How China Has Changed Us

Just a few days remain before we board a plane back to the States. We are certain that during those six weeks, we'll realize even more how much living in China has changed us as individuals and as a married couple. But even before our feet touch American soil, we wanted to share briefly some reflections on how China has changed us:

From Trevor - I'm a man of ruts and routines. I don't particularly like change, and I definitely don't like being put in situations outside of my comfort zone. And then I came to China.

The phrase "go and do" has been a recurring theme for me (as I mentioned earlier). Maybe it's going and teaching classes of 50-some university students Oral English (hopefully they won't notice that I'm clueless); or going and dancing with my fellow foreign teachers in front of thousands of students (they didn't record that, did they? oh, they did); or going shopping for hardware parts in a city of 10 million, when I don't even know the name of what I'm looking for (but wait, I have a picture on my iPod!); or going ahead and signing on for a second year of who-knows-what (here we go again!).

I'm reminded of a quote by Ambrose Redmoon, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear." That, of course, is a very grand quote, but fear comes in all shapes and sizes. Fear can be the fear of death, the fear of pain, or the fear of the discomfort. In my case, I've found that many things are more important than the fear I feel when faced with a new, unknown situation. And, at the same time, I've come to know more of, and have confidence in, the person that God has made and molded me to be - the gifts and experiences that He has given me. I've come to know more of what I can do, and what I can't do, and to have a peace about both.

There's probably a name for this. Maturity, maybe? :)

From Inga - It's difficult to briefly describe how I've changed while living in China the past ten months, but here goes: Wuhan is a huge city. You could think of it as three large cities, divided by rivers, for a more accurate picture. The task of getting places and doing things simply takes more time. My patience has increased and my need to be in control has decreased thanks to the city buses. Also on the bus, I've also grown a deeper appreciation for the kindness of strangers (who have given up their seat to me or let me know which stop to get off at). With each solo trip across town--usually 45 minutes or more on the bus--I gained confidence in my ability to navigate, despite my very beginning Chinese abilities. I feel like living in China forced me to leave the 'safe' box and has encouraged me to be more adventurous.  

My identity as a violin teacher and musician diminished a lot here. I played at our fellowship once in awhile and taught about four violin students throughout the year, but it surely was not what I primarily did. Instead, I taught part-time ESOL at an international school and did lots of one-on-one English tutoring. To be honest, at times I felt very unqualified to teach ESOL--I mean, how can you always make English fun and exciting to learn? (You can't--some days you just have to sit down and work on verb tenses...) Both Trevor and I felt like we were working at jobs outside of our primary giftings this past year, and yet these roles taught us much about ourselves, rather than about our job titles. I know I've been called to China for this season for good reasons, and that gives me the motivation to invest well in the students here, even if I'm not teaching all of them how to play the violin.    

Finally, I learned that opportunities are plenty when you are a native English speaker in China...but many of these opportunities aren't a lucrative as they may sound. Initially in the fall I taught English classes at a Chinese kindergarten, but soon realized that even though the little students were quite cute, the travel time involved was nearly the length of my acutal teaching time and the school staff didn't offer much support or effective classroom discipline. In a big (slightly-scary-to-me) way, I had to act when 'enough is enough!' It was a step of faith to quit that job because I didn't have much other work lined up at the time. The timing turned out to be perfect, though, as it allowed me to work part-time a lot closer to home at the international school in the spring. This was the year that I started to improve on saying 'no' to the good in order to say 'yes' to the best.  

Nanjing Vacation

After wrapping up our school-years, we had a few weeks left in China before we could head back to the States. We decided to travel to Nanjing for a few days. We took the fast 'D' train...along with just a few others:

I (Inga) was just a little bit giddy to board:

Nanjing has a great subway system that operates on a slightly-confusing token/card system. Once we arrived at the HUGE Nanjing train station, we got on the subway and rode to within a couple blocks of our hotel. After the check-in staff had scrutinized and photocopied our passports, we went up to our room. While the room didn't smell like cigarettes, it had two twin beds, instead of the queen we signed up for on the booking website. Oh well, if Ricky and Lucy could survive, so could we.


Soon after, we headed out to a fancy mall called Aqua City to have lunch at a Subway restaurant. From there, we left for the thing I had been excited about: IKEA! Trevor figured out the subway and bus route there and we spent a good few hours browsing, shopping and eating in the very reasonably priced IKEA cafe. Here's Trevor enjoying his 5 RMB (with free refills!) coffee:

Friday and Saturday were full days, but thankfully Nanjing's weather wasn't as hot as Wuhan's, and we were able to see and do a l. Plus, the subway system was nice and cool. We saw our fair share of historical sites [see below], ate some tasty Western food, browsed an enormous bookstore that even had several shelves of English books and snagged some bargains in the shopping district near our hotel. We also got roped into an advertisement for the Junior Olympics, coming soon to Nanjing. The fact that we were foreigners qualified us...but that's another story for another day.

And now a few words from Trevor about some of the history we saw in Nanjing....   

Nanjing is, quite literally, the “southern capital” of China. It’s been the capital of “China” (loosely defined) several times, probably most famously for the first part of the Ming Dynasty (mid 1300s to mid 1400s), and then for the Nationalist government that arose after the fall of China’s last dynasty, the Qing. [If you’re keeping score at home, Beijing is Chinese for “northern capital”]

It was during the time of the Nationalist government that the infamous "Rape of Nanking" happened  during the winter of 1937 (Nanking is an old way of spelling Nanjing). The Japanese Imperial Army had made its way from Shanghai to the until-very-recently capital of Nanjing (the Nationalist government fled upriver past Wuhan to Chongqing), and ravaged all that they found there. Approximately 300,000 people - many of them civilians - died in the span of six weeks (or roughly 1 person every 12 seconds as the Massacre Museum points out). There are various theories on why the Japanese were so ruthless and committed the legion of atrocities that they did, and to further complicate things, the official Japanese line seriously downplays the violence that happened there. This has created a lasting raw nerve among many Chinese, and a source of bitterness and hatred aimed at the Japanese.


We visited the Nanjing Massacre Museum, and saw the heart-breaking pictures, videos, and other exhibits from that time. It is a story of heroes and villains, of hope and despair, and humanity struggling against the weight of its own sin and wickedness. For someone not familiar with the Massacre, there was an excess of information on display, but then again, this is a largely overlooked event outside of Asia. Sadly, the second floor of the museum seemed to be devoted to stirring up anti-Japan sentiment - it chronicled other atrocities committed by the Japanese army. Not a few of those events occurred before the Massacre - and while possibly relevant to the Massacre itself - they belonged in chronological order, if they were to appear there at all.

Hong Xiuquan - The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Probably the most interesting outing for me (Trevor), which released my inner China geek, was the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom museum. The Taiping rebellion was started by Hong Xiuquan, who, through an interesting turn of events, came to believe that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ, and had the divine mission to overthrow the demonic Qing Dynasty. The movement lasted for almost 15 years (starting c. 1850), picked up a few more divinely “inspired” leaders, saw approximately 25 million deaths, and (temporarily, at least) had an honest chance of defeating the Qing and forever changing the course of Chinese history. Sadly, the only way of knowing where this museum was came from a Lonely Planet guidebook – the signposts only cared about the nearby Confucius Temple and public toilet locations.

Click to Enlarge

I was surprised to (re)learn that the Taiping Rebellion had actually made it to Wuhan. If you look closely at the map, you can even see our house :)







The Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum is a must-see in Nanjing. However, I think the memorial planners took advantage of this, and made sure that tourists would have to work to make it to the memorial proper - 392 steps from bottom to top.


Dr. Sun is considered by both the Communists and the Nationalists as the Father of Modern China - even though he had previously failed in his attempts to bring about a modern China, and was out of the country when the revolution actually started - and had he lived longer (he died some 15 years after the fall of the Qing), his policies would have probably fallen afoul of the Communists. Alas, he accomplished what so few leaders do: quitting while you're ahead, and being honored by two sides that can't stand each other.

388 of the 392 steps, or so

Almost there. Can't be shown up by the 80-year-old grandmas...

All in all, we had a super visit to Nanjing. We were really happy with the mix of history and modern convenience, as well as the great subway system. But, as always, it felt good to return home. Now we are counting down the days until we take off for our six weeks in the good ol' U-S-A!

Finals and Flowers

The past few weeks for me have been full of last classes, tutoring sessions and good-byes. Reflecting on all the experiences I've had, I am so grateful for the chance to interact with many different families on a weekly basis.

One of the first good-byes was with my 8-year-old student who I tutored in English every Tuesday night. The weather had grown much hotter and more humid recently so I thought it would be a good idea to have our last English tutoring session at Dairy Queen (...and my student LOVES ice cream). Trevor dropped by about halfway through and we had a fierce game of 'UNO' along with the student's mom. It's quickly become my favorite 'zero-to-little-English-required' game to play with students.

I've really enjoyed the chance to teach a 4-year-old beginning violin student since September. He's made great progress this year and is a joy to teach. Several weeks ago he gave a mini recital of about five of his favorite pieces. As a teacher, it's really rewarding to see a student grow in confidence and skills over the months.

It's been special, too, getting to know his mom and little sister each week at lessons. Here's a photo taken at our last lesson. I know my student listens to his Book 1 CD because his little sister, age 1, sings the melodies quite well during the lesson, too! In the photo, my student is dialing up on his toy cell phone (eraser) that he earned as a reward for playing all his Twinkle Variations. Who knew it would be such a hit?!

The mom of one of the other students I tutor in English suggested going to the 'Flower Market' in Hankou. We went this morning and it was even better than I had imagined. There was stall after stall that sold all kinds of flowers. Some of them specialized in just roses or lilies, while others offered more of a variety. There were also stalls that sold wrapping paper, ribbon, and tulle. (Chinese wedding parties often dress up the cars with tulle and flower ornaments.) I really loved going to the flower market, and am definitely planning to go back in the fall.

I came home with a large bunch of hot pink gerbera daisies and about ten purple buds which are  mystery flowers until they open...all for eleven quai. Yep, less than $2 U.S. Talk about bunches of bargains!  

As of today, Trevor and I are D-O-N-E with our first school years of teaching in China. We have two and a half weeks in China before flying to America for summer vacation. Later this week we'll hop on a bullet train to play tourists in Nanjing for a few days. Upon returning, we plan to do some more exploring around Wuhan. After working the past two summers, it's finally dawning on us that we really do get to take a true summer vacation this year. We are really looking forward to seeing many of you when we are in the U.S. Send us an e-mail to let us know when you'll be around~

Things I’ve Learned

As the title of our blog suggests, education is a big part of our time here in China. Not the least because we are both teachers, of course, but also because we have so much to learn ourselves. See? Isn’t it an insightful title? I knew you’d agree :)

Well, as the school year comes to a close here at Jiangda, I’m apparently becoming sentimental, or introspective…or just tired and deluded into thinking that I’m sentimental or introspective. Regardless, I thought that I would pass along a few of the lessons that I have learned in this first year.

1. Teaching is hard work

It’s hard to believe that teaching is one of the hardest jobs in the world when you are still a student. Once I became a teacher, however, I quickly developed a deeper respect and appreciation for all of my teachers. Every class is a balance between education and entertainment: too much of the former and students will get bored and not learn anything; too much of the latter, and they just won’t learn anything to start with. Oh, and each class has a different balance between those two, so good luck with that.

2. I care about my students

Honestly, when I first started teaching, all I cared about was surviving each class. Then, once I stumbled through the first semester and got half a clue as to what I was doing, I realized that I actually like (most of) these kids. There are a few kids in each class that actually want to learn, and are willing to work hard to do so. Those students are easy to care about. But I also found myself caring about the less-than-stellar students. I found myself wanting to find out what motivates them – what makes them want to learn. Granted, there are some pull-my-hair-out, “why-won’t-you-at-least-pretend-to-care,” drive-me-crazy-with-their-laziness kids, but they’re in the minority.

3. I am an “expert”

I am not an expert. Allow me to explain. By virtue of being raised in an English-speaking environment, and having completed a university degree, I have been given the title of “foreign expert.” But more than that, I know more about the West than my students. And – depending on who I’m talking to at the moment – I also know more about economics, or politics, or literature, or history, or whatever. Really I just have a shallow knowledge of a broad range of topics, but that’s usually enough to answer my students’ questions. This means, that to them, I am “so smart.” To be honest, it’s fun to be an expert. But it’s also a great way to get a swelled head. Thankfully, my lack of Chinese language ability and the constant fight to keep my students awake in class keeps me humble.

4. I like living here

This isn’t really a surprise, but rather something that just had to be experienced first. There are a lot of potentially frustrating things about China: an infinite number of small culture differences, some significant large culture differences, the language, being isolated from “normal,” separation from friends and family back in the States, etc. Still, I enjoy being here. Some of my fellow teachers at the university have become bitter, or apathetic (or both), and can’t wait to go home. For Inga and me, though, this is our home – for this season of our lives. So far, by the grace of God, we are still able to laugh at the misunderstandings, smile at the water truck that plays “Jingle Bells” at 6:30 in the morning, and otherwise shrug-off the countless little (and big) things that can make or break a person’s experience here in China.

-Trevor

New Blog Page

Hey all, just a quick note to tell you that I've added a new page to our blog - a small collection of online videos to help you understand more about China. I have two posted right now, and will add more as I come across them.

Mugging at the Crazy Market

This morning (Saturday by the calendar, Monday by our work schedule) we went to the Crazy Market in Hankou - the wholesale market that has literally everything you can think of. One of our "finds" was some uber-cheap Starbucks mugs: 5 for 20 yuan. They appear to be factory seconds, but otherwise in good shape. Only one has cracked so far... Besides, you'd have to pay around 70 yuan to buy one of these at a Starbucks store!

"Mugging" - get it? Mugs...mugging...oh, never mind

The other find of the day was a coffee grinder. We had been using a Magic Bullet-esque blender/grinder that we received for free, but that started to make wood chipper noises last time, and gave up the ghost very shortly thereafter. Being as I (Trevor) can't live without coffee, or at least can't be lived with without coffee, finding a replacement was essential. This unit it here was surprisingly simple and well made. It's not a fancy-looking wood model, or the basic electric grinder you see everywhere. Adjustable coarseness on the grind, glass base (with rubber pad), metal shaft and grinder, and plastic upper - just grind, rinse, and dry before next time - all for 150 yuan. (Sorry, that sounded like an info-mercial, it's just that I'm really excited to get this!)

Crank up the caffeine!

Biking Wuhan

Recently I decided to finally get myself a bicycle. I don’t really need it to get around campus, but there are several places off-campus we frequent, and it isn’t always practical (or efficient time-wise) to ride the bus. Also, and perhaps primarily, I need to be more active and get more exercise. Since I feel like a T-Rex when I ride Inga’s bike (you know - long legs and short arms), I knew that finding a good fit would be important. I didn’t anticipate that it would be so difficult, though.

First I went to the Giant-brand bike shop across from campus (where we got Inga’s bike). I tried a couple of the ¥600’ish Chinese-made bikes they had there, but they were both too small and the brakes and other components were less than impressive. I tried a Giant cruiser, but that too – ironically enough – was also a bit too small for me. The shop keeper told me that I’d have to spend about ¥1200 to get something my size – in this case a mid-range Giant mountain bike. [Now, you might be thinking, “Trevor, that’s less than $200 – a mid-range mountain bike at that price would be a steal!” Unfortunately, I don’t get paid in US dollars, and ¥1200 is close to 30% of my monthly salary.]

Strike 1.

I walked 20 minutes to the Ningkang Lu shopping center (and home of our favorite coffee shop) to check out the Giant store there. Unfortunately, that bike store turned into a kiddie arcade. Video games for 5 year-olds? Check. Bikes? Nope.

Strike 2.

I then hoofed it over to a bike store about 15 minutes away that sold higher-end mountain and road bikes (Merida – a German brand I hadn’t heard of before coming here). I told the clerk (who spoke some English) that I was looking for a bike around ¥500, which took us back outside to a couple used bikes in front of the store. I tried the one she showed me – which was decent – but my eye landed on a nicer looking one nearby.  It was ¥800, so I took it for a spin. It had Shimano components, V-brakes that actually had some “oomph,” derailleurs that actually shifted on command, and an overall good fit. Time to haggle.

Thankfully, it is entirely possible to haggle in broken Chinese.

“How about ¥700?” I asked.

Head shake – no deal. “Can you go a little cheaper?” I pleaded.

She thought for a second, then said something in English about throwing in a “sock.”

“A sock?” I queried. She made a clamping gesture with her hands.

“Oh! A lock. I already have one,” I said, pulling out my bike lock that I had brought along for just such an occasion.

Hmm. “I don’t have a …[pantomime putting on a helmet]”

“Ah!” she replies, “a helmet,” and led me back to the helmet section. After finding the cheapest helmet, I returned to the negotiations.

“How about that bike, and this [helmet] for ¥800?”

“¥850,” she counters.

“¥825.” Smile and a nod – deal done.

Wow – I can’t believe how much I’ve missed riding a bike. And now when I go hoping on and off of curbs on my XDS mountain bike, I get even more stares than before. :)

Don't worry, that's not a Mr. T necklace, just my bike lock