Last week I had to translate some english for a sign that will be on display for Children's day at our Kindergarten.  The literal translation of the chinese that they wanted was "Happy Children's Day, small small me; big big society".  If anyone has any clue what that is SUPPOSED to mean, feel free to clue me in.  I explained that having small small me big big society on a banner might not be the best idea.  I decided to translate it as "Happy Children's Day to all the Children in the World".  So everyone, "small small me, big big society" to you, have a great night.

Our local neighborhood grocery store is from a chain called Vanguard (sometimes outdone by Foodstuff down the street, I'm not joking either that really is the name on the sign).  The name vanguard actually sounds like a deoderant name to me instead of a grocery store, but Vanguard it is.  Vanguard is a rather interesting place.  Not only do they sell the most random things possible, but they manage to never carry the same thing from week to week.  We don't have a bakery there, but we do however have a muffin man right next to the check out making muffins and baking them in a glorified easy bake oven.  The items are often piled everywhere and not neccessarily in places that make sense (half of the toilet paper is located in the stairwell while the other part is on the first floor next to the umbrellas and vegetable oil).  Usually everytime I go there if they do have the same item it is not always where I found it the week previous.  Comparison shopping(as my mother taught me to do) between items and brands is pretty much impossible because nothing is in English.  Today I had to buy toilet paper, and I was a bit perplexed.  I like to buy the Kleenex brand mostly because it is softer than the others and really, who can resist the cute golden retreiver pictured on the front?  It is not usually too expensive either, and usually it is always quite obvious which one to buy because there is only one with the dog on the front and the name Kleenex in English.  Today when I went looking for the toilet paper with the cute puppy on it in Vanguard (and found it next to the vegetable oil instead of in the shampoo aisle or on the stairs) I was puzzled by the fact that I now had three choices of Kleneex brand all for roughly the same price, yet I had no idea what the difference between the three was.  Two had patterns, one did not.  Two had the number three on it and the other had the number 2.  All had the same number of rolls in them.  Each were only a few kuai difference between each other.  All three were packaged in different packaging other than the lovely puppy.  Which one did I end up with to supposedly best suit my bathroom needs?  The oddly scented green aloe plant printed roll with the number three.  I'm still wondering what the number three has anything to do with it. 

I am currently going crazy trying to imput a whole pile of addresses into my newsletter listing.  If you have moved recently, or if you are currently not recieving my newsletter in your postal mail box, and would like to please email me and let me know!  I'd be happy to add you! 

WHY do we have 90+ temp days in MAY???  If this is any pattern, what will the next four weeks be like?  That's right in four weeks I'll be back on US soil for two months.  If you want me to visit you, or you want to visit with me, let me know and I'll try to arrange it. 

The last two weeks have been really full ones!  We've had lots going on, so I've posted lots of new photos.  We've had kindergarten sports day, teacher sports day, visiting an orphanage, attending an open house, attending a prom like formal dinner at the Guyana embassy, and visiting Tianjin!  Here is the run down:  Kindergarten sports day was fun, I even got to participate in a dance/performance with my kids.  Teacher Sports day was really cool as well, because I got to see a former co-teacher of mine that I hadn't seen for two years.  She is teaching at another kindergarten now, so it was really fun to see her again.  I also took second place in an event...check out the pictures if you want to know which one...it is a little unusual.   Visiting the orphange was awesome, as soon as I walked in the gate one of the girls ran straight for me and gave me a big hug.  I had spent time with her the week before so it was fun to see her again.  Then we played bingo with them and then gave them all prizes which they had fun playing with.  It is great to see how much joy simple little things brings them.  Later, that Saturday two of the girls I've gotten to know these last few years are graduating this year so I went to their open house as well.  This past friday night our youth group had its annual formal dinner which was held at the Guyana embassy!  I can now say that I have officially been on Guyana soil.  I love to get dressed up, so it was SO much fun.  We had a catered dinner and dancing, and it was fun to see all of the students I've been hanging out with this year get all dressed up and cut loose.  Yesterday our young adult group (not the youth group, these are people in there twenties and thirties) took the hour long train to tianjin (fourth largest city in china, i live in the largest one) and we spent some time visitng a market.  After the market we saw the concession area where back in the early 1900s all the foreigners used to live (china used to seperate all the foreigners).  It was cool to see all the old buildings and the different styles of architecture from different countries.  The best part of the whole day (and one of the best things i've done in a while) was that we took a carriage ride to see it!  I haven't seen or even been around a horse in over a year, so it was like the Father just dropped a present right in my lap.  Really it was wonderful.  Funny how something little like that can bring such joy.  A friend took some great pictures, so I hope you enjoy checking them out. 

I recently bought some flowers to put on my balcony and come to find out I don't have as green a thumb as I thought.  My inside house plants are doing fairly good but the new ones are just doing horrible!  I don't know what I'm doing wrong either, so if you have suggestions let me know.  The problem is I don't know what they are, so I have no way of figuring out how to properly take care of them.  I think the intense Beijing sun the last few days has not been good for them or something.  THe ninety degree weather is nice, just not for my plants. 

Last night our youth group had a really fun activity for the students to try and recall the word passages they've been memorizing over the semester.  We headed down to the nearby canal/park and had a challenge course of sorts to test their mental knowledge.  Overall I think they liked it.  After they all downed some papa johns pizza(isn't it amazing what we can get in Beijing--why is it that we have papa johns, yet our nearby grocer has decided to no longer carry peanut butter?) we headed over to go bowling at one of the largest bowling alley's I've seen in china.  Bowling in general has not seem to caught on in China the way it has in the states (they actually imported all the equipment/balls).  We have it here but usually there are only a couple of lanes, it is very expensive and usually pretty empty.  I was pleasantly surprised then when we walked in to one we found nearby that has a ton of lanes, extensive shoe sizes, lots of people (they are even open till 3 am!), and two games + shoes for the low, low price of 40 kuai.  There were about twenty of us and we had so much fun!  If you have ever been bowling with me, then you know that I am not a good bowler (usually I get around 60-80, and I've even had one horrible time where I got like a twenty) but last night I got my all time high score of 116!  I didn't even have to use the bumpers!  After bowling we headed back to 2 different apartments and had a slumber party.  I didn't get to bed till four am.  I don't think I've stayed up that late since college, and my body is not really up for it, but it was a fun night for all regardless of the three hours of sleep we had before we needed to get ready for church. 

Last week I went to Shanghai with some friends for May holiday.  It was an interesting time, and the Father really taught me a lot about myself and how believers interact with one another, and as much as we try we are still fallen, and thus grace becomes necessary.  To many people I may appear to be a confidant person who has it all together, but in reality I am just like everyone else and suffer from some of the same struggles.  One thing I have always struggled with is caring what other people think about me, and feeling accepted/wanted.  Regardless of what they think, do, or say, what it comes down to is that no matter the situation our only identity is in the Son, and HIS opinion is the only one that matters.  So find your identity in Him and try to model yourself after the way He lived in words, thought, and action.  This was what I was thinking about a lot afterwards.  The day I returned from my shanghai excursion I also visted an local orphanage.  Talk about seeing the Father's Heart laid bare before me.  I realized that a lot of what I had been dealing with were just petty distractions.  There were things there that moved my heart and really refocused me on why I am here and revealed other ways I can give of myself.  I joined the young adult group at bicf and they visit this place every other week.  I can safely say that I plan to be more involved in the work they are doing in sharing the joy of the Father.  Please lift me up that I would have enough energy on the weekends to do so, and that the Father would show me how to best use my gifts to their benefit. 

So even though it is only the beginning of May I think it is officially summer.  It is after may holiday so the long underwear has officially come off for my children and they are now wearing t-shirts.  A good thing too, considering it is like 90 degrees here.  I'm avoiding using the air conditioning, because something just seems wrong with using central air at the beginning of May.  I do prefer this to the cold weather with no heat though.  I miss being able to be near water though.  If you are in Michigan and near the lake, go take advantage of the nice breeze along the beach.