First Good-bye, January 7, 2009

Today I said my first good-bye to a friend here in China. Even if I was going to be in China longer this would have happened because this friend is a senior here at my university and will be leaving shortly to return home to Beijing and then will go to Shanghai in the spring for training with her new job.

We "ran errands". I needed a hair trim. The first place we went to was closed -- it literally looked like the business may have closed down. So we started walking. Eventually we found another barber shop and for the first time I had a woman cut my hair here in China. 8 yuen, with the exchange rate at about 6.85 it was just a tad bit over one dollar US. I told Fei, my friend, that in the states the cheapest cut I can find is at least $15. US. I had already washed my hair so it was literally just the cut, but still, what a great deal! It was fascinating to watch this young woman and her scissors. In the states my hair gets piled up on my head and taken down section by section. Not so here! She started taking big sections and instead of going across she slashed the scissors vertically into the pile of hair. Thankfully it looks okay, even though the two sides aren't equal. Oh well. Hair grows. So that's it til I get home in June.

Then we went to the Amity Art Center. Love that place. Everytime I say it is my last time to go there, it isn't. Today I decided to stop saying that. Fei was impressed, she felt that the quality was good and the prices were fair. She is not a Christian and it was really cool watching her eyes light up when she would hear the Bible story connected with the piece of art. It reminded me of how important the visual is to the Word. She found little trees on plaques with the Fruits of the Spirit in Chinese letters to give her parents as gifts. I was thankful for her eyes that saw things I haven't seen and her delight in realizing the connection between the Chinese art and the stories. For example: there are several depictions of the Five Loaves and the Two Fish, or, Jesus Feeding the 5,000. She asked what that was about. When I explained that it was a miracle she asked what that meant. I told her it means that something that does not happen normally happened and she could SEE what I meant -- five loaves of bread and two fish to feed 5,000 people is a miracle.

After all this we went and ate a final meal together. We ate at the restauraunt connected with the university. It is reasonably priced and a nice little place. I finally realized that at my favorite restaurant in town, Behind the Wall, it is Western not only in cuisine but in each person ordering his or her own dish. In Chinese restaurants we always order several "dishes" and they are shared communally. No one gets their own self-sufficient plate. I'm sure that these are two statements about culture. I'll have to be warmer to ponder that one further:)