"They Call You Sister"

I do not know how to speak the language here. Nor do I understand it. But we have been created to speak a language louder than words.  A language that can surpass all barriers; even cultural.  That language is love, and it is global.

When I am working with the children here, I feel like there is not much I can do. Even if I knew the language, I still would not be able to understand most of them.  All I can do is hug them, and let them cling onto my hands and hang on to my arms. I sing songs over them and they smile.

I like to twirl the girls around and let them feel special, because they are.
I tell them they're beautiful, because they are.
And I tell them they're loved, because they are.

And the babies, they are my favorite. I love to hold them and stare into their eyes.  Just a simple pat on their tiny tummy and a smile is plastered on their face.  Sometimes they even let out a little giggle.  And no matter how small and soft to the ears it may be, a baby laugh always heals the soul.

But what also heals the soul?
To find out that I am being called sister.

These people.  These beautiful people who I cannot speak to, and who I cannot understand, call me sister. So I will continue to sing. I will continue to dance. And I will continue to tell them that they are beautiful and that they are loved....because they are.

Blind Bitty

She cannot see me, but she can feel me.
She cannot see me, but she can hear me.
She cannot see me, but she can take my hand and follow my lead.

She can only experience me by what I reveal to her. By what I let her discover.
I offer her my hands to hold.  I offer her my arms to touch. Her arms drape over my shoulders and her head presses into my neck as I carry her up and down the stairs.

Other times, I sit on the floor with her and watch her play.
She is not wrapped in the comfort of my body, but I am still real.  I am still with her and I am still there.  As she plays I am silent. She cannot hear me.  But I am still real.  I am still with her and I am still there.

Whether she knows it or not, we spent the whole day together. Just me and her.
I offered her my care, and she offered me her trust.

....

I cannot see him, but I can feel him.
I cannot see him, but I can hear him.
I cannot see him, but I can take his hand and follow his lead.

Thank you Bitty.

I made it!

For Blog post:

Hello everyone! I made it to China safely and I am loving it J

Betsy picked me up from the airport on Wednesday. She showed me her university and we went to dinner…my first REAL Chinese food. It was super good! And then yesterday a bunch of her students came to her apartment and cooked Hot Pot.  I learned so much about community from them, and we were only together for a few hours. When they eat meals everyone sits around the same table and you all eat off the same plates on the table. You get a cup of rice to yourself and then you just use your chopsticks to pick up what you want! Every one is reaching over everyone else and putting food into everyone’s bowl of rice! It’s really fun! Some of the girls even let me help! They wanted to show me how to make Hot Pot, so I watched and then they gave me a few tasks.

Something I have been shocked about so far is how similar we all are. We all had dinner and afterward some of Betsy’s students played hacky sack! During the whole night pictures were being taken, just like we do in America. There wasn’t a single awkward moment…except maybe when I bumped my chin on the top of one of the girls head! But we just laughed and apologized to one another for our klutziness.  I really enjoyed myself and it has been so great hanging out with Betsy’s students.  One of their class assignments was to interview another person so I have been that person for about 10 students…some of them even videotaped it! I’m going to say 79 percent of the interview questions are about my love life and romantic opinions.  They ask the questions and Betsy stands back and laughs. And then they interview Betsy and I laugh. It’s quiet the system we got going on.

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Here is a list of some things/quotes I have found funny:

-The counters in Betsy's apartment are really short here compared to the counters in America, which makes sense, but I definitely wasn’t expecting it.

-“Your skin is very fair. You must drink milk everyday!”
-Squatty Potty’s. Enough Said.

-There are stray dogs everywhere! Take stray cats in America, multiply it by 5 and you have the streets here. Except the dogs aren’t cute…they are these tiny little straggly things and I want to drop kick them.  What? I said it.

I think I have transitioned in really well and I have felt very comfortable in my time here so far.  I am excited to see what else there is in store for me! 

The Game Plan

I'm leaving Monday. WHAT?! When did this happen? I am having a hard time deciding what to feel, which is a rare. I'm really excited, yet I'm nervous. I can't wait for Monday to be here, yet I fear its arrival. I feel stuck in this weird tension of waiting for China to happen! Ahh.


Here is a bit of my schedule that I know so far:
Monday-Leave from Chicago
Wednesday-Arrive to my destination!-Betsy will be picking me up!!!! and I shall sleep all day.
Thursday-Some of Betsy's students will be coming over and cooking dinner for us!
Friday-Betsy and her students are taking me downtown to show me some things and hang out and then I will be heading to the house of the family that I will be with!




Thank's Friends!!!