Chyeah.

MMM! Yeah. Mumford. This is how I'm feeling.

Merry Christmas!

THIS is what Christmas is about. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

I. LOVE. YOUUUUU!!!

I don't know a better send off than what I got from these kids! They are my cute 2nd graders and I already miss them so much. I have a video of almost all of my classes and I'm finding myself watching them over and over.

Our last night in Tongcheng we went to our headmaster/Dumbledore's wedding. Hahahaha oh man. What the experience. First, they asked Maddy and I to sing so we prepared to sing "Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis and we had harmonies planned and everything. But then, this piano guy there was like "Oh! I can just improv it and accompany you." And we're thinking that he has got mad talent skills...plus we didn't have much say in the matter. So then we sing our song. And. Just be glad we forgot to record it because it was a train wreck!! I dunno if the applause was just a courtesy clap or what but I was trying SO hard not to laugh while singing.

And then there was so much smoking that when we took pictures, they all turned out blurry. GROSS!! My clothes and my hair smelled sooooo bad. Speaking of cigarettes, the couple played this game, if you will, where each held one end of a string in their mouths and in the middle was a lit cigarette and they had to light a candle with the cigarette. I mean, I've never seen THAT before. And then there was lots of karaoke. It was interesting!

The next morning we said good-bye to Annie, our best friend and liaison. I will miss her, our school and our students so, SO, much. My experience in China has been life-changing. Even though it was so hard, it was worth every little frustration and sadness. And I CAN'T wait for the day when I get to see those people again, whether it's here on earth or in Heaven. And then we'll be able to understand each other.

And I am so much more grateful for America. Man, I love this place. AMURICA!

Share YOU.

Continuing with my TED Talk OBSESSION, here's another! These are the perfect pick-me-ups and help me feel smart, especially since I've been away from school. TED Talks just make me feel so sophisticated and empowered. This one is so inspiring and goes along with a lot of my thoughts. Take a gander:

Why do we love? Why is it so important for us to love? Why can't we just sit around and do what we [assume we] want? What would happen if we all went about our daily lives without human interaction, without thinking about others, without loving? 

These are questions I've been studying in my mind for probably the past six months. After being stripped from all whom I loved and loved me and being plopped into a foreign country with people that I couldn't understand, I have come to learn how vital love is. We simply can't live without giving and receiving it.

I remember when us kids begged my parents for a dog and they told us we would have to remember to feed and water it and do all the little chores to take care of it--like something we call "poop patrol" which consists of picking up our dog's poop in the backyard. But, most importantly, they said we had to love our dog, or else the dog would die. 

And I think humans are just like that, too. We need love. It's what propels our lives.

But this love must be shown, or it is nothing. Shakespeare puts it best: "They do not love that do not show their love."

People are SO amazing. There is something worth discovering in everyone, and in order to do that we gotta step outside of ourselves and love. The human heart is more beautiful than any of us know. So here is a video to inspire you to share YOU. Because human interaction is such a blessing and enriches life.

Timshel

I feel like I have a renewed appreciation for humanity lately. People are just so magnificent. The fact that we get to live our lives as we choose and so often people choose to live a life that I think God would have us live--to be inspiring and share ourselves. 

I was talking to Shelby about this (visit her blog here, I know you won't regret it), and she reminded me of this quote on the meaning of the word Timshel from East of Eden, by John Steinbeck:

"I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed— because ‘Thou mayest.’"

The band, Mumford & Sons, so beautifully depicts a picture of someone who understands the meaning of Timshel. That "thou mayest" do as you choose, not one person determines your own destiny and to support those around us in what they choose.

Cold is the water
It freezes your already cold mind
Already cold, cold mind
And death is at your doorstep
And it will steal your innocence
But it will not steal your substance


But you are not alone in this
And you are the mother
And these are what make man great
His ladder to the stars


And you are not alone in this
As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand
Hold your hand

The mother of your baby child
The one to whom you gave life
And you have your choices
But you are not alone in this
And you are not alone in this
As brothers we will stand and we'll hold your hand
Hold your hand

And I will tell the night Whisper, "Lose your sight"
But I can't move the mountains for you

[Just a side note that goes along with this post: when our friends are going through a hard time, "{we} can't move the mountains for {them}" but we can "hold {their} hand."  Again, well said. Marcus (as in Marcus Mumford this time.)]

I read a quote that was along the lines of: "Often we think there are only a few people that are actual geniuses, when really, there's a genius inside all of us that we can tap in to." And I think it's the same with inspiration. It is inside each of us to be inspirational, and we may or may not tap into it, but we can by sharing our talents and spiritual gifts.

Here's the connection between Timshel and the inspiration found in human souls: we all have our agency, we are "things to act, not be acted upon," which makes us all truly inspirational beings.

The here. The now.

With only one week left in China, I'm finding myself anxious to see my family but so sad to leave my students and this land that I've called home for the past few months. I am sad to leave my kids, so thrilled to see my family, and excited to see what adventures await!

I look back at the past few months and see times of confusion, hilarity, feeling lost, belonging, missing the hearts of family and friends, and cultivating new bonds with the hearts of the people here, old and young. It's been a BIG adventure and I've loved all the exploring and problem-solving and drinking in the sights, the feels, and the sounds of China.

I look forward to and am excited for the future. I'm armed with new knowledge I gained here in China that I can use for the rest of my life. I'm excited to create my own adventures in the coming chapters of my life. I can't wait to pick up more people to join me in this adventure and get to know more of God's children--whether it be in America or somewhere else in this world. 

And what about now? We can't just look at the past and the future with out looking at the present. Then we are just unhappy. The present is where life happens. Even though it's so sad to say good-bye to my students, I'm grateful for the extra love that is given and received. Even when I'm not teaching, I'm thankful for the time I have to think and learn about all sorts of different things in this world. Even though I'm SO excited to see my family and have all the other things that come with going home, I'm grateful for this time--this small thread in the elaborate tapestry of time that I can savor and reflect.

I have so many thoughts and feelings about this and I've been pouring over LDS Conference talks, web articles, quotes, and TED talks to learn how others live in the present, remember the past, and prepare for the future. One of my favorite lines from Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol puts perfectly how I am feeling (especially with Christmas just around the corner!): 

“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.”

I am so grateful for my mind, to be able to recall the past and learn from it. I am so grateful I can set goals for the future and have hope for things to come. And lastly, I am so grateful for my heart, that I can love the people and the places that are now and take in every moment little by little because this life is a tremendous gift. 

Definition of Courage

"Tell the story of who you are, with your whole heart...Let [yourself] be seen,deeply seen; love with [your] whole heart, even though there's no guarantee." --Brene Brown

Xi'an

This past weekend we went to Xi'an. The first capital of China, famous for it's food, old city wall, pure Chinese atmosphere with a hint of Muslim and it's very welcoming people. Seriously, so many random people welcomed us on the streets. I liked it. Oh, and the Terracotta Warriors are just a bus ride away. I'll just say it was a great weekend. Let me break it daaaayown for ya.

THE MARKET:

Where is all the good food in Xi'an, do you wonder? In the Muslim Quarter. So freaking dericious. Xi'an was the beginning (or ending?) of the Silk Road back in the day so there are a lot of Chinese Muslims. And do they know how to COOK. Let me count the ways:

1-- Huang Gui. I found out what this was actually called via the internet. Yay technology! This was our all-time favorite. It's persimmons dough stuffed with sugar and nuts and yumminess and then fried. So greasy. So good. There's a reason it's number 1. A definite must-try. If you don't try this when you go to Xi'an, you are dead to me.

2--These yummy meat sandwiches. Soft, thick, warm pita-like bread (for some reason I wanna call it Peeta bread. It was THAT good.), stuffed with juicy pinkish brisket-like meat. So flipping good.

3--So, you take some rice germ ish stuff and steam it. Then you get to choose a jelly to put on it and dip it in sugar and peanuts. If you dip it in grape or strawberry it tastes like PB&J!!! So good.

4--Strawberries on a stick dipped in hot sugar so it hardens and it's crunchy and juicy and yummy.

Lots of other good food was there too! We got classic home-made noodles with egg and tomato. Also a fave. But the dishes I listed were unique to Muslim Quarter. At least that I know of. 

We also did lots of shopping! I got lots of gifts for people and some pretty paintings for my future home. It was by far the best market I've been to.

THE WARRIORS:

Once upon a time we almost didn't get to see the Warriors. Translation: Once upon a time I almost had a heart attack. 

It was Saturday, our last day in Xi'an. Maddy and I were out grabbing lunch when Shelby and Marissa arrived. They had talked to the hostel which told them that we wouldn't be able to get to the Warriors before they closed because we'd have to take an hour bus ride through the city and then another bus to the site. After they called and said this terrible news, my mind was 80% made up that we wouldn't see the Warriors. But our hope encouraged us to just ask one more time. We got to the hostel and talked to them and proposed different ways to get to the Warriors quicker. And GUESS WHAT. We found a way!!!!! You could say a short taxi ride, a bus, and our legs got us there. But what REALLY got us there was our hearts, our hope, and our prayers.

Let me tell you, seeing the Terracotta Warriors was a million times more significant because of this little trial. They were surreal. Of course, you need the history in order to truly appreciate it. If you didn't it would just be dirt. But it was so magnificent. I had chills running up and down my body thinking about how these were real people, with real lives--ancestors to people we've met in China. And their spirits were probably watching us and being there with us and feeling what we were feeling. It was very powerful. And it was so wonderful to share it with my friends. 

...Aaaaand I got a student discount. Which is worth mentioning because I used my driver's license to get in because my student card is in America. BAM. Didn't know the difference! 

THE PEOPLE:

I dunno if it was the Christmas Spirit or what, but people were noticeably nicer to us. So many people welcomed us to Xi'an.

One guy gave us an old book! Which was nice...we think. It could be Anti-American literature for all we know. We left it at the hostel anyway. 

This cute old man on a bike and beret helped us find the Muslim Quarter (hahaha, we still needed help but his company was nice!) 

We had lots of opportunities to give and to help and it was wonderful to see the smiles on people's faces. And in turn, we saw people serve others, too!

There was so much good to see. One day, Maddy and I were just wandering when we stumbled upon a small Buddhist temple. We heard singing and we thought it was coming from one of those walk-mans that older Chinese people love to carry around. But, no. It was a lady, about 50, singing in front of the Buddhist statue. It was so beautiful to see her devotion and outwardly show her love for what she believed in. It was very powerful. 

Not only were the Chinese great, but we met some pretty great people in our hostel, too. That's one of my favorite things about travelling this way, you get to meet people who have the same dreams as you. I could stay up talking forever with these people, learning about their lives and travels. 

This is all just a fraction of Xi'an. It was so hard to narrow down what I wanted to say just in this blog post! It was the perfect last trip in China before I head out. Which is crazy. Imma cry and miss my students. And I'm sure once I get back to America I'll have withdrawals. But I sure am excited to see my family again.

The Power of Food

Being in China has made me so much more grateful to be from America. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE China so very very much. But, I am an AaaaaMURican through-and-through. I have fallen in love with America. Rather, I have discovered the love and the patriotism that was inside of me. And it's cool to see the parallels between my first year living in Provo and this time living in China. Last year I fell in love with Kaysville. This year I fell in love with America. It's funny the things I've taken for granted in life. And just because I miss one place, doesn't mean I can't be happy where I am at right now.

Right now I feel like I'm sort of in limbo in China. The end is drawing near and I've accomplished a lot and can see how much I've grown. I've been able to visit all the places I wanted (Almost, Terracotta Warriors next week!) and have had some sweeeet experiences. So now that all that has come to pass, the next big thing is going back--to school, to family, to being social, to yummy food. And the curve for growth is decreasing in acceleration (Calculus, anyone? As if I still remembered it. HA.). The excitement and discovery and uncertainty of this adventure is slowing to a stop.

I've settled into routine, and I don't like it one bit! I wake up, go to the cafeteria in my sweats and grab some rice balls and stuffed-with-nasty scones. I pick out the nasty and dip it all in honey. I get ready...which doesn't consist of much (I'M SO EXCITED TO GET LEGIT READY BACK IN AMERICA, IT'S INSANE!). I go to classes throughout the day (and love every second of it), eat some more at the cafeteria, and then I come home. Fill my time with SOMETHING. Reading, writing, knitting (Aaaaah, yeah. The things you manage to teach yourself when you're bored!), skyping, watching movies. At first I hated all this free-time. Sometimes I still do. BUT. This is probably the last of it I'll be getting for yeeeears. So I'm being grateful. THE POINT IS. We need something to make life exciting and rev it up again--just like we used knitting/crocheting to re-excite it a couple weeks ago, haha!

How do Maddy and I break this monotony? With FOOD. Lately, we've been skipping out on the nasty cafeteria food and making our own creations! We buy fresh produce down the street for really cheap. And it is wonderful! I feel so accomplished to provide for myself yummy, healthy food that makes me feel at home. We often stoop to fast food and Oreos to satisfy our American cravings but now we've been making stuff all on our own. Having good food really is a day-maker. Especially when you make it yourself. Last year when I was in college, my mom gave me advice that my Great Grandma Moonie gave her. And it is that wherever you are, whatever your financial situation, eat like you normally would. And then half of the pain of missing home or whatever is gone! Food really is such a strong link to home and comfort. MMM! I loooooove it!

Aaaaaaaaand, P.S. My camera broke. So. You're just gonna be seeing a lot of words. And I'm too lazy to find a corresponding picture/video on the internet. And I don't feel like waiting for my slow internet to upload this said picture or video.

Thankful

In China, I was lucky to have an entire week of Thanksgiving!! Just...lookin' on the bright side of it all--of course I missed my family like crazy. This week was a great one, though. We taught our students what Thanksgiving is and the importance of gratitude. We had the little kids make turkeys and label each feather with something they are grateful for. Of course, there were the given things like mom, dad, family, friends, China, food. But I loved to see the creative ones my kids came up with, like God, tomorrow, teacher, and the earth. These kids really have the Spirit of Thanksgiving inside of them. It was so sweet to see. I'm so thankful for my students' example of love. I don't think I could've survived this experience with out them.

On actual Thanksgiving day I ate Campbell's chicken noodle soup that we got in Hong Kong. Mmmmmmmm. I was just thankful for American food. Plus, we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend. So it was alllll good in da hood.

So Saturday we visited the city and hit up KFC and got our favorite Sichuan Chicken Sandwich. Yum. Spicy. But good enough. And we walked around and sat down on the edge of a river looking at all the small Chinese houses scrunched together when a cute old lady, around 60, came up to us and started talking to us in Chinese. I could kinda guess what she was asking--the usual "where are you from? How many people in your family? How old are you? What are you doing in China?" And I could answer in my broken Chinglish but mostly I could just say "ting bu dong" which is "I don't understand." She then pointed to her head and my head and said "ting bu dong" and then pointed to our hearts and said "ting da dong." And I truly felt a connection with her, like we understood each other. I am so thankful for little experiences like that. And I'm really excited for that day when I get to see her again and we WILL be able to understand each other and remember that day sitting on the edge of the river.

Today we were planning to go to the city and continue our Thanksgiving festivites by finding a yummy, hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant to eat at. But those plans were interrupted when our friend said she was visiting with her family to meet up with us. And we've never met in person and they came to Tongcheng so they could meet us. Hahaha oh...the Chinese always spring up on you like that. So we met up with Sufei, whom I've been texting back and forth that is friends with our liaison. We drove with her grandma, parents, and Sufei to the city and her parents took us out to lunch to a VERY nice restaurant. One of those in China in a private room where they bring you at least 10 dishes and you all share and it is DELICIOUS. It was so sweet of them and they were so kind. It was nice to be with a family and you could feel the love they had for each other. They were so kind and giving. They even gave us these warmers that are filled with water that you plug into the wall, heat up, and keep you warm! Mine has a fuzzy bear on it. So even though our Thanksgiving plans got upstaged, it turned out to be even better.

 

Well said, Marcus

The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts. Marcus Aurelius

So I was talking with my dear friend and she encouraged me to share some thoughts I've been having lately. We have been going through similar situations and I shared my thoughts with her. After, she said I should share it with others because you never know when you could help someone else out, especially when so many people have helped me in return without even knowing it.  So to quote Shelby: "You have a gift, and sometimes our answers can bless the masses. Which is so cool." I hope I can help someone with my thought process. Even if it's just helping myself by sharing. I know I'm not perfect in dealing with my fellow men, but I'm trying and here are the thoughts that have been swimming in my head lately as I've been trying to sort out some feelings and situations.

One thing I've been studying lately is that each of our lives are God's. No one besides us and Him knows completely what we need for ourselves. Others can see one part of the story but may not know all the details. The thing that's really hard is being okay that they think those things because you can't change THEM either. You know and God knows what the real story is, and if you feel good about your choices, then keep walking down that path.

There have been a couple instances in my life where I have been worried about the choices that people I love had made. From my personal experiences, I have learned that pure happiness comes from being close to God and doing my best to serve Him and I felt that they needed this more in their lives. I realized that I didn't know that full story and I still don't.

I became judgmental and even disliked their character and thought the worst of them...that is where I went wrong. I let Satan in my head and heart and I allowed him to make me look down on the people I loved. Satan tried to twist my righteous desires into bitterness. I tried so hard to fight these feelings and to feel pure love like Christ--who has been wronged by every single person that He loves (aka every single person ever) and yet He still loves them entirely. And I wanted so badly to change the situation of those I love and help them lean more on the Gospel but I can't tell them to do that or else they won't see me as a friend and feel I was judging them. And I never want to make someone feel judged.

True, Satan tempts me to judge others, but I must remind myself that it is not my place. Plus, since when did judging others get anyone anywhere? Loving others is the only progressive action. Judging others only causes more damage. So all I can do is be an example and hope they will see the blessings of centering life around the Gospel. I thought that they were seeking things that were a bad influence. But I don't know the whole story and I trust their judgment enough that they know how they need to be close to God. And I'm not saying they are bad people at all, I'm just saying I don't know everything that goes on so I can't make judgement on their situation. All I can do is trust them and love them and back them up 100% no matter what happens. Even if they get hurt.  And I've learned the reverse of this situation. Not to let anyone's judgement get you down, because they don't know the whole story about you. Only you and God know.

So, what's the antidote for judging? For feeling alone? Forgotten? Unsure about how to be happy in China for 4 months without family, friends and American food? CHARITY. It "never faileth." (1 Corinthians 13:4-8) It's all about love, people. Everything is about love. How else did Harry Potter become the Boy Who Lived? Lily loved him so much she sacrificed her life for him--I HAD to include that reference. But the evidence of the power of love is everywhere! So, let's color our thoughts with love so that our souls (body and mind, spirit and heart) can be beautiful too.

Wo ai Zhong Guo because...

I've been learning some Chinese! I can't read characters BUT I can speak it a little! So. I love China because...

OF THE KIDS!!! Get ready for a picture exploooosion. I can't get over how cute all these kids are. I want to take all of them home with me!

My sassy 1st graders!

Classic Kindergarten behavior haha!

Honestly, I used to hate going to Kindergarten because the kids are crazy and I'm not quite sure what the teachers want me to do...so I just play with them. And now I love it!

These are our 4th graders. They used to be just Maddy's but my 5th grade class got cancelled and now they are mine too!

The kid in the front I have named "the Jacket Stealing Bandit" because he stole my jacket and ran around the classroom and it was hilarious! I looove this picture just because of that!

This is Niki (named after none other than Niki Waite!!) And she is a ball of sunshine. Whenever she sees me she calls my name in her cute little voice!

GAH!!! I have never known cuter children in my LIFE.

We had a lesson on clothes and so they had fun dressing up! These are my cute 3rd graders. :)

I just LOVE teaching. At first, it was really hard and frustrating because I didn't know how to teach and what the kids needed from me. It's tiring and wears me out. And it's amazing how tired I get after only a few hours of teaching! I didn't know how I was going to like living in China if I didn't like teaching. But now, I love it sooo much! I look forward to going to class and being with these kids. The little kids are so fun and loving and willing to learn. They always give me drawings and little gifts. I even got a dandelion yesterday! My middle school kids are PUNKS and I aaalways lose my voice trying to calm them down but they are so fun and are soo smart and love to learn! And my high school kids are the bomb. I love joking around with them and being silly! They think I'm crazy, but we have so much fun so it's fine! I feel like I'm more their friend than a teacher. I love to hang out with them and talk to them about their secret girlfriends and boyfriends (they aren't allowed to have them at school...it's so sad!) and play games. Yesterday, we played volleyball with some girls and needless to say I fit right in because...well. Volleyball isn't their best sport in China. It's hilarious. Even the boys are terrible. And it was so fun!

Ammon

The best thing about being in China is all the amazing tender souls I get to have in my life. I would've never known these people existed thousands of miles away! These people would've never been in my life and I would've gone my merry way through life without knowing them and how they could have impacted me. It makes me grateful for all the people I've come across in my life and the simple gifts they have given me just by being them.

One of these people in China is Ammon. I can't remember how much I've said about Ammon before, but his heart is a heart of gold. Maddy and I joint teach him in our 6th grade class. We recognized pretty early on that he had some sort of developmental and social issue. Some of the other boys would make fun of him. Which made us sad because he was always so happy to see us and participate in our lessons!

When we were giving our students English names at the beginning of the semester (which was really fun, I felt like I was naming a million of my own babies! One of my kids chose the name Nephi...hehe), we would ask our student what their favorite letter was and write a couple names starting from that letter and they would choose a name to go by in English. Most students didn't have English names. But Ammon did, and he insisted that he kept his name! Which we thought was really cute because he was probably named Ammon by a previous teacher and he wanted to keep that name.

These past couple of weeks we've been hanging out with him and his friends during their break and playing ping pong. One day he asked how we were doing and we said we were good and then he said he was sad. We asked why and sweetly but so sadly said "my home." My heart broke! This kid is 12 years old, isn't always excepted by his peers, probably feels demeaned in his classes because it takes him longer to understand and to top it all off he doesn't get to see his family for weeks at a time. And I realized how blessed I have been in so many areas of my life. It was so sweet because Ammon just kept giving us hugs. So tender! I love that boy. And even though he may have seen us as a blessing to him that day, he really is a blessing to us.

And after lots of hugs, making funny faces, playing ping pong and a couple rounds of rock-paper-scissors, I think Ammon was a little happier. :)

Hong Kong

I found heaven. And it's in Hong Kong. Why? It's clean, international (so we're not stared at all the time . YAY!!!), has lots of yummy food, the beach, and the CHURCH!!!! That's a recipe for pure happiness.

I love her. I'm soooo thankful for this time we have together. It has been THE best. :)

It was kinda cool.

We have so much fun together. It IS illegal.

So FIERCE.

When we first saw angel Moroni, I thought I was gonna cry. I was so happy to FINALLY be at the temple!

Monkeys. EVERYWHERE. 

See the terror in my face? YEAH. They were everywhere.

Funny story! So we're with our friend that we met at church who took us to go see the monkeys right? And he told us to not really make too much noise or sudden movements around the monkeys. And no smiling....that's a sign of aggression. SO. We're walking down the road and there were all these monkeys and so I'm like "la la la Imma take a picture." Turn on my camera and "rrrrring!" It makes a nice little jingle that I didn't ever really notice on my camera. Mr. Monkey turns and gets in total attack position! And he just starts jumping on Maddy and ripping out her hair!!! So she has this bald spot sorta...she pulls it off quite well. It was unfortunate.




...Just kidding! Maddy still has all her hair. And the monkey didn't attack her. But we were all kinda terrified there for a sec. It was hilarious!

Another cool story: Today is a holiday in HK, so the temple was only going to be open until 1. We headed toward the temple at 12 ish but then we accidentally went to the ward meetinghouse which was in the completely wrong direction! And so we're like CRAP! There's only so much time! So we figure out which was the temple is and get there around 12:15. We go inside to find that they were cleaning up the font and getting ready to close. We were bummed but it turned out to be a HUGE blessing in disguise and an amazing experience. The Chinese lady who was cleaning the font started talking to us and said she wanted to bear her testimony to us. It was the most amazing testimony and her life story is remarkable. She was so sweet, genuine and humble. Her name was Irene and I will never forget her. Meeting her inspired me to be a missionary, even in my daily living, and to never EVER give up and lose faith in God because he loves us. If you wanna hear the full story (it's worth it) then ask me! I can't possibly write it here and still have the same effect. Face to face is more awesome anyway. :) But anyways! Basically, even though we didn't get to do baptisms and help those on the other side, we still were inspired and given strength to help those around us.

China's Top Ten!!!

Top 10 Worst Things About My Life in China (you will find that it's really not that bad):

10: Eating basically the same school food alllll the time. And every dish is filled with mysterious things!

9: My bed is really hard. We are always excited to stay in hostels because they actually have mattresses!

8: I'd say 1% of the leaves have changed on the trees. Happy Fall?

7: Feeling lost when I go travelling. We're never entirely sure if we're on the right train or what not. It's frustrating!

6: Men hawking loogies in the streets.

5: I miss my family. And my dog. And cat. IT'S NORMAL, I LOVE THEM.
.
4: When I'm bored and am sick of Pinterest and there's no one to email and all the kids are in class and all the teachers are teaching and I don't know what to do with my liiiiife. Imma take up indexing...so we'll see how long that entertains me!

3: When a lesson doesn't go well or the kids get bored of your lesson. The almost WORST.

2: Not having legit church meetings to go to. We call in on Skype every Sunday. I love it but, let's be real, GOING to Church is different than just listening to it over the phone.

AND LASTLY

1: Not being able to take the Sacrament. This Sunday is my first time in 2 months I get to take it! I'm so excited!

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But what about the top 10 BEST things in China?! There really are a lot more than ten. And it's really hard to rank them so these aren't in any specific order. Except for number 1. after looking at the worst things,I feel like they are petty compared to all the golden things that come out of China. So the Top 10 Best Things in China are:

10: Yummy Chinese food! The best is street food which we get to eat when we travel: Chinese BBQ, the best fresh fruit EVER, these things we call Chinese McMuffins, yummy pastries, steamed sweet potatoes, fresh corn...the list goes ON.

9: Being able to act or wear or talk about whatever we want because a) we're Americans so people stare at us anyways, b) style here in China is awesome because ANYTHING goes and c) nobody understands us...so we can talk about whateeeeever we want in public...so that's niiiice.

8: We are celebrities wherever we go and I think it's hilarious! People always ask to take pictures with us...I don't know why they think we're so cool but it cracks me up!

7: It is so COOL to be immersed in another culture. I think everyone should have this opportunity some time in life. I've learned so much and have gained a greater appreciation for different ways of life and for my own culture.

6: China is BEAUTIFUL. I never realized how cool and gorgeous China really is. Lots of people go to China just to see the Great Wall, but I think they are missing out on even better places like Yangshuo and Huangshan!

5: Chinese BABIES!!! THE cutest things alive. I want to adopt all of them.

4: There's a little baby boy who we see every day as we walk up and down the stairs to our apartment. Every time he sees us, he says in his cute little voice "jie jie" which means big sister. It melts my heart!

3: TRAVELLING! Travelling in China is awesome! I love going to hostels and meeting people from all over the world that we are sharing rooms with. I love seeing new things and experiencing new things and meeting new people on the way. There is SO much beauty in China, which you've seen in my previous posts. I wouldn't trade the things I've seen/done in China for anything!

2: I am so much closer to my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. I am constantly leaning on them for strength, comfort and guidance. My testimony has grown in so many things: gratitude, faith and trust that God will direct me, and most importantly I've learned the power of love.

1: MY STUDENTS! I love my students with all my heart. They make my day. MY LIFE. They make me so happy and I love to play with them and joke with them. The best is when we get to play outside of class. Sometimes I'll play ping pong with the 6th graders and they'll teach me Chinese. Or yesterday I played badminton (terribly haha!) with some high schoolers. The kids are amazing and so sweet and kind. They have the pure love of Christ--even though they don't know it. I will miss them the most when it comes time to leave.

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No matter what stage we are in life, there is good and bad. We have bad days and we have good days. We just need to decide what we want to focus on and try and see good days. Of course China has been hard! Anybody would be lying to you if they said coming to teach English in China was easy. But the good stuff is BEYOND worth it! So, if you have any inkling to come teach, DO IT. You will not regret giving your time to something as amazing as this. I'm glad I did. :)

My Chinese Dwelling

Here's a little tour of our apartment! We live in a little apartment building on our school's campus where all the teachers live. And we're on the 5th floor!! So. That's a work out. But our apartment is definitely a LOT bigger than I was expecting! Have a looks-y:

Our kitchen/living room

Our balcony...I'd say our penthouse is pretty deluxe.

The pioneer stairs that lead up to the scary upstairs.

Zee bathroom. The toilet is at the bottom left.

We're not sure why this room is entirely necessary. It's huge and all we use is the sink. So we call it the dungeon...and other scary names.

My room! And yes, that is a wood pallet that I sleep on. And those are pictures from my students on the wall. :)

Xingping/Yangshuo/Guilin

Took a bamboo raft on the Li River to Xingping

Cool door knockers...they were cats actually so naturally I was excited.

Just cute little Xingping in the background

Camping on the Li River!! 4 people in a 2-man tent? DONE. In China.

Isn't Yangshuo just so picturesque? 

About to do something on my bucket list....

...SWIMMING IN MUD!!!!

Riding bikes through the mountains makes me feel so aliiiiive!!!

Found this cutie at Elephant Trunk Hill

Lemme tell ya, the Chinese cameras were going wild.

Oh...just exploring. Takin' it off. the. MAP.

A view of Guilin

This past week was National Day and so everyone and their pet duck went on vacation in China! It was pretty busy and hectic, BUT I'll tell you one thing. God was watching out for us 100% of the time. Every time we didn't know which bus to take or where to go, someone would come up and ask if they could help us. It amazes me how a) because of our faith, trust, and hope in God, he provides a way to where we need to be--every day I thank Him for keeping me safe and comforted and practically carrying me and b) people in China are sooo selfless. So many people have taken the time out of their lives to help the two American girls failing at talking to a taxi driver through broken Chinese and lots of pantomiming. They are so kind! And even when they are probably sooo nervous to speak English to us, they still help us anyway. 

When we were riding on the bus home, I had a cold and so I was fanning myself because I was a wee bit feverish. And then this cute little boy I had made friends with earlier (he was probably about 10) came over with a fan and started fanning me. Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever heard? And honestly, I was so grateful because I was miserable. The littlest things can really help out. After,I fanned him and we had fun watching the Chinese action movie on the TV together.

Seriously, this week was awesome and SO fun. I am amazed at the beauty of this world and of the people that live on it. Everywhere and everyone is different, but it's all unique in its own way. I'm grateful to have experienced these fleeting moments of the present--they are moments that I will never experience again. Which is pretty amazing to think about, in a way. Every moment is so precious.

ding dong the mouse is DEAD.

Lemme tell you a story. It's a fine story and every detail is 100% true. So when we first moved in to our apartment in Tongcheng, Maddy and I noticed mouse droppings....and we were like GRRREAT. Let's hope they are old! We cleaned up and hoped for the best. But then, the next day there were more droppings!! Woooof. So we knew there was a mouse somewhere...hiding. Little piece of vermin.

But we had no idea where it could be. UNTIL. The repairmen came to fix our AC and when they popped open the vent, the mouse came flying out and scurried under a shelf thingy. And they men laughed and kept working and we were like "uh....are you gonna help us catch that?" After they finished working on the AC, they started banging on the shelf to get the mouse to come out. Which it did! And it scurried on over to our bathroom and disappeared through a pipe! So we were like hoping it was gone for good.

BUT THEN. Another repairman came to fix our washer (if you haven't noticed already, nothing was working when we first moved in haha!) and as he was fiddling around in the pipes, BAM! The mouse flew out. It literally was flying, there's no other way to describe it. So Maddy grabbed a bucket and I grabbed a broom and chased it but then it went into my room, behind my dresser into this dark and creepy alcove. Grrreat. I grabbed my boots and my head lamp and I ventured into the unknown and tried to find the mouse. I prodded around for a bit and found it hiding in a box. But it got away and climbed up my curtain and out a hole in my wall! It was so gross and terrifying and filled with lots of screaming and laughing. It was quite the sight.

So we thought the mouse was gone because we saw it run away. THOUGHT. We went to Huangshan for the weekend, right? And when we came back...there was this horrid smell. We had no idea what it was for a day or so until one night, I looked through the hole in my wall and lo and behold THERE WAS THE MOUSE! I saw it's little nose and whiskers. It was dead and we think it got stuck in there! Not sure how it got stuck...maybe it was too fat from mooching off our stuff? Who knows! But it was gross and I started laughing and making all sorts of high-pitched noises. We tried to push it out with a little stick...didn't work. We tried pushing it out with a water-bottle...didn't work (but it DID help keep the smell out because we left it there) We told our liaison, Annie, and today she had the repairman come and get the mouse out. He went outside on our balcony, took some pliers and yanked it out by the tail and let it fall five stories to the ground where it remains.

THE END.

Magnificent Mountains

After moving to Tongcheng and a tiring week of teaching, Maddy and I decided it was time to get outta there and see Huangshan. This is THE number one place I wanted to visit in China and how lucky that it's in my province! It was a little frustrating with the buses and communicating because...welp...my Chinese is practically nonexistent. But we finally we made it to our hostel and it was THE best thing that ever happened. We stayed in this place that was right on Lao Jie (which means Old Street) in this city, Huangshan. It was very cozy and very China. We went shopping and went to KFC (AMERICAN FOOOOOOD!!!!!! Kind of.) and found a bakery that was delicious and we went there every day...sometimes twice a day. Fat Americans. We're living up to our stereotype. ;) 

Lao Jie outside our hostel.

But then we felt fine about all the KFC and treats because we climbed 5 miles of stairs! Hardest work-out of my life. Imagine yourself on the stair stepper at the gym for 3 hours. YEAH. But it was gorgeous on the way up and we made some friends along the way! And the top was worth everything.Huangshan is like the Yosemite or Zions of China. Standing on top of that mountain was one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life. There really is no way for me to share what I felt or what I saw. So here's some pitchas!

It was AWESOME. To say the least. This Earth is pretty magnificent.

And this week we are back to teaching! One day I'll tell ya all about that because it deserves a post allllll on its own. :)