What I'm Taking

It is a strange thought -- the idea of traveling to a far-off land -- of leaving so much that is familiar for those which are not yet known.  Yet just as present in my thoughts is a realization of what has brought me to this point and how much I am taking with me. 

I Am Taking My Heritage –

            one that began in Spain and then,

                        made its way to the New World,

                        where it continued among the Navajo;

            one that began in Germany and then,

                        found its way also to that tan-skinned people,

                        where faith joined the two together;

            one that fought the spiritual fight,

                        to preserve a way of life;

            one that managed to resist the world’s changes,

                        for the sake of holding to what they knew was right;

From a Heritage of Trials and Faith, I Have Become

I Am Taking Those Who Are Not Coming –

            my teachers – from elementary, secondary, and college,

who always expected my best,

            my Dunkard Brethren and Brethren families,

whose lessons and love I have not forgotten;

            my Agua Viva family who welcomed,

                        an uncertain Gringa with open arms;

            my Omaha Community Group family who,

                        taught me to recognize fellowship in everyday life

            my friends and family who have helped me live this life,

 I am not meant to live alone

In My Heart and In My Life, These People Come

I Am Taking the One Who Will Never Leave

            the One who created All,

            the One who has given me All,

            the One who is my All.

6 Days Until Departure-for-China Day

My remaining weeks in the U.S. have definitely been speeding by!  Here is a short description of a few of the events which have happened in that time.

Cousin’s Wedding in Pennsylvania: June 12-20

I drove out to PA with my Uncle Jeff and Aunt Deb for my cousin Judah’s wedding.  It was a 24 hour drive out that included one five-hour delay due to transmission problems, one night in a hotel, and one day with family in Ohio.

The wedding took place outside in the bride’s backyard.  It was a perfect day for it!  Judah and Amy left the reception with newly-freed Monarch Butterflies as their escorts.

It was great being able to see and visit with so many people whom I haven’t seen for years!

Pre-Field Orientation in Mississippi: June 24-July 8

My mode of transportation this time was the Greyhound.  It was an 18 hour trip that definitely made me appreciate every other mode of transportation available in the U.S.  It was neat being able to talk to some of the people, though.

Pre-Field Orientation is set up by the organization I am with in order to better prepare the new teachers who will soon be headed out to teach in International schools all over the world.  It was SO AWESOME walking into a group of people who had a similar interest in cultures and education.  We introduced ourselves to one another not by saying where we were from, but by stating where we were going.  Por ejemplo:  “Hello.  I’m Jenny and I’m headed to China.”  This eventually became shortened to: “Hi.  Jenny – China.”

One of the many pieces of new information that stands out to me is how great of a part FAITH has played in the establishment and ongoing operations of these schools.  God is definitely at work in the lives of all those connected to these International Schools.  I feel humbled and blessed that He has allowed me to be a part of this.

Last Minute Road Trip to Chicago, IL:  July 10-July 13

            Time was running out and I had just received my Chinese Visa Invitation Letter.  In order complete the visa process, I needed to either send the documents via highly specialized and highly expensive currier service to the Chinese Consulate, or go myself.  Fortunately realizing ahead of time that I was completely clueless in the matter of obtaining a foreign visa, I opted to go myself in case I found out there were things I needed to do that I hadn’t known I needed to know to do. 

            Therefore: My sister, Holly, and I left at 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 10 and drove straight through the night, making a 2:30 a.m. coffee/breakfast stop at my favorite IHOP in Omaha.  The 13 hour drive landed us on the Chicago Under-Construction Expressway just in time for what seemed to be the lunch rush hour (actually, for all I know, that could have been just normal Chicago Under-Construction Expressway Traffic).  After nearly two hours of Expressway stress and irritation, we exited the Expressway a couple of exits earlier than our maps to the Chinese Consulate directed us. 

            After much-needed nourishment (and more caffeine), we ventured on in our search for the Consulate.  While I discovered that driving in downtown Chicago was nearly as bad as driving on the Expressway, Holly took pictures of the city.  Occasionally I would risk looking up to admire the architecture of the buildings, but mostly I was trying to limit the number of irritated honks I received from the other drivers. 

            After finally finding a place to temporarily park (with the hope our car wouldn’t get towed), we decided to find the Consulate on foot instead.  After a couple of blocks, I discovered that I had left the map with the address of the building on it, in the car.  Fortunately, between the two of us, we managed to remember the general area of Consulate and somehow ended up at the right building where a kind, and obviously amused, official-looking person directed us to the exact location of the Chinese Consulate. 

            I began the scavenger-hunt-type visa process (I found out what I needed to do only after I completed the previous step) and then learned that since I had come in the afternoon, the visa wouldn’t be ready until the next day.  It was about 2 p.m. by this time and although I had friends who lived in Chicago, they wouldn’t be off work until at least 6:00.  With nothing else to do, Holly and I decided to re-park our car somewhere we knew it wouldn’t be towed, and then explore the downtown area on foot.     

My opinion of Chicago rapidly improved once I was walking rather than driving!!  I love the architecture of the buildings!!  It is definitely the most aesthetically pleasing city I have seen yet!!  I never thought such a crowded city could be so beautiful!!

The next six hours were spent walking all over downtown Chicago, exploring the seven story library that even had escalators, hanging out at Lake Michigan on Navy Pier, and of course, taking pictures.

We had made contact with my friends and so had obtained a place to spend the night.  We made it to their house around 10 p.m. and left in the morning a little after 7 when Kelly had to leave for work.  This time we took the Metro train downtown, spent the morning at Barnes and Nobles, and decided to take our first subway ride. 

After picking up my completed visa at the Consulate, we found the subway again and then took it back to Wade and Kelly’s apartment where we had left my car.  Once off the train/subway it took awhile to figure out where exactly we were in relation to their place – yes, we were lost, but we only had to ask for directions once before we found it.  It took us about 2 hours to get out of Chicago.  Lunch rush hour traffic again?

Language Study Begins

I have now begun my independent study of the Chinese language.  I have a couple of books and a couple of CD's.  I probably won't really learn it until I get there, but hopefully this will give me a familiarizing start. 

I'm reminded again how much I enjoy learning languages.  It kind of feels like learning a secret code when I'm first starting out -- especially the Chinese characters.    It's also fun to realize that the way languages are structured can be analyzed and that there are reasons for the way they are structured.   Figuring out what those reasons are tends to be more difficult.