short and sweet

Fan dancers in the morning at a park in Shanghai.

One of the great things to observe in China is the morning routines of people at parks. Fan dancers, tai chi, people hitting themselves, people walking backwards, couples jogging hand in hand, and other forms of exercise.

Always on the lookout for Chinglish.

Small town street scenes.


I am in China for a short visit (using a return ticket that was going to expire if I didn't use it), getting to visit friends and ex-students. My main goal in coming was to encourage those I got to meet with, but it has turned out (as I hoped it would) that I am getting a clearer picture of what the future might hold as well.

the nephew

This is where we went with your meal money, Mom. I had a portabello sandwich and sweet potato fries and it was yummy.




He's amazing, isn't he? A smiley, happy 8 month old baby.

Kentucky after a rain

Looking out the window of the plane from Dallas to Louisville.





Kentucky surprised me. I didn't expect it to still be so spring-y there. It's green and blooming. Texas's spring is so short and was more than a month ago.

I had a nice time relaxing with my sister and her family, and am now in Shanghai, getting ready to fly to Yanji this afternoon - excited to see my friends there!

a Sunday evening walk

Two weeks ago, as I was walking around for exercise and taking pictures of bluebonnets, I found this neighborhood gas station interesting, as well as the geese and Deep Eddy pool. I love how there were people swimming even in early April.

I pondered on the walk that night things that I don't understand. I had recently talked to a girl who was a 7th grade student when I taught 5-8 years ago (oh, it's been so long!). She's now engaged. As we chatted for just a few minutes, she told me that God has given me the desires for marriage and a family because he's going to fulfill those desires. As much as that sounds reasonable and God-like, I don't know at this point in my life if I believe that. I know plenty of people older than me with the same desires who aren't seeing answers to their prayers. This girl was confident that she was right, and I didn't pursue the topic. For her, the argument is true.

That same weekend, another person mentioned that often heard line that "if you keep living a life focused on God, he'll bring the person who's right for you alongside you that is focused in the same way." This is also something that I'd like to believe, but the people who say these things are the people it's worked for.

While I still ask God to fulfill those desires, I wonder if being single could be a "thorn in the flesh" that God leaves in me to make me more dependent on him. I haven't given up on waiting, but I'm wondering a lot in the waiting.

Tonight, I'm in decision making mode about using my return ticket to China that's about to expire (sooner than I realized) and wishing for a traveling partner, a life partner, a decision making partner.

boating weather

My Grandmother's neighbor came over today to ask us if we wanted to join them for her daughter's birthday party on a boat on Lake Austin. My Grandmother couldn't go, but she wanted me to. I did, mostly for the chance to see the houses I see as I walk along Scenic Drive from the other side. I got a partially guided tour from the neighbor, showing me where Brad Pitt was rumored to have lived, among other things.

It was a beautiful day to enjoy being out on the lake for a few hours! I've spent the week working with 5th graders and got to extend that today to a birthday party with all 5th graders.

bluebonnets

This is my first spring to be in Texas for bluebonnet sightings in a while, so I had to make sure I got a few pictures! I walked over to a field just before sunset tonight. As I was leaving, I noticed that the bluebonnets weren't the only lovely things in the field, so I took a few pictures of the supporting cast as well.

subbing and kimbap

This week and last, I haven’t had many days of subbing, so when I saw a 10 day long job, I signed up for it, even though it’s at an elementary school and in special education, two things that aren’t what I usually do. It starts tomorrow. We’ll see!

I am mostly enjoying subbing. In the 8^th grade math classroom I recently had a few days in, I got practice factoring quadratics and listening to interesting things like an 8^th grade boy who was upset because it leaked out before school that he wanted to ask a certain girl out. He came in to class and said “Well, now I have to ask her out! There’s no way around it!” For all the attitude they can give a teacher, they are still so cute.

Two weeks ago, I finally got up my gumption and had a Korean dinner at my Grandmother’s house (where I’m staying in Austin). I even invited my first Korean tutors, even though I was a little apprehensive about cooking Korean food for Koreans. One of them came, and turned out to be the life of the party. I didn’t realize that most people don’t get a lot of interaction with non-Americans, so I was happy he and his wife were part of the experience.

Everybody seemed to like the food, especially the kimbap (like California rolls), but there was quite a bit of food left, so my Grandmother and I ate it as leftovers last week. I finally convinced her that Korean food isn’t all that great as leftovers and she didn’t have to eat it. I think her main motive was to get an organized refrigerator again. One great way to eat leftover kimbap, since it isn’t good old and cold, is to dip it in egg and put it in the frying pan. Yum!