New Perspective

Hey! Well, I definitely enjoyed my time in the States, but had to get back into the swing of things once I returned since I still had classes to attend. Monday's class went well since I was able to retain the new chapter that I studied over the weekend, but by Tuesday I had quickly regressed in that knowledge. I did have to remind myself that I did not study the three weeks I missed of class either. My teachers said that they were still impressed with my progress to this point and to keep practicing my tones and vocabulary and it will all come naturally soon enough.

I am going to shift the focus of my blog for a minute and share with you something that I have been pondering this weekend. I don't claim to have this all figured out or that I am even right in this matter - it is just what's on my heart that I would love to share with you. I would also welcome any thoughts or feedback that you may have on the matter.

I have been thinking about disappointment and how in life we all experience it in some form or fashion. Whether it is being disappointed in someone or in a situation, it is a natural part of life. In my process of thinking I started to wonder what life would be like if I viewed disappointment in a different way - if I gave a new definition to disappointment. Various dictionaries define "disappointment" as: dashing one's hopes, to be frustrated, to being defeated or a failure. What if instead the word was broken into two parts: 'dis' and 'appointment.' 'Dis' used as a prefix would mean: not, undo, or free from. And 'appointment' would mean: the act of selecting or designating someone to a position.

What if instead of viewing "disappointment" when a friend chooses to walk out of my life as being someone who is defeated, I instead viewed it as an opportunity of 'free form' for another person to be 'appointed to that position' in that season of my life? In place of being disappointed in people and choosing to close myself off to the world, what if I allowed room for others to become my friends? Would it change my perspective of disappointment and maybe even theirs?

What if instead of viewing "disappointment" when the hope I had of teaching English to Chinese Olympic athletes gets put on hold, and instead viewed it as an opportunity to 'undo' the obstacles standing in my way of 'appointing me to learn another language' so that lives can be changed? Would it change my perspective of disappointment?

And my answer to all of those questions is: YES! My perspective has changed and been opened up to a new realm of possibilities. I have realized that a lot of this journey is about learning more about who I am becoming and allowing myself to be appointed to the positions that were chosen for me by Someone who knows me better than I know myself. It is about allowing my life to be re-defined in order to allow for greater growth.

Thank you for continuing to read my blog as you allowed me the opportunity to express my thoughts there for a moment. I wish you all a continued happy and healthy new year!

Back in Xi'an

It's me again! Just wanted to let you all know that I am back in Xi'an. I will be updating again in a few days, but in the meantime wanted you to all know that I safely made it back. Hope you all are enjoying the holiday weekend.

En Route Back to China

Hey everyone! I wanted to give you all an update on my traveling, as well as to let you know that I am now back to my normal once a week blog posting (sorry for the the brief hiatus during my time in the states).

I am currently sitting in the Toyko airport after flying for 13 hours. I still have another 4 hour flight tonight to Beijing and then will be spending the night at a hotel in Beijing before heading back to Xi'an tomorrow evening (I arrive too late in Beijing to catch a flight to Xi'an, requiring the overnight stay). I will be checking in at the hotel around 11:30pm tonight, so I have decided that I am going to ring in the New Year by going to bed at midnight! I still get to experience a month of celebration for the Chinese New Year, so I don't feel like I am missing out.

I enjoyed my 17 days in Georgia and also enjoyed seeing many of you as well. It was a great Christmas being with family and friends.

I will check-in again once I get back to Xi'an. Happy New Year to you all!

I'll Be Home for Christmas..

Hey everyone! I am leaving tonight for Beijing and then in the morning I will leave Beijing headed to Atlanta. I arrive into the States Sunday afternoon. I am so excited to be home for the holiday! Now for a brief update of my week.

This week has been full of activities. On Monday some friends and I learned how to play Mahjong, a Chinese game. It is a fun game, but it took me a few rounds to get used to the rules and the speed of play. The game also helped me with studying my Chinese characters. I also learned that playing Mahjong in real life is much different than the computer version of the game.

On Wednesday I went back to the Muslim market where I visited with my new friend Lily. Lily is the lady that makes Chinese scrolls and then hand paints them and writes verses on them. She even offered to teach me how to write characters for free (I may take her up on that some time). Lily was also impressed that I came back on my own to visit her and that I remembered how to get there too.

Thursday night was spent with my little family here as we celebrated a friend's birthday and had a going away party for her. She has been here for 2 years now and is leaving next week to move back to the States where she is going to do some more schooling. She will be missed, but I am thankful for the few months I had to get to know her.

Well, I will be checking in next week from the States. Zaijian! (Goodbye)

A Week of Fun

I can't believe that another week has already passed by and that I will be heading to the states in 9 days.

I have had some great new experiences this week. Tuesday night two of my girlfriends and I went out to eat at a Western restaurant and then joined a group of foreigners at a theater to watch a movie being shown in English (plus it was half price on this night - I paid $3 for the movie). It is a rarity to have a movie shown in English here, so we jumped at the chance to experience a Chinese theater. The movie was 2012, which in my personal opinion was not that great, but was fun none the less. I think it was more entertaining to be in a theater full of Chinese people since they were so excited by the movie, considering China saves the day. And for those of you who are curious, concessions at theaters here sell popcorn that is sweet - more like kettle corn, Haagen Dazs ice cream, nachos, little pastries, and soda.

Today a friend and I spent the day downtown. We first went to lunch at a Chinese restaurant in the Muslim quarter (I had fried rice and meat on a stick, my friend had fried rice, tofu, and cow stomach) and then we walked through the shops in the Muslim market. The market area is a big square with little streets connecting to it as well, and has probably close to 250 stalls. The people are sweet and can speak some English, especially the key phrases such as: "You come take a looky" and "I give you good price." Most of these street vendors work long hours as well as working 7 days a week. We did stop at a few vendors and enjoyed talking to the ladies that worked there. One vendor is a like minded lady who makes scrolls and writes verses from a Book out on them in Chinese characters, so we visited with her for probably 30 minutes. After a few hours walking through the market we decided to head home, but not before stopping at Starbucks for a coffee, and to enjoy the Christmas atmosphere that could be found there. Only "Western" restaurants or places known to be "tourist areas" here decorate for Christmas.

I will be checking in again next week before I depart for the states. I hope that you all have a wonderful week.