Music "Baby"

A few weeks ago the lesson was on music. We talked about different genre's of music and different instruments. We also talked about ways to talk about music such as "I like the chorus." or "I like the lyrics in the song." "I really like the beat, but I don't like the vocals." We used other words like: tempo, verse, chorus, lyrics, artist, and "How does it go?" (to question which song someone is talking about). I used Justin Beibers "Baby" (they love pop music) as a reference and played part of the song then used the different vocab words to talk about the song. 

We also went on to talk about instruments and I tried to explain the 3 types of guitars: acoustic, electric, and bass. It was easy to mouth/sing the electric and bass but the acoustic guitar was difficult. Then, I saw a guitar over on the side and decided to use it to use it as a reference. They then asked if I could play? (Chinese stereotype of Americans - all of them can play the guitar). I told them I was learning. I asked who's it was and Yvonne in the back raised her hand, "YAAAY" they all cheered, "Play a song!" I laughed and asked if she wanted to. She said next week, so I said, "ok, I'll remember that and next week you can play something for us." 

The next week came and I forgot which class we had talked about someone playing and I forgot who it was who was going to play. I forgot, they didn't. They had prepared. So after the break in class, we had a quick demonstration by Georginia and Yvonne.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSG_WVdzFZs

Do you believe in love at first sight?

“Do you believe in love at first sight?” That was my opening question in class last week, but I realized I asked the wrong question. What I should have asked first is, “How do you define ‘love’?”  As cute as my junior-high-like students are, their view of love is overly romantic and still very immature.  They think love, like life, is just like you see it in the movies. They think all Americans have sex with each other, we just hang out all day, and we’re all extremely sappy romantics. There are many other misconceptions but if TV was all that you had to judge another world by, then it makes sense that you would think it’s all true. Sometimes it is kind of fun to live in this superbly cheesy romantic era. On the other hand, when you want to grow up and have a more adult conversation, unfortunately most of their views of love don’t change – it’s still way too simple and immature. That’s the problem with China. That’s the problem with unbelievers. That’s the problem with our fellowships. That’s the problem with me. Our view and definition of love is way too simple and immature.

Love between a man and a woman is a good example– we love the chick-flick movies and semi-sappy love stories, but true love in a real relationship is more sacrificing. It’s treating him or her how they should be treated not how you feel like treating them or how you think they should treat you. It’s treating them with your affection even if you don’t feel like it. It’s wanting what’s best for the other person even when it’s against what you want/need/desire. Even between close friends, love is deeper. I didn’t know this type of behavior existed until I was blessed to have a few people step into my life and truly love me. I have awesome parents who do love me, and the more that I discover how much they do, what sacrifices they’ve made, and what that love compels them to do it shakes me. Between my friends and my family, it twists me up inside too much to understand. My radar goes off that something is wrong and it shouldn’t be like this – this is against what I know… it’s …something… greater.

I thought this realization was a large step into becoming an adult, but in comparison to what I have been discovering, it’s more like moving from the toddler class to the pre-school class. Not to downplay that revelation, but I realized even more that I still don’t know how to truly define love. I know the words to say, poems to quote, and songs to sing, but do I really understand what Love is? Like my Chinese students who can quote the most eloquent poetry that captivates all who hear it, but yet still think holding hands or that special look that he gives her is “love”,  I feel like there’s much more. There’s something that Someone is waiting for me to understand and walk in. I just can’t help but see/think/wonder about what love really is…

A student at fellowship stated, “Every day I hear him say,’ [my name], I love you. You are the best.’ So when I walk in my day, I walk with confidence because He loves me.” A love that makes us walk in confidence no matter what- that’s what I think it should be like. I love this video of John Mark McMillian talking about when he wrote “How He Loves” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-NXWE6AC8ao). He says, “through this frustrating period, in my anger and my resentment, and my frustration he could still love me through that… that’s He not offended or upset…” and he goes on explaining this deeper feelings (you need to watch it). I read and hear stories of when someone says “I don’t know if He loves me” and He responds by telling someone else exactly what they need to hear or heals them or gives them gold teeth randomly just to say “See I LOVE YOU!”

This is a love deeper than any analogies or stories I can put on the page. If this love could be contained in words or analogies or stories then that means that language, stories, and analogies were greater than this love. That’s why we write songs after songs, books after books, essays and blogs, we paint pictures and make movies, and none of it can begin to describe it. 

I’m afraid to say, “J loves you.” Or “G loves you” because I’ve said it before. I’ve said, “He loves you more than you can imagine,” but I am not satisfied with that. I don’t want to just stay “more than I can imagine,” I want to go find out what more means. I want to be giddy like two new lovers with each other. I know His Love is greater than this love, so I’m ready to be giddy. I’m ready for my insides to be twisted even more because I don’t understand what this really is. How can someone love me that much? When they know who I am? When they know what I’ve done? How can it be this intimate? How can it be this giving? How can it be this powerful? And if this… if this is “love,” then nothing I have ever done in my life deserves to be labeled as “love.”

All this to say, as much as I like to think I know or have experienced love, I admit my ignorance and limitations placed on love and I want to understand and experience more of it. I vulnerably open myself up.

Fun Frases... I mean, Phrases

One thing I am excited for this summer is to renew my vocabulary. It will be good to be around "native speakers" again. Previously, I've explained "Chinglish" (Chinese + English). Chinglish is common and understandable, they have a different sentence structure, grammar patterns, and a completely different alphabet.  But the longer you stay immersed in a culture with a different language, the more that you pick up that language. Unfortunately, Chinglish is much easier to pick up then Chinese is. So between our team, we've found ourselves saying little phrases or structures that aren't proper English and we'll probably be laughed at when we get back home for using them. You may have began to notice the deterioration of my English ability in my writings of emails, blogs, and via skype. (Even in that last sentence I had to stop and think for 30+ seconds to try and remember the word "deterioration.") I thought it was just me, or maybe just at our campus, until I spoke with the president of Teacher Services for our organization who works in the States. He said it happens to everyone. "I will get an email from one teacher and have to stop and think what he is talking about. I can't believe it that I'm getting an email from a man who has his Masters Degree in English but is butchering the language with grammar mistakes all the way through his email." I had to laugh, and at the same time sigh in relief.

We have a saying here at Hua Qiao within our teachers that whenever we start speaking Chinglish accidentally someone will say, "Wow, Abram, your Chinese sure is getting good." The more Chinese we learn, the less English that we remember... or just the more you talk to Chinese students the more you replicate their language. Sometimes, we find ourselves intentionally talking in Chinglish so that our students can understand what we're asking them or trying to tell them. Unfortunately, it isn't always intentional.  I'm beginning to be at the point that I can't remember what is correct anymore and what isn't. So I'll be excited to refresh my vocabulary and English vernacular when I come home. Here are a few fun phrases that we or our students will say.

"I want to happy everyday."

"Go for lunch?"

"You should drink more water, it is good for your healthy."

"You should wear more clothes-es"

"Will you have a rest?" (take a nap?)

"Warmly welcome you to come."

"Sanks." (there is no "th" sound in Chinese so it comes out alot as "s")

"I go now." or "I go first" (when they're done talking to you in the hall way and need to go.)

"That is all." (when they're done talking)

"Ok. See you."

...and a list and a half more that have become way to familiar to me at this point. Hope you enjoy.

Sank you. That is all.

Confused and Questioning

So I have been talking lately Northward about my students. Not just for them but kind of about them and my lack of interaction outside the class with them. I firstly will admit that for the past two weeks I've found myself seeking a more comfortable relationship with Him. Not that reading or asking wasn't taking place, but that it was more of head knowledge and learning rather than being in that desperate and dependent state. After a talk with Jordan one night, I finally just said it out loud and admitted it and then wanted things to change. So I started really being more intentional with my time and not being comfortable or easy in it. Anyways, that was part of it, but the other part was just in confusion and perhaps slight irritation. "Ok. You promised me this and you gave me this idea for these students, now why isn't it happening? You didn't tell me what I need to do and I'm trying to walk daily with you, but what do I do?"

After trying to meet up with two of my students (who are dating) a few times, I finally got to today. I had suggested a pizza place we found about 10 min away from campus. (awesome, pizza!) So today we got to go there and talk a little bit. Nothing too in depth, but I shared some general thoughts and just trying to be obedient. After our 2+ hour lunch was over (also involved watching part of a show on his laptop and answer questions of culture and idioms used), we started walking back and passed a KTV place. Some chinese happened and then the question, "do you want to go to KTV?"  "...right now?" "yeah, do you have anything? or do you want to?" ... "um... sure." So a few minutes later we found ourselves walking to another nearby KTV place with a "better song choose" and 3 more of their classmates coming to join us.

After 3 hours of KTV, (half Chinese and half English - the English part, whether it was by me or them, was out of tune) we walked back. As the first two students cut off to go back to their classroom to study, I walked with the other 3 towards the dining hall. They went back to get their meal card and 2 of the boys came back with another boy from their class. We sat down, 4 guys in Dining Hall One, 5 minutes before closing.

"Can I ask you a question?" my quiet, yet overly romantic student asked. "How do you get over the feelings of pup love?" Hmmm... that's a good question. Part of me wanted to answer with suck it up and get over it, but the other part realized that that's what I would tell myself and I dont want to crush his imagination or romanticism. So I just suggested a more mature type of look on love. I talked about how I look for a wife and not really for a girlfriend and consider qualities in a wife, while trying to point out that these things probably wouldn't be found in them. Not sure it worked, its always hard to tell if what you said 1) was understood (via the language barrier) then 2) if the agreed, 3) if they were offended or not, and 4) if it actually helped and they're thinking or if was a "duh" statement that they already knew.

He went on to talk about how he used to always joke with people in high school but he's changed since he came to college. Then went on about how now he wanted to protect this girl that he likes. So I got to connect and share how I want to be like the "knight in shining armor" (had to explain that one to them) and then got to talk to him about how He created us to be more physical and want to be the hero. We're made to pursue girls and want to save them but at the same time we have this inner struggle of still wanting to be little kids and not grow up and accept responsibility.  I asked the other guys what they thought of the situation and used some of their advice to encourage him that we're all going through that process of maturing and that there is probably a better girl out there for him, even though it doesn't seem like it right now.

Afterwords, the conversation took a turn to "how to improve my spoken English." After that fun segway of even more topics that I wish I could help but my brain just wasn't firing right to answer them, we decided to leave, since the DH closed 45 min before and they turned off all the lights 25 min after that. We had been sitting in the dark talking for the past 20 min, but I guess that's when guys can be more honest, when the lights are off and you don't have to look each other in the face. As we left, he asked how to learn English songs and he really wanted to know what they meant. So I told him to look up the lyrics and walk through them before he listened to the song, anything he didn't know circle, and then we could talk about on Thursday after class.

I'm just really excited to get to finally talk with some of my boys about stuff and get to go deeper. Plus, they weren't even the ones that I had been trying to meet up with for the past 2 weeks. I got to hang out with those 2 (which I feel like are some of the ones I can focus on loving) and then got 3 more boys along the road. I'm glad that this is happening. It is a little frustrating because I wanted this to happen last semester so we had more time, but who am I to tell Him the time table. It's not up to me to do the work, it's Him, so even if nothing happens this year, His words don't return void. I'm also very thankful for Him answering my confusion and questions. Thanks for reading. Love you guys.

School Newspaper

Here’s one of the bi-weekly English Department newspapers, “The Observer.” I am proud to say that I believe all of these students are some of my freshman. :) Remember that they’re written language is much better than their spoken language and I’m not really in charge of their written language, good or bad. But I am still very proud of them and hope that perhaps I (or something in me) has caused some open expression.  I hope you get some time to read through a few articles. :)

Happy 22 2/3 Birthday!

Each member of our team has a birthday during the school year except for one. Perfectly, working out, every month that we’re at school has a birthday in it, except for one. So we decided to celebrate Tannah’s summer birthday in March (our free month). If we’re going to celebrate a 22 2/3 birthday, why not go ahead and make it even more of a surprise?! We asked 3 of her favorite students to join us and lure her into the “trap.” Because Tannah loves animals so much, the girls decided we should dress up like animals to surprise her. Below, you will see the result of said plan.

Going around the table starting on your left, a sheep, bear, birthday girl (soon to be lion), unicorn, panda, rooster, bald eagle, totoro, puppy, and tiger.

If it’s your birthday in China, they give you a really really long noodle. You have to eat the whole noodle in one bite without breaking it. If you succeed it means you’ll have longevity in your life. Tannah was… close to getting it all.

Attacked!

All the guys and Tannah

My Team

Check out that sweet lion birthday cake!
4 Layers of delicious awesomeness.
I forgot what a real cake tastes like, well a real American cake.
WOW has it got a lot of sugar in it and WOW was it good.

When we got back, Tannah fully became a lion with her homemade mane and make up.

Even Grammar got in on it and let me make him into a Tiger. He’s a good Asian Tiger, right?

And here’s the gang.

An Unexpected Announcement

“So, I’ve got some good news.” I started out the class.

Hmmm… A smile crept over my face as my eyes danced around the ceiling trying to figure out how to put it. “So, last semester, I started talking with one of my friends back home… whose a girl.” The smile grew and so did their interest. 

“We’ve been friends for the past 3 years, but we started talking more seriously… and….”

My eyes rolled around the room and I laughed a little, they responded with giggles. “She’s a very smart girl and very lovely…. And… and… “ “Don’t be shy!” Eddie yells from the back corner and the whole class laughs.

“well… we started talking about, you know, what it would be like if we got married and how we want to raise kids and all and I… I really like her… we have a lot of the same things in common, a lot of the same views and same things are important to us… So… last night… “ I just laughed. “Well…. This summer….. ” and I laughed again.

“Congratulations!” Eddie yells again from the back corner and they laugh... still waiting for the answer…

“Well, maybe next year when I come back, you guys can meet my wife.”

They erupted in cheers and excitement, and AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!  They were amazed and so excited. Just the reception anyone wants to hear when they announce this.

“I heard a few questions like, “whats her name?” and “is she beautiful?” as I slowly turned around and wrote the letters  “A – p – r – i – l   F – o – o – l  - s”  on the board. I turned around so they could read it and they lost it! AHHH! Nooooo! I don’t like!  AHHHH!!!! 

It was a very successful  prank today. Hope you have an enjoyable April 1^st.