thursday & friday- chinese class. as much as i have complained and been discouraged by this class, i was surprised by how much i know. and i am really thankful that our teacher has been patient with us. just a little sample of what i can read & mostly write. ahhh, this is unreal.
你 好。我 叫 罗 达 茜。 我 是 美国人。 我 学 在 APU 大学
我 是 留学生 。 我 会 成为 一 名 护士。 我 生日 是 五月 一号. 我 介绍 一下让 朋友, jordan, lesly, & richie. 他们 是 也 留学生. 我们 是很 忙.
it says- "hi, my name is luo da qian, i am american. i study at APU. I am a foreign student. I will become a nurse. My birthday is may 1st. Le me introduce you to my friends, jordan lesly, & richie. They are students also. we are very busy." (this is what i wrote on the bus the other day).
also, on thursday morning, i declared that i needed to workout now that it wasn't raining everyday and i have subsequently worked out 3 times since. GO ME! here's some pictures from the day i went with lesly and richie.
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| the bridge next to the "gym" |
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| to the right are our apartments |
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| hamster wheel |
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| quad workout- or teeter totter |
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| lesly & i looking buff |
on saturday we ventured around west lake all day with amy (coordinator), yi fan/ "ethan" (her son), sandy (the charge nurse i have been working with in day surgery), and hua di (her daughter). I had the privilege of giving her daughter an english name... i gave her some options and she liked "hannah" the best. So i've named my first child. haha.
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| amy & ethan |
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| sandy & hannah |
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| pretty tulips! |
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| it's a really pretty waterfall |
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| 4 pals |
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| our new friends who spoke english with us :) |
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| who says you are too old for popsicles |
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| this is where we are living. yes, in the city part. |
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| captain ethan! |
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| a dragon boat. it was SO legit |
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| beautiful west lake island. |
"miss darcy, if we don't go to heaven do we go to jail?"
"no, not jail. you go where the devil lives" the other teacher -"its called hell"
"do you stay there forever?"
"yes"
"that's worse than jail!"
yes, yes, it is far worse than jail. oh. so many great moments. in many many moons i hope i get to have sweet conversations like this with my future far-off children.
i've had two more days in day surgery. and i have been surprisingly frustrated. in fact, i ended up needing to excuse myself to use the restroom to cry for a good five minutes. i understand every thing that is happening, but i have no idea how to understand chinese. i know enough chinese to know when people are talking about me, but not know what they are saying. and for a combination of other reasons, i let satan steal my joy and allow me to believe that they were saying mean things about me. why would i believe this lie?!? i have no clue. but God was gracious in that bathroom stall- giving me the courage, confidence, grace, and joy that only he can give.
one reason i was already running high on emotions was because of a situation i am still sorting out in my head. an abortion. a legal abortion. i understand that God is not an everyday of most of these peoples lives, so their view on abortion will surely reflect such. i'm learning more about society too. it's somewhat complicated, but basically you can have one child. you can only have your child if you are married- seriously, the child has to be 'registered'. and you cannot get married until you are 23/24 (female) or 25 (male). or so we were informed. birth control education and beliefs are somewhat strange here. they tell people not to use birth control because it absolutely WILL result in a serious side effect such as stroke. and sex education does not happen in the education system. so basically, i have this pregnant 22 year old female that is faced with the reality of not being able to get married, even if that's what she wanted, who can't even have this baby. it's like her only choice is to have an abortion. it's a social form of birth control, that we are told is very common. it's all complicated and confusing to me. needless to say, i found myself being responsible for this patient. and in spite of my high emotions and racing minds. God allowed me to be a continual avenue of prayer. i prayed for this girl non-stop, surely it was God praying because my attention span would not have allowed that. i have no idea how she was feeling or what was going thru her mind, but i can tell you her eyes told me some. i knew she was grateful for my smile, while she was rushed thru the system. and if the joy of my smile is the gift i gave her, i am grateful.
also, we were encouraged today to try to publish some of our 'research' findings for one of our papers. WAIT, WHAT!?? no.no.no. let me tell you professor. i am a student. my writing is not researchpaperjournalpublishing ready. but if you insist. this is going to be interesting. and i am given the charge to try to apply for a fullbright grant to continue this style of work post graduation. all i can say is i have very little no clue what my next few years of life hold. and i am terrified.
hope this little catch up tells you how to pray for me. thank you for your prayers. seriously.
Darcy!
ReplyDeleteMiss Janice here! I am so proud of you sweetheart! You will no doubt be forever changed after this amazing experience. I hope the remainder of the semester goes smoothly! Continue to be the light where ever you are!
Love you!