Heat, Beat-Boxers, KFC, and Christmas

Classes continue to run smoothly-the kids are so excited to practice with the Americans! We had a campus-wide birthday party with everyone doing the hokey pokey + birthday cake for 100 kids. They wore the hats they made in crafts- so cute. And yes, 18 year old boys were wearing hats they colored and dancing to the Gummi Bear song. We do have a group of boys in class 7 who are awesome beat-boxers- that means sort of like rappers who make weird noises, etc- they did an impromptu concert that was so fun!

Today Angie's class celebrated Christmas. Not only did they go Christmas caroling around the school but many children heard the Christmas story for the first time. Then for lunch we got a special treat-KFC delivered by bicycle for all the Americans! A welcome change from the normal, let's just say that! Tonight after class we had a RARE free night so we went downtown to the tibetan market - our taxi driver blasted Michael Jackson all through town- best 90 cents we spent all day! I am ashamed to say in a market full of every imaginable object-from an open-air (or should I say open "fly"market-ugh) meat market to fruit and jade and "nikeSP" (??) fake bags and combs made from animal horns and even yak jerky, I bought a red bracelet and a water and spent less than $2.00!! Justin and Laura are amazing in their chinese shop talk- and Angie could bargain down anything- obama needs her on staff to lower the nat'l debt. Laura has a fake-chinese grunt accompanied by a head bobble that can get us everything from a taxi to a cold water!!

The Jasons are great- Shep is the "dancing king" who teaches dance every day in the blazing heat and pulls off every activity like MacGyver with his bag of tricks and Pauff mesmerizes the kids with his music and cartoons! I am known as "my teacher's mom" by Angie's kids in class 8-so cute. We are tired but holding up well. We are booked night and day with kids trying to take us to dinner or climb mountains (??) with them! Those are the nights that produce relationships that produce conversations that produce miracles so ...bring on the dumplings :)

Lift us up- of course, when people are hot and tired the enemy can slip in so ask for unity and kindness and peace and growth among our teammates! Jason P is off-campus and we need him in our bldg-remember that! Several have colds and coughs (pollution) and sore joints from all the activity! That Hokey Pokey can wear a person out-lol!! Most of all, ask that we be a light wherever we go and find special appointments waiting for us! Hugs from the other side of the world!

If it's Tuesday This Must be Luau!

It is day two and classes are going well. Today my class was serenaded by a group of 8 year old carolers who were learning about Christmas! My kids did skits with masks- hilarious! I have a great group of kids. We have a luau tonight-basically a game night with leis! We sing, we dance, we laugh, we build relationships with our students and helpers! We are truly " a sweet aroma" as well as salt and light and many other things!

We walk at least 1-2 hours per day from building to building, carrying armloads of supplies. Every minute is accounted for, from 7 am to at least 9 pm- then in our free time we prepare for the next day, wash our clothes in the sink, and sometimes even prank a teammate, but I can't say much about that! Our NLG team is great-everyone has been well. Getting over jet lag and adjusting to high elevation was not fun but we are great.

Our food is good (!) - Jason Pauff had the biggest chicken foot in his soup today-what a hoot!! We keep finding treasures- someone stumbled upon a coffee shop and that is the hot new spot when we have a free moment! Our lodging is "serviceable" let's say- you really wouldn't want to vacation here - haha- but it is fine for our purpose! Gotta run- off to afternoon activities- continue to think of us and ask for protection and fruitfulness and favor and team unity and good health! Xie xie :) love to all- Ceeeeeendy

2 Days Down..

The luau was a great hit - lots of parents came to watch. Apparently watching Americans do the limbo is more interesting than you might think! The kids are great- the little ones (5 & 6!) are a handful but they are impossibly cute-and smart! The older ones = hilarious! No where in America would 18 year old boys color and make birthday hats - but here, wonderful creativity and big smiles!

Everyone is remarkably well- exhausted- but well! We had "mien pien". for lunch today- I am sure I butchered the spelling but it was a Muslim dish, a spicy stew with square noodles. We topped that with a totally ITALIAN dinner- yes, I said Italian- authentic from anchovie to ziti- yummy and cheap- Angie and I ate two huge meals with COLD soda for under $15- so good. Such a treat! Justin had tiramisu - haha! It was a sweet moment to rest after a long hot day!

We literally run from place to place with bags and boxes a-flutter. No free-time, well, ever, except for an odd evening off now and again. Somehow our cool breezy paradise had a random heat wave and it was 93 today -yikes, no a/c, rooms on the 5th floor -yuck! It is also very active- dance, sports, games in the heat- PTL for college boys! Although....our favorite sports helper is a 72 year old man- the kids love him and he plays a mean game of basketball! Wow!

Former students are tracking us down- three kids from my class in '08 stopped by today with a cake they made for me - and a watermelon! Soooo precious. These kids take relationships very seriously and we keep in touch as we can. One boy is headed to the top university in the nation. Imagine his future- what a privilege to be counted his friend!

Being on a college campus every day, we see every part of society-from the very western businessmen and their shiny cars, to the well-dressed ladies in their high heels scurrying to work. The grandparents walking precious little toddlers. The elderly gathered on the grassy curbs, talking, visiting, laughing, enjoying the community. Young kids, zipping by on bikes or in packs, playing in the sun. Workers passed out under trees and carts, catching a nap in the hot sun. Little ladies sweeping the streets or selling their wares. Groups of men, cigarettes hanging out of their mouths, shirts rolled up so their bellies hang out, shooting the breeze on the corners. People ballroom dancing on the patios, teens rapping on the sidewalks, toddlers squealing as they play in the fountain! What a picture of life, community, and a people so impossibly different from us, yet the same on the inside. And loved and valued just as we are.
Still trying to post photos. I have to type out the blog on my blackberry (in my hot room, with my mosquito coil burning, laying on my inch-thick mattress with my bottle of warm water-lol) , then because the website is blocked (!) I forward it to my husband via email, who posts it to the blog. We feel like we have to download the photos from my camera to Jason's laptop, wait with dial-up internet, email them to don and hope he knows how to post them! Crazy! Keep thinking of us- we talk about "back home" a lot and miss our "normal" lives, but this is a wonderful chance to be a part of something much bigger than ourselves and our little daily piece of the journey! Hugs, miss Cindy and the X-Team!

Traumatic Tuesday!

Traumatic Tuesday!

Please don't stop remembering us each day!! We have dodged several bullets -well, not literal bullets, I thought maybe I should clarify :) - and I know for a fact that it has been the Hand of Protection over us. We had a child injured today- a 5-year-old- in, of all places, the craft activity- not in sports or running on the concrete or tripping while playing basketball- not even stabbed by craft scissors or poked with a pin - just a weird freak accident that I really can't go into via this venue. PTL, the child could have been seriously injured but he left with only a few scratches, his parents think he is fine, and he came to the evening activity - just Laura and I are still traumatized. Wow.

Otherwise, the classes are great, the team is the healthiest, happiest, most capable, servants I can remember. We have about 6-8 teen/college boys on our team and they won't let us carry a thing, they send us first through the meal lines and treat us like queens. Precious! Many of our former students are stopping in to visit- so great to see! These long-term relationships are wonderful - and fruitful!

I have some delightful pictures I will try to share when we can sync all the technology : Angie playing the hula hoop game, Justin jumping rope at the luau, Jason s dressed like Gilligan for our luau, Laura walking through a fountain, Jason p fishing out a GIANT chicken foot, complete with toenails, from his giant vat of soup at lunch, the team in our Hawaiian best for our game night and many more! We are having a great camp- please, as you can see, we need lots of partners at home !! Love from the X-Team!

First Day of School!

Classes started today. So far, things are looking better than I have ever seen! Great staff, great kids, great helpers, great weather- yes, the days are long and strenuous but the kids are worth it all. Precious!! Today we start the afternoon activities- Justin is on the 4th floor, Jason on the 5th- yikes!! I got the stinky room again- yeah for me and Laura!! My kids are awesome- so excited and happy! Angie got a new boy today- his English name is Tom Hanks. Need I say more? She has over 20 kids + several other jobs, plus the mosquitoes love her!! JP starts music today- he has been making friends all over town! Jason and Laura brought 8 suitcases so you know we have plenty of supplies :) they are awesome, as usual!! All is well- keep thinking of us and expecting great things!

Nihao! It is Angie, serving as Cindy's secretary for the day. I must take a moment to brag because we heard the weather in Columbus is 94... Well here it is in the low 70s with the most amazing breeze. Somehow I think many of you will sign up to join us in the future based on that alone! This morning was the opening ceremony for camp. We walked into a room full of about a hundred Chinese students|, every one cuter than the next! Class one is full of the tiniest little kids-cant speak a lick of English but they sure are precious...I'm currently throwing out clothes so that I can make room to fit one in my suitcase. I'm sort of kidding. After the ceremony we headed over to the school where our classes are held. Remember this is the land of the stair. I trudged up four flights of stairs to my classroom. Keep in mind we are at very high elevation so we get winded in no time. I am just thinking of China as a stellar weight loss program! I met with my class for the first time and I could not be more excited. I have a bunch of giggling 15-18 year olds, plus a teaching assistant with the best jersey accent ever. From southerners to jersey girls, we are excited to hear what our students will pick up! My students seem awesome-im especially amused by my students names this year- I have a girl named Hello Kitty and a boy named RU2. China is such an interesting place! Well I am headed to lunch- the rumor is that we have the exact same meal for lunch and dinner every day for 1o days: eggs and tomatoes, veggies, rice, and questionable chicken chunks. Where's general tso's you need it?? Everyone is doing great! We will check back in soon!

Nihao from across the ocean! After about 33 hours of travel, including a luxurious 4 hour stay at the newark airport, we arrived at our camp sweaty and exhausted! The weather was breezy mid-60's though so that was awesome! We are all checked in- our rooms are...ummmm.... Adequate. Yes. Adequate is good. Another team has communal showers, one shower every other day, and squattie potties! So we are happy enough! Lol!

Everyone made it here with no lost baggage- even a boy from va who had surgery was cleared to come in a few days! Everything is quite a walk- that + the thin air at 8000 feet means tired people. And the stairs- oh my! Bedroom on 4th floor, classrooms on 5th floor, several blocks to the campus and meals several times a day-what a fitness program! Jason P got the bachelor pad off campus with our chinese assistant- I am sure he will have some great stories!

Internet has been hard to get- forgive us. The blackberry has made a tremendous recovery and I am blogging in the dark on a 2-inch screen! Tomorrow is the opening ceremony plus setting up our classrooms and working with our felllow teachers. Think about us as we head into looooong days, lots of walking, unfamiliar surroundings- wow. Lots to overcome but we are happy to be here! Talk to you soon! Cindy and the X-team!

RIP Global Blackberry :(

Here is GB driving with me through Uganda - what a faithful friend. RIP Global Blackberry.... China just won't be the same without you...

6am...6am.....6am...

We meet at the airport at 6 am. I want to know why flights can't all leave at noon? Most of our team is probably doing what I am doing right now - obsessively trying to squash more and more stuff into our 50 lb bags.... I have to report a casualty that has really sent me into a tizzy - if you know me at all, you know I am attached to my Blackberry night and day - riding through the jungles of Uganda or on the streets of Paris, I am listening for that little beep. It makes me feel safe and connected to the world. My "port" is dying and it died too late for me to get a replacement phone. SO. breathe deeply. I may. be. on.a. mountain.in China. without.my. appendage... No checking Facebook. No blogging from a bus on a curvy road. No quick email while waiting in line at the Forbidden City. More than one person has implied divine justice. Perhaps. It probably IS an idol, certainly too important. But I must admit - I will give it CPR until the last bit of battery juice drains from it's sleek silver frame. Yes, we have other phones, we have a laptop, we have a phone store next door to our campus where I can use a community phone with a hoard of locals watching me with great delight. But it won't be the same. Sleep well good soldier - you have served me well. Give me three more weeks Global Phone...I am begging you.

Okay - enough of that - think of us as we fly off tomorrow. We have a good 36 hours or more of travel from Port Columbus to our final destination. We will be exhausted, smelly, giddy with sleep deprivation, starving, and bleary-eyed but excited to begin our camp. Last year we had donkey burgers on the plane - wonder what awaits us this year?? Follow our antics - we NEED your "thoughts",your comments, your cheers. Three weeks in a foreign land is a long time! Follow our friends in Uganda and Louisville as well - love you guys♥♥♥

Two More Weeks - Eeeeek!!

We have approached panic time. We have 2 weeks to go before we leave for Ch♥n♥a and most of us need to finish (or START!) our curriculum, pack everything we need to run a camp for 3 weeks into one (ONE!!!) 50 lb bag each, tie up all the loose ends here at home - leave notes and directions, find a dog sitter, switch on the int'l data pkg, and on and on..... This is definitely the craziest time of the trip - once we endure that 14 hour flight (ugh!!) and then another flight and get to our camp (after travelling about 36 hours or so, non-stop!!) and kick-off our camp we'll be doing GREAT! "Think" about us as we prepare and ask the HS to give us extra energy and clear thinking plus safe travel and efficient packing and good planning for camp. That we are open and available to all we might encounter and that the HS would go before us and prepare our way. We want to be a "sweet aroma" to those we meet, as well as light and salt - ask, too, for team unity and obedience and a great measure of love for our students! We'll update as we can - sometimes we find a computer in every corner, sometimes we have to huddle over a ch♥nese keyboard and hope the dial-up works - lol.