National Holiday... to be or not to be Russian?

I have been absent for a week. The past week has been China's National Holiday. My university, Hua Qiao, has been on a week long break to celebrate! The National Holiday is comparable to our Fourth of July celebration! (Except we don't take a week off from work). Nonetheless, I am genuinely appreciative of this holiday and break! Sadly and borderline pathetically, after two weeks of teaching, I was in need of this break!

Enjoying flower tea with Abbey

This break, I was blessed with the visit of my friend Abbey Flemming. Abbey and I met at orientation in Beijing and quickly became friends! I was so excited to have her come visit for the week! She is working and living south of me in a city called TaiYuan. She was placed at an elementary school and teaches 3 different grad levels: 1st, 4th, and 6th. She gets quite the variety but has come to love each of her classes! This week, we spent the week doing so many things! Monday night she arrived and we stayed up late talking and catching up over chocolate chip cookies- what a blessing to have this sacred "girl time" that us girls love to have with our sweets :) Tuesday started late, when we met Megan, David, Colby and two of Megan's students Damon and Kyle, to head out to the market. Kyle and Damon were so good to me as they sat with me for about two hours translating between me and the phone company I got my phone from! I have returned my phone twice because it quits working. The boys were so sweet to take the time and help me figure it out... and I am happy to report (after much intense talking/translating/negotiating/hand motions) that I have a working phone again! So, the market is huge. It is spread out within three huge warehouses. Once you walk through the doors, it is a chaotic scene of booths, merchandise, food, teas, people, and bargaining. Once the phone was taken care of, we split into smaller groups and attacked the place for the various items we were in need of. Okay but here's the thing... I am AWFUL at bargaining....

Kyle Cooking our Meal

me picking up the live shrimp!

when Abbey and I split off from the group, I got stopped at this nut and fruit stand. There was every nut and sweet-dried fruit imaginable. The sellers of course could not speak English and I was trying to compare two fruits that looked the same and tasted the same to me, but I thought they were different. I clearly was not getting the point across and they suddenly stopped this other Chinese lady. She apparently spoke English and began translating our transaction. Her English was not the most amazing... and this is where I began to be swindled! I was trying to get a little of everything... meanwhile, the woman from the booth across the aisle was telling my translator about my beauty... and I was simply trying to work-out my transaction... then the woman at my booth selling me the almonds and fruit began telling my translator because of my beauty she would give me a good deal and BAM! all of a sudden I had like two pounds of dried fruit and almonds in my hands with very little yuan left. Yuan= Chinese currency. What happened?! I got caught up in the awkward but sweet remarks about my physical, foreign appearance and ended up buying more than I wanted and NOT getting a deal like the woman had said! Good grief! Not to mention, I ended the transaction by patiently taking photos with each of the women in the booths. I don't think I'll ever get over the strange scene I make in local markets- I am a bizarre commodity and the people want to document it photographically with the peace sign ALWAYS up. I love China. Even when I walk away so confused by the happenings around me. After the market, Kyle and Damon made the rest of us dinner. Let me just say, it was the BEST homemade chinese dinner I have ever had! Oh and our shrimps were alive and moving when we bought them.... grossss! haha! Kyle's dad is a fisherman and owns his own boat- thus, Kyle is a fish-cooking prodigy! The REAL deal! I also ate quail eggs at this meal and they were SO good! I ate like a whole bowl full of them! yumm!

On Wednesday, Abbey and I ventured out on our own into the "western" style part of Changchun. On the bus ride there, I was sitting in a single seat, with Abbey sitting in a single seat right behind mine. The bus was packed as is usual for Chinese transportation. As I was sitting there, a young Chinese woman was in my personal space standing over me.... and she was staring down at me. I tried to ignore her stares but they were very obvious so I squirmed in discomfort underneath it. At one point, I turned in my seat and said something to Abbey (don't remember what I said). Then all of a sudden, the Chinese girl said, "I thought you were Russian" looking directly at me. I looked up at here startled! My first thought: "And I thought you only spoke Chinese." I kept my mouth from repeating my thought and had a nice conversation with her! She is not the first to mistake me for Russian... other faculty members have made it clear they think I'm Russian, and I have had multiple run-ins with Chinese students who come running up to me speaking but not in English or Chinese... so I will say "What?" and they will embarrassingly apologize and say they thought I was one of the Russian teachers.... I'm not quite sure what it is that characterizes me as Russian, but I think it's kinda funny! So I'm going to change my name to Natasha and learn a few key phrases in Russian. Ya know, in case I get in some kind of trouble!

Today has been another quick day of encountering Chinese culture! Me and four other teammates went to our department boss', Veronica's, house for lunch. She made the BIGGEST meal ever! And it was the LONGEST meal of my life! She is the cutest and most energetic woman! We got to meet Ricky, her six year old son and her husband. And Ricky, continuously brought us photo album after photo album of their family! We were fed and fed and fed dumplings, SUPER SPICY fish, and oh ya... FUNGUS! yep, I ate fungus today! I know my parents are thinking... Who is this? Definitely not my daughteR! Well, I have to say, I am the most flexible version of myself living here in China. And I'm loving the doors and experiences being opened to me! Veronica also taught us all how to make dumplings! So I think my cooking skills are definitely broadening their horizons as well! I also have come to love hot soy bean milk, and all sorts of vegetables. Spice is still one thing I am rather inflexible with.... I just can't do it! haha so maybe that has yet to change- but hey, who knows- maybe if I just burn off all my tastebuds that too will change and become more flexible!

So the week has been full! I have enjoyed my visit with my friend Abbey and am a bit more rested! I am a little nervous about this upcoming week because it will be a 7 day work week for me. Because of various random days we didn't have classes earlier this semester, the classes have been re-scheduled to tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday. I have my most full day (my monday schedule) tomorrow and then another class on Sunday with Monday kicking off the new week as is normal! It will be a whirlwind and exhausting week but I am anxious to get back into my routine and with my students!! May your week be just as busy and full of wonderful things to labor for, knowing that all labor is fruitful with an eternal mindset! The Father Bless and protect each of you this week! Thoughts and love from Changchun, China! <3