Jilin City

Before the busyness of classes begins next week, we and some friends decided to take a day trip to Jilin City, a town only a 45 minute train ride from Changchun. Interestingly, Jilin is the only city in China to have the same name as it's province. It happened to be a snowstorm of a day making our trip more beautiful than expected but also a lot colder and slicker.

Chip, Mallary, Stella, Marty, & Gabe

One of the things we were most excited to see was the ice rimmed trees. Description from wikitravel: Ice-rimmed Trees, (Along Songhua River). January & February. This is a natural phenomenon which occurs when warm water from the river meets the cold winter air, forming ice crystals on the trees. The phenomenon is considered one of the four major natural wonders of China.
Seen below. . .



But not seen on our trip. Some people said the trees were cut recently, or maybe after the snow would be a better time, or come again tomorrow and see. Well, we were disappointed. We came during the right time of year, but we missed one of the four major wonders of China.


We still had fun. Stella is a bundle of energy and was thrilled about the snow. She is a Changchun native, but this was by far the best snow she'd seen all season.




Beautiful Catholic church on the Songhua river



A winter wonderland



Snow-capped Chairman Mao






Jilin has a Confucius Temple second only in size to Qufu's Confucius Temple.



Chip and his old pal Confucius



We were packed into the train station next to these two cuties. And their bird.

Monday starts our spring semester. Tomorrow we will be back to the books!

Chip's Chewable: Measuring China's Pollution from Space

Chew on this: "The Great Wall may not, after all, be visible from space – but Chinese air pollution is." Click on the title to read more.



Jilin province (our current home) and Shandong province (our former home) are labeled above. We may live in the tundra of China, but we have moved into an area of less pollution.

Ice Swimming

NanHu is the park near our home where we have taken lovely walks on an autumn day and gone ice skating on a winter day. We have not tried swimming at the park. During all seasons of the year, Chinese people embrace the waters of NanHu. In the winter, that means breaking through the ice to create a pool. Yesterday, Chip and I went to watch some of the ice swimmers.


The icy pool





The icy stairs leading into the water

And here comes a swimmer now!

Down the icy stairs

Wading out then going under

Bear Grylls of "Man vs. Wild" says it only takes 20minutes to catch hypothermia. So this is a quick swim, then back to the bathhouse to change into dry clothes.

You can see a little old man being escorted by his wife down to the water. He swims and then she walks him to the bathhouse. He likely finds some health value in submerging into the icy waters.

And here's me. Bundled. Thinking the icy swim is both crazy and tempting.
Should I give it a try?

Chip's Chewable: Fake Eggs Bounce

Chew on this: "It’s a well-known fact that, that Chinese can fake almost everything. Fake phones, computers and other devices are not something new, but even eggs. Actually fake eggs were discovered many years ago, it is nothing new. Throughout the past few years, many news media and websites had given many indications of how to distinguish the fake eggs and how to make it. Recently, the Chinese media is saying the fake eggs now can BOUNCE."

Click on the title to link to the article and videos.

Sunny Thailand

We enjoyed our time in sunny Thailand (after the dental saga was over and Chip started feeling better). We come here every February for our organization's annual conference. This is a time to feel renewed and refreshed by the body (500+ people) as we fellowship and learn together. While we love coming to such a warm vacation spot, there is also sadness in our hearts as we walk around the city and see the influence of Buddhist and animist traditions of the local people groups. The Thai people need His hope, too.



A little girl playing under a table at the Sunday market


We love Thailand for it's tropical fruits, great Pad Thai noodles, and icy drinks.
In this particular photo, Chip is enjoying an iced coffee, but not meatballs. We thought the sign was funny, though--as if coffee and meatballs are a natural combination.


This past year, our organization celebrated 30 years of service in China. Pictured above is our president, Tim Davis. At conference this year, we had a nice dress-up dinner to celebrate.



Michael Card was our speaker for conference again this year. Chip and I both feel encouraged, challenged, and inspired by his historical and cultural teachings on the Word. We also like it when he sings. If you haven't heard him, look him up! His lyrics are rich with meaning and truth. One particular song entitled "Thing We Leave Behind" meant a lot to me based on following the call to live and serve overseas.
http://www.stlyrics.com/songs/m/michaelcard9232/thingsweleavebehind310370.html

While in Thailand, we also got to reconnect with many friends. . .

Our Qufu teammates from last year, Alison & Tarah

My college friend, Ruthie, & her daughter Juliana (& husband Kevin) who also serve in China

My fellow Glide-Crawford RA, Ivy, & her family serving in Chiang Mai

The sister of one of my Muffitt residents from Spring Arbor University

Dentaland

I have an irrational fear of going to the dentist. I don't like the grinding sound, I don't like the poking, and I sure don't like the shots. Yeah, you could also say I have an irrational fear of shots.

Last summer in Kentucky I went to the dentist to get my teeth cleaned. I chose the place based on a "free cleaning" postcard that Chip's parents had gotten in the mail from a newly opened dental office. I did not have any pain or sensitivity. I just wanted a good cleaning while we were in the states. When I went to the appointment, surprise, surprise!! I had nine cavities. Nine. This seemed extremely odd to me. I brush my teeth every day, I don't drink pop very often, and I had been to the dentist the summer before and had no problem. At each tooth between $200 and $300 a filling, I just got the three worst ones filled. Thank you Spring Arbor University HSA (Health Savings Account) for covering the cost of those. My plan for the other six teeth was to go to a dentist in Thailand during our organization's conference--much, much cheaper than America and much, much cleaner than China.

So today* was the big day. I scheduled the appointments about a month ago by e-mail. They recommended two appointments since I needed so much work done. So I have been dreading this day for about a month. Chip had been feeling feverish and coldish for the past couple of days, but he woke up this particular morning feeling far worse. Without better options, we decided to head to a Thai hospital. While I genuinely felt bad for Chip, I had to admit I was a little frustrated. This was the day I needed him to be strong for me, but instead he was weak and sluggish.

The doctors ran multiple tests and we waited for results. Poor Chip. Meanwhile, I kept my eye on the clock making sure I did not miss my long anticipated dentist appointment. My only peace of mind was that I knew they had laughing gas. That would get me through. (And, of course, lots of people praying at home).

The biggest blessing of the day was that my dear friend, Ruthie, was at the same hospital getting her teeth cleaned by a dentist there and getting her daughter's immunizations. Ruthie is a friend from college who was in our wedding and has served in China since 2005 with our same organization. Ruthie, seeing Chip in despair, offered to go with nervous me to the dentist so Chip could go home and rest. She left her crying, recently immunized daughter with her husband and accompanied me to Dentaland, a place recommended by one of our classmates.

When I sat down in the dentist chair I begged the dentist to try to do all six teeth on one day so I would not have to go through the misery twice (and pay for laughing gas twice). She said no, that there would not be enough time today. I started crying and hyperventilating at the thought. Ruthie quickly came in from the waiting room. This response is normal for me. No matter how hard I try to be rational, I get really worked up at the dentist. My experience with dentists in the states is confusion, then frustration, but this Thai dentist was sweet, patient, and calming. She and Ruthie helped me relax.

She said she would just start by checking my mouth. She thoroughly examined my teeth once. Then again. She had my report from Kentucky in one hand and her eyes on my teeth. "You only have one small cavity," she said. I breathed a sigh of relief. She handed me a mirror and helped me to see. She asked if I had pain or sensitivity. I said I did not. She said, "You have a bad dentist in America." The prices were on the report. She could not believe the cost. She said, "You can fly from China to Thailand for the cost to fix one tooth in America. You should come here every year." I assured her that I would.

Before she started her work, I told her I needed laughing gas. She said that would not be necessary. She promised to numb the area well with gel before giving me the shot. I trusted her. I hardly felt anything.

Me covered with a Hello Kitty blanket at Dentaland
Photo compliments of Ruthie

The good news is my teeth are filled and it did not cost near as much as we planned allowing us to cover the cost of Chip's hospital bill and medications. He is feeling much better, by the way.

Do I think the dentist in Kentucky (who I will leave unnamed) is a quack? Well, let's just say I won't be going back there. I would far rather give the praise to the Father for His healing. My dad said my 93 year old Grandmother Gail had been praying for this dentist appointment for weeks.

To check out the Dentaland website, click on the title.

*Written on 1/30/2012 with delayed posting.