The Beauty of Familiar

This week is what we're considering a relatively "slow" week, meaning we will be at home for a luxurious consecutive four days. There's just something about having a space in the world that is your own . . . no matter where it is or what it looks like, it's your own. Although we have a full week of class and things to be done, we're home. In our space . . . able to rest, recharge, and reflect on all that's been swirling within and around us.

I feel like for me, I can balance a hectic lifestyle if a few constants can be sustained. This morning, after a run and trip to the market (have I mentioned I L-O-V-E the market?) - I felt like I could conquer the world. Being able to pound some pavement and chat briefly with my friend "the bean lady" was sweet to my soul. Those moments of just doing regular, ordinary things . . . afford me the opportunity to treasure how blessed we are to be here. I love being in a place and season of my life where I can't help but recognize how the Lord is truly present,  almost as if He's unavoidable.  Isn't it funny how ultimately He is most present when we aren't? And how He pours out and sustains in ways we've previously missed once we relinquish our sense of self and control?

This week's trip to the high school also provided some reassuring familiarity. The sea of faces weren't so daunting, the task of teaching English to students who giggle shyly at just saying their name didn't seem quite so impossible.  While we undoubtedly have much, MUCH to learn in so many areas, it's nice to do know you can do somethings. I know that if nothing else, I can act out vocabulary words and get a laugh from 25 SE Asian high school students.  But it's also nice to know that there are plenty of things that we absolutely cannot do or accomplish. Each day I find myself trying to live in that tension - confident in what little I can do, but humbly accepting all that I cannot and leaning fully into He who provides.

One of our views at the school . . . not bad, huh?

Thankfully, in all of this, there is such a beautiful familiarity. Blanketed across the challenges and treasures of each day, is the familiarity of a God who knows me, and has seen me through countless peaks and valleys. I love knowing that at whatever end of the competency scale that day finds me . . . I am wholly and deeply loved. I am accepted with all of my faults, fears, and failures - and am able to celebrate all that I am not with a God who is.

These days I'm contemplating just how it is that God makes a place so foreign so familiar. And how it is that when He turns the nastiness of my heart inside out, I see Him in a whole new glorious light. There are so many things about myself, God, and this place that I wonder if I'll ever understand, but for now, for today - I'm content in knowing that regardless of how dark or sunny my days are, He knows me and walks close beside. That my friends, is a truth I know and relish in any culture or language.

Whew.

Lord have mercy, where to begin.

First, let me give you a brief run down of the previous week. And this is just the past seven days, not at all counting the days previous it took just to prepare for all of this madness!

- find/sign/move to a new apartment (same city, new digs) * Tim Heinze = our hero/translator/dongxi helper/team member extraordinaire
- locate/purchase/arrange new house things into a livable state
- teach English classes at a high school a few hours away for 3ish days

- return and begin shopping/planning/cooking for Baxter's birthday bash
- have said birthday bash with 14 friends and all kinds of fun (and not to toot my own horn, but can I mention we had pulled pork, burgers, apple pie, hummus and MUCH more deliciousness for his highness? What the heck, TOOT! TOOT!)

 

- host our dear friend/supervisor from our fellowship in Texas for 2 days

 . . . and somewhere in here I think we had class . . . but honestly I'm not quite sure. So yes, things have been hoppin' around here, but we honestly couldn't be happier. We LOVE our new place, had a BALL at the party, and were SO grateful to see our buddy Dave. We're heading out again Friday for another weekend of teaching, and then hopefully/maybe/doubtfully some semblance of a routine will return.

On a random cultural note, today is Mid-Autumn Festival - which in our understanding is an excuse to get off work, eat moon cakes (get it? the autumn moon? took me a while), and celebrate with friends.  This is one of the boxes of moon cakes we received:

And here is a picture of what one of these semi-tasty goodies looks like:

I think this box was fruit flavored, which trust me, was WAY better than the meat flavored box we got. But don't worry, we have also celebrated the beginnings of fall in typical American fashion . . .

Some things never change - Happy Mid-Autumn Festival and Roll Tide!!

Meet Ma'Lady

She's a beaut, isn't she? 

As Baxter and I are about to move to a new apartment, we realized we both could use some wheels to aid us in getting around. Let's just say when I saw this little lady I was done shopping. I call her Tink, partially because of her lovely little bell that I thoroughly enjoy using, but also because she does have some "clankety-clank-TINK" type noises she lets out to let me know a large hill is not easy on a one-speed.  Used is used, but I am THRILLED with my new wheels - it's amazing how much smaller the world becomes with a little mobility! Well, me and Tink are off to conquer another day of moving. She moved my mop and cleaning supplies like a champ, but I wonder if she could handle a microwave . . . hmmm . . . .

The Potty, The Perv, and the Wardrobe

Sheesh, my life is good - if for no other reason than I can have blog titles like that. And yes, that title does in fact describe some of my recent experiences.

We are in the process of looking for a new apartment as the lease (read: prepaid & FREE) on our current location is about to expire. It can be a bit of chore to find a place, and as is true anywhere, it's all about whats available when - and how much you're willing to pay for said availability. Thankfully, we have wonderful friends and teammates who recently made moves of their own, and are willing to help us negotiate the finer points of contracts and "ma-tongs". (This is a word we love - its the word for Western toilet, which literally translates as horse bucket. Fantastic).

The whole process is really quite similar to the US, you meet some agent at a real estate office who shuffles you around to various apartments, all in various states and ends of your price range. Like many homes for sale or rent, previous owners leave a sundry of items behind . . . occasionally making you wonder if that particular locale is inhabited by squatters. And if I'm entirely forthright, the left behind "treats" have always given me the creeps. When you're looking to buy or rent something, you're trying to picture it as yours, not try and figure out what was for dinner based on the dirty plates in the sink.

Last week we had the pleasure of looking at one such apartment, and despite the remaining personal items strewn about, it was a great size and layout.  It was advertised as as a 3 BR/2 BA (I know! We're moving up in size from the 'Ville!), but after an initial walk through we only found 1 bathroom, and not with the advertised horse bucket.

That is, until Baxter opened the built in wardrobe in the master bedroom. Yes, exactly like the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe . . . a secret world lay behind those doors. Unfortunately, it was a secret world we wished we'd never seen. Our friend Tim walks in first (I'll admit, I was already freaked out, it was really dark!) and just dies laughing. He tells us he's found the bathroom and the matong, but we weren't too sure when he emerges with tears in his eyes doubled over in laughter. After steeling ourselves for what might lie ahead we all nervously shuffle in, totally unsure of what might be so funny. Sure enough, there on a TILE on the wall of the shower, was a picture of an asian woman . . . and not just any picture, but you know, one of "those" kind of pictures.

(Yes, this is way WAY more tasteful than what was in the shower.) After our own uproarious/uncomfortable laughter, we came back into the bedroom to realize . . . hmmm . . . the bed is on a funny platform . . . and what are those bottles next to the bed . . .NOPE, definitely not going to look around ANY more!!

Thankfully, that was one of the more eventful apartments we've looked at, and we feel quite confident we can find an apartment WITHOUT such "personal" items left behind.  I thought all such silliness was behind us, until today I passed a butt/buck (your choice) naked man walking down the street.  I couldn't decide what was weirder, that he was naked walking down the street in a city full of clothed people, or that he was tan everywhere. But don't worry, he passed me heading right towards the block where the police station was . . . I doubt his "personal" parade made it much farther.

Here's to hoping for week without seeing any naked Asians . . . or naked anyone for that matter!