Laughter and Dumps.

Hello, Little Blog.

I have wonderful news: I bought a camera! Finally I can document life again! yayyyy. I have felt lost for several weeks without one and now feel the need to take a picture of everything. haha. Well, yesterday (Sunday) 12 of my students from last year, and one from this year, came to my home to make dumplings and hang out. I had not seen some of them in about 7 months, so it was a great reunion. They surprised me on Saturday with a text saying, "we will come to your house tomorrow, ok?" and I was like, well, that doesn't give me much time to clean! haha. That's the way things work around here though, not much time to prepare.

They showed up Sunday afternoon with pre-made dumpling filling and everything needed for a dumpling bonanza. They stayed for about 6 hours of laughter, catching up, and reminiscing about "the good old days" (aka - english class circa 2008-2009 when I had no idea what I was doing and filled up my classes with prancing around the room smiling at my students).

Here is some photographic evidence of our afternoon filled with 200 dumplings:

Mike with the first batch of dumps:

everybody loves Mirabelle:

hard at work on the 3rd (or 4th or 5th) batch:

Today I received this email from a student about the afternoon:

"Dear Jessica,

Thank you for your kind day,I am so glad that I have seen your personal colorful life,Which

beyond my imagination,This is true of you ,so cool.I have not known that you have been so many places

in China,you chinese have improved so much,when I told you somthing that I can not impress clearly ,

you could understand me ,that feeling is so wonderful.

Although you single now ,but I see your optimistic,cheerful attitude,and your life be so colorful ,I am so glad you could lead such a wonderful life!

Tomorrow will be better and better,Let us come on!

Love you!

Oh，I nearly foret ,send me photoes we took at last ,It will be a good merory in my heart!

Amy"

Precious. Love it.

Thanks for the perspective, Amy.

Cheers. xo.

Oh Yes.

I am having an, "I'm obsessed with my life in China" day.

There's a 4 inch bow in my hair, green tea in my water bottle, and a thousand fresh oranges in my kitchen.

I would have skipped down the street today if my leather 3 inch boots would have let me.

Thanks for a great day, China. Let's keep 'em coming.

Florida...

See you in 40 days.

(but who's counting?)

I decided to come home. Actually, my guts decided for me. I called Dad and told him that I was not coming home, I was going to Thailand to teach poor children and travel to new countries and not waste my traveling years and I felt guilty taking a huge hand-out from my parents and blah blah blah.

Well as soon as we hung up I new I made the wrong decision. I felt that gut feeling of, "whooops, you just chose the wrong door."

So, I am coming home. January 13-27 (wednesday to wednesday). It will be a total of 12 days at home, 2 days flying, which means absolutely no time to recover from jet lag at all. (It will have to be a mental battle, for sure). I will be in New Port Richey and I won't have a car, but I will try to go to St. Augustine for one of the weekends.

Because I am coming home at the mid-way point this year, I am unsure if I will come home this summer. I am still debating whether to keep this going or move back into the flailing American economy with no assets and a general masters degree, but no matter the final decision is come June, (my contract ends June 30th), I want to spend next summer traveling.

But for now, I need a break. Life in China is like constantly holding your breath, and I need to exhale. I was trying to think about what I would regret most. Would I regret going home and not using the time to explore this corner of the world? Or would I regret going traveling and not spending time with my family. I couldn't figure it out.

So in the end I chose family over Thai babies. New Port Richey over Mongolia.

Actually, I will still get to travel to Malaysia and Thailand for a week thanks to cheap flight deals and an extra week before I spend Chinese New Year with a Chinese friend, so the wanderlust in me will still be satisfied. Just on a lesser scale than originally planned.

Someone else will teach the children. For now, I need my country, my family, and my home. There's no price tag on that.

see you soon!

cheers. xo.

thanks for sharing, friend.

I will grow.
I will become something new and grand,
but no grander than I now am.
Just as the sky will be different in a few hours,
its present perfection and completeness
is not deficient, so am I presently perfect
and not deficient because
I will be different tomorrow.

~Wayne Dyer

basketball and life choices.

I am sitting here in my pajamas on a Thursday afternoon, recovering from a 100degree fever (well really, 37 degree because I live in celcius world) and thinking about my budget for Christmas decorations. Today I am making a trip to Walmart to stock up on supplies to make my home look festive! I'm stoked! I am having some Chi.nese friends over this weekend and I want my house to be in the spirit of the season so they can experience it a little bit. haha.

Well, these weeks are interesting for me. I have decided that this semester of my life will go down in the "Jessica's history book" as equal parts wonderful, strange, and mystifying.

I still have not had my thesis approved and we are at the deadline. I am supposed to graduate with a master's degree in 3 weeks, we'll see if that happens (ahhhh). My broken foot (remember that one?) has taken a turn for the worse after an orphan baby jumped on it while I was sitting side style on the floor last week. It sent me a few weeks back in the healing process, which is disheartening, but in the end I am still happy that I can wear my high heeled boots! (PTL for Clarks!) The orphan Christmas party is next week and I haven't planned a thing, or clued in any of the international mom's to it's existence (oops) and I have a new job tutoring some kids who can't speak a word of english because I am brooooke. They are so cute, though. Just mute. I am in charge of the chu.rch Christmas party with a team of others and I basically have been MIA while figuring out thesis junk (sorry guys). Oh-and I'm a college professor. AND I learned how to knit. I'm about 1/8 done with a beautiful green fuzzy concoction. And my rabbit has no food. Oops, gotta work on that one today.

So. That is my life. It's wonderful. and a mess. And I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, I take that back, I would like to have my thesis approved. STAT. Ya hear that invisible advisor in California....? Approve it. Thanks.

Here's some photos my students sent to me from a basketball game my friend Rebecca, another foreign teacher, and I went to yesterday. It was the annual freshman graduate student basketball game. Each major plays each other and Rebecca and I had students on each team so we went to cheer the xuesheng's on! Precious souls. My job makes my life here wonderful. That is one thing I think I may have trouble finding the rest of my life - a job with such a high job satisfaction rate. The job satisfaction here is limitless. And for that, I am thankful.

The losing team: sweet peas. (I'm hiding in the back right)

And the winning team: (again, hiding)...

I am missing you all greatly. I am truly happy to be here today, though. And I hope you feel the same, wherever you are.

xoxo. cheers.

Where in the world...?

It's that time of year again!

Probably one of my favorite parts about living in China and one of the reasons why I stayed this year and what could potentially be a major factor in me staying longer (aiiiyyiyi)....dun dun dun...

SPRING FESTIVAL PLANNING! I live for this.

Because of the gloriousness that is my job, I get 6 weeks (paid) holiday from January 1st to February 21st. Ya, its rough out here. :) haha. Though I make absolutely dirt change as a salary, I have scrapped together enough yuans to start setting my sights on traveling. It's time to plan!

It is an incredible feeling to be able to go anywhere you want. The world suddenly becomes very small and I realize that anywhere I want to go is only a plane ride away. It's true fact. The day before Thanksgiving I found myself in a familiar place: staring at the world map on Google Maps and trying to decide where I want/can afford/feel like jaunting off to for the long holiday. I literally looked up flights to Australia, New Zealand, Bali, and Singapore, before deciding on a path that I want to take for this trip. I feel responsibility to myself and my family to use this time wisely, to not take for granted this gift of time that I have to travel and learn about our amazingly complex world.

I have been getting an itch to get out of Asia. I need...civilization. I also have been feeling the desire for a long, solo journey. I recently came upon this book: Flying Solo: 50 places for solo woman travelers and have been inspired to try my hand at a distance journey alone. I want to go on a long trip that has a clearly defined starting and ending point and to maneuver myself through the obstacles along the way (language, housing, eating, surviving, etc). I think a solo journey would be perfect for this pivotal point in my life - a chance to reflect, pray, and be alone in my thoughts as I try to decide what it is I really want to live for and how I should continue moving forward through this thing called life. There's a lot of decisions I have to make in the near future about where to live and what to do as a job. I think that dedicating myself to a sojourn would be an incredible life-affirming and radical experience.

I also am worn out of just jaunting around the globe, showing up in places for a few days, eating, drinking, dancing, taking photos, and then moving on to the next big thrill. It is almost as if living here and traveling so much has made me not appreciate the awesomeness of some of the things I have seen. I remember the first time I saw the Great Wall of China, I was riding a bus with my fellow Global Project'ers in 2007 and as we rounded the corner the wall came into view: I stopped my feet on the bus floor and about burst out of my chest with excitement. I need to have that feeling again while witnessing the wonders of our world.

I also have the desire to just find a place and plant myself. I desire to grow roots in a new place and travel with a conscience...really making a tangible difference wherever I am and not just traveling for pleasure and adrenaline and sightseeing.

So, these are the two extremes of travel I am wrestling with now...do I go on a soul-searching journey and risk loneliness and failure, or do I volunteer my time in one place and risk boredom and monotony?

I have researched my two best options based on budget and what I want out of my life and they are:

Solo Journey: The Trans-Mongolian Railway from Moscow to Beijing. I would fly from Shanghai to Moscow (have to get a Russian and Mongolian visa - kind of tricky as an American with a Chinese address) and then train from Moscow to Beijing, passing through Mongolia. This journey would take a little over 2 weeks and would cost about $1100. It would be constant movement (literally, even though there are periods of 2 days on a train, sitting). It has high potential for travel-related stress as I would be having to feed myself and make sure I have the right tickets and I don't speak/read Russian or Mongolian. But, I love travel stress, it's actually comfortable for me. I love the rush of surviving, but not sure where the next meal or bed is going to be. (cue: Ta.iwan '09).

or the other option:

Volunteering in one place: A friend of mine cued me into an organization called Volunthai, which is an organization that places volunteers to live with host families in a poor, rural, non-tourist part of North Eastern Thailand. These volunteers act as English teachers at large public schools. You can stay for any length of time, the cost is $275 up to one month, including food and trips. So with a cheap plane ticket from Chi.na, the over all cost would be about $650 for one month. Volunteers spend 4 hours a day teaching and have the weekends free to explore or have extracurricular activities with the Thai people/family/students, etc. It seems to be a cultural immersion experience and would be difficult because I am so immersed in Chi.nese culture that the idea of starting over in another asian culture is a little daunting. I would live with a Thai family, eat all my meals with them, and basically just chill out with this family. It could get emotionally exhausting. But teaching the students would be incredible. the website is here: www.volunthai.com.

So, friends, what should I do?!?! Help me decide! Do I travel across the continent solo, or plant myself in Thailand as a teacher? I am burdened by possibility. It's a big deal for me to decide because I want to be a good steward of my time, money, and energy. I never want to lose sight that there is a higher purpose for everything - especially travel.

What kind of stories should I create to share with my grandkids? (will I have grandkids if I keep this up...? that's for another blog post...haha)

Where should I go from January - February 2010?!

A: Trans-Mongolian

B: Thailand

Cast your votes now...

Holiday Season Abroad: Round Two

So, frankly speaking, spending the holiday season in a country with completely foreign holidays/ethics/freedoms/manners/language/toilet habits is a little depressing. I seriously have been debating (as I did last year) of simply ignoring every major holiday and going about my life like they don't exist. Pilgrims? Who are they? Christmas? That's everyday. No need for tinsel and lights. Valentines Day? Nope. Easter...I already own a bunny. And she's responsible for the destruction of my kitchen floorboards, which means Easter is definitely out.

But as good as that sounds to bypass the 'holidays abroad depression', I am deciding to half-heartedly embrace this holiday season as I did last year. It is even harder this year because my sis won't be making the journey across the ocean to me for Christmas (you suck, Jennifer). Which means first Christmas alone. In freakin Chin.a. (the Motherland and I are not getting along quite well these days, but I am sure it will pass after Christmas/people stop hawking loogies/they start making size 10 shoes/my broken foot fully heals/my thesis gets approved.

So...in order to harness the Thanksgiving spirit that is so prevalent on facebook (torture, btw) I have decided to suck it up and make a list of the things that I truly am thankful for here in the Red Country.

So, without further ado...

1. Hairwashers.

The metrosexual men who have prettier hair than most Ameri.can women always make my day. The fact that there is a hair shop every 10 feet makes my walks to the grocery store very entertaining. I get my hair washed about once a week, not because of cleanliness but because the crowd around my chair is so entertaining. A-symmetrical hair on asian men is mmmmmmm amasian.

2. Pedigree dog milk chews.

My rabbit is 20 pounds because of these things. And they cut down on the amount of carrots I have to buy each week. (my rabbit is the size of a small dog).

3. Wine in a can. (also known as WIC amongst some circles)

The carbonated, 3% alcohol, canned goodness is what keeps me above water some days. Pop open a can of "rose sparkling" and people around you suddenly wonder where they can get some of that. This stuff should be exported.

4. My Hello Kitty blanket.

It's cold. I have no heat. I love my blanket I bought off the street from some person selling blankets off their motor bike. Nothing like a bright pink hello kitty to make falling asleep cold a little more bearable. I looove it.

5. Hair jewelry.

Asians know how to accessorize. It's a rare day there's not a flower on my head. For any occasion. I never plan on giving this up as long as I am under 100 years old. It's so fun.

6. 7 quai (1 dollar) pirated dvd's.

These suckers might be illegal in most countries, but I am indulging while I am here.

7. New Zealand butter.

I only buy milk and butter from New Zealand. After the milk sc.andal last year, I'm not taking my chances. Who wants plastic in their milk? And for some reason I feel really exotic buying the NZ dairy products. It makes me feel cool, like my shopping cart is multi-cultural.

8. Blind massages.

Every needs to have this experience in their life. Blind people beating you til you bruise then laughing at how "da" (big) your butt is as they knead your (my) fat. It is life changing.

9. Chou mien. (fried noodles)

I could eat this every second for the rest of my life. And then ask for more in Heaven.

10. H&M

This mega store opened 2 weeks ago and I have already gotten another job to support my shopping habit. I can actually buy clothes that fit! This is revolut.ionary. Hangzhou is moving up in the world, and I plan to take full advantage as much as my meager paycheck allows.

This is my top ten random things that I am thankful for as I am writing this. Of course, there are other things like, my amazing students, my friends, the ability to learn Chinese, my church family, my tutees, my amazing apartment, and the excitement of living a true life adventure.

I hope that you all have a wonderfully happy Thanksgiving. Spend it with the ones you love.

I'll be at the all you can eat/drink Japanese restaurant drowning my sorrows in Japanese beef, fried rice, and sake.

Maybe next year, there will be turkey. Who knows. Gobble Gobble.