So, as a warning for those who read this (doubtful that many, other than my parents, do to be honest) I will be updating regularly! Though only while on vacation and whilst I have free time. Once I get to school, no guarantees.
Yesterday I was at school with my dad. It was great. I sat in his office that has a view of his classroom and he introduced me to all of his classes. One girl walks in and immediately goes up to him and says "Mr. Navis, when is your daughter coming to school?" so he yells from the other end of the classroom "NANDA, WHEN ARE YOU COMING TO GUANGZHOU?" and the poor girl looked so embarrassed. Way to go dad, way to go.
We got on the bus to come home (with all the teachers - of whom at least one mistook me for a substitute teacher, how's that for a thought?) and dad asks the driver to stop a little early so we can go to Decathalon "the sports supermarket". So we walked from where we were dropped off to Decathalon and after we checked out, the real adventure started. The area we were in is known to have few free taxi's since it's pretty far out of the city, so we decided to get on a bus. My dad assured me that he knew where he was going, so we hop on a bus, it goes through and intersection, makes a u-turn and stops. At the end of the line. We were on the bus for maybe a minute. So we both laugh it off, and get on another bus, which my dad again assures me goes to the right place (all the bus signs were in Chinese, which I know he can't read). Someone told him that all buses starting with a B (we were on B26) go to one bus terminus. Do NOT blindly follow such information if you are in a similar situation. As it turned out, the bus was taking us towards Shenzen, and Hong Kong, opposite where we want to go. So we get off at the bus stop after my dad has a hand signal and broken Chinese conversation with the bus driver and cross the highway on an overpass, assuming there is a bus stop in a similar location on the other side of the road. Negatory. So we keep walking (I probably inhaled as much pollution in that 10 minutes as I do in a year in Spokane) and much to our luck (empty cabs don't usually drive the highways), we were able to catch a cab back into the city for a grand total of 51 yuen (about 7 dollars). Boy was I happy to be home.
Otherwise, I have some general thoughts about China:
anonymity - something I do not have here. It makes me realize how much I loved blending in when I lived in Hong Kong. I could wander around the city without a problem in most areas, whereas here I stick out like a sore thumb. Most of the markets or places we've gone are not frequented by many foreigners. As I was telling Ticcia on facebook, I wear my sunglasses when possible. Being a foreigner makes me stick out, but man my blue eyes just draw so many stares that it makes me uncomfortable. I think I would have trouble living somewhere where I stick out so much. Though I guess when I was in Saudi it was the same, I just wasn't as aware of it.
it's so HOT - Again, this is the same and yet different than Hong Kong. In HK you walk into buildings and are blasted with such cold air that you need to carry a sweater around with you. Here, they use as little AC as possible which leads you to sweating all the time. In an incredibly hot and humid climate, sweat does you no good.
cheap - the construction is so bad. There is a ton of it, everywhere, but it is such shoddy work. The building my dad works in was built three years ago and already it already looks like a 10 year old building in the US. Other things are cheap, too. I got two pairs of glasses with lenses for a fraction of the price I would have paid in the US. Massages - one hour for about 6 or 7 dollars. Manicure/pedicure combination (tonight!) is the same. The cost of living here is just so much less than what I am used to.
There are things here that are just so incredibly opposite of the US. Only coming here for the first time in about four years do I realize what polar opposites there are in the culture. For one, Guangzhou is preparing to host the Asian Games in October. This is almost like a mini-Olympics for countries in Asia. There are stadiums being built all over the city that will either be left without being used afterwards, or will simply be torn down as quickly as they were built. The excess of spending is incredible. And then to see the living conditions of people juxtaposed against that is appalling.
As I was sitting up here listening to my iPod hooked up to the speakers and skimming over different websites, I realized that there is something missing here. It almost feels like a sense of absence amidst the rush of the city and building of the infrastructure. It might come from my inability to have a conversation with someone in this culture, or simply my distance from a lack of relation to it, but I feel like there is a disconnectedness with God. I've met people that my parents have fellowship with, but it almost feels that everything is a facade - just like all the flowers and revamped parks for the Asian games. It makes me wonder where people find their fulfillment and hope. Is it in their job or in the things they buy, the standards they place for their life? This summer has been a challenge for me. I've realized that I don't really do a terribly good job of keeping in touch with people and I'm awful when it comes to talking on the phone and having good conversation. Sometimes I just don't call people back out of a fear that I'll say something that is misconstrued or just silly. I also realize that it is not only an inability to keep up relationships with other people, but also with God. I feel like though I read my Bible off and on and pray when I think about praying, my life isn't focused like it is while I'm at school. I think it comes from a lack of accountability. At school I have the chance to talk to people and have people asking me questions like 'what did you read in the Word today' and I seem to fade out when I'm not being asked those questions. So for those of you who care to pray for their friends, I'd appreciate prayers for focus and a desire to really delve into the Word and allow Christ to really take over my life again.
ta ta for now!
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