It may wear off after a few more but I have grown fond of travel days. Gathering together with the balance of the Z Squad we departed the Philippines early the morning of Tuesday, October 11th. Our route was bus, airplane, bus, bus, subway, subway, hostel, subway, subway, train and taxi to arrive in our flat in China mid morning on Friday.
I welcomed the news of our almost forty hour train ride that would take us from southeast to northeast China. Posting myself by the window as often as possible I soaked in as much of this new world as I could. One highlight was a Mt. Rushmore of China's own capturing three Chinese leaders with pagodas all around (my camera broke pre-departure so I am sad to report I have no documentation of this “8th wonder”). Also, I now understand where they plan to place the billion or however many people that live here; it is like one continuos city with every few miles clusters of tall, half finished apartment buildings and numerous cranes filling the horizon. There is all the infrastructure of a city but no people. Vacant, planned communities just awaiting the populations next boom. While I appreciate the forward thinking it was actually kind of creepy. There were also marshes full of abnormally large lilly-pads, mountains in the distance, rows and rows of fields (some corn, some I don't know what), trees that were changing colors green to red, and sparse few English signs.
Sitting in the "cargo bay" helping to lift bags up for the ride.
The rest of every one else, I think we figured there were 100 people per train car.
Upon arrival we wasted no time. Meeting our contact at the very lively and boisterous train station we were whisked off into two taxis. Our flat is on the fifth floor (stairs only – 80 steps – yes, I counted) of a multi-building apartment complex with the home church in the adjacent building. We dropped our things off, learned the route to the church and went to lunch for a debrief.
Our contact is a young married couple from the States. They have been in China for almost four years. They lead one house church that is bursting at the seams and our job this month is to help them plant church number two. With at least three, but I believe many more, universities in the city a number of their congregants are college students. Eager to practice their English with a native speaker, the Chinese students host “English Corners” where we are invited to go and talk about whatever, for however long. Our contact anticipated we would tap out at two hours (he was right).
Finishing lunch we cleaned up and headed off to our first English Corner – I wasn't kidding when I said we wasted no time! The rhythm of each week here should look something like: 1) English Corner to develop a list of interested students, 2) Party hosted by “Foreign Friends” (us) where we can get to know students better as assess which ones might be open to discussing spiritual things, 3) Lunch or tea outings in a smaller groups where the Gospel is clearly presented along with an invitation to study the Bible together, 4) Repeat steps 1-3 while discipling any students from the week prior.
Let week one begin!
Five Sense Show Down (initial reactions on my first few days in China):
1) Sight – Upon arrival the whole city was covered in an ugly fog and I quietly feared for my lungs this month. I learned the government controls the heat and they'ed been “cleaning/warming up” the furnaces in anticipation of the coming cold. I breathed much easier when I noticed the ugly cloud was gone a few days later.
2) Sound – “Dinah blow your horn!” Our contact stated it well when the observation was made that in the U.S. blowing your car horn is second only to giving someone the finger. On the contrary, here blowing your horn is common place letting others know you are there. They even “notify” pedestrians which always makes me jump!
3) Smell – On campus when walking through the leaf splattered parks it is fresh and crisp like a cool Colorado fall day. On the street it is a mix of whatever food the street vendor is concocting and, sadly, a sewage smell (which always seems to mute my appetite).
4) Taste – I'm a dud. There is a ton of tasty grub to eat but I am on a steamed rice kick, boring!
5) Touch – The girls walk arm in arm here (some hand in hand) and it makes me smile inside and out. The sweet innocence and joy of friendship just makes me happy.
