I've finally realized the actuality of the situation: God is working. In you, and around you despite your best efforts. No matter how lazy you are, no matter what excuses you make to yourself. You can justify anything. But when it comes down to it, you've gotta saddle up and get to business. The field is there. The gears are constantly in motion. The game is being played. The ride is moving, do you wanna get on?

I recently read a quote by Da Vinci that I liked:
"O Lord, thou givest us everything at the price of an effort."

Don't Ask Me Why He Needs To Be So Free...

Back in Yichang.
everything was a mess and i stepped on a cockroach with my bare feet.
spent a few days to clean up, the apartment, not the cockroach. water pipe busted in the bathroom, then the toilet stopped working. not that it matters, because the water doesnt run in our apartment today anyways, should u need to relieve yourself. Across the square u go. Good thing we have friends in this city.

But i am happy to be back. Learned a few things already, like, the latest in Contact Fashion. If you are Chinese, you like, totally have to use a stick to put your contact in your eye. Fingers are like, such a thing of the past.
Also, the students are pleasently surprised that i dont have a beancurd on my face anymore (a beard). they like for me to look younger apparently.
New food in the city: Popcorn chicken, sold in a bag at the big grocery store downtown. Ill write it again for added effect: popcorn chicken, in a sealed bag. that is unheard of. note: our town ultimately still is not that big, things really are changing.
teaching: right now i just have ten hours, postgraduate, and its only wednesday and thursday, which is amazing and i really hope nothing changes.
Year 3: Let the games begin.

"Give what you can, Take nothing back..."

I went through a rough time spiritually for the last period of time. Its hard because you have to reconcile what your're here to do with your own struggles.

But recently i have been overwhelmed with the immense love and blessing in the people in my life. Thank God we dont get what we deserve.

Beth, Katie, Kim and I will leave for Beijing, Tianjin, Sri Lanka, then mainly for India tomorrow evening on the night train. Amy will go home.

Ted and Karen don't yet know about Sri Lanka...

Why Don't I Write Blogs?

oh. ill never have internet again.

Just Watch The Fireworks

Another year in Yichang seems amazing. Another year of regrets of not writing in my blog for the millions upon millions of ridiculous things that happen here everyday.

Last night was the Yichang Tourism Festival/Fireworks display on the Yangtze for National Day. That means what seems like millions of yichang locals, and 5 foreigners, should cram themselves into the smallest area of shirtless sweaty suffocation as possible. This makes that one Who concert look like the desert.

So, large numbers of people in close areas is never good. Of course, behind a fight breaks out. A lil scary. Then, they are selling these traditional "Chinese Lanterns" (picture included) that you send wishes into the atmosphere on. Its so unique and looks very "China Traditional" but, they are sorta hard to get to take off. You light an actual flame in a paper bag basically, and the principle is like a hot air balloon. Unfortunately, they dont always take off too well and the flames catch the paper lantern and so you have these fireballs falling from the sky onto the crowds. If they just moved the vendors closer to the river, away from the crowds, it wouldne be a problem. But, as in everything else here, no foresight. We would rather burn people alive. At one point, a lantern caught fire and went down into a tree, at the public park! The tree was on fire! Unbelievable.

So, a long night to be sure. But a good experience, i guess. Fireworks are fun. I realize now that i have NO desire to be in Beijing for the Olympics. I mean, that many people, power in numbers. Security doesnt stand a chance.

National Day holiday starts tomorrow and we will go to Xi'an. Excited.

Zhong Qiu Jie Kuai Le!

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! Or Happy Moon Festival!

It was another wonderful tuesday of 8 hrs of teaching, but today was extra special. It seems a famous chinese hero (famous for shooting down 9 suns with his bow to cool the atmosphere) was given medicine to make him and his lover immortal. She took both the doses and flew to the moon. He could never reach her again...

On this day, we should gaze upon the same bright (FULL!) moon our loved ones do oh so far away. It is hope for reunion.

Practically what this means is we get tons of "moon cakes." That is, small round fig newtonesque type things with EVERYTHING under the sun inside. A Chinese friend basically related that "if you can dream it, we can shove it in a mooncake."

Soon it will be National Holiday and we will have 7 days of travel. We will go to Xian, where u can find the famous Terracotta Warriors... pretty excited.

in 8 hrs i will wake up and scare the tar out of my post graduate students again...

The Final Frontier

I saw stars in China for the first time tonight...