Now if that wasn't cute, I don't know what is. I really do love you too, delicious cup of coffee! And THANKS and much love to our family. Wow, what a treat!

So it's been two months......

Yes, it's blogging time! A little over two months since the last blog drop. Neither Steph nor I are avid blog types, so when there is a lapse in blogging it's hard for us to get in the blog mood. However, I'm dusting off the blogged brain, and hopefully making up for lost time with the amount of times I've written blog, blogging, or blogged in this paragraph. Let's get caught up to speed!

Our first semester at the school ended on January 13, and with it's completion began our Chinese New Year Holiday. On the 17th we flew to Bangkok, spent one night there, met a friend at the airport, and then drove South about three and a half hours to a place called Dolphin Bay. The other two families that live near us and work at the school with us also went to Dolphin Bay, and so we got to spend twenty or so days with our teammates in beautiful Thailand! It was such perfect timing as November and December were two very busy months at the school. Rest, recuperation, and relaxation met us in the forms of a warm ocean, great Thai food, and sunshine. Below are a few pictures from our time there.

Some of our teammates ready for scooting!

Some cool cliffs by the water.

"I think we have a flat." "Great! now what?"
(Look around in helplessness) "Hey there's a
mechanic!" (walk across road) Score!

Action shot on the scooter!

Yes, we rode an elephant!

After the well needed rest we arrived back in Wuhan on February 5th, ready to plunge into our busy lives in China and at the school. However, the first week back was a tough one for a number of reasons. On our last day in Thailand we were having fun flipping our kayaks in the ocean and on one flip my wedding ring slipped off my finger probably never to be seen again. Then a few days after we got back the hard drive in our computer completely died and due to us not doing what all computer users should do (which includes you, if you are reading this), which was back up our hard drive information, we lost a lot of pictures, some music that I had been working on, and other things. We tried recovering the data here in Wuhan but it didn't work out. We hope that something can be done to recover the data in the States, but we'll just have to wait and see. The hardest part of the first week back (and still is hard now) was Steph's grandpa passing away. Being far away from family and friends is hard, but at a sad time like this it makes it harder. We wish we could have been with her family during such a tough time. It was a hard first couple of weeks at school, especially for Steph, but she got to take some time off and talk with family back at home.

Some more big news is that we are staying in Wuhan and at the school for a second year! This is maybe surprising to you, as it was to us at first as well. Before we arrived here in August we thought it would be a one year stay, however, the Ultimate Decider has us doing otherwise. It is exciting, to know we will have another year after this one. A year that we can go into with all the learning we have done through mistakes and experiences we have had this year. Crazy! We will be back in Whatcom County for all of July and half of August before we come back for year two.

Other tidbits of news:
1. we celebrated my birthday and two of our teammates' birthdays all in the same week. Fun!
2. we went to a large pet market and I bought a baby turtle. His name is Fin and is pretty cool.
3. though it's still really cold, we feel like it might be warming up. Crossing our fingers.
4. one of the other families that is part of our community is a few weeks away from bringing home two adopted boys. We are looking forward to welcoming them into our community!
5.  We will do our best to blog more!

Christmastime is Here!

Well, Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas-time! It has been a busy time for us here, with school functions, holiday festivities and the general making-merry that you just have to do this time of year. Especially since we're so far away from home, we really wanted to make fun and cozy memories in the midst of busy life. So, Thanksgiving came, and we had to work! But that weekend we got together with our friends here and had a real feast. I will say that we pulled out all the stops and made a dinner that American chefs would have been proud of, and we did it by trekking around town to find ingredients and roasting turkeys in large toaster ovens! It really was delicious. As our Chinese friends warned would happen, that following week started with balmy mid-50's degree weather and overnight it turned to low 30's and snow flurries in some areas of the city. We didn't see any snow, but we did feel the cold, which sure blasted in quickly. And, though the sun offers some kind relief if you're standing in it, the cold has been brisk and bountiful since it started. Which means, layers upon layers of clothing. You should see us pick out what to wear in the morning! I used to decide what to wear based on what might look somewhat cute or coordinated, but now it's all about what fits underneath what, in order to have the most layers possible without looking like Blimpy!

Christmasy Tree!

As I said earlier, things have been extraordinarily busy, but we've managed to find time for a few fun things. We've done a little Christmas shopping, going out into the busy bustle that is Wuhan shopping centers on any given weekend, and now are even crazier as the holidays are here! Even though traditionally the Chinese do not celebrate Christmas, we see quite a lot of Christmas decorations, as you can see us with the Christmas tree below. Please note that this picture was taken right before Thanksgiving, back when we could have bare arms and not freeze to death! Even if it's not celebrated in exactly the same way as it is at home, the shopping spirit is about the same. And I guess Christmas Day is a huge shopping day here. Well, we will not be going out shopping that day, for so many reasons. Wuhan just gets fancier by the minute. Actually, there is an H&M that just opened, and it was fun to check that out this weekend. Another thing we did this weekend is eat roasted chestnuts from a street vendor. It's probably the most commonly sold food item on the streets these days, and I'd been wanting to try them. Especially since we always since about "Chestnuts roasting on the open fire" every Christmas! They were good. They're a little sweet and soft, and so nice and warm on a cold day. I want to go back out to get more!
On Christmas Spirit and other festive things, we have a Christmas tree decorated with three special ornaments from home, plus a smattering of shiny colored balls we bought at Walmart here :) And twinkle lights of course. We're also serious about watching all the important Christmas movies, and so far have gotten in a few. And I've made a few Christmas cookies, but need to make more! Really, it is less convenient to do everything culinary that I like to do, here, but with some creativity we have managed well! So I think we won't be suffering for the important traditional cookies and other random, fun things.

As you can see from the rest of the pictures, we got to go on a day trip with all of the teachers from our school. It started with a fancy dinner the night before and then the next day we got up and went to Mulan Mountain! I could go on and on about that trip, but we had a good time, it was a beautiful day (not too cold!) and we made some memories. Luke liked the swan-ducks, and there was some nice scenery too. The bottom picture is me with several of the Kindergarten teachers I work with, and Brynn, our friend on the far right who is here from the States with her husband Cody.

We hope that you are having a nice start to the Christmas season, and that it is a blessed time. We'd love to hear from you anytime!

Love,
Luke and Steph