the perfect day

This post is a little belated, but I really wanted to share it with you. A couple posts back I told y'all about my TV game show try out. Well, the day didn't end there...

...after the TV try out Jess and I went to Subway for some lunch. Delish. I love the smells there. But every time I eat there, I think of Jimmy John's and all the good memories there. After that we walked around, looking at some shoes and going to the DVD store.

The DVD store is near the new Starbucks. Jess and I walked past it as we went to the DVD store. We saw people inside enjoying drinks. When we tried to go in they stopped us telling us it was Family Day. We knew that the Opening Day was not until the next day, but we were just hoping to get in. At the DVD store I bought Bones Seasons 1 through 6. What a deal!

Jess and I were walking back to look around some shops and decided to give Starbucks another try. The same thing happened. They lady at the door told us it was Family Day and to come back the next day after noon. Then Alan swoops in and says, "Welcome! Welcome! Let me buy you some coffee! It's on me!" We hesitant at first and tell him we would love to pay for the coffee and go. We don't want to interrupt. We just want some coffee before we have to leave the city. All drinks and food is on the house for Family Day, so they don't let us pay. As we sit and sip our frappachinos, we listen to some speeches and just enjoy the little piece of America. Then it's time to leave.

Next, we look for a place to get a massage. I didn't always like massage, but now I'm a little obsessed with them. They are so relaxing and feel so good. And being on my feet a lot, I considered it a reward every so often. We finally found a place and took a small break.

After the massages, we had already decided to get some Pizza Hut for dinner. We laugh watching the replays of the video footage while waiting for the pizza. And when the pizza arrives, it's AMAZING! We relish in the moment. After, we travel back the train station to take the fastest train in the world back home. But our day doesn't end there...

After arriving in our city, we grab a taxi back to campus. However, the taxi driver remembers Jess. Apparently, she had given him a CD to listen to and he actually listened to it. But he didn't understand. He asked some questions and Jess explained what she could. All in all, it was the perfect day.

Psalm 23

Today was a pretty good day. In my Bible class we were still talking about the Old Testament. We went from Ezra to Lamentations. As we were going over the psalms, I decided to share psalm 23. I also shared that many psalms are used to make songs of praise. I told them there was a particular song that I knew that was derived from that psalm. Of course, they asked me to sing it. I was quite hesitant. Then I thought about it and decided it's okay if I feel foolish or look foolish for the Lord. My voice is really terrible. They clapped and seemed to enjoy it. They seem to be a little frustrated with the idea that God is not a genie or sugar-coated candy. Their idea of God seems to be that he should just hand over whatever they want. So, it doesn't seem fair or right that God would test people or strength them through trials. I'll just keep thinking about them.

can you feel it?

So, the majority of the time I have spent in this part of the world has been hot. But hot hardly justifies the real feeling of the weather. Neither does sticky, humidy, muggy, blazing or any other word referring to hot.

I've been eagerly anticipating the change of weather. Not only because I'm tired of sweating after only walking 50 ft from my apt door, but also because I have never experienced this country or city in the winter, fall or spring. I love new and exciting experiences. No one else seems excited about it. Only one friend, Jen. She says she sleeps better in the winter.

I'm excited about the food too. I assume the food will change a little bit. Or at least the street vendors will jive it up.

Moral of the story: I had to wear my fleece and a long sleeve yesterday...

Oh yeah and I got to hang out with some sweet friends for Mid-Autumn day.

sweet action video

Well, my awesome roommate made a video of our TV adventure.
Check it out here!

http://wordsfromwhorty.com/

i know i'm not supposed to have favorites...but...

You may have heard this story already...

Monday morning is the hardest. Eight am is just so early. But that first class of the week is my favorite by far! They are so fun and talkative. I don't have to pull teeth like some of the other classes. They are so active.

Today we talked about holidays. Thanksgiving is my favorite to talk about. It's not only a great time with family, but it's fun to talk about turkeys when people have no idea what they are. There are no turkeys in this part of the world. They do import them and I can get one for Thanksgiving, but they are not in surplus. The students are curious about the taste and what exactly a turkey is. They keep comparing it to a chicken, I always reply with, "It's so much better than chicken!" "It's bigger than a chicken." "It's a bird, but not a chicken."

They said they don't celebrate Thanksgiving. I said, "So sad." Apparently, I say this often while teaching. They asked if we had a festival for mid-autumn/full moon in America. I told them we didn't. And then they did the most amazing and wonderful thing...they said with all the mockery in the world, "So sad!" I burst into laughter. I wasn't completely sure they were mocking me at first, turns out there were. They asked if we had a day for single people, like the opposite of Valentine's Day. I told them we didn't. "So sad!" they jeered. Teasing is my one true love language.

I love my students and I really love teaching. The longer I am here and the more that time goes by, I'm certain this is exactly where I should be and this is exactly what I should be doing...Thanks Father

i'm famous

So, some of you might have heard about my recent try out on an Asian game show...if not, here is the story...

Two years ago, I made my first trip to this part of the world. In my down time, I liked to veg out to a show similar to Wipe Out. There is a obstacle course set up over water. Of course, if you fall, you're out! But get to the end the fastest and receive the prize. That summer, I heard it was being recorded in a nearby city. I was secretly hoping we would just run into a random taping and they would invite me to try. No such luck.

Fast forward to August 2010. I had to do some teacher training in a city nearby before school started. The same city where the show is taped. Two weeks ago I got an email from the training program inviting me to attend the game show! I was so stinkin' excited I almost peed my pants (as the saying goes)! But just to make sure I wasn't getting myself into something else, I replied with some questions and double checking things. She replied with all the right answers...my dream was going to come true!

I told Jess, my roommate, if she wanted to come she could. So, Wednesday, we packed up our bags and heading out the next morning. We had some traveling hiccups along the way, but we finally got there. I was in awe of the place! It was so exciting! Cameras everywhere and people awaiting to compete. However, I was disappointed to know that the cheering crowd was "photo shopped" in.

The first part was like a treadmill. But they throw things in your path so you had to jump over them. It was a lot harder than I thought. I was runnin' and runnin' and runnin' and finally got past it. Next was some floating dice. I was supposed to step on them to get to the other side. There was a big dice and two little and then a big one before the platform. I decided to jump over the big one and try for the little one. I jumped...and...tumbled right over to the right. The water was so cool when it washed over me.

I left the water happy and defeated...I had accomplished just what I hoped. I got past the first obstacle and tried my best. There's a video to come!