The other night I was deep in a book when the room started to quiver. The bed, the couch, my hanging train of dry but unfolded shirts -- everything trembled. Then it calmed. I hadn't packed a seismograph, and could only guess what magnitude I'd just survived. But the next day, same thing. And the next. These tremors were certainly punctual, or maybe a bit too punctual. Eventually I noticed other things too, like the rhythmic clack of wheels on steel and a distant train whistle, or the rumble of a truck. Not exciting after all (unless you're some geeky physicist who daydreams of harmonics). Too bad. But I soon found out I wasn't the only one with earthquakes on my mind.
It's time to quake-proof the schools. Apparently the last earthquake leveled some school buildings right next to a government office. An office still standing strong. This means students will get off a month early for the construction. But it's not good news -- now they have school on Saturday. Yes, this is China. And they didn't warn the schools, so schedules and curricula must be adjusted on the fly. Yes, this is China. The kids, whose lives are already school-centric, are now burdened with more studies. This makes it much harder for me to connect with them with consistency. On the flipside, an extra month of summer is never bad. And a quake-proof school isn't so bad either.
My schedule has taken a pretty hard hit. Saturdays were by far my busiest, but everything has been cancelled. This also frees up all the time earmarked for prep. So I'm replacing it with more medical activities and one-on-one tutoring. I'm glad. God knows what he's doing.
I'm so thankful to be here. At home I've read books, talked with MKs (some very cool ones!), talked with their families, and even their friends' families. But to experience everything first hand -- yes! I can see how rewarding it is. And the communal depth of the church is vivid. Ok, I don't want to push the earthquake theme too far (since it can quickly become cheesy), but I think it applies nicely. There is the hard side of life, too. Little stresses build along the fault line between East and West. Like Chinese water torture, perpetual inconveniences grow and grow. Now, combine this with interpersonal relationships. When two opposing viewpoints collide, it can cause huge riffs in relationships. I see how everything gets magnified out here. But God is still all about grace, unity, disciplining us as his sons, being patient, filling us with joy and peace, you know, the works. So cool.
[The pictures are of a meal with Lisa]
