Traveling ^-^

Hello! I'm traveling this week due to China's "International" Labour Day. In reality, they're the only country to celebrate the acclaimed 五一节 (Wu Yi Jie), but hey-- I get a week off, so I'm happy. I took a 21-hour train ride to the Fujian province and I'm currently in the beautiful city of Xiamen.

Today I went to visit the small, pedestrian-only island of Gulangyu, about a 5-minute ferry ride from mainland Xiamen. Although it rained the first few hours, we had blue skies and SUN for the entire afternoon. It ended up being a glorious day!

And, here is my latest Facebook status update:

~ I wore aviators and used a sun umbrella to mask my "foreign-ness" today. Lo and behold, an *entire* tour group of Chinese people got a hold of me while I was meandering around Gulangyu Island... There was a queue for photos with me. LOLOL. #ishouldstartchargingforthis

Foot Binding

Foot binding was popular in China several hundred years ago, and continued all the way until the mid-20th century in traditional parts of the country (mostly in the countryside).

What is foot binding? It's a process that began when a girl was anywhere from 2 to 7 years old, and the desired outcome was "lily" feet that measured a mere 3 inches. The process took several years and was extremely dangerous to the girls' health, sometimes resulting in death from infection and rotting. The girls' feet were reshaped entirely, requiring each bone in the foot to be broken (and walked on...).

I recently read an amazing book called "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See. This book took place in the 1800s in China -- in a village in the Hunan province, only a few hours from where I'm living this year. It's a "historical fiction" story about two young girls who have their feet bound, and it follows their life stories as they get older. It's extremely interesting from a "cultural insight" perspective, as it explains a lot about Chinese traditions and how something as painful as foot binding can change a young peasant girl's future. I definitely recommend picking up a copy of this book.

Aside from the NPR article (linked in the first paragraph), I found another article about foot binding  HERE.

Stormy Day

Stormy day. Looking down the Xiang River, as seen from biking across 株洲大桥 (Zhuzhou Da Qiao - Zhuzhou Bridge). The sky got eerily blue and grey... and it got really windy. It started pouring about ten minutes later.

Something I've been learning the longer I've been on the earth is this: BE SHAMELESSLY YOURSELF. Don't let others' rules define you. Revel in your uniqueness. There are too many people telling us what's wrong with us... Just enjoy life and keep trying to grow. That's all you can do.

"Others have no right to demand that I be anything else than what I ought to be in the sight of God. No greater thing could possibly be asked of a man than this!" -Thomas Merton

Interesting Fact

This is what happens when the same government ministry is in charge of both promoting sales of and curbing consumption of cigarettes. Will the Chinese government do what's right for its people's health? The answer appears to be NO - not if there's money to be made. See the excerpt from Beijing Today below:

Yikes. No wonder lung cancer stats are so high here.

Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. –Albert Einstein

Around Zhuzhou

Pictures from the past two weeks... enjoy!

 ^ at a theme park with my students

 ^ one of many street cleaners

 ^ the homeless man I see everywhere in Zhuzhou

 ^ my gorgeous boyfriend

^ daily errands

 ^ just your average sidewalk blockade

 ^ Josh at Shen Nong park

^ students playing basketball (class teams)

^girls' shooting competition

^ school gate (view from inside the gates)

^ more basketball

^ 4th floor... my office is on the right

^ my office door

On My Heart

I am a child of the Most High God - the Creator, Saviour, and Ultimate Satisfier. He alone completes me and is the source of all love. He loves me no matter what, and for that I am truly thankful. As the love in my earthly relationships grows I can't help but feel closer to Him... the beauties and intricacies of life are clearer. Life is more colourful and meaningful.

Bon Iver

"Your love will be safe with me"

阳朔 Yangshuo

Shifeng Park, Zhuzhou

Today Josh and I went to Shifeng park... we biked all the way there from ErZhong and then spent the afternoon basking in the sunlight, walking the park's trails, taking pictures, and "chatting" in broken Chinese with locals. It was a beautiful day - much warmer and sunnier than I could've asked for. :)

^ balloon man

^ enjoying his baozi (steamed bun)

^ Chinese cities are constantly under construction.

Notice the construction site right across from the park entrance.

^ love the English on this garbage can

^ sand art at the park!

^ painting a Disney character :)

^ buying a goldfish with her parents

^ playing in plastic water bubbles. love it.

^ view of Zhuzhou city from the path

^ blossoming trees

^ on our walk ♥

^ cherry trees... beautiful.

^ another construction site.

a pool and water playground coming soon!

(c) Cait Kooistra