When Bo and I decided to move to China, our biggest fear was that something would happen to someone in our family while we were gone and we wouldn’t be able to get home fast enough.

Today, I sit by my mother’s bed on the Leukemia floor at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. It is early morning, the sun hasn’t made an appearance, yet. I have been awake all night, tending to my mother’s needs, and thinking about how the Lord has taken such amazing care of my entire family as we face the battle ahead.

Exactly one week ago, I was in China when my biggest fear was realized. Well, half of it anyway. Last Friday, I felt like my world was caving in as my mom told me about her diagnosis of Leukemia. I knew I needed to get on a plane right away and be with her through treatment, so that is what I did. And you know what? It is a good thing that my fear didn’t prevent our move to China, because living there has resulted in the most flexible and free schedule that I have had in my entire adult life and I probably couldn’t have been at my mom’s side any faster if I had lived anywhere else.

So here I sit, still on “China time,” which works perfectly as my grandma takes the day shift and I watch over mom at night. The hospital is wonderful, and I am hopeful as we start chemo therapy today. My mother is on an extra special “protocol” treatment plan because of her rare form of Leukemia. This means that she has an extra team of doctors, cutting edge medicine, and ultimately a better chance of beating this thing after the first round of treatment.

My mom is really, really sick. But I am here, and I praise God for that fact. I am thankful for the way He mapped out my life so that it was possible for me to come quickly and stay indefinitely. God has shown me something about our fears- they don’t matter. Being afraid doesn’t stop bad things from happening. God tells us not to live in fear because He has everything under control, and He wants to put us where we need to be. Even when we think we know better.

So, even though it is hard, I am trying not to be afraid. I am focusing on the good that He has done, so much already, all undeserved.

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said, “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they laid him.”

…Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb… because they were afraid. (Mark 16:5-8)

~~~

“Woman,” He said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put Him and I will get Him.”

J*sus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward Him and cried out…”Rabboni!”  (John 20:15-16)

~~~

…Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet who have believed. (John 20:29)

~~~

Here I am humbled by Your Majesty,
Covered by Your grace, oh Friend.
Here I am, knowing I’m a sinful man,
Covered by the blood of the Lamb.
Now I’ve found the greatest love of all is mine,
Since You laid down Your life,
The greatest sacrifice.

Majesty, Majesty.
Your grace has found me just as I am,
Empty-handed, but alive in Your hands.

Here I am humbled by the love that You give,
Forgiven so that I can forgive.
So here I stand,
Knowing that I am Your desire,
Sanctified by glory and fire.
And now I’ve found the greatest love of all is mine,
Since You laid down Your life,
The greatest sacrife.

Majesty, Majesty.
Your grace has found me just as I am,
Empty-handed, but alive in your hands.
Singing Majesty, Majesty.

Forever I am changed by Your love,
In the presence of Your Majesty.
Majesty.

~~~

Wishing you all many blessings today. Happy Easter!

I thought you might enjoy seeing a photo of some of my students! One cold, windy afternoon, the students invited my friend, Shannon, and I to join them for Hot Pot. It was great fun!

I feel really blessed to have found the perfect job to help ease the transition into a new culture. Teaching English has given me opportunities to build relationships with local people, and even make some lasting friendships. I have had students into my home, and Bo and I have been invited into some of their homes (which is a really big deal). My students have helped me with countless tasks, from grocery shopping to figuring out how to keep mosquitos out of my house. They also teach me so much, and are eager to share about their culture as well as learn about mine.

March wrapped up my 6 month teaching commitment, and I considered quitting my job because I have honestly maxed-out my schedule lately. But I just couldn’t give it up completely, because that would mean possibly missing out on future friendships. So as of this month, I am working part-time. Three days a week, an NO weekends!! Yippee!

I just couldn’t abandon these guys…

By the way, the girl sitting down is my Canadian colleague, Shannon, not a student… as if you couldn’t tell!

Bo and I had to go back to BJ for a couple of days so that he could get his shoulder checked out. The report was good, the x-rays showed that he is healing nicely, and we should be right on schedule for his other surgery in August (to remove the metal plate).

We only spent about 30 minutes at the hospital, so we actually got to do some sightseeing this time! We spent a day at the Forbidden City, which was pretty awesome. All of the trees and flowers were blooming, and the colors were amazing. After we got home, I realized that almost all of my photos were of trees. But I couldn’t help it! They were so gorgeous! I told my mom that I when I move back to the States, I want to landscape my whole yard with Chinese plants and trees. Did I mention I love them?

Here are some photos from our tour of the Forbidden City…

After a long day of tourism, we were amazed to find a “real” Texas BBQ restaurant. Of course we had to give it a try. Here is a photo of my meal… ribs, beans, cole slaw, and potato salad …served on a Texas shaped plate… and actually really delicious.

Or maybe it has just been too long since my last meal at Corky’s.

I did not come to China with the intention of studying Chinese, but after a few months of frustration with the language barrier, I decided to start lessons. Out of desperation, really.

Lucky for me, I have the best teacher in the world, and as it turns out, I really love learning this crazy, crazy language. One day, I will write a whole post about my beautiful teacher, Lavender, who I adore. But not today. Today I want to brag a little. Ha!

I find that nothing helps you learn Chinese like riding in taxis. The drivers are usually very chatty, and none of them speak a lick of English. If you don’t understand Chinese, they will usually just repeat the question or comment over and over (and louder and louder) until you understand or just jump out the window. I love it! They are relentless, but I get plenty of practice.

I have officially been here for 6 months, but I have only been studying Chinese (regularly) for 3. I can definitely understand WAY more than I can say, but sometimes I find myself having a real conversation and I admit… it makes me giddy. 

Tonight I got into the car of a very boisterous taxi driver (Shi Fu: pronounced like sure-foo). He was VERY excited to give this foreign girl a ride home, and he talked my ear off for the full 10 minutes. Here is the conversation (all in Chinese):

Shi Fu: Hello!!!!!!!!!

Me: Hello!!!!!!

Shi Fu: Where do you want to go?

Me: Jin Hai Guang Chang, next to the Olympic Sailing Center.

Shi Fu: Where are you from?

Me: America

Shi Fu: (making gesture towards his face) You are beautiful!!

Me: Thank you, sir.

Shi Fu: America is very big.

Me: China is also very big.

Shi Fu: I like America.

Me: I like China.

Shi Fu: Yes, but I like to sing American music.

Me: Do you like Karaoke?

Shi Fu: I like to sing, but my voice is very bad. (and then he demonstrates this)

Me: (pointing to my favorite Karaoke place on the left) That is the Karaoke place that I like.

Shi Fu: Do you want to go there now? (starts to turn the steering wheel)

Me: No! Turn right up ahead!

Shi Fu: Do you live there? (pointing to an apartment building that is not mine)

Me: No! Go straight, then turn left… Okay, stop here.

Shi Fu: 8 kuai (this is the amount of money I owe). You go home now. 

Me: Thank you. Bye!

Shi Fu: Bye!

Did you know that the title of this blog is actually Chinglish? I have used that phrase so many times, but never realized (until I moved here) that it is actually a direct translation from the Chinese way to say “I haven’t seen you in such a long time!” Ha!

Anyway, things have been crazy lately. Busy, busy. With work, language lessons, and a few other balls in the air, I haven’t had much time to blog. Sorry, family!! I will try to do better!

Last weekend was a 3 day weekend for the Tomb Festival, which meant that Bo and I got to spend a beautiful spring Monday doing whatever we wanted. And we wanted to fly a kite.

Bo brought this huge panda kite home a few weeks ago and I died laughing. But it was fun to fly it, and the kids in our neighborhood enjoyed seeing it up in the air… for the 5 minutes we flew it before the wind died for the rest of the day. No joke. We spent an hour stringing the thing up, and 5 minutes flying it. But at least I brought my camera!!

Although I don’t choose to celebrate or acknowledge Valentines Day myself, I would like to send a little love out to all of my readers on behalf of the billions of Chinese folk who ADORE this holiday and celebrate in the colorful, glittery, passionate, over-the-top way that only Chinese know how to celebrate (anything). And while I think it’s silly to pay 5 times too much for flowers just because a marketing company once dreamed up a way to stimulate the economy by tugging on our heart strings, here is a blue rose from all my peeps in Qingdao. (Sans glitter, and frills, and ribbons, and pearls, and teddy bears that accompany ACTUAL blue roses in Qingdao).

Love ya, mean it!

A friend of mine sent me this, and I think it is really funny…(much truth is said in jest)…

Heavenly Father,        

Look down on us your humble obedient expat wives, who are doomed to travel this earth following our loved ones through their working lives to lands unknown.

We beseech you, oh Lord, to see that our plane is not hijacked or doesn’t crash, our luggage is not lost or pillaged, and our overweight baggage goes unnoticed.

Give us this day, divine guidance in our selection of houses, maids and drivers. We pray that the telephone works, the roof does not leak, the power cuts are few and the rats and cockroaches even fewer.

Lord, please lead us to good, inexpensive restaurants where wine is included in the meal and the food does not cause dysentery. 

Have mercy upon us Lord, if it be the latter, and make us fleet of foot to make it to the loo in time, and strong of knee in case we have to squat. Also give us the wisdom to tip correctly in currencies we do not understand.

Make the natives love us Lord, for who we are and not what we can contribute to their worldly goods.

Grant us the strength to smile at our maids, even though our most treasured dress resembles a rag, or they take bleach to clean our well admired silk rug. Give us divine patience when we explain for the hundredth time the way we want things done. And Lord, if we ever lose our patience and thump them, have mercy on us for our flesh is weak.

Dear God, protect us from so-called “bargains” we don’t need and can’t afford. Lead us not into temptation for we know not what we do.

Almighty Father, keep our husbands from looking at foreign women and comparing them to us and save them from making fools of themselves in nightclubs. Above all, please do NOT forgive their trespasses for they know exactly what they do.

And when our expat years are over Lord, grant us the favor of finding someone who will look at our photographs and listen to our stories, so our lives as expat wives will not have been in vain.

Amen.

**For the record, I LOVE being an expat wife and traveling the world. Still haven’t gotten used to asian-style “squatty” toilets, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for the world! **

Warning: If you don’t want to see the gnarly pic of Bo’s staples, be careful how fast you scroll down. I am putting it at the very end of this long post so that you can refrain from looking if you choose. I had to add it on for my dad, though. He loves that kind of stuff…

Well, we are finally back home. FINALLY!! Oh, how I missed Qingdao… beautiful, clean, small Qingdao (okay, there are 4 million people here, but when you compare it to 11 million in Beijing, you start to feel small). It was a long, tiring couple of weeks, but everything went really well with the surgery and now we can try to resume life as usual. Or as close to usual as possible when one of you lacks the use of an extremity.

I can sum up our time in Beijing by saying it was stressful, confusing, frustrating, and exhausting. But that is not all. It was also fun, comfortable, joyous, and a total blessing. And since I have so much to tell you about, I think I’ll start with the fun, joyous, blessing part…

In Beijing, we stayed with the AMAZING Harvey family. They were friends of friends of friends, and welcomed us (perfect strangers) into their home when they heard about our situation. They have a guest room and bathroom in their home that is always ready in case someone needs it. It was so wonderful to have a comfortable, private space to rest as we navigated through so much unfamiliar territory. And I can’t tell you what a blessing it was to have the support and pryers of a like-minded couple during it all. They were what made this roller coaster tolerable. Bo and I agree that in our whole lives, we are not sure if we have ever truly experienced selfless hospitality like we did through the Harveys in Beijing. We showed up at their home and they made us feel like family. Words can’t explain, but He provided what we needed through this family and we are thankful.

Next, I have to mention the Tapleys, our fabulous Australian friends who also happen to be our neighbors. They were the ones who hooked us up with the family in Beijing, advised us about the good hospitals, and were just constantly on-call for anything we needed back in QD while we were away. Tash even had my whole house cleaned for me when I got home last night. Bless her. This family has helped us in so many ways over the past few months, but they were life-savers once again this time and we are so thankful.

Lastly, Bo had his surgery at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) in Beijing. He had excellent care, skilled surgeons and medical staff, a flat panel TV, and a comfy bed. Again, thankful.

Confession: over the last 2 weeks, Bo and I looked at each other a few times and said, “this is the worst thing we have ever been through,” but when I look back at all the blessings and how His hand was totally in control, I can’t help but feel good about everything. It actually makes the stressful, confusing, frustrating, and  exhausting part of the story seem rather unimportant. Maybe I’ll save that part of the story for another post.

For now. pictures…

A broken bone and still Settlin.’ The Harveys are big Catan fans, which was SO great because you might remember that Catan night was high on our to-do list during “the holiday that wasn’t.”

Waiting for surgery, playin’ UNO. Don’t you love the hospital jammies they gave him?

I was bored while I waited for Bo to come back, so I just went outside to snap pics around the hospital.

There aren’t as many as there used to be, but I’m pretty sure Beijing still has the largest bicycle population in the world.

This store was next to the hospital. If you are familiar with my obsession with changing my hair, then you may find the humor in the product sold at my “namesake”…wigs!!

Mom, thought you might want to see the Chinese characters for “library.”

After surgery. They had CNN…we haven’t watched American news in months… woah, depressing.

And here is Bo getting out of jail after 4 days in the hospital. The nurses were SO CUTE!! They all wore little nurse dresses and matching pink cardigans. And the hats completely made the outfit. Loved it!

And finally… the gore.. Bo’s incision… I made the photo really small to try to cut down on the gross factor…

Yuck! For a woman, a scar like this would be devastating. But funny enough, I think Bo is a little proud. The staples come out in 2 weeks. More details later…

We made it to Beijing. We saw the doc and yes, Bo needs surgery. We are trying to make decisions. I’ll let you know.

We are travelling to Beijing tomorrow to get a THIRD opinion on Bo’s condition. So far, 2 doctors have recommended surgery, but the level of care here during a holiday is well below what we are used to in the States. I definitely don’t want anybody cutting into my babe unless it is absolutely necessary. And to give you an example of what we have been dealing with:

Me: (through a translator) Is the American doctor here today? I would like to talk to someone who speaks English so I can understand EXACTLY why surgery is necessary.

Doc: No, he’s not here today.

Me: When will he be back? Can we call him in?

Doc: If you want to talk to an American doctor, you should go back to America.

Nice. So we are off to Beijing United Hospital, where we can talk to a Western trained Doc and also a surgeon who speaks English. I’ll post updates as we have them.

I always thought we’d be climbing the Great Wall on our first visit to Beijing. I wonder if we can fit that into our schedule…

The day started out like this…

And ended up like this…

Broken collar bone. Surgery may be ahead. I’ll keep you posted.