New entry here.

New entry here.

Hello!

(this entry copied from my other blog that I’m currently using: http://runronrun.blogspot.com/)

How odd that in nearly exactly a month later, I get the urge to post a new entry in this relatively new, but seldom updated, blog.

And just as my fingers are ready to transmit my reflections…Blogger gets blocked in China!

I haven’t heard the official word, but I’m assuming Blogger has joined several other blogs and user-oriented video and/or content sharing sites that were blocked this year due to the nation’s important anniversary’s – 50 for Chinese rule of Tibet, and 60 for the Com.Party. To minimize or prevent the spread of local news, sites like YouTube has been blocked.

Anyways…nothing new under the sun, really.

It’s been a month since I’ve last posted, so what’s new?

Sundays - I still teach a kid’s class one Sunday a month, and that has been a great blessing. I approach it ESL style because 80% of the kids there are local. I’m thankful for my bilingual assistants, but moreso, thankful for my patient expat kids – who have heard the stories before but do not act out their boredom in the form of rebelious behavior.
Mondays - I’m still on the “backseat”, meaning I chose to step down from teaching due to the busy schedule. We’ve been going through the book of Mark, and only on chapter 3 after spending a month. Soon, I’ll return to facilitating since the main leader will go on ‘paternity leave’.
Tuesdays - I’ve startup up running again after a long bout with a lung infection back in Feb., and just regaining full lung capacity. This time, I’m training for the 10K run for Seafair on July 25. Would love to run with you if you’re in town!
Wednesdays - The kindergarten after-school class has finished after its 12 week run. It has been great! And I’m thankful for the new approach – ESL Style Bible teaching. Basically, teach the important target language first, then share the stories so that they can relate to them and hopefully apply. The evening fellowship group for elementary school kids are still going, but the numbers have gone down, 25 to now averaging 10. Small is nice, since I feel I can connect with each kid more. It’s also safe…25 was basically pushing it.
Thursdays/Fridays – usually I work out. Hang out with friends. Rest.

Other:
Teaching - I’m moving up in the career of ESL/EFL teaching, I’ve been made Department Head for the entire school including the Kindergarten and the future Middle and High School. I feel the weight of the expectations already.
Courtship - I’ve been courting this great woman of God since early March (another reason I’ve been busy). Don’t know how much to share about it here, but I’ll say this: she is a huge blessing in my life and I’m having the greatest and easiest of time gearing our relationship for God’s glory. I’m off to Hong Kong next week to see her family! Also, she’ll be joining my school as a counselor – so this “long distance” aspect of our relationship will soon end!
Rest of the school year – While transitioning to this new position, I’m focused on wrapping up the school year by writing and directing an English language play. It’s been fun (so far)!
Summer plans – I’ll be home (Seattle) for the month of July, with a side-trip to San Francisco for the 4th of July Weekend. It’ll be good to see my brother before he moves on to Virginia to begin his career as a professor. Then I’ll fly back to Beijing, then off to Hong Kong to help my girlfriend move.

2009 is here!

I haven’t blogged very much during the past year, probably at most five times. I hope to update a little more often, and I’d hate to do this to you all, my xanga buddies, but I’ll be mainly blogging at my google pages:

Running With Ron

It’s a lot simpler to use, not because I’ve suddenly become computer illiterate but because simplicity for me = time efficiency. I have to log into a VPN for each time I want to get into my xanga account, which I find it really dumb but that’s just what needs to be done for a website that’s blocked in China. Another main reason is that my online social network is mainly in Facebook, which isn’t blocked and basically 97% of the world is on it – so I have a tendency to visit FB (like 200 times a day) than to visit here.

Oh, I’ll definitely keep this account open (spent a hundred bucks for this account nearly 4 years ago!) – but much apologies if I don’t get into the habit of reading your updates as often as you post them. I’ll pop in here once in a while to do some catch-up reading, and a quick entry.

I hope all is well with you – have a Happy New Year and let’s run the race harder, faster, and stronger in 2009!

Blessings,
-r

Well, I just don’t know what to do with this blog anymore – seriously, with Facebook and a more hectic life in recent months have given very little desire to write about it.

But, for some reason I itch to keep this up – but wow, three months is a bit too long without an update, yeah?

September – The school year started up again, new students and new teachers. Personally, I love it but I also sorta not love it. While it’s exciting to meet new teachers, knowing that some of them are here for only a year brings sadness that a school year is all I’ve got to enjoy the time I have with them. This year’s batch of new teachers are really awesome. A retired Canadian, a dating couple from New York, and a faithful Texan. That faithful Texan has been a gigantic blessing to the work out here in the harvest.
In the kindergarten, much has remained the same. I was supposed to hire an additional English language teacher, but the contract negotiation fell through. The number of kids remain the same, so we really didn’t need a new teacher after all. (But I am recruiting! Interested? Let me know!)
And I guess because I need the extra challenge, I took on a primary school class, teaching Language Arts to local kids in grades 4, 5, and 6. This is a whole different arena than teaching kindergarten – I can actually carry a conversation with these pre-teens! So far, it’s been a lot of fun, but it is more work than what I’ve been accustomed to.

October – After six weeks of work, guess what – one week of holidays! Yeah! So I spent the week in Seoul, South Korea. I’ve always wanted to visit there and I wasn’t disappointed. I loved it! Riding the subways was easy, the museums were cool, and the food awesome. The rest of October was the beginning of a new project for me, an Awana type gathering at a family’s home for an average of 25 kids. It’s been a great blessing sharing stories from the good book to these kids who really want to know him. Best of all, the parents have been extremely supportive. Oh, I ran a half-marathon in Beijing. It was fun, but retrieving my bag after the race was a nightmare. Never again if the race organizers are the same.

November – Around this time, I was getting pretty beat. Not just because of the busyness with teaching, the new weekly gathering with the kids, co-leading a young adult group, and training for later marathons, but emotionally I was worried about home. Hard times have fallen, and let’s just say, it doesn’t get any easier when the folks get older. Lots to think about concerning the future, and this has certainly been the time about trusting in him that he will provide. The other big development at this time has been about my roommate – he’s gone home after being my roommate of two years. I miss him – he was a good conversation buddy and great guy to bounce ideas off of concerning projects. Having a roommate who’s like-minded in more ways than one is really rare here.

And as I roll into December, my co-workers keep asking me “So what will you do during the four-day Christmas weekend?” They assume I’ll travel somewhere, but really, I’m looking forward to doing just nothing. I need some time to reflect and pray.

Coming up this month: a new roommate! After only four days of solitude, I’ll have new company. My school’s Christmas production, and I’m going to play Santa – including sleigh and reindeer!

So, my apologies if you had been wondering “hey, where have you been?”. Otherwise, thanks for reading my update.

Greetings everyone!

Sorry about being M.I.A. these past couple months.  I’ve actually started blogging a little on my Facebook account – it’s accessible in China and more of my friends on that network.

Quick Recap:

July – I had an excellent time visiting family and friends back in Seattle.  It was really good spending four weeks with the family versus the short two back in February.  I think I’ll return each summer from now on.  The weather is better (especially in Seattle), and most of the folks are just…happier?  There were some friends I’d seen for the first time in three years because they got to return home from college.  I was able to spend time reconnecting with church friends, with encouragement going both ways.  I finally caught a friend’s show with his band.  Took a day trip up to Vancouver, and then an overnighter in Portland.  I got to play uncle for my friend’s 2 year old who had really gotten used to me.  I taught him to say “gnarly”.

August – I came back, with two more weeks of vacation until I report to work.  The first week was a bit too boring.  No one I knew was around, my roommate was still in the U.S., and the teachers hadn’t returned.  But I took the time to visit the city often, checking out the “new Beijing”.  I was impressed. 

Olympics! – It’s finally here, and I’m hosting a couple of friends from L.A.  They were able to get a hold of tickets to 10 events – crazy!  I’m attending two or maybe three.  Handball was interesting, but I hope fencing will be interesting as well.  Either way, the ticket granted access into the Olympic Green.  I was at the area where the Today Show was being broadcasted.  I almost got onto TV. 

A New School Year – in just a week!  New teachers will arrive, new students, there’s something about this time of year that allows for reflection and great anticipation.  Honestly, I’m bored right now regarding serving.  There’s really nothing going on.  Some of the locals aren’t back so we can hold English corners just yet.  I’ve brought back great Sunday school material, but have no real clear direction yet.  Do pray for opportunities to hold some sort of iwana meeting at this community area – I’ve approached to organize it.

Anyways, sorry for the long delay.  Things are well here!

It’s been a long time!

And of course that meant that I’ve been really busy – especially the past two weeks. 

Alpha Course – This 10 week course I’ve been helping out has been a huge blessing.  Initially I had a few reservations about the teaching based on a video series, but I’ve found the material to be mostly sound.  Mostly meaning the leaders could still supplement it and probably ought to for a more personal, relevant value.  The folks who have been attending this course did not come just to “learn English”, but they’ve come to truly enrich their knowledge about the X’ian faith.  I was impressed how vocal and opinionated they were, and that’s not a bad thing at all.  The purpose of the course after all was to foster conversations and allow them to discover J’ on their own.  This Monday is our “celebration dinner” as the course comes to an end and I’m currently seeking the L’s will regarding on what to do next in the fall.  Another Alpha with new helpers and invite others?  Or return to my previous routine of doing topical studies from the good book?  I really don’t know.

Sunday School – Tomorrow is my fourth and final lesson before the summer break.  It’s been a lot of fun!  Not easy though – because I teach the lesson like an ESL class, and that’s because I don’t know how to teach it in Chinese.  Thankfully I have an assistant who knows enough English to get my lesson across to these kids, which some of them are my students at the kindergarten.  I want to help out still after I return, so hopefully I’ll find some good resources during my visit home over the month of July.

Kindergarten - This is the last week of school!  Each year goes by quicker and quicker, and last night we had our 3rd Graduation Ceremony.  It’s a big deal.  Each kindergarten grade level does a little song and dance, and the graduating class has the largest portion: reciting an English poem, a Chinese poem, and a dance.  They’ve all had rehearsed the routine for 3 three weeks!  My roles were the usual: produce a slide show featuring the graduates, and be the English speaking MC.  The video was fun to produce, and it gets easier every time I do it (it still took roughly two weeks, thus the recent busyness).  But being the MC still doesn’t make sense – it really benefits only two or three people, and that includes the other English language teacher.  But I still had a blast and it was my excuse for the one time a year I get to wear a shirt and tie. 

Home for July – For the first time in three years, I’ll be visiting home for part of the summer.  My first real 4th of July BBQ (hopefully someone’s hosting a BBQ, haha).  Sunny weather (and being a Seattlelite, that means a heckuva lot!).  Paying homage to the original Starbucks (well, at least picking up a few gifts for my Starbucks fans in Beijing).  Mowing the lawn.  Running in sunny weather.  Festivals. 

But the main thing will be making an evaluation of my role for my family.  A lot has happened since my previous visit of only four months ago.  To summarize, it’s more of the realization that “woah, my parents have just retired, getting older, not getting any healthier, and they’re certainly not that well-off as I thought they’d be”.  I definitely hear the call to be the “social security” they’d hope their children to be.  My main struggle is “could I” with what I make here in China?  So I’ve got a mental tennis match going on in my mind: how much longer should I remain here, should I consider moving back home, do I explore the options of teaching at other countries that pay more?  Lots of questions.  And I have a feeling many may get answer during my time with them.  I’m nervous.  Three years ago I heeded the call of a greater power to be here in China and I am wholeheartedly fulfilling my purpose as I befriend others and being able to teach.  The thought of possibly doing that back at home isn’t exactly enticing, but if that is the call – I have no choice but to answer it with humility.

Beijing - The weather today was 105 F.  With the slightly dry wind, I got a bloody nose.  Construction is still going at a mad pace to finish in time for the games.  The venues for the games have all been long done, but it’s the other places like malls, office buildings, and others hoping to attact tourists, shoppers, and investors.  The ladies at the subways who take the paper tickets are now gone – every commuter is now supposed to use a card and swipe as they enter and as they leave.  I got to meet my brother today for lunch at one of our favorite spots called “Paul’s Steak and Eggs”.  It’s a western restaurant that is perfect for a case of homesickness.  For us, it’s not about homesickness, but we do get sick of eating a week’s worth of Chinese food.  I shopped for hats for my parents, and specifically these hats were purchased at the Beijing Olympic Store.  I bought a few things from probably the only place I shop for clothes: Uniqlo.  It’s the one place where I know the designs are simple and plain.  If you’ve seen Chinese fashion, you’ll know what I’m talking about.  The young adults, after finishing college, are breaking out in their individuality with their own sense of fashion, like t-shirts with randomly selected English words, or jeans with extravegant designs on the buttocks.  The middle aged folk wear grey slacks, and usually a white dress shirt.  And the rest wear pajamas.  But Uniqlo is Japan’s answer to Old Navy & Gap.  I could spend hours and 100′s of RMB there.

Well, that’s the update from me.  In a week I’ll land in Seattle – June 28th.  Will be there until July 26th.  Would love to meet up whoever’s available in Seattle that month.

Many of you have been asking about the earthquake.  I am fine – the ripple effect that reached Beijing was supposedly a 3 on the Richter scale.  Those working in high rise buildings probably felt a teeny sway.

My eyes have been glued to the websites reporting on the quake.  The death toll has been rising by the thousands.  It’s quite a miracle considering my brother had just visited that region only a month ago.  But now I’m concerned for a few friendsI met two summers ago, but haven’t kept up with them in a long while.  I hope they’re doing okay.

It’s Labor Day in China – and the start of the long four day holiday weekend.  Some random updates:

I’m visiting home this summer! 
More specifically, the month of July.  I really didn’t know if I could fly home due to the rising prices, but I caught word of Hainan Airline’s new direct route to Seattle (thanks Dru and Yul).  Roundtrip flight for $800!  This will be my first visit home during the summer, so I’m looking forward to the warmer weather, and catch all the summerfare going on in Seattle.

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It’s kinda cool being Cantonese…
It’s fun seeing kids who are Cantonese speakers light up when they catch me spout a few Canto.  It’s actually more fun when parents hear me speak it, too.  Way out south where I live, the Cantonese speaking community is really small, and it seems like a real treat for them to able give Mandarin a short rest and help me brush up on my Cantonese.
One family in particular has practically adopted me as the “favorite uncle”.  I had dinner at their home, and soup was served!  Man, I never had soup in the mainland – so it totally felt like home when a delicious bowl of ginseng chicken soup was placed before me.

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Busy week finally over
On Sunday I taught Sunday school.  On Monday, I went straight to the airport after my morning classes to pick up someone I have never met in person, but on Facebook.  We were going to pull off something that had been in the works for nearly two months: a marriage proposal.  Being part of it was fun, especially keeping quiet about it.  Anyways, he walked into her classroom and the look on her face was priceless – pure surprise and shock.  Her students knew something exciting was going on but couldn’t exactly figure it out.  I then had after school class – telling the story of creation.  The day was capped off with the next meeting of our discussions of faith.  Tuesday: preparing for Open House and a failed attempt to reach the ticketing office in time to purchase my flight home.  Wednesday:  Open House.  Phew!  I can finally chill out.

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Well, I know I don’t drink…
This is kind of an old but on-going thing.  Two months ago I had my annual health screening, which is required for all kindergarten workers in Beijing.  For 200 RMB, I had my blood drawn, chest x-rayed, checked for STD’s, and bio-rhythm measured.  I skipped just one thing: an ultrasound of my internal organs, which may have been my mistake.  The blood tests came back revealing an unusual higher level of liver enzymes – normally higher if the liver needs to work harder filtering out stuff, like after drinking alcohol.

Unable to determine what caused the higher level of enzymes, the school requested me to take another blood draw.  Same results, so again I was asked to do a 3rd blood test.  Now I’m worried.  At this point I thought to myself “That’s it – no one could really tell me, even in Chinese, what exactly is going on.  It’s time to see a foreign doctor.”  And that I did – for 1,700 RMB.  Well worth the price to be able to understand what’s going on and explore all possibilities. 

It’s very likely that this higher level of enzyme is temporary, and it’s due to my body’s response to recent strenuous exercise.  Well, I did train for a marathon, and I hit the weights over a month ago.  So that could be it.  It could be that running outside made me take in pollutants and my liver had to work harder to kick them out.  Anyways, this whole experience has been very interesting.  In the local clinic, we were all herded like cattle, reporting to different rooms for different tests.  Cleaners go up and down the hall sweeping up dust and litter.  It’s also very crowded.  In the foreigner clinic, it felt like home.  Quiet, clean, spacious – this kind of environment creeps some people out, but I found comfort.  To be continued…

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Teachers needed
My school (K-6) is in need of teachers.  Required: a college degree  Preferred: TESOL/TEFL certificate for Kindergarten English teacher and Primary School Oral English teachers, a teacher’s certificate for grades 1-6 teachers.  Commitment at least two years.  Interested?  Please let me know!

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May Day
I ventured into the city to pick up my plane ticket – subways were crazy!  That errand alone wore me out, and it wasn’t even noon yet.  Subway stations were filled with people – I was crammed into the corner of one subway, trying to avoid the area under the man’s armpit by looking away.  On the bus ride back, I stood at the bottom step right up against the door, fearing that the bus’ typical sharp turn may toss me out.  Back in the suburbs, I joined some friends over hotpot, a great way to sit and chat with others.