efficiency, kunming style

1:52 remembered that i need my passport to pick up an international package. ran back up 5 flights to our house to get it.

1:57 scooter fully charged, postal slip in hand, ready to find this place! excited that it’s not all the way to Beijing Rd. where we usually pick these up.

1:59 asked my first traffic cop if he knew the address on my package slip. his short and unhelpful response was, “nihojjrrrrrnnr”. after the third try, moved on.

2:09 asked two nice gentleman on the street if they knew. one pointed north and one pointed east. felt good that at least i had a quadrant. they could have pointed north and south.

2:18 chose north and lo and behold there in front of me was the post office! feeling good until i was told by the mail carrier that I should have gone east.

2:27 asked a grandma who knew the place. gotta be close now.

2:33 found the place and handed them my slip. was asked to show my passport and sign the slip. obliged and was promptly given new slip. asked where my box was. apparently the slip I had was only the slip to get my new slip.

2:39 back on the road, headed all the way to Beijing Rd. where we usually pick these up.

2:59 arrived at the Post Office and finally received our package...yes! back on the scooter, package in hand.

3:17 giddy with success, stopped to pick up cash at the ATM. card didn’t work. moved on.

3:25 home at last, package in hand, swimming in homestyle popcorn, riesens and coffee!

btw: thanks mom and dad!

the new "familiar"

We just got back from a quick trip down to Sapa, Vietnam. Many people in Sapa spoke English, but of course we also found ourselves in situations where nobody did. Naturally, we attempted our Mandarin on the Vietnamese people...didn't work so well. Just because they share a border with China, doesn't mean they all have to share languages. We laughed at ourselves as we continually thanked people, said hello and tried to get prices in Mandarin. After just about five months of living here in China, we actually feel like we're getting along really well with our language and communication. And although we really enjoyed the incredible time we had in Sapa (see photos...there was much to enjoy!), as we made the walk back across the bridge to the Chinese side, we felt a huge amount of excitement to get back where people could understand us. It was definitely good to be back where things are familiar...almost immediately got hit by a big gob of spit, the bus we wanted to take was broken down so we had to wait 2 hours for the next one and lots of people were staring and calling us 'foreigners'...home sweet home.

joe

I am typically a starbucks guy, but the other day i had a longing for Caribou...i had just brushed my teeth and took my first sip of black gold (coffee, for those of you who aren't joseph fehlen) and WHAM...Caribou Mint Condition.

We love a lot of things about China and for the most part we do not lack, but we do miss our coffee drinks, so today reserve one sip of your grande 1 pump vanilla latte for those of us who regularly go without.

kunming commutes

When we lived in minnesota, driving to work was rather uneventful for elissa and me. On our 10 minute commute we would typically see 15-20 cars as we leisurely rolled along. If it was a crazy, day we might have to slightly adjust our steering to avoid a stray garbage can that some 7th grader forgot to bring back to the garage. (gasp!) I am aware that city commuting is a little more intense than that, but Kunming commuting is in another category altogether. Sometimes we scooter riders just smile at each other after a close call as if to say, “aren’t you just glad we’re all still alive!” You have probably heard the saying that getting there is the adventure. In Kunming it’s definitely true.

How bad can it be? Well, do you drive on the wrong side of the road in a continuous game of chicken with 4-6 million potential opponents? Do you have to doubletake at kids peeing and pooping on the sidewalk? do you jump up curbs and slide down make-shift ramps on your way through construction zones? Do you dodge big loogies as they whiz past your face? Do you lose sight of the road for seconds at a time when busses spew out enough carbon to use up all of Al Gore’s credits with a single shift?...we do.

Enjoy some of our recent photos from Kunming commutes!

Changes

In the last week or so, our world has changed for the better in a few different ways. For one, we moved into our own apartment. (finally!) No more living in someone else’s space, looking around at random photos of families that aren’t ours or taking care of someone’s 10 cats. We have our own home in China - and it feels so great. The second thing that changed for us, is that we are now living much closer to the sounds, smells and sights of the city. Sometimes those are good, and sometimes rather obnoxious, but we love them all and welcome them into our daily routine. Finally, and most importantly, we are back on our feet - literally. We’re hitting the pavement rigorously every day...walking to get our groceries, walking to have a coffee, walking to catch the bus and walking to and from our 5th floor apartment. It feels so good to be back brushing shoulders with people all day, all the time. We are so in love with our neighborhood (Bei Chen) and all that makes it come to life. On our first visit to this city a few years ago, we stayed in this neighborhood with our friends, and wondered when our chance would come to make this place our home. The day is here, and we feel so blessed.

The Waterfall

Well, it was time for another adventure, so we packed up our backpacks, and hit the trail this weekend with our Chinese hiking friends. The eight of us met early at the bus terminal that would lead us out of the Spring City and into the rice fields of Yunnan. We had to make a bus transfer about halfway there, so we bought our seats and waited a bit. Nothing out of the ordinary, the (16 passenger) bus was oversold by about five tickets. And to boot, there was no underneath luggage storage for our eight enormous backpacks. We managed to get everyone on, even the extras, sitting up front with faces smashed against the dashboard, and our backpacks cramming us in all along the small aisle. A common question foreigners often have about these busses is 'how many people can you fit on a Chinese bus?' And the answer is always...'one more'. On our brief route to our destination, we pulled the 'one more' rule an additional four times, including a 5'5'' man carrying a 6' piece of marble on his back.

We managed to arrive safely and begin the 4 hour hike to our camping destination. We were so excited because we'd seen pictures, and heard about this beautiful campsite right next to a waterfall. The hike was really quite incredible...teetering on the edges of rice paddies, through fern covered jungle-like areas and across dozens of little streams. We stopped for an occasional rest, where we would open up our granola bar or trail mix, and the 3 guys with us would smoke a cigarette or two.

We began approaching the 4 hour mark when Jon and I realized we were not close to the waterfall, or even on the marked trail we had been following before. We graciously continued to follow our crew and enjoy the views. At around 5 hours of hiking, just when you think, ah, yes, we are getting away from it all out here - just us and nature...we began to hear some really loud music. And as we crept our way over the next hill, we realized we had come upon an entire village, and they were cranking up the karaoke in this valley as if it were downtown Beijing. Well, it was a perfect place to ask for directions to this alleged waterfall we'd been searching for. We were just one mountain away from where we wanted to be, so we creatively carved a path in the right direction. And roughly 1.5 hours later, we caught our first glimpse of it! And honestly, it was amazing to finally see it. Everyone cheered and hollered as we made our way down the steep path and towards the promised campsites sitting nearly in range of the dropping waterfall.

The time was perfect to set up camp, get our jetboil stove fired up, and put together the delicious camp meals we had packed. Except what nobody told us, is that we were going to a nearby restaurant for dinner! (what?!) We got a really, deep good laugh out of this one. After hiking for half a day to this beautiful, and what we thought, remote spot...we began to look around a little more and realize that there was another way to arrive at this waterfall camping location. Drive your car, walk down a few steps (past the full service restaurant), jump on the cable car, and get the same views we worked so hard to earn. Even still, it's all about the journey, not just the destination.

head out on the highway...

Yesterday I sat in the passenger seat of my friend’s car cramming furiously for a drivers test that I just failed the day before even though I have been driving for nearly 20 years. The irony was looking up from my study guide to see hundreds…thousands of cars skippered by Chinese people with a year or two of driving experience, swerving down the highway, careening to the shoulder and avoiding near misses as they stared at the sky to catch a glimpse of the solar eclipse.

There is a happy ending here…I passed on my second attempt with a solid 97. Today, I rejoice in solidarity with all of the 16 year-old Americans who can say with newfound swagger…“I got my license”.

buckle up.

I have been studying for my Chinese drivers license for the past week…from what I hear the test can be difficult, but the good thing is if you fail the first time you can head right back in and immediately re-take. If that doesn’t work, you can take it again twice the next day! I am liking my chances and will keep you posted. I wanted to share just a few of the 1500 grammar-challenged, head scratching questions that you might find funny:

There is an entire section of “When encountering…” questions about what a driver should do in real life driving situations that I assure you I had never thought of as necessary until I came to China…

WHEN encountering…
…a flock of sheep
…pedestrians on the road who are highly concentrated in speaking over cell phones
…a blind man on the road (it begs the question…)
…someone herding animals
…an old man riding a bike (it’s a whole different story if he’s young, I guess.)
…a man powered cart
…pedestrians carrying farm tools on shoulders
…an animal drawn cart
…pedestrians wearing cotton padded caps or overcoats in winter (if they're wearing wool, i suppose you can just ignore them.)

I also found some other helpful tips in the driving test study guide…
1. Refrain from competing with a train
2. When a vehicle wades across the water lightly apply brakes
3. A driver is not allowed to drive a motorized vehicle for 4 hours running without stopping the vehicle and having a rest.
4. When there are many wounded persons, those who should be sent to hospital last are the persons suffering cervical vertebra damage NOT those whose intestines and veins are exposed.
5. If the traffic police discover a driver is suspected of driving a motorized vehicle after taking drugs, they should test his intracorporeal content of psychiatric substance.
6. When carrying the wounded persons in coma or in danger of suffocation, they should lie face down and on their side. (huh?)

Have a great day and watch out for cotton padded caps.

good thoughts

I just took a nostalgia inducing sip of some starbucks pike place brew (thank you family and friends for packages...they are like gold here!!). It’s almost like I was transported back to the States. My mind flashed to liss and me grabbing a starbucks and heading to the north shore for a couple of nights. What a great thought! There is almost nothing better than packing up everything you need on your back, setting off together into the woods and enjoying the Creator God. I am picturing us thoughtfully staring at the fire, flipping through a good book and finally crawling into a warm sleeping bag only to wake up to crisp morning air inviting us to do it all over again. Mmm…sounds good, especially on a holiday weekend like this! Happy 4th to everyone and if you can, enjoy Minnesota for us!

China's Got Talent

We were walking around Green Lake the other day, and about every 20 feet or so, there was a group of aspiring artists (some good, some not so good) playing their instruments, singing and even dancing to their heart's content. There were some incredibly beautiful tunes played by people who had obvious talent. Some of the women dancing were so elegant it was amazing to watch. But here and there, were some people who might have over-estimated their talents. However, they were out there, with their speakers set up and singing loud enough for the moon to hear. And though some of the sounds reminded me of the cries that one of our kittens makes when they are stuck under the deck, I just had to respect them for trying. And you know what, they were happy - smiling widely as they belted out crazy notes, strummed the wrong chord and forgot lyrics. I was humbled at the joy these people were finding just giving it a shot. It didn't appear to me that anyone was nervous, or wondering what people were thinking of them...they were just finding true creative freedom in music, dance & song. What a beautiful thing.

functionality

I have always been a function over fashion person for the most part and living in China has solidified that philosophy. Cases in point: I posted a picture of myself in capris (big mistake), I am seriously considering buying some crocs (to elissa’s horror) and I must admit, no matter how silly it looks, the scooter poncho below is pure genius! Liss is actually making great strides in the functionality area too as evidenced by her smashing foot attire. Cheers to all the Minnesotans who have been ridiculed for wearing socks with Jerusalem cruisers.

Man, I Love Cats

We are settling in and getting used to China all over again and it’s so good to be back! We have already started to connect with friends again picking up where we left off last summer and it feels really good. You may know that our incredible friend has allowed us to stay in her house for the first 6 months and we feel truly blessed. She has been so kind and generous. What you most likely do not know is that she has a cat who just had five more cats for a total of six cats. Man, I love cats and I’m really good with them. Liss is too as was evidenced by our first morning here in china running around in slippers trying to corral the mama and “the one that got away”. We “sppspsp’ed” til dizzy, “here kitty’ed” til hoarse, and “ttskk ttskk’ed” til spitless. I finally snagged the little one only to have him scratch me at the brink of the garage and dart off when I dropped him. Man, I love cats.

Anyway, sorry for the delay in our first blog, but blogspot has been off limits most of this past week - if you want to know why, just look back in your China history books about 20 years or so. My friend Jeremy is actually posting this blog, so thank you Jeremy. We should be back online soon.

pack less. be more.

This is a tagline for a backpacking company that encourages their people to travel light. I'm hoping to carry this 'lightweight' slogan into my life in the next month as we begin packing for our year in China. Lots of people have been asking me what I'll bring with me, and what I will leave here. My answer to this question mostly comes from the attitudes and expectations I will leave behind, rather than deciding between my black heels or black flip flops. I happily invite simplicity into my plans for moving. I scrutinize the word 'need' and what it really means to me. I actually anticipate the challenges of my life over there because I'm forced to discover so many new and amazing ways to live...sans all the 'stuff'. I continue to remind myself of the reasons we are moving...and that alone helps me re-focus on what truly needs to fit into my suitcase.

Having said that, I still might pack a pair of heels for good measure ;)

familiar different little big

April is here and that means May is next, followed by June....so what, huh? In a normal year, that's no big deal, but this is no normal year because on June 1st we start our new chapter. Most days it feels like a strangely familiar 'new' chapter except with a few more pages. Every once in a while, though, it seems like a completely different book....like the days when you walk potential renters through your house, or erase the monthly income line from your june forecasted family budget or handout prayer cards to friends with your name next to the phrase, "Serving in China".

This is just a step and this is familiar. This is big and this is different.

Is it really possible to feel all those things at once? absolutely. Honestly, this whole time could be really scary if not for the confidence that we are doing our best to follow a God who loves us and has incredible plans for us. Thankfully,that knowledge can wipe away fear and turn it into freedom and excitement which happens to be where we are living these days.

we just can't stay away

...so we're going back. Back to the morning school song that echoes all around the neighborhood to start a new day. Back to rubbing shoulders with dozens of people as we walk all around town. Back to waiting at the bus stop and shoving our way onto a crowded, creaky old bus. Back to smelling fried food cooking everywhere...and all the time. Back to the controlled chaos of the traffic - full of bicycles, motorbikes, cars and donkeys. Back to many smiling friends who gracefully help us perfect our mandarin! Back to serving people in creative ways. Back to the sights, sounds, smells and tastes that we have grown to love so much. In June 2009, we're going back to Kunming, China for a year!