My roommate and I recently discovered a gym by the back gate of our apartment complex. Apartment complex is a loose term....it's more like a small city. Anyway, we found a gym. We decided to go in and check it out, because it would be nice to have a gym so close to home, right?
Well.
As we were standing at the entrance of the dark, creepy stairwell, we weren't sure if we were going to go through with it or not. There was an elevator that wasn't working, so the stairs were the only option. As per usual, there were no lights or windows in the stairwell, so we speed-walked to the top. Along the way we saw pictures of gross body builders and gymnasts, so we figured we were on the right track. We got to the top of the stairs and there was no entrance into the gym. So we ventured out onto the balcony and saw an open door a little ways down. Not the most convenient place for an entrance. We walked into the lobby to find a pool table and a few men hanging out and smoking. Smoking. In the gym. That can't be good for the cardiovascular system. I asked the guy at the desk if we could look around, and he said sure (I think). Aside from the layer of cigarette smoke, the gym itself was small but seemed pretty normal. There were weights, machines, yoga mats, etc. There was also a studio for classes, although I have no idea what classes are offered.....
I guess we'll find out! :) We're going tonight for a free trial workout. I'm sure I'll have more to blog about later.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
So, I made a chicken pot pie
After a recent visit from a friend, I realized that I've been so wrapped up in my transition into life in China that I haven't been actively looking for ways to bless the people around me. It's easy to try and show a stranger kindness, but I had been looking over the people in my community, trying to get them out of my way so I could see other opportunities to love on people. This was a really harsh reality for me, realizing how selfish my heart has become during my fight to survive and adapt to my new...everything. I started praying for the Father to change my heart and show me ways to serve my brothers and sisters in love.
There is one particular family that has been a.b.s.o.l.u.t.e.l.y amazing since I got here. They have opened their home to me, fed me, given me a place to sit and cry, encouraged me, and loved me. They have been such a blessing to me! Normally I invite myself over for dinner/out for coffee, or somehow finagle an invite out of them. I decided that this time I would bring dinner when I invited myself over. We set a date and time, and I was pretty excited to spend some time with them!
Now, I'm not the most domestic person in the world. I've caught multiple dish towels on fire while cooking, I've ruined instant mashed potatoes, and I've forgotten things in the oven more than once.
With that in mind, this was my pot pie making experience:
First of all, I'm still new enough to China that grocery shopping is an all day event and I usually come back with nothing on my shopping list, but lots of things I didn't know I needed until they called to me from the shelf (in Chinese). It's actually not any different than my shopping trips in the States, now that I think about it. ANYWAY, I decided to go shopping on Monday so I would have everything I needed and I wouldn't have to do it at the last minute. On Tuesday I had some free time in the evening, so I went ahead and cut the veggies and laid out all of the things I would need the next afternoon.
To make a long story not-so-long, I was later than expected leaving school on Wednesday, didn't have any taxi money, phone died when I tried to send a frantic text to the friend whose sweet family was expecting dinner, and had to borrow money from my TA to get home.
Fast forward a 30 minute taxi ride.
I got home about an hour later than anticipated, so I was a little frazzled. I turned on the dinosaur we call an oven to preheat and opened the fridge to grab my nice pre-cut veggies. APPARENTLY you shouldn't cut potatoes the day before, because my once beautiful little white potato cubes were now a really gross brown color. But I thought, "Jai you!" and decided to use them anyway and prayed no one would notice. Oven is preheating...chicken is cooking on the stove...time to roll out the dough for the crust. I thought, "I'll save a step and roll the dough onto wax paper, then I can just flip it into the pan and save time!" So I rolled not one but two crusts onto wax paper and began to mix the ingredients for the filling, brown potatoes and all. The recipe I know in my head uses cups, but all of our measuring tools here are metric, but my phone was still dead and refusing to charge and my computer wasn't handy, so I didn't know how to convert c to ml. Gah! I checked the oven to see if it was heated, not that it matters because there isn't a real dial with degrees on it, but rather a dial with 1-8 and a needle thermometer inside that I don't really trust. I thought 7 sounded good, so I put the dial there and went back to my crust.
Ooooooh, the pie crust. When I flipped it into the pan and tried to shake it free from the paper, I started to realize this might have been a bad idea. When I shook the paper and then tried unsuccessfully to peel the crust off, I confirmed that it was a bad idea. So I scraped the dough off of the wax paper, threw the dough ball into the bottom of the pie pan, and smooshed it around the best I could. Whatever. It's on the bottom of the pan so it's not like anyone's going to see it. The top crust, by some miracle, wasn't as stuck as the first so I was able to cover most of the top with it. Then I used dough remnants to patch together the rest. My students have made many a pie with play doh, and I've never seen anything this ugly. At this point, I was already going to be late for dinner so I threw it into the oven, said a quick "please don't burn" prayer, and went about cleaning up. A while later I decided maybe 7 was too hot, so I tried to turn it down to 5 1/2. Why did I mess with the dial? I don't know. The gas turned off and wouldn't turn back on. What a disaster.
Before I ran out the door with my mostly cooked pot pie, I grabbed a potato that was poking through the...ahem....less than perfect top crust and sure enough, it was still crunchy. Of course. Perfect. I grabbed some cookie dough from the freezer (that thankfully a really wonderful cook gave me for Christmas) and figured if the pot pie was a flop we could order McDonalds delivery and eat cookies while we waited.
15 minutes late for dinner, I speed walked to their building. I shouldn't be surprised that I dropped the cookie dough on the way there, but thankfully it was double wrapped. I don't think I could eat even the most delicious cookie after it's touched the ground in China. Finally made it to their building...elevator to the ninth floor....realized I was in the wrong building....facepalm....elevator back down to the first floor.....backtrack one building....elevator up to the ninth floor....
The story has a happy ending. We all had a good laugh about my failed cooking experience, and the pot pie was surprisingly edible. Some miracle must have happened on the way to their house, because the potatoes were done. Their kids even asked for seconds! Phewf! Then we ate cookies, had more fun conversation, and all of the drama was totally worth it. :)
There is one particular family that has been a.b.s.o.l.u.t.e.l.y amazing since I got here. They have opened their home to me, fed me, given me a place to sit and cry, encouraged me, and loved me. They have been such a blessing to me! Normally I invite myself over for dinner/out for coffee, or somehow finagle an invite out of them. I decided that this time I would bring dinner when I invited myself over. We set a date and time, and I was pretty excited to spend some time with them!
Now, I'm not the most domestic person in the world. I've caught multiple dish towels on fire while cooking, I've ruined instant mashed potatoes, and I've forgotten things in the oven more than once.
With that in mind, this was my pot pie making experience:
First of all, I'm still new enough to China that grocery shopping is an all day event and I usually come back with nothing on my shopping list, but lots of things I didn't know I needed until they called to me from the shelf (in Chinese). It's actually not any different than my shopping trips in the States, now that I think about it. ANYWAY, I decided to go shopping on Monday so I would have everything I needed and I wouldn't have to do it at the last minute. On Tuesday I had some free time in the evening, so I went ahead and cut the veggies and laid out all of the things I would need the next afternoon.
To make a long story not-so-long, I was later than expected leaving school on Wednesday, didn't have any taxi money, phone died when I tried to send a frantic text to the friend whose sweet family was expecting dinner, and had to borrow money from my TA to get home.
Fast forward a 30 minute taxi ride.
I got home about an hour later than anticipated, so I was a little frazzled. I turned on the dinosaur we call an oven to preheat and opened the fridge to grab my nice pre-cut veggies. APPARENTLY you shouldn't cut potatoes the day before, because my once beautiful little white potato cubes were now a really gross brown color. But I thought, "Jai you!" and decided to use them anyway and prayed no one would notice. Oven is preheating...chicken is cooking on the stove...time to roll out the dough for the crust. I thought, "I'll save a step and roll the dough onto wax paper, then I can just flip it into the pan and save time!" So I rolled not one but two crusts onto wax paper and began to mix the ingredients for the filling, brown potatoes and all. The recipe I know in my head uses cups, but all of our measuring tools here are metric, but my phone was still dead and refusing to charge and my computer wasn't handy, so I didn't know how to convert c to ml. Gah! I checked the oven to see if it was heated, not that it matters because there isn't a real dial with degrees on it, but rather a dial with 1-8 and a needle thermometer inside that I don't really trust. I thought 7 sounded good, so I put the dial there and went back to my crust.
Ooooooh, the pie crust. When I flipped it into the pan and tried to shake it free from the paper, I started to realize this might have been a bad idea. When I shook the paper and then tried unsuccessfully to peel the crust off, I confirmed that it was a bad idea. So I scraped the dough off of the wax paper, threw the dough ball into the bottom of the pie pan, and smooshed it around the best I could. Whatever. It's on the bottom of the pan so it's not like anyone's going to see it. The top crust, by some miracle, wasn't as stuck as the first so I was able to cover most of the top with it. Then I used dough remnants to patch together the rest. My students have made many a pie with play doh, and I've never seen anything this ugly. At this point, I was already going to be late for dinner so I threw it into the oven, said a quick "please don't burn" prayer, and went about cleaning up. A while later I decided maybe 7 was too hot, so I tried to turn it down to 5 1/2. Why did I mess with the dial? I don't know. The gas turned off and wouldn't turn back on. What a disaster.
Before I ran out the door with my mostly cooked pot pie, I grabbed a potato that was poking through the...ahem....less than perfect top crust and sure enough, it was still crunchy. Of course. Perfect. I grabbed some cookie dough from the freezer (that thankfully a really wonderful cook gave me for Christmas) and figured if the pot pie was a flop we could order McDonalds delivery and eat cookies while we waited.
15 minutes late for dinner, I speed walked to their building. I shouldn't be surprised that I dropped the cookie dough on the way there, but thankfully it was double wrapped. I don't think I could eat even the most delicious cookie after it's touched the ground in China. Finally made it to their building...elevator to the ninth floor....realized I was in the wrong building....facepalm....elevator back down to the first floor.....backtrack one building....elevator up to the ninth floor....
The story has a happy ending. We all had a good laugh about my failed cooking experience, and the pot pie was surprisingly edible. Some miracle must have happened on the way to their house, because the potatoes were done. Their kids even asked for seconds! Phewf! Then we ate cookies, had more fun conversation, and all of the drama was totally worth it. :)
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Loneliness
There are times when China, with its 1.3 billion people surrounding me, is the loneliest place I've ever been. I know I'm not alone - I have a loving Savior who knows me and loves me and is with me. But sometimes, like most of last week, living here is lonely. I had kind of a scary encounter with a man asking for money outside of Starbucks last weekend, and it reminded me of how painful loneliness can be. I was having an issue with this man, and clearly I'm not from here nor do I speak the language, and no one stopped to help me. In busy shopping area, person after person walked by and no one did a thing to help me. I know there are lots of cultural things I don't understand about this situation, but I still can't wrap my head around why no one would help me. Talk about feeling alone. After that incident, I struggled internally for several days trying to understand myself and my situation better. And this is what I've decided: Although my heart is often overwhelmed, I am experiencing such tremendous growth and seeing the Lord in new and exciting ways, and I wouldn't trade this season of my life for anything.
I've heard and read some really great thoughts on loneliness lately that have encouraged me, so I thought I would share.
"Loneliness is a feeling. Don't confuse that with your position before Christ which is real...which is deeper than any feeling that you and I can ever have." -Rob Turner, "The Kingdom and Singleness"
The rest of these come from Elisabeth Elliot's book Passion and Purity (some of which are excerpts from other books).
"This loneliness itself, which seems a weight, will be far outweighed by glory."
"Pray that you may be an instrument of God's peace, that where there is loneliness you may bring joy."
"Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living."
"He has brought me this far, and already my joy is unspeakable."
I've heard and read some really great thoughts on loneliness lately that have encouraged me, so I thought I would share.
"Loneliness is a feeling. Don't confuse that with your position before Christ which is real...which is deeper than any feeling that you and I can ever have." -Rob Turner, "The Kingdom and Singleness"
The rest of these come from Elisabeth Elliot's book Passion and Purity (some of which are excerpts from other books).
"This loneliness itself, which seems a weight, will be far outweighed by glory."
"Pray that you may be an instrument of God's peace, that where there is loneliness you may bring joy."
"Let not our longing slay the appetite of our living."
"He has brought me this far, and already my joy is unspeakable."
If it looks like a chocolate chip...
Today on the bus ride home, I was talking to a friend who is also fairly new to China. I told her that I have some guests coming to visit within the next few months, and she said, "Make sure you find out what their expectations are and tell them what they can actually expect it to be like."
So I started thinking...what should I tell my friend and my mom before they come visit?
1. Be careful what you step in. Puddles in the sidewalk may be a variety of things ranging from rainwater to urine to spit to snot.
2. Don't wear flip flops or nice shoes. See number 1.
3. Things in China take about twice as long as in the States. Then double that because you're a foreigner.
4. "Ting bu dong." If you're going to learn one phrase, learn that.
5. Bicycle etiquette. Stay to the right, pass on the left. Bicycles going against traffic stay closest to the curb, as do pedestrians. Car doors sometimes fly open and it hurts if you hit them. There's a bell on your handlebars...use it. Once you commit to crossing the street, go for it. Do whatever the Chinese bicyclists do - they've been doing this longer than you and they aren't dead yet.
6. Sweet potato chips. Yes.
7. The city bus can be a lot of fun, as long as you're willing to surrender your personal space at the door.
8. Restaurants with picture menus, while the food never really looks like the picture, are much safer than restaurants without pictures.
9. People will laugh at you. It's okay... It helps if you assume they are laughing WITH you.
10. If it looks like a chocolate chip, it's probably a red bean.
So I started thinking...what should I tell my friend and my mom before they come visit?
1. Be careful what you step in. Puddles in the sidewalk may be a variety of things ranging from rainwater to urine to spit to snot.
2. Don't wear flip flops or nice shoes. See number 1.
3. Things in China take about twice as long as in the States. Then double that because you're a foreigner.
4. "Ting bu dong." If you're going to learn one phrase, learn that.
5. Bicycle etiquette. Stay to the right, pass on the left. Bicycles going against traffic stay closest to the curb, as do pedestrians. Car doors sometimes fly open and it hurts if you hit them. There's a bell on your handlebars...use it. Once you commit to crossing the street, go for it. Do whatever the Chinese bicyclists do - they've been doing this longer than you and they aren't dead yet.
6. Sweet potato chips. Yes.
7. The city bus can be a lot of fun, as long as you're willing to surrender your personal space at the door.
8. Restaurants with picture menus, while the food never really looks like the picture, are much safer than restaurants without pictures.
9. People will laugh at you. It's okay... It helps if you assume they are laughing WITH you.
10. If it looks like a chocolate chip, it's probably a red bean.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Truth
I'm having kind of a rough week, so I don't have much to write. I just have some thoughts from the Word to share:
And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’” Zechariah 13:9
Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. Isaiah 65:24
He rules by His might forever;
His eyes keep watch on the nations; Psalm 66:7
Bless our God, O peoples,
And sound His praise abroad,
Who keeps us in life
And does not allow our feet to slip.
For You have tried us, O God;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
We went through fire and through water,
Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance. Psalm 66:8-10, 12
Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. Isaiah 59:1
And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’” Zechariah 13:9
Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear. Isaiah 65:24
He rules by His might forever;
His eyes keep watch on the nations; Psalm 66:7
Bless our God, O peoples,
And sound His praise abroad,
Who keeps us in life
And does not allow our feet to slip.
For You have tried us, O God;
You have refined us as silver is refined.
We went through fire and through water,
Yet You brought us out into a place of abundance. Psalm 66:8-10, 12
Behold, the LORD'S hand is not so short That it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. Isaiah 59:1
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Gingerbread Man Down
Here is one of the million reasons I love kindergarteners.
We just started our Gingerbread Man unit, so they are obsessed with all things Gingerbread. Today we were playing "Doggie, doggie, where's your bone?" with a little paper gingerbread man. In case you don't know how the game works, one person hides an object behind their back and everyone else pretends to hide it behind theirs. The person who is "it" has to try to guess who is hiding the object. I handed the gingerbread man to one of my students, H, and he hid it behind his back. We called the "it" person back into the room and the guessing commenced. H was found out on the very first guess. When he showed his hands, though, they were empty. The other kids were all puzzled. "Hey! You have it! Where is it?" they all protested. H laughed and reached behind his back, but after a few seconds he started to look a little distressed. I walked around behind him to discover he was digging around in the back of his pants. There was no gingerbread man in sight.
"What are you doing?" I asked
Silence.
"H?"
"Ummm.....well.....I thought it would be a better hiding place....but....maybe I should go to the bathroom and find him."
So, there you have it. The best part was that he came back in a few minutes later, gingerbread man in hand. "I found it!" he said proudly as he tried to hand it to me.
Uh, no thanks.
We just started our Gingerbread Man unit, so they are obsessed with all things Gingerbread. Today we were playing "Doggie, doggie, where's your bone?" with a little paper gingerbread man. In case you don't know how the game works, one person hides an object behind their back and everyone else pretends to hide it behind theirs. The person who is "it" has to try to guess who is hiding the object. I handed the gingerbread man to one of my students, H, and he hid it behind his back. We called the "it" person back into the room and the guessing commenced. H was found out on the very first guess. When he showed his hands, though, they were empty. The other kids were all puzzled. "Hey! You have it! Where is it?" they all protested. H laughed and reached behind his back, but after a few seconds he started to look a little distressed. I walked around behind him to discover he was digging around in the back of his pants. There was no gingerbread man in sight.
"What are you doing?" I asked
Silence.
"H?"
"Ummm.....well.....I thought it would be a better hiding place....but....maybe I should go to the bathroom and find him."
So, there you have it. The best part was that he came back in a few minutes later, gingerbread man in hand. "I found it!" he said proudly as he tried to hand it to me.
Uh, no thanks.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Kindness of a Stranger
Call me crazy, but I really like public transportation. Sometimes, however, getting on the city bus gives me serious anxiety. "Why?" you may ask. Well, here's just a brief glimpse of what it's like on Tianjin public bus on a cold Saturday during the busiest traveling time of the year.
I waited for what seemed like an eternity for the 829 to pull up in front of YG100, along with about 20 of my neighbors. As the bus approached, I groaned to myself because it was already bursting at the seams. As per usual, the other kind folks waiting on the bus rushed ahead of me as I bounced back and forth between them like a pinball. I squeezed into the line, determined not to be the last one on the bus. I don't like to PUSH in line, but I'm totally fine with SQUEEZING into the line. Anyway, there was no more room in the front of the bus, so I had to swipe my card and then jog back to the other door. Unfortunately, there was no room there, either. I had already paid my ¥2, though, so I was determined to get on the bus. I put my foot on the step, hoisted myself up as I grabbed the handle hanging just inside the door, and pulled myself into the crowd. As soon as I got onto the bus, I smelled something horrible that I couldn't quite identify, but I have my suspicions about the guy sitting second from the back by the window. Anyway, as I stood crammed in the middle of a sea of people, an elbow in my ribs and a dirty shoe on top of my own, I started to get a little claustrophobic. To make matters worse, the bus driver started yelling in Chinese. From the few words I understood, I think he was telling us to back up and make room. Excuse me? Back up where? I have literally never seen so many people on a bus, and I was already way too close to the lady beside me for comfort. I seriously contemplated getting off at the closest stop and just taking a taxi, but again I was determined to press on. Eventually we got to my stop and I fought my way off of the bus.
The next day - Sunday...
I needed to take the bus again. Memories of the crowd, the yelling bus driver, the odor, and the motion-sickness from the start-stop-start-stop-turn on 2 wheels-start-stop were still fresh in my mind. I almost opted for a taxi or, better yet, traveling by foot. I decided to at least scope out the 857 bus to see how crowded it was first. Surprisingly it wasn't full at all. There was only standing room...but at least there was room. I got on and stood staring out the window, trying to make sense of the very loud phone conversation happening next to me.
Sidenote*Something I love about traveling on the bus is that whenever an older person gets onto the bus, someone gets up and offers them a seat. I try to practice this as well whenever I can. People are always genuinely appreciative.*
Okay, back to my story.
As the bus stopped, someone got out of their seat and an elderly woman sitting near me motioned me over to sit. There were people sitting much closer to the vacant seat than me, so I didn't have any intentions of taking it, but the old lady insisted. The other people standing around me nodded at the seat, so I sat down. The lady patted me on the arm and smiled at me, so I said, "xie xie" and smiled back. A few stops later, it was time for me to get off the bus. The kind old lady tugged on my arm and pointed to my coat pocket where I had stuck my phone and bus card. They were poking out of my pocket a little. She made gestures that meant, "Be careful or someone will snatch those!" I zipped my coat pocket, patted it to show my things were safe and sound, and said thank you again. I smiled and patted her on the shoulder as I left the bus.
That's when it occurred to me - kindness from a stranger can be totally nonverbal.
I have been so discouraged lately that my Chinese is coming along slower than I would like, and friends keep telling me that there are so many things I can do to still love those around me, even without words. I'm sorry to say I usually brush their comments off, like, "yeah, yeah...but it would be easier if I had more language." The lady on the bus didn't say a word to me, but she showed me that she was concerned for me and that she has a kind heart. Can't I do that very thing with strangers I encounter?
Here's something else I thought of after my encounter on the bus. I experience a VERY wide range of reactions from people in Tianjin. There are some foreigners here, but not a ton. Some people, like the lady on the bus, are incredibly kind and gracious when they see me, going out of their way to help me (probably because they sense I need LOTS of help). Many babies cry when they see me. Sometimes people stare.... Okay, often people stare. Proud parents try to force their shy and probably terrified children to practice their English with me. Yesterday an old man shook my hand and refused to let go, and then proceeded to follow me. Sometimes the kids who aren't crying at the sight of me smile and wave at me. But no matter how other people react, I can be kind and loving, even if that means saying nothing - just offering a smile and giving someone my seat on the bus.
I waited for what seemed like an eternity for the 829 to pull up in front of YG100, along with about 20 of my neighbors. As the bus approached, I groaned to myself because it was already bursting at the seams. As per usual, the other kind folks waiting on the bus rushed ahead of me as I bounced back and forth between them like a pinball. I squeezed into the line, determined not to be the last one on the bus. I don't like to PUSH in line, but I'm totally fine with SQUEEZING into the line. Anyway, there was no more room in the front of the bus, so I had to swipe my card and then jog back to the other door. Unfortunately, there was no room there, either. I had already paid my ¥2, though, so I was determined to get on the bus. I put my foot on the step, hoisted myself up as I grabbed the handle hanging just inside the door, and pulled myself into the crowd. As soon as I got onto the bus, I smelled something horrible that I couldn't quite identify, but I have my suspicions about the guy sitting second from the back by the window. Anyway, as I stood crammed in the middle of a sea of people, an elbow in my ribs and a dirty shoe on top of my own, I started to get a little claustrophobic. To make matters worse, the bus driver started yelling in Chinese. From the few words I understood, I think he was telling us to back up and make room. Excuse me? Back up where? I have literally never seen so many people on a bus, and I was already way too close to the lady beside me for comfort. I seriously contemplated getting off at the closest stop and just taking a taxi, but again I was determined to press on. Eventually we got to my stop and I fought my way off of the bus.
The next day - Sunday...
I needed to take the bus again. Memories of the crowd, the yelling bus driver, the odor, and the motion-sickness from the start-stop-start-stop-turn on 2 wheels-start-stop were still fresh in my mind. I almost opted for a taxi or, better yet, traveling by foot. I decided to at least scope out the 857 bus to see how crowded it was first. Surprisingly it wasn't full at all. There was only standing room...but at least there was room. I got on and stood staring out the window, trying to make sense of the very loud phone conversation happening next to me.
Sidenote*Something I love about traveling on the bus is that whenever an older person gets onto the bus, someone gets up and offers them a seat. I try to practice this as well whenever I can. People are always genuinely appreciative.*
Okay, back to my story.
As the bus stopped, someone got out of their seat and an elderly woman sitting near me motioned me over to sit. There were people sitting much closer to the vacant seat than me, so I didn't have any intentions of taking it, but the old lady insisted. The other people standing around me nodded at the seat, so I sat down. The lady patted me on the arm and smiled at me, so I said, "xie xie" and smiled back. A few stops later, it was time for me to get off the bus. The kind old lady tugged on my arm and pointed to my coat pocket where I had stuck my phone and bus card. They were poking out of my pocket a little. She made gestures that meant, "Be careful or someone will snatch those!" I zipped my coat pocket, patted it to show my things were safe and sound, and said thank you again. I smiled and patted her on the shoulder as I left the bus.
That's when it occurred to me - kindness from a stranger can be totally nonverbal.
I have been so discouraged lately that my Chinese is coming along slower than I would like, and friends keep telling me that there are so many things I can do to still love those around me, even without words. I'm sorry to say I usually brush their comments off, like, "yeah, yeah...but it would be easier if I had more language." The lady on the bus didn't say a word to me, but she showed me that she was concerned for me and that she has a kind heart. Can't I do that very thing with strangers I encounter?
Here's something else I thought of after my encounter on the bus. I experience a VERY wide range of reactions from people in Tianjin. There are some foreigners here, but not a ton. Some people, like the lady on the bus, are incredibly kind and gracious when they see me, going out of their way to help me (probably because they sense I need LOTS of help). Many babies cry when they see me. Sometimes people stare.... Okay, often people stare. Proud parents try to force their shy and probably terrified children to practice their English with me. Yesterday an old man shook my hand and refused to let go, and then proceeded to follow me. Sometimes the kids who aren't crying at the sight of me smile and wave at me. But no matter how other people react, I can be kind and loving, even if that means saying nothing - just offering a smile and giving someone my seat on the bus.
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