Futbol Americano

We entered the stadium with football and Gatorades in hand, Katie and I eager to teach our Chinese friends about one of the best traditions in our culture--American Football. It started out just with Katie and myself teaching a couple of guys that we study with.  Katie, who knows more about the sport than I and doesn't throw like a girl, taught the guys the basic rules while I twirled around in circles and texted a few more people inviting them to join us.  And thus we add to the game another American teacher, Jimmy, and 3 more students, all fresh out of class; making an even match of 4-on-4.

We teach the guys the correct way to toss the sphere-shaped ball, and try not to laugh at the sheer amazing-ness of their form, and then count off "One, two, one, two..." to divvy up the teams.  And we're off.  

Acting as QB for my team, I instruct my teammates, 3 Chinese guys, to stand on the starting line and "Go" when I counted to three.  

Take 1: "One, two, three..."I look around; one of my players dances behind and beside me calling for the ball and the others stand in one place waving their hands around.  

Take 2: This time the players learn to stay in motion, and upon successfully passing to one of my teammates, he begins to run backwards upon seeing people come at him, and is tagged behind the starting line.

Take 3: I pass to another teammate who also manages to catch it but immediately attempts to pass it to another teammate, and chucks it on the ground.

Take 4: One of my teammates suggests that he throws.  I toss him the ball, and before we are even off the starting line, he pitches it to Katie on the other team.

Still, we persevere.  We all alternate QB-ing and don't worry about the fact that we stink. Soon, however, we start to throw on target, we start to catch the ball, and we start scoring.  Katie and Jimmy's team start shaking in their knees and call a time-out to discuss the next play.  My players suddenly look to me for leadership so I call them together into a huddle, and after giving each of them a long, serious look I start to speak: "Put your left foot in, take your left foot out..." soon we are doing the hokey-pokey until  we realize the other team is ready to get going.

The game commences, and so does the banter.  I beam with pride at one of my students and his English trash talking abilities. Oh, how quickly they learn. (sniff)

I have no clue who won, since we didn't keep score, but we did it.  We played touch- American football in China.  And it was amazing fun.

Please forgive me, America.

Today I taught my students some American slang just for the fun of it.... and probably to the devastation of my students' English abilities.

Proof: (A few dialogues written and acted out by my students)

What's up, Man?

Hang out.

How's it hangin'?

Still  kickin'

Gotcha

Yo Dude

Let us eat some dinner

No.

C'mon.

Okay

Ew. The food stinks.

Ouch. Sick!

Holla.

Wow!

That concert was very slammin'.

Fo' sho'

I really did try to restrain myself from teaching...most of the ones included.... Really.

Live, love, laugh... (B)Log

Oops. I already broke my goal of blogging everyday, I've just been too busy living!  Let me fill you in...

Tonight, Katie and I went to downtown and danced with all of the locals in Yiling Square and worked on a special video project. (Coming soon!)

Today, I wore my Qi Pao to class (I'm discovering I don't have many occasions to wear it) and all of my students cheered when I walked into class and jointly exclaimed, "BEAUTIFUL!" and "snuck" pictures of me on their cell phones throughout class.

Sunday, Zack taught a great lesson about recognizing the truth in the morning and that night our Chinese group had more great conversation.

Saturday, I went to a scenic attraction outside of Yichang with my good friend Daisy, and some other sweet students.  I got up at 6:30 on a Saturday for them. If that's not love, I don't know what is. It was an exhausting but amazing day. Daisy taught me how to insult people in Chinese.. "Your brain is full of water!".

Friday, Zack and Elizabeth's study group joined forces with mine to read about David and Goliath.

Thursday night, Katie and I attended a talent show for foreigners at our University, Three Gorges.  One of our American friends played guitar and we watched some really great dance numbers put together by the Indian and Nepali students.  People all over the world, join hands!

Thursday, I was a guest speaker for a nearby Middle School where I talked to the top English students about American culture and encouraged them to study English.  I then signed autographs and posed for photos before being escorted to a fancy dinner.  I kid not.  During a Q & A session after one of the 11 year old girls told me my children would one day be beautiful, a 10 year old boy stood up and asked, "Do you like me?" and I quickly replied, "Of course!" as he sat down and covered his red face as the room roared with laughter.

Picture 1: Daisy and I at a waterfall in a cave this past Saturday.

Picture 2: Although not the same students from this past weekend, pictured are students around the same age from a similar event last term in Wufeng.

我爱孩子

I LOVE children.

Ask anybody. I'm ridiculous. Walking down the street, I will blubber over a
dozen different chubby faces.  I really don't realize I'm doing it, until
whoever I'm walking with makes some sort of annoyed grunt when I point out a
child and demand that he/she take yet another gander at an example of God's
perfection.

On countless bus and train rides I've become buddies with a child who is
barely taller than my knee.  Parent's love this. A waiguoren that pays
attention to their daughter or son is taken as a compliment (luckily for me,
since I can't help myself.)  Oft times I've been handed babies after simply
complimenting the child and exclaiming "how lovely!" in Chinese.  The
youngest are usually completely shocked by my foreign features. I once made

 a baby cry at the mere sight of me....But I don't like to talk about this.

Slightly older children think I'm a mystery to be solved, and will gape
openly at me, and smile in delight, at the strange language that escapes
from my lips.

Children that don't look big enough to talk, point at me when I pass by and
shout, "Waiguoren!" or "foreigner."  This to me, is a huge difference in
culture.  No one in the States typically can tell who might be foreign
judging on looks alone.  Yet, it almost seems like "Waiguoren" is one of the
first words Chinese children learn.

When I need a pick-me-up in my day I often go out to the playground in front
of my apartment and play with dozens of kids who are always eager to get me
going in another game of tag.  Many of them, along with their parents,
already know me.  Several of the children will excitedly approach me without
their parents even needing to prod them.  And it's in those moments, I feel

most at home.

So, here's a tribute to the out-of-this-world cuteness that I've admired in
China for so long~ it's Children.

没关系

On the way to class today, I stop by the corner store to buy a few things.  A couple of snacks and a Gatorade, to get me through the afternoon classes and a handful of dry erasers markers, that I go through all too quickly, add up to almost 20 RMB.  As the petite cashier rings up my purchases, I immediately throw the items in the wonderfully large teacher's bag that I carry. I then pull out my plastic blue bank card and run it through when the cashier suddenly starts hurriedly speaking to me. I can't make out anything she's saying, but I gather there's some sort of problem with my card.  This doesn't make any sense to me because I know there's more than enough in my account, and I use my card at this little store all the time.

I try to decipher what the problem is, with my broken Mandarin, but don't get very far.  All I gather is that they are asking for cash.  I almost always have cash, being that all of the local places we eat at don't accept cards, but, of course, I don't today; Nor do I have time to run to the ATM.  I rummage for a little cash, hoping there's some I overlooked, but come up empty handed, and sigh as I realize I'm just going to have to put everything back... Oh well.

Looking forward to making a hasty exit, I rummage through my annoyingly gargantuan bag that seems to have swallowed up all of the markers, when a young woman steps up to the counter and offers the cashier the money for my purchase.  "No, no, no!" I say pushing her outstretched hand away.  (Anytime I'm stressed out I forget to speak in Chinese.)  She starts putting the things back in my bag.  I pull the things back out of my bag. She puts them back in again, and I continue looking for those stupid markers.

This goes on for several more seconds. 

"No, no, no.." I catch myself, and switch to "Bu yao, bu yao!"  I tell her I don't want them.  "Mei guan xi, mei guan xi, mei guan xi," she insists that it's no problem.

This goes on for a few more seconds.

Worn out, and realizing that this woman is wanting so desperately to allow me to save face, or avoid humiliation, I finally give in, and relinquish my search for the phantom markers.  Thanking her as humbly as I've ever thanked anyone, I exit glimpsing her mouth "没关系" or "No problem" one last time.

Even better : )

Here's something I've found to be true:  life is beautiful.

It's not always obvious.  Sometimes we have to search for it.  But hidden in the folds of misery are sparks of pure beauty waiting to be discovered.

I saw some of it tonight.  As the curtains close on my first year in China I witnessed the power of the one directing the show.  He led two beautiful girls to him and they fell in love with his goodness.  They want to be with him forever so they gave up their former lives for fresh, new ones.  Water took away all the old faults and left them pure and whole.  We are sisters now.

The celebrations were made all the more joyous when I learned today I am definitely going to be hired for another term to serve here in China.  No more waiting in limbo, waiting for my future to be decided!  I can begin planning for the next semester knowing that He is taking care of me and is working mightily through me.  I can't wait to see what gems lie in store for the future.

Courtesy of Katie Marshall