Muses -- January 6, 2009

Yesterday I spent a wonderful day with an Amity teacher friend. Lots of laughing -- one of my favorite kinds of days! She gave me a book called "A Peace to End All Peace" subtitled, "The Fall of The Ottoman Empire and the Creation of The Modern Middle East". It appears that it will be helpful background information as I begin to prepare to move to Sudan at the end of this coming summer.

I finally got to see the Jasmine Youth Hostel that I have heard so much about! Nice place! Heated, did I say HEATED?, reception area? I had finally given in yesterday and was wearing my silk long john top under my already lined top with my full length down coat. I actually broke out in a sweat in the reception area and had to buy a cold drink to offset the now unfamiliar feeling of being too hot! This will of course change in Sudan next year. I have heard that there December and January are comfortable and then the heat soars to around 110 F.....a new life indeed!

Her room at the hostel was nice and cozy and felt like it was heated too -- although not quite as liberally. Bathroom right next door -- nice touch. I've not been able to figure out the bathrooms that have stalls that only go halfway up the wall -- and then the windows that open to the WHOLE WORLD on one side -- she let me trade sides with her. I have not lost my modesty yet; not that she has, I hasten to add, she is just not quite as horrified as I by Chinese bathrooms.

We went to the Amity Art Center as well and luxuriated in the freezing cold conditions there -- but had a lot of fun looking at the incredible artwork that is sold there. In the year and a half that I have been here my taste has changed and I now find the tapestries that are perhaps primitive in design and are embroidered by minorities around China stunning. I was especially drawn to them when we found out that this is how these particular minorities make their living -- and when they become Christians they create beautiful Scriptural themes. I bought the one depicting Gabrielle's announcement to Mary and Mary's answer, "Let it be as you wish." I thought that this pretty much describes my own life in recent years, visual reminders can be good things!

Today I am frustrated with my Apple computer. It is not reading movies that I have seen before on the computer -- I have no idea what is going on. My friend Fei is coming tomorrow to spend at least the morning with me -- maybe she knows of a place in Nanjing that knows about Apples...my warranty is good through the beginning of February. Extended three year warranties cost $300. US. Does Apple have any idea how much money that is in China? That is more than half a month's salary for me!!! So I may have to switch back to Region 1 and start watching my American movies again...or just read, forget the movies! :)

Today I have begun the process of throwing things out and am getting mental images of what can go in different boxes -- maybe Fei and I can go to the post office (Mail Post) tomorrow and get some boxes so I can start putting things in them instead of spread out over the living room. So much to do! Next Monday I leave for Lanzhou in Gansu Province for the Amity Winter Conference. I am looking forward to the radiated heat there. Of course I looked on the MSN.com weather page and if they didn't have radiators the folks who live there would have serious hypothermia issues...this is a part of China that is very close to what I would term Central Asia. Just as Southern China last year seemed much more Vietnamese than Chinese to me, I am looking forward to seeing what Gansu will be like. It is close to (in comparison to the East Coast of China at least) Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, etc. I'm very thankful that Amity decided to have the conference there.

Good night for now.