Back to the drawing board

Twice in the last year, God has prompted me to write.

The first time, I spent a lot of prayerful time asking God what I should write about. I thought and thought, couldn't decide HOW God wanted me to serve with the wit of my written word...until I felt God solidly roll His eyes at me. "Emily, the writing was to help YOU out, not to bless the world."

Okay. That makes sense.

Now I'm getting that prompting again, and though I feel little direction on how I should write, I sit down to write something...

This year has been tough. In fact, there has been a string of tough years. I'm ready for a good one, a year where I make enough money to support myself without the charity of others. A year where I have a romantic life. A year where I have fewer sob-stories and less practice in negativity. I recently played "The Game of Things" with a group of friends where you make a list of things, and everyone guesses which person submitted which answer. The prompt was "Things you think about in the car." Without hesitating, my answer was "All my life failures." That made me stop a click and consider my life habits. Seriously? I commute extensively, and I think about my failures that much? In the last few weeks, I've tried to break that habit, and you know what? It's hard. Particularly when my life offers soooo much material on that topic.

Whew, avoiding that bitter streak. (I'm not even in my car!)

Even though life has been less than grand, God has been directly present and good in surprisingly specific ways.

A couple of years ago I was still wrestling with repatriation, and I asked my 6-person choir to pray that I could find a large group to sing with. And wow, was that prayer answered! I found a couple of choirs at Marylhurst University, and in some of the poorest times of my life, I've been to three European countries with those choirs. I'm currently at 8 foreign countries and counting....

My next few posts will be about my travel memories and expectations of the next year. I may not be living abroad at the moment, but I can revel in my memories like nobody's business. Time to change up the things I think about in the car.

Sometimes you gotta go where everybody has your back

This morning a customer handed me a heavy, Dwight D. Eisenhower silver dollar to pay for his morning cup of coffee.  It's rare to see any coin worth more than a nickel, much less a full dollar.  As a matter of fact, I don't think I've EVER had someone pay with a Dwight-buck before.*

It reminded me of when I lost my first tooth.  I had a small coin collection at the time, and it was the biggest coin I had ever seen.  I still have the collection, a variety of nationalities and denominations, some with holes, some with beautifully lacing vines, or birds with unfurled plumage.  A Dwight-buck isn't a very pretty coin, just a giant bald head.**  But it has a nice sturdy heft, the kind of dollar that sends a postcard to Uzbekistan instead of buying a bargain burger.***  I laughed as I remembered my dad, a coin aficionado, telling me about the bald man on one side and the liberty bell on the other.  I held it up for my boss/friend Randy (angry_barista) to see, smiled and tossed it in my till.****

Half an hour and 300 lattes later, there was a lull in the early morning flow.  Randy shook out a fresh garbage bag, and said, "Did you hear what that guy said?"
Me: What guy?
R: The guy by the garbage a while ago.
Me: .......?

So the story goes:
When I showed Randy the silver dollar, the man by the garbage saw it and joked to Randy,
Dude-Man: Do you think she even knows who Dwight Eisenhower is?*****
R: Um...yeah, I think she knows exactly who that is.  She's actually very smart, and she had her masters.  She's a teacher.
DM: Oh, um, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend...
R: Yeah.

At this point in the story, both of my coworkers were sticking up for me before I could even think to be offended.  And THAT was my take-away this morning: sometimes when strangers are stinkers, you're lucky enough to be surrounded by friends that have your back.  Talk about a early-morning feel-good!



*Not to be confused with a Schrute-buck

**My apologies if you're an Eisenhower fan.  Or bald.

***That's an aliteration.

****He's not so much "angry" as snarky, and committed to good coffee.  SERIOUSLY.  Gooooooood coffee.....

*****For the record, my typical customers are fantastically nice people.  I love the good natured people of my store.  This guys was an anomaly.

Look out world!

I'm baaaaaaaack....

I've been absent from my keyboard quite a while, for reasons.  A few reasons really, and I wouldn't be me if I didn't share them.

Reason #1: A wedding.
Reason #2: My brother's wedding
Reason #3: Another brother's wedding.
Reason #4: A busy job.
Reason #5: That was also a soul-sucker.
Reason #6: A dear friend's wedding.
Reason #7: A welcome job change!
Reason #7: A loss.
Reason #8: Another best friend/sister's wedding.
Reason #9: A few additional jobs.....



My dance card has been pretty full this year.


Weddings Galore
It seems like everybody got married this year - it's practically been one long extended party!  I have been so happy for the matches my people are making, and meeting all of the fantastic people that are getting married into my circles.  Throughout it all, the couples have been considerate, low-maintainance, and focused on laying a solid foundation for marriage.  It's been amazing to watch people I've loved since childhood step into a new phase with such grace and joy!

Several years ago, a friend mentioned to me that she had only ever attended one wedding - as a child.  I was blown away!  Ever since that conversation I've kept a tally of every wedding I've ever been to.  As of this May, I've been to 50 weddings, culminating with one that was especially memorable!

Work... WORK. Work? Work!
At this point you must have guessed that I have pretty mixed reviews about work this year.  I was lucky to land a full-time position during the wedding season.  Unfortunately, while my wardrobe improved, my savings account didn't.  On a deeper level, retail is a dangerous beast.  Your mind steeps in the idea that you need, and your needs can be met with things.  As soon as I could, I got my Oregon Teaching License (hooray!!) and began substituting.

This began what I call my "manna period."  Substitute work was sparse, but I got enough to keep me floating until the end of the year.  As soon as school ended, I started teaching voice lessons.  Then I began working at Starbucks, picking up more hours as voice lessons petered out.  After a few months, the strain of barely tying ends together started to get to me.  Then God said, "Manna," and I laughed instantly.*  Here I had ASKED to get out of retail, and God had provided me with just enough work to get by.  I wrapped up my whining and shifted my focus into prayer for direction.

And the direction about my next phase? "Soon."

What does that mean?  I have very little idea.  There's a sense that I'm standing at a Y in the road.  Maybe there's a husband and children in the future.  Maybe there's another country to live in, or an unexpected career change.  All I know for sure it that it's coming soon, and I need to be ready.

This past year has been challenging in deep, constant ways.  I think of this old show tune and laugh at its utter determination to see a silver lining where there is none.  When you're at rock bottom, you can only go up!

Hey look me over,

Lend me an ear -

Fresh out of clover,

Mortgaged up to here.

But don't pass the plate, folks,

Don't pass the cup -

I figure whenever you're down and out

The only way is up,

And I'll be up - like a rosebud,

High on the vine!

Don't thumb yer nose, bud,

Take a tip from mine,

I'm a little bit short of the elbow room,

So let me get me some,

And look out world,

Here I come!

*Manna: Long long ago, the enslaved Israelites cried out for God to save them from the Egyptian.  So He did, miraculously stealing them away across the desert to the Promised Land.  They were FREE...but they were whiners.  God took them on a scenic route through a desert, and soon they ran out of food.  The people talked to Moses, Moses talked to God, and God sent them....something.  'Manna' translates to "What is it?" which is what the Israelites called the new mystery food.  After several years of manna, they were REALLY tired of and whined to Moses for meat.  Moses talked to God, and God said, 'Really guys? I'm sending you mystery super-food EVERY DAY!  You want meat?  Fine.  Enjoy more than you want.'  Then the camp was swarmed with so much quail that after boiling it, broiling it, baking it, sauteing it, making pan fried quail, deep fried quail, stir-fried quail, pineapple quail, coconut quail, pepper quail, quail soup, quail stew, quail salad, quail and potatoes, quail burgers, and quail sandwiches, the Israelites ran out of recipes and prayed for God to get rid of that business.

One of these things....

"One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong..."  Throughout my travels, and let's be honest - throughout my LIFE, I've often caught myself singing this little song:

I love trying new things, and, as usually happens, new things bring about the strangest of combinations...

This weekend I went to my first ever Mary Kay Career Conference!  It was full of new ideas, lots of yelling, the most blingin' bling I've ever seen in my life (and I worked at CHICOS!), and best of all, the most normal-looking women I've ever seen in my life.  I half expected to face a roomful of living dollies, but everyone was delightfully human.*  Never one to shirk a dress code, I attended in my Mary Kay finest, wearing a White House Black Market skirt and top, suit jacket, comfy pumps,** and black nylons with a sexy seam up the back, because why not?  We had a morning of cheering, inspirational speeches and handy tips before getting a nice, long lunch break.

My inner introvert grinned and waved as I left a group of lovely ladies oogling a pink cadillac to go find coffee.  Real coffee.  Quality coffee.  Luckily, I was in Eugene.  I walked up to a young couple walking their dogs in Birkenstocks, crop pants and parkas.  "Could you tell me where the best coffee is within walking distance?"  The guy flinched slightly in surprise that the power suit was talking to him, but the woman recognized me as one of them; after all, we WERE standing next to a Dutch Bros.  In no uncertain terms she told me exactly where to go.

I was about a block away when a few canvas awnings caught my eye....farmer's market - score!  The local-loving, Franciscan inspired, organic, just-let-me-escape-this-industrial-world-and-carve-a-life-from-a-mountainside part of me rerouted my inner Siri toward the collection of stunning local produce and people with curly hair.*** I was just doing what I do....to the side glances and surprised looks of people with thick glasses and reusable cloth grocery sacks. "One of these things is not like the others...." and that thing was ME!  Okay fine.  Browsing gourmet kale outside on a Saturday morning in patent leather stilettos isn't exactly the norm. I bought a gorgeous leek about a foot and a half long - I kid you not, it was the most beautiful leek I've ever seen - and headed off to the coffee shop.

First I tried to enter through the back door, which turned out to be an office building.  A helpful stranger told me to swipe my keycard.  I had to explain that despite the power suit I was actually clueless and hunting for some coffee.  Once inside the shop I kept getting strange looks, half due to my clothes, and half because I actually understood what I was talking about in coffee speak.  Locally roasted beans, bittersweet chocolate ganache, and coconut milk topped with a curl of peel carved from an orange poised atop the espresso bar, combined to perfection in a cup.  It was mine, divine, and every sip was savored.  After a lovely chat with a stranger about the joys and challenges of a paleo diet, I headed back to the convention center.

And faced a new dilemma.

I arrived precisely in time to hear the last session of speakers.  Precisely, meaning that I had no time to drop off my winner of a leek in the car.  So what can you do? "One of these things, is not like the others...." I hiked my purse up on my shoulder, a good 8 inches of fragrant, green produce poking out over the top.  I took one last sip of orange infused goodness, and marched into the ranks of carefully coiffed Mary Kay beauty consultants.

Carrying produce into a conference hall ranks high on the list of awkward things I've done.  Worse, however, is sitting in a crowded group of women and smelling inexplicably of onions.  I introduced my leek to my seat mates.

"Hey Karen!  Yes, there IS a leek in my purse."

"There's a  leak in your purse? Do you need a napkin?"

"No, not a leak, a leek.  Like, LEEK, leek."

"Oh, like an actual leek...."

One of these things is not like the others....

Honestly, I loved it.  I love it when such completely different facets of me coexist in such unexpected moments.  Why walk past the market because of the shoes?  Why avoid the meeting because of the fresh greens?  It's all a part of me, whether or not it's expected in my current venue.  The suit might not belong, but I do.  The excitement over agrarian living may not belong, but I do.  It reminded me of 1 Corinthians 9, where Paul talks about 'being all things to all people,' living many lifestyles well in order to reach many.  What a delightful mix of seeming contradictions.



*The truth is, I've been a little nervous about this venture,  mostly nervous that my friends and family will think I've morphed into the pushy and crazed mlm-lady who forgets to be a person.
**We live in the 21st century.  Congratulations, comfy pumps are actually a thing!
***Why is it that people who live 'organically' always have curly hair?  Where are all the straight-haired people? It must be nature's way of rewarding those who live pesticide-free.  Dear Mother Nature, I think I've earned my perm now.

Attentive Silence and Ripe Figs

This moment I'm sitting in is a good one.  I put in a full, good day of work, and I now sit in one of my favorite, shabby little coffee shops near the Ross Island Bridge.  SE Grind is always full of people, mostly students with laptops, late night coffee, sweatpants, and curly hair so luscious it could make you cry.  This is a moment of stirring yerbe matte tea in a white ceramic cup with an old spoon, a moment of cold noses and warm hats, gentle sounds and bright lights, strange art and familiar strangers.

It's a moment set aside to pause, appreciate the warm teacup in my hands, and contemplate the year unfolding in front of me.

Never in my lifetime have I run short of ideas.  Ironically, too many ideas and interests have a way of stilling forward motion.  Sylvia Plath captured it perfectly in The Bell Jar:

"I saw my life branching out before me like the green fig tree in the story.  From the tip of every branch, like a fat purple fig, a wonderful future beckoned and winked.  One fig was a husband and a happy home and children, and another fig was a famous poet and another fig was a brilliant professor, and another was Ee Gee, the amazing editor, and another fig was Europe and Africa and South American, and another fig was Constantin and Socrates and Attila and apack of other lovers with queer names and offbeat professions, and another fig was an Olympic lady crew champion, and beyond and above these figs were many more figs I couldn't quite make out.  I saw myself sitting in the crotch of this fig tree, starving to death, just because I couldn't make up my mind which of the figs I would choose.  I wanted each and every one of them, but choosing one meant losing all the rest, and, as I sat there, unable to decide, the figs began to wrinkle and go black, and, one by one, they plopped to the ground at my feet."

It's been pretty discouraging, especially because God's only recent input has been a teasing, 'Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.'*  That made me balk for a bit - was God telling me that I need to stay in America for 2 years? 10 years? Forever?  I've wrestled and wondered, trying to avoid worry, to narrow down options and plans.  And all the while, God has been so quiiiiiiiiiiet....

This weekend I crossed paths with family friend I've never met before, a lovely woman, who has apparently been following my writing over the past couple of years.  As we talked, I felt God's attention.  It wasn't a directive, a correction, or a divine pity for my frustration.  It was more like God broke the silences and said, 'Uh-huh, I'm listening.'  The acknowledgement was like a deep breath of cold, fresh air. For the past year, I've felt frustrated and isolated by God's silence.  It's only in this moment that I realize the best listeners don't say anything.  I've had a lot to say.

I intended to take this post in another direction, but I think this is where I'm supposed to leave it - sometimes God is silent because He's intently listening to you.  It isn't the silence of abandonment, it's a gift of gentleness.

"You have given me the shield of your salvation,

and your right hand supported me,

and your gentleness made me great."

Psalm 18:35 (ESV)

The deepest loves I've ever known were nourished with a soft vulnerability, the byproduct of consistent gentleness.  It builds up the muchness of a person, the substance, the essence.  This kind of gentleness isn't inspired by pity, but intimacy.  I've shared the closeness of silence with my dearest of friends, but never before with my God.  A new discovery within my oldest relationship.  Remarkable.

*Apparently God cheats at Monopoly.

Fall 2014 Update

Autumn is the best season for starting new things.  I’ve always loved this season best – it has the best food, most comfortable clothes, the prettiest variety of colors.  New school supplies were always a highlight growing up.  Even now I have a high appreciation for a fresh notebook with supple paper and a pen that glides smoothly.  For the first time in a long time, I find myself drawn back to writing, seduced by the autumn atmosphere in my home country for the first time in three years.

I must admit that my return to the United States hasn’t gone completely according to plan.  Though I have full-time work, I’m not in a classroom, which is saddening.  I’m a teacher in a salesperson’s clothes….but luckily they’re very nice clothes.  My wardrobe is looking much better now that I’ve landed a management position at Chico’s.  It was timely change considering that I’ve lost over 30 lbs since June.  (So fun!)  It’s also a strange change – only once in my adult life have I been this fit.  I’m finding all kinds of angles and edges to my body that I’ve never had before.  Losing my fat cushion reveals that I’m more of a klutz than I realized.  I find bruises all over from countertops and tables that are harder than they used to be.

My dating life got a bit of a jumpstart this summer.  I decided that after two years in China, my social circles had dwindled and I wanted to meet people.  After a few weeks of emailing on match.com, I had a whirlwind of dates like I’ve never experienced before.  I quickly learned marathon dating was NOT MY STYLE, so I put the kibosh on that and started scheduling more coffee dates with old friends.

This has also been the summer of weddings.  One summer I remember attending seven weddings.  SEVEN.  This summer there were only three, but they were significant family weddings filled with high highs, low lows, countless carbs, and many happy tears.  They’ve left me with a stack of pictures, memories, and a new sister!

I’m reveling in autumn, family, smooshy sweaters, and clothes off the rack with long enough sleeves.  I’m drinking in the fresh air, smooth coffee, and the sound of rain.  I literally got tears of joy the other day over a croissant that croissant-ed to perfection.  It’s been good to be back.

And yet.

It’s strange that I’m not boarding a plane.  I miss being around people who considering relocating a normal part of life.  I miss my Chinese friends, and I keep thinking I see people from my apartment complex everywhere.   I miss cold street noodles, cheap supermarkets, sanrenche (3 wheeled bikes), and CRAZY DRIVERS.  Mostly I mix expatriats, people committed to living as an ethnic and cultural ‘other’ because it’s worth it.  It’s hard, tiring, fascinating, humbling, and quite possibly one of the most rewarding things a person can do.  I miss meeting that kind of person.  Part of me was afraid that I’d lose that part of myself, the learner, the risk taker, the I’ll-figure-out-whatever-happens-because-it’s-completely-beyond-my-control side of me.  I talked with my neighbor about it as I prepared to leave China.  He just said, “Naaaah.  You’ve got it in your blood now, living overseas.  You’ll go again.”  It was a comfort to me then, and even now as I try to assimilate.

American culture is tough.  Productivity is expected at every moment.  A person’s emotional dynamics are much more varied, vivid, and projected, which is fun, but exhausting.  The pace of life has been the hardest to adapt to, and driving is less fun than it used to be.

And then there’s this:

I’m tired of hearing people complain about non-English speakers.  Leaving one’s home country and acclimating to life elsewhere is mind-boggling, challenging, adventurous, and extremely challenging.  Not speaking a language is not a mental deficiency or being deliberately obtuse.  It’s also not something that can be remedied with a few months of hard work.  On the contrary, not speaking the local language demands that a person constantly use practical problem-solving skills and creative deductions every single hour of every single day.  Complaining about people who don’t speak English in America shows complete ignorance about the challenges they overcome every day.  It’s also pretty selfish.  English is the trade language of our era.  It’s common for people to learn it as a secondary language.  However, it’s not moral failing if they don’t.  Come on ‘muricans.  Don’t be such a bunch of whiners.  Learn a language.

That’s one of the goals I’m choosing for myself before I move on again.  I expect to be in America for a while, but I know my international work isn’t over yet.  I spent two years in China.  China was good to me, and I wouldn’t trade the experience for anything!  I fully expect to work overseas again, though I doubt China is the destination.

But now, now I prepare.  My feet are happily planted here for the nonce, but my vision looks outward with hope.

This Is My Life

Beetles.  Scorpions. Locusts.  Centipedes.  Frogs.  Sheep testicles.

This may sound like a line-up of Fear-Factor challenges, but it was actually the MENU of dinner last weekend!  The university hosted a faculty trip to Kaifeng, which is known locally for a great night market and good food.  Apparently "good food" actually means mind-blowing I-can't-believe-people-eat-this type food.  I wandered around gajillion food stalls and watched hundreds of snacks get boiled, fried, pounded, seasoned and served.

I limited myself to new encounters only, looking for new stories to

tell....and wow, did I find a few!  Insects definitely have a crunchy factor, but the taste was actually pretty good - fried, crunchy, spicy - really not so bad as long as you could get over the fact that you were eating wings.  My favorite were the beetles.  The centipede proved challenging when one of my friend's got a leg stuck in his teeth.  It took him almost a full minute to disentangle it.  You know that terrible mental image you just got of the dangling bug?  I got to witness that firsthand.

The biggest challenge for most was the sheep testicles.  Frankly, we

aren't sure if it was sheep or goat, but we ARE sure which organ it was.  Carefully sliced, scored, chopped, boiled, then stir-fried in delicious ways, but even the food vendor was surprised to see a blue-eyed white chick order it.  We passed it around the table, challenging each other to try a bite.  As it turns out, the real challenge was chewing it...and chewing, and chewing, and chewing....

I've been terrible about updating my blog lately - my sincerest apologies - but I just HAD to tell the world about this little adventure!

Bible Blitz

New Year's resolutions are a good thing.  Somehow, mine tend to solidify a week or so after New Year's, which kind of defeats the purpose.  A new year, a new start....unless of course, you're a little late.  Luckily for me, there is not one, but TWO New Year's Days in China: January 1st, and January 31st (this year).*  By the time we got to the second New Year's Eve, my list was ready.

My little house dressed up for New Year's

As usual, one of the items to make the list is 'Read the Bible regularly.  Teaching has taught me the value of clearly defined goals.  Knowing my propensity and love for intense projects and extremes, I came up with a plan I've affectionately dubbed, "The Bible Blitz."  In the month of February, I'll attempt to read the entire Bible, roughly 300+ chapters per week.

Disclaimer

This is not a good way to study the Bible.  It's important to take time to reflect, ponder and pray as you read.  My long-term goal is to build Bible-reading into a habitual part of my day.  I don't suggest reading this quickly.

Bible reading (like so much of life) is like coffee.  The sweetest, richest, most caffeinated coffee is cold brew, which soaks for a loooooong time.  French press is hot, and full bodies, and brews about 7-8 minutes.  The coffee is ground finer and finer for each method of brewing, until you reach the espresso stage.  It takes 13-20 seconds to pull two shots of espresso, the caffeinated equivalent of a cup of coffee.  Similarly, the richest and most rewarding way to study the Bible is when you take your time.  Sucking down several large mugs of espresso every day is a terrible way to live!  But a bit won't hurt.  One month of blitzing through giant cups of Biblical espresso.  Yes.  This is what's happening.

The Bible I brought to China was a translation recommended to me by one of my favorite professors, The New Jerusalem Bible.  This is my first time reading some of the apocrypha!**  As a protestant, I've been raised with a Bible that has 36 books in the Old Testament, and 27 books in the New Testament.  These new additions pose a few problems.

1. It messes up the books-of-the-Bible song I learned when I was 7.  I sing this song in my mind every time I look something up!  This also makes it difficult to know their relative position within the published text.
2. The books of the Bible aren't in chronological order.  Unless it's explicitly stated, I may not be able to place where in history the story is taking place, which is huge drawback.
3. I've been taught to doubt the authenticity of the apocrypha.  I will need to weigh this teaching carefully, or it may color my ability to accept the text well.  It's amazing how many church fathers debated the veracity of different portions of scripture.  Luther even doubted the canonicity of the Gospels!
4. I've never been taught what I "should learn" from these scriptures.  Frankly, I find this a little exciting!  For the first time, I'm coming to the Bible as an adult without preconceptions or memories of sermons, good and bad.  I get to experience what new Christians think and feel, and draw my own conclusions. (Which I will verify in March once I have time to research.)  It's going to be great!

I created a reading schedule based roughly on theme, chronology, and breaking up the books I find monotonous.***  The apocryphal books were scattered at random, a wild card or two for each week.  The plan ended up looking like this.

The first picture shows my weekly reading goals. The second pictures delineates exactly how many chapters I should read each day.  As per most Bible-reading plans, I decided to divvy up Psalms and Proverbs to get a little poetic goodness every day.

February will be a month of reading, praying, preparing for this semester and the upcoming transition coming this fall.  I am entirely aware that I'm likely to fail at this massive reading binge.  But even if I fail, I'll still be spending hours in the Bible.  I don't see a loss.



*My brother wished me a "Happy fake New Year's" that morning, which made me laugh!  Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar, which I have a hard time wrapping my mind around.  Instead of being based on the earth's rotation around the sun, it's based on the moon's rotation around the earth. It doesn't align with the solar calendar, so it's hard for me to figure out.  Luckily there are cell phones apps for that kind of thing.  Take a look at this Lunar Calendar Description and this Moon Phase Calendar.
**Take the time to follow this link!
***All scripture is valuable.  Not all of it is interesting.  Look into your heart.  You know this is true.  If you disagree, you must have not read the entire pentateuch.

The Birds of St Sophia

I'm currently sitting in Haerbin China, sipping a Chestnut macchiato in Starbucks, looking out the window.  The sky is clear and blue, with sunlight glinting off the curved copper domes topping Russian buildings.  My toes are painfully numb, while my hands are swelling with the sudden heat of this delectable macchiato.  I hope for the sake of Americans everywhere that chestnut flavoring is not limited to Chinese consumers.  I try to savor it slowly while my toes come back to life.  Hordes of Chinese traipse up and down Center street, while buses trundle under thin metals arches that span the road lined with spindly, naked trees.  As I wandered the city taking pictures yesterday, I noticed that I passed over buildings and monuments in favor of the winter trees.  I have always found leafless trees impossibly beautiful, their exposed skeletons lacing in a myriad of intricate patterns, the structure and strength of the tree refusing to die in the cold.  In a bare tree, willpower and hope are enmeshed.  Outside this window, I see a giant ice sculpture next to a Russian bakery. This American coffee shop is next to my favorite clothes-store in Asia, which is Japanese.  The street is lined with Chinese restaurants and culminates in a town square featuring beautiful St. Sophia, an old brick church topped with dark green domes sprouting golden crosses.  An old Chinese woman sells bags of corn for the birds - I can almost hear her say 'tuppence a bag.'  At her whistle, a flock of white doves take wing, swirling around the spires perfectly synchronized.  My toes are warm enough to feel now.  There are few moments in life as delightful as this!

The K-Train

The Kattle Train.  The Krap Train.

The faces of my fellow laowai filled with the Spirit of K-trains past. "Ugh, full of farmers who don't read signs." "They'll smoke on board." "It's full of Chinese." "You'll stand the whole way." "The toilets overflow."  Then they asked "Hard-sleeper or soft sleeper?"  "Hard-seat," I said.  The stunned, blank silence told me everything I needed to know: I had scheduled the Train of Doom.*

I had no problem maintaining my enthusiasm despite their grimacing smiles, but I began mentally preparing myself.  I imagined a wood paneled interior with unpadded wood seats, propping my feet up on my backpack for thirty hours** as a round, middle aged man named Li yells over the din to his family sitting on the other side of the car. I brainstormed (as always) ways to avoid interacting with public sewage, and reminded myself that nothing can be as gross as wading through 3/4" of human ka-ka at a Xi'an rest stop. I was a little worried that I might need to stand for several hours, but reasoned that the purchase of standing room must be a thing of the past.

I was a bit surprised at some of the comments people made.  The train will be full of Chinese? No joke Sherlock, WE LIVE IN CHINA.  And why complain about farmers? City-folk are definitely more comfortable around foreigners, but country-folk can be really friendly!  I gave several committal, "Oh, hmmm..." kind of responses, and got even more excited for whatever adventure I was about to encounter.

I finished packing at 1am (which is incredibly early for me) and stayed up until 3am, trying to iron out the perfect color scheme for a new blog.***  I was very proud to check every single thing off my list. Laundry folded. Check. Fridge emptied.  Check.  Apartment clean, swept, bleach poured in the toilet bowl.  Check, check, CHECK!  Could anyone be more accomplished than I?  I topped of preparation perfection with a leisurely breakfast with friends and posed for a picture with my very full backpack.****

Navigating a bus or train station is always easier than I anticipate.  Once upon a time, the idea of finding a platform without knowing the local language ranged from daunting to frightening.  If you ever find yourself lost in a terminal where no one speaks English, this is what you do:

          1. Show your ticket to someone in uniform

          2. Walk toward where they point

          3. If you have not reached your desired destination, repeat steps 1 & 2

After that, switch into lemming mode and follow your fellow passengers.  That's it.  No panic necessary.  China has brought out my inner lemming, so I wasn't nervous about finding my train. However, this is my first solo international trip, so I cut myself extra time. Plenty of time. Too much time.  TWO HOURS of extra time.  But there are worse things.

I rounded the corner resolutely optimistic, ready to take on my shabby, crazy train adventure.  I was greeted with row upon row of happy little red and yellow striped trains slowly pulling in and out of the station as neatly coiffed conductors with long blue coats and sharp hats helped milling people find the correct car.  I wanted to take a picture, but didn't want to break the traffic flow as I lemminged my way to my car.

I did not share a small seat with Li.  My seat mates were Lacy and her boyfriend.*****  Lacy had remarkably good English, and she acted as my unofficial interpreter during the trip.   In the past 8 hours, I've exchanged travel photos with Lacy, bought and consumed long kon, and played "Mafia" using a weird mix of Chinese and English.

[For those familiar with the game, when it was MY turn to be the killer, and they accused me, my defense went something like this, "Just because I'm a foreigner, it doesn't mean that I'm a murderer." They laughed so hard, especially when they found out I WAS guilty,]

Other highlights included an ugly fist-fight about 5-6 rows in front of me, an aspiring admirer who tried to give me fruit, and re my seat mates how to play Egyptian Ratscrew.  Our remarkable deck of cards had three makeshift cards made out of an envelope. The game got so loud and involved that we drew a small crowd of spectators as we steamed up the windows. 

11:40PM

Lily is sleeping on her boyfriend, her head covered with a coat like a bird that's been put to sleep for the night.  He has a red horse stuffed animal under his arm, probably a gift for someone back home.  It IS the year of the horse, after all.  A man in front of me is peeling an apple with a penknife.  Considering the amount of natural cushion I have, this seat is remarkably hard.

12:30AM

I'm growing perturbed about the loud TV show people are playing, but I think Uncle is fixing it. I might I love him.  It's starting to get cold.  I wonder if I'll wake up to snow...

I did NOT wake up to snow, but I did watch a hot pink sun rise a set out opposite sides of the train that day.  The K-train was not at all as terrible as people made it out to be.  However, sitting for 32 hours is surprisingly painful.  I really lucked out with my seat mates: 3 recent college graduates, and 4 middleaged people.  I was seated away from the wall, which made sleeping impossible.  The older people had an unofficial rotation going on, swapping seats so others could take a turn leaning against the wall, or putting their head on the table.  Somewhere in the haze after midnight and before dawn, i got put into that rotation by the grace of God and the good hearts of the Chinese people.

By the end of the trip, I felt very Chinese. I had encountered every major, common cultural clash and didnt really feel fazed.  Squatty-potties on the train, questions about age and marital status, being stared at (literally) for hours by people who had no intention of talking to me, questions about how much I spent on things,****** giving and receiving food to and from strangers, getting photos taken, an impressing people with my mad chopstick skills.  My Chinese cellphone always gets me points for being in-the-know too.  Sometimes I feel like a celebrity in one of those articles you see in tabloids: They drink coffee like us! They buy toilet paper like us! They take their kids to the park like us!  This trip was one of those times.  With help from Lacy, I chatted with the older people. They seemed tentative at first, but by the time we got to Haerbin, they approved of me.*******

My taxi driver was a bit of a stinker, and my hotel room is...worthy of its own blog post, but 12 hours of sleep fixed the world.  My ToD experience, while quite memorable, wasn't nearly as awful as I anticipated.  I'm thankful I didn't manage to lose that last 10lbs - goodness knows I needed it to survive the hard seat! 

Stay tuned for more adventures....

*Train of Doom hereafter referred to as ToD.

** This part of my nightmare was inspired by my real-life story of traveling the length of Thailand curled up in the fetal position for 13 hours on a bus with no shocks that blasted bad rave music through the dead of night with an interior lit by neon purple lights.  True story.

***I have an excellent sense of priorities.

**** For the record, I did NOT overpack. Temperatures in Haerbin have been ranging from -30 to -9 C. Warm clothes are excessively fluffy

*****That's not entirely accurate. Her name was Lacey Li....but you get my point.

******Specifically my boots, which I was REALLY proud of! I shopped all ocer two cities to find goosnow boots made out of leather and wool that were waterproof, cheap, and large enough to fit my feet. This is surprisingly difficult to do, and I ended up with a pair of man-ish, yet comfortable boots for around $38 USD. Two men around my Dad's age were checking them out, so I unzipped the side to show them the lining. One guy felt the wool, and they asked the price. When I told them, they nodded in approval of my great shopping skills, and told me they were good quality. WIN!

*******You know a Chinese person has accepted you if they pat you on the arm or shoulder, or if they give you something to eat.