India 1

Let me just start this blog post by saying that I have no idea how many installments it will take to cover my India trip.  Simply that much happened.  I am finally in a place where I have processed what happened and I think I can recap it in a couple of posts, but we’ll see where this takes me! 

This trip was by far one of the most amazing mission trips, not to mention trips of any kind, that I have ever been on.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.  This trip was a work trip, one of those that makes me stop and think to myself, “I get paid to do this?!?”  Indeed, yes, somehow miraculously, I do get paid to do this kind of thing.   

This whole trip started as an effort between my co-Director, Julie, and I to figure out where we wanted to take kids on our Easter Break Mission Trip (or more importantly, where God wanted us to go).  We had some destinations in mind ranging from the Philippines to Mongolia and Nepal, but everything worked out perfectly for India to happen.  
 

We have a couple in our church that work at a local ministry that serves the South Asian community in Hong Kong (primarily Nepalese immigrants).  This couple is extremely knowledgeable about the region as they are both from Northern India, so we set up a meeting to talk about the possibility of taking a group to Nepal.  During the meeting it became clear to all of us that Nepal would be a great adventure, but what might be really incredible would be to go serve at the Children’s Home that Tryfina (the wife of the couple)’s parents established more than 30 years ago in India.

And so it began.  We took this idea to our boss, and I honestly expected him to laugh when I told him we wanted to take kids to India.  But he didn’t.  He asked us about logistics and safety and asked us if this is where we felt God was calling us to go, and we were able to provide satisfactory answers to enough of his questions that he agreed.  We publicized the trip to our students and parents.  

On the day that sign ups were due, I had a minor panic attack when I got in the office and we had received only one signup.  Julie, my co-Director and I, decided that in order for the trip to be feasible we needed at least 5 students.  So 5 was our goal.  I sweated it out as the hours ticked on but as we got more and more responses, it became clear that we were going to meet the minimum.  

The preparations were different than lots of mission trips I’ve been involved in as we weren’t working with any type of mission trip organization, per se.  We coordinated the flights, the ground transportation, the projects, everything was basically worked out between us and the children’s home.  So, I became the travel agent as Julie started working on the content during the trip and things began to come together.  We booked flights, fundraised, applied for visas, prayed a lot, had team meetings, got supplies together, were commissioned as a team, prayed some more, and finally we were off. 

And in that moment it was like a huge weight had been lifted from my shoulders.  I didn’t really realize in the beginning how crazy it would be to coordinate travel for 12 people AND to work out the details to make the trip safe and well communicated to parents.  But somehow we pulled it off.  The moment the wheels left the tarmac, I just had this feeling that all of the work we put into the preparations were going to be totally worth it.

So Many Supplies.

And they were.

India is a very diverse country – in fact, probably one of the most diverse countries on Earth.  There are so many dialects spoken in India I couldn’t even begin to name them, the terrain varies from beaches to deserts to the highest reaches of the Himalayas, and the people, culture and lifestyle can vary significantly from region to region.  Our trip took us to West Bengal, a long and skinny state in the Eastern part of India that encompasses all of the climates I named above.  It is, in and of itself, extremely diverse.  After connecting for just under 12 hours in New Delhi, we took off for our final (airport) destination at Siliguri.  Siliguri is a small town in Northern West Bengal and is the closest airport to the Children’s Home at about 3 hours drive away by Jeep. 

As we landed and breathed in the scorchingly dry air, I felt almost like I was home again in New Mexico.  I immediately wondered what I had been thinking when I packed long skirts and long sleeved shirts! The airport is really basic – something like a small local airport in the US is.  Crowded when flights are in, but only servicing a few flights a day.   After collecting our luggage, we headed to the Jeeps that would take us up the mountain.  They were older models, but sturdy with luggage racks on the roof.  Our drivers deftly scaled the Jeep and began tying down the luggage to the top of the Jeep.  Just a few moments later, we were off, radio blaring Indian music and bumping down a half-paved road.  

Indian Traffic is CRAY CRAY

As we turned on the main road that would lead us out of Siliguri, it was like a complete sensory overload.  Cars everywhere were honking, the smell of exhaust wafted in through the windows, and larger cars roared around smaller cars and bikes without any regard for oncoming traffic.  There were stalls all along the side of the road selling everything from electronics to hand carved headboards.  We even passed several cows right in the middle of the road, seemingly oblivious to the racket going on around them, safely protected by Hindu custom. 

Very Large River

Women walked down the road in ornate saris, kids rode bikes two and three per bike and I looked out the windows wide-eyed.  There are very few things anymore that truly astound me, but this was one.  As our driver pulled a “veer into oncoming traffic to pass a slow car” maneuver for the first time, I grabbed my bag a little tighter, but somehow, we all made it through.  As we shot out of the density of the city, we entered into a military base that was tree-lined and natural.  It was such a strange transition from the city.  Of course, there were still ample cars to be passed, honking all the while, and I noticed for the first time a jeep that must have been packed with at least 15 people including lots of babies and kids.  

Monkeys!

We wound up increasingly steep hills until we saw a large river off to the right of our vehicle.  As we ascended the mountain, the river kept getting larger and larger, and the cliffs that dropped off the right side of the car kept getting steeper and steeper.  I thought to myself on several occasions that surely the drivers wouldn’t do the veer into oncoming traffic move in the middle of a narrow, windy roadway with a sheer drop off on one side and no guardrails, but I was definitely mistaken.  The rules of the road apparently prevail everywhere. 

On the journey up we saw wild monkeys that were at least the size of a 5 or 6 year old (human), passed through small towns with Tibetan Buddhist flags strung over the road, and went through a larger city, Kalimpong, on the way to Pedong, our final destination. 


 Arriving at the Children’s Home seemed at first like a bit of an anti-climactic moment.  One minute we were driving, and the other we were pulled over on the side of the road.  But as I peered out the windows behind me, I noticed many small shadows (it was dark outside at this point) with smiles and eager hands.  We got out of the Jeep and already our bags were being unloaded off of the roof and into these little hands.  Before I could say “We can get them” the kids had turned up a hill and into darkness with bags that must have weighed at least what they did.  

As we followed some of the older kids with flashlights, I truly understood for the first time what Tryfina meant when she said “pack lightly, the home is a 15 minute walk uphill”.  I don’t know what I was picturing, but the walk uphill is a steep walk, with uneven stairs and grassy patches and roots all intertwined at places.  When I saw it in the light, I marveled that nobody in our group had broken a leg (nobody meaning me.)

Going down the hill (in daylight!)

As we saw the warm lights glowing from the home, I stopped to catch my breath and put my backpack down.  Everyone was a little bit awkward – the kids wanted to be with us, and we wanted to be with them, but none of us were really quite sure how to start.  After a few minutes, we were introduced to everyone at the home and we got some time to talk with Pastor Jonathan and Usha, the couple who run the home.  They had prepared a beautiful dinner for us that was so welcomed and appreciated

 Our kids reluctantly headed to bed with the promise that we would have plenty of time to get to know the kids the next day, and elated at the possibility of what the week would hold.

There is so much more to share and I will definitely do so, so check back for the next installment! 

(Photos are mostly mine but a few also belong to our amazing team photographer, Dennis!)

Hug a Church Worker Day

I've decided that today is International Hug a Church Worker Day.

So many of my church working friends both near and far are having rough weeks - rough months, even.  And so, churchgoing folk, I encourage you to show them a little bit of love.  Not because they preached a great sermon or loved your smelly middle schooler or because they sat with your dying parent or grandparent last weekend.  But just because you love them.  Or maybe they're not a hugger.  Maybe chocolate is the language that fuels them up.  I have no idea, really, but show them some love. 

Working in a church is tricky business.  It can be both, at the same time, the most wonderful, fulfilling, life-giving enterprise and yet the most discouraging, frustrating, problematic, tension-fraught experience of your life.  Perhaps this is why the tenure for youth directors lasts an overwhelming 18 months.  After 18 months, many youth directors have simply decided that it's too hard.  Perhaps the statistic is higher for ordained pastors because let's face it - after 4 years of undergrad and a grueling 3+ years of seminary, you've gotta stick with it for at least a few years, if only to pay off your student loans.

I don't mean to be cynical because I know many "lifers" both in youth ministry and in pulpit ministry (and indeed in children's, missions, outreach, and executive ministry as well).  What I do know, however, is that for the average churchgoer, many of the day to day things that church staff members deal with are largely unseen.  Many average churchgoers that I talk with describe dreamily a so-called "perfect" work environment where everyone prays all day long, never gets in fights, and where people don't mess up.  I'm often sorry to have to tell these dreamers that the truth is that real people work in churches.  Thus, real sins are in churches.  Thus, mess-ups, fights, wrong decisions, lack of spiritual growth, ulterior motives, politics and frustrations are, consequently, a very real part of working in a church. 

Now, are we better off spiritually than corporations?  I'd hope so.  I do pray in my current and did pray in my past workplace every. single. day.  Even if only to ask God to help me hold my tongue so I don't fall prey to any of the aforementioned sins.  But the truth is that we are all broken. Everyone from the Senior Pastor to the choir director (and even Youth Director!) are broken people.  We're struggling with what it means to live a life of faith - and what it means to be real and authentic while doing it.  We also cope with the tension between being real and being too real.  We cope with the gray areas, the manual-less areas, the situations where we have no idea how to proceed forward.  Because we're people.  Yes, we work for Jesus, but we're not Him.  I fall short every single day.  Every day.  Many times per day, even.  But for whatever reason, God calls us broken individuals to partner with Him.  He calls us to love people in His name and get paid for it.  Which most days is a pretty sweet job. 

But there are days where we, or someone else in our office falls short.  And things get messy.  Egos get in the way.  Triangulation or gossip take over.  Politics win over truth.  And the church can be a very weary place indeed.  Because I believe, that in all of us church-working people, that we're not so different from you, average church-goer.  We expect the church to be different, too.  We expect people to be better, less sinful, and more loving.  And when someone lets us down, it is an incredible disappointment. 

The church is the only job I can think of (and I've been thinking for a long time about this) where your personal and professional lives are so inextricably linked.  Faith is deeply personal - and without personal faith you cannot lead a church.  But, faith is corporate, too.  We live out our very personal faith corporately, just like everyone else.  But things get complicated because it's not just about faith.  If churches only hired the people with the best faith, me and probably many people I know would be out of a job, because many days, I struggle.

We are also called to be gifted in certain areas.  This can mean anything from being a good counselor to knowing how to operate Adobe Photoshop or give a good sermon.  Our gifts and talents lend themselves to the job.  And so, we're living out our personal faith in the middle of a group environment where we are both the shepherd and the servant.  Not to mention the various social aspects of the church.  I know next to nobody in Hong Kong that I didn't meet through a church event.  In fact, I know nobody in Hong Kong that I didn't meet through church.  Wrap that up in a neat package and what you see is an immense tension.

Imagine if, at the end of the day, you've had some struggle at work.  Perhaps you dial up your friends (who you may have met at church, maybe at your place or work, or anywhere else for that matter) and you tell your friend about it.  For church people, this isn't always possible or recommended.  For who wants to talk negatively about a work (church) situation to their friends?  Any responsible church worker will likely shy away from these discussions with their  non-church working friends.  Why? Because the burden is too great! How can you listen to the Senior Pastor and accept his or her authority if you heard about an explosive argument they had with the Missions Director?  How can you trust the Family Ministry Director if you heard what their leadership style is really like? 

So church-working people keep it to themselves, if they're like many in ministry.  Or if they're lucky they talk about it with their church-working friends.  And this can be a daily tension.  Not all churches are healthy or going well all the time.  And even in the healthiest of churches, there are conflicts and problems and people don't always live like Jesus did.  And many church workers shoulder this burden very much alone. 

I am happy to say that I write this article out of a place of immense contentment with my job.  My church isn't perfect, of course, but it is healthy.  My supervisor is excellent and I trust my co-workers.  I feel as though the balance between personal and professional is more balanced here than in any church I've ever worked in.  I belong to a network of over 30 youth directors that I can (and have) talked with about my struggles, both personally and professionally.  But I am acutely aware of how much of a rarity this luxury is. 

So the moral of the story is this:
Hug your church worker.  Or bring them chocolate.  Or invite them over for dinner.  Or send them a card.

Or just let them know that you love them.  Because they love you. For many people that is the entire reason they stay in hard positions in dying or frustrating churches.  Or why they tolerate a non-supportive supervisor or micromanaging committee.  Because if anything, church workers LOVE their people.

So, you may never hear your church working friend unload about the pastor or the flower committee or the choir director.  But that doesn't mean that it isn't hard.  And a little bit of love, you know, goes a long way.

Til Next Time,

The Adventurer

Asian Friends

One of the things I love most about my life here in Hong Kong is that I feel like I have a much more local experience than many of my expat friends.  How so, you say?  I'll tell you.

First and foremost, I live in a building where my roommates and I are the only white people.  The only ones.  So that makes us a) a spectacle and b) memorable.  What this also does is forces me to use Mandarin on a daily basis with our doormen.  This is good for a few reasons.  They love us, mostly because we are willing to take the time and effort to actually talk with them in a mutually understood language (neither of them speak any English whatsoever), and also because I feel that we are probably the first white people to live here.  I have even struck up elevator-smiling friendships with some of the grandmas that live on the floors below me. 

One particular anecdote stands out.  During Chinese New Year, the traditional greeting is Gung Hay Fat Choi.  I learned this early on in the 15 day period of Chinese New Year, and started employing it in my conversations regularly.  Towards the end of Chinese New Year, one of the elderly couples in my building held the elevator for me as I ran towards it and when I got in, I mumbled a quick mmmmgoiiii (Thank You).  The couple smiled and laughed at what I presume was my horrible pronunciation.  As they were getting off the elevator, I managed a Gung Hay Fat Choi to them and the strangest thing happened.  The husband's face lit up and they began bowing and saying it back to me.  Both of them were beaming.  And I realized in that moment that this particular experience wouldn't have happened just anywhere.  If they had spoken English, we might have just gone along in our day, but the (extremely small) effort I took made a huge difference to them.

This is why I moved to another country.  Not to have a convenient experience, not to feel good about my efforts or to build my career.  I moved to another country because I love learning about other cultures and other languages.  And I have definitely received far more than I have been able to give.

The other blessing I've had while living in Hong Kong is that the majority of my friends, the people in my church and the kids in my youth group are Asian.  I love this about my life here.  Now, this might seem a little strange to you.  You might be thinking, well, duh Whitney, you live in Asia.  Of course you know a lot of Asians.  But surprisingly, this is not the experience a lot of expats have.  It would probably be extremely possible to only have white friends.  Especially in corporate jobs.  I know people who work in divisions entirely staffed by expats, or worse, entirely staffed by people from the US.  So, it would be possible to go all day not interacting with Asian people.  Compounding this is the fact that many expats who make decent money move to the "expat ghettos" in Mid-Levels or Pokfulam.  I don't mean this to be derogatory - I just mean to say that many expats are attracted to these areas.  And of course they are.  They have more conveniences, grocery stores that carry more western products, nicer flats, and are convenient.  If I had kids, I might just consider living in one of these areas.  So, many people who live here and who don't care about interacting with locals, frankly, might never do it.

I'm glad I've gotten connected with my church and another young adult group where I am in the minority.  I have so many Asian friends here, and I learn something new from every time I see them.  No exaggeration. 

I've learned about Asian family structure and the idea of revering ones' parents and elders.  I've talked and debated with my friends about the value of taking care of your parents, and how this ideal is completely flipped from the values I grew up with.  I've heard how many of my friends live with their parents all the way until they're married, and that this is considered model behavior from a good son or daughter.  I've talked with my friends about the pressures that growing up in a traditional Asian family can bring and how for many of my friends there were only three job choices available to them growing up - Doctor, Lawyer or Banker, in that order.  I've picked up random Cantonese and even got a lesson on how the gospel message can be portrayed through Chinese characters.  And this just scratches the surface.  But I can surely say that this is an experience that I never would have had if I didn't have Asian friends.

I've been reflecting a lot about my time in Denmark lately.  I loved that time probably more than any other in my life.  And for the longest time I couldn't figure out why.  But I think I finally have the answer.  I developed good, solid friendships with Danes there.  I learned and lived the culture.  I tried the language out.  I learned to make Danish food and celebrate Danish holidays and it made my experience there extremely rich.  And that is what Hong Kong is becoming for me.  I love the new things I am experiencing.  I love that I never know what to expect when I gather with my Asian friends.  I love that I am constantly amazed by just how different yet similar we all are. 

So, Asian friends, thanks for befriending this Gweilo.  I love and appreciate you all more than I can say!

Til Next Time,

The Adventurer

Acronym Overload

                                                        

One of the most confounding things for me when I first moved to Hong Kong was the endless array of acronyms in use on a daily basis.  I keenly remember sitting in a Youth Directors meeting shortly after I arrived listening to a conversation that I swore was English, though I understood very little of it.  As it turns out, I was being baptized by fire with the endless litany of International School abbreviations of which there are far too many to list here.  The truth is that Hong Kong loves acronyms.  For real.  Since I’ve lived here, they have become a regular if not still comical part of my daily life.  

My boss shared this article with us the other day in staff meeting and it occurred to me just how insane it is.  Our church used to be acronym-ized, but we actually ditched that because we found that surprise, surprise, acronyms tell you basically nothing about the place and just in general confuse people.  If only the rest of HK was so awesome.  (Like that acronym usage?!)

For example, for my job, I have to know these acronyms related to schools: WIS, HKIS, CDNIS, CIS, SIS, ICA, KGV, DBS, and ISF, just to name a few (for reference, West Island School, Hong Kong International School, Canadian International School, Chinese International School, Singapore International school, Island Christian Academy, King George the Fifth, Diocesan Boys School, and Island Schools Foundation.)

I have to know these acronyms to communicate with people from other churches: ECC(Evangelical Covenant Church), Island ECC (Island Evangelical Covenant Church), HKMBC, (Hong Kong Mandarin Bible Church), and ICA (International Christian Assembly).  And for the trickiest one of all, I have to know our mission partners, ICM (International Care Ministries) and ICM (Inner City Ministries).  

I take the MTR (Mass Transit Railway), or occasionally a KMB (Kowloon Motor Bus), or maybe even a GMB (Green Mini Bus), occasionally I visit TST (Tim Sha Tsui) or the NT (New Territories).  Each month, I pay my PCCW (Pacific Century Cyberworks) bill at HSBC (Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation) where I choose between HKD (Hong Kong Dollars) and RMB (Ren Min Bi), which I would never get unless I was going to the PRC (People’s Republic of China) and once a month, I pay my rent at BEA (Bank of East Asia). 
                                                     

Since I moved to the HKSAR (Hong Kong Special Administrative Region), I have made many good friends, some of which live in CWB (Causeway Bay).  Some people I know here go out partying in LKF (Lan Kwai Fong) every weekend, though I’m way too tired for that by the end of the week.  Every morning, I like to read the SCMP (South China Morning Post).  I still haven’t made it out to DB (Discovery Bay), but I have been to HKDL (Hong Kong Disney Land).  

And last but not least, let’s not forget about H1N1 (dreaded bird flu to be avoided at all costs).

That’s 31 acronyms that I use on a regular basis, people.  And when I moved here I thought Cantonese would be my biggest challenge. Ha.  

And here was the worst I've ever seen.  Some poor kid was burdened with this heavily acronym-ized shirt.  HKSKHTCIS…!?!? I looked it up and it's a social program of some kind... I think...

I rest my case.



Til next time,

-The Adventurer!

Q-and-A

Many apologies for not posting more recently.  It is insane how the work piles up when you're out of the country for two weeks.  When I got back to Hong Kong, I came up with the idea for this blog while talking to a friend.  We were sharing experiences of being home and all of the questions people had about living in Hong Kong, or Asia in general.  I thought it might be amusing (and hopefully informative) to post some of the top questions with my answers.  And hey, maybe if someone is moving to HK this will be helpful, too. Here goes.

Q: Where do you live in Hong Kong? 
A: I've talked about this in my blog before, but I guess not very explicitly.  I live in Wan Chai, an area two districts East of the Central District (what you see on postcards, contains most of the iconic buildings associated with HK.  Central that is, not Wanchai).

Q: I heard you live in a den of iniquity.  Can you confirm or deny?
A: Well, true.  Depending on your definition of 'den of iniquity'.  Yes, I live in the area of Wan Chai that is known for its, shall we say, ladies of the night.  (see follow up question below)

Q: Isn't that dangerous?
A: I know you won't believe me, but it isn't dangerous.  Hong Kong in general is extremely safe.  I have never seen any crime of any sort, even in my area.  The largest threat in my neighborhood are drunk Australians pouring out of the clubs, but in general they're pretty tame so long as you have a good attitude and are a fast runner (okay, about the past part, I kid.) Honestly, I think the Chinese restaurant around the corner from me that spews noxious gasses that smell like wet dog is about the most dangerous thing around.

Q: What do you eat?
A: I love to eat, so this is a great question.  What I LOVE about Wan Chai (and HK in general) is that it is a very International city.  Within a two block radius, I have a middle eastern place, Thai food, local Chinese restaurants,  a British pub, an Outback steakhouse, a coffee shop and a Spanish Tapas place, and an all-day breakfast place open 24 hours per day (and that is just scratching the surface).  Literally any and everything you could want to find in Hong Kong you can.  So, in answer to this question, my favorite places are a vegetarian wrap place in SoHo (near my office) called Mana, a Japanese chain restaurant called Ajisen Ramen, a Tapas place in Wanchai called Viva Ana, and I do eat a lot of Pret, a British sandwich/soup chain. 

Q: How do you get around?  Isn't Hong Kong huge? 
A: Like most residents of big cities, I spend a lot of time in a very small area.  For example, I live the majority of my life in five districts, Sheung Wan, Central, Admiralty, Wan Chai, and Causeway Bay.  They are all connected on the same MTR line, though if the need struck you, you could walk from Sheung Wan to Causeway Bay in about 45 minutes.  I take many means of transportation to get around - for example, I take the MTR (subway) to work each day, I often walk to meet friends in Causeway Bay or Admiralty (they're on either side of me), or I take a double decker bus (the most common kind) or a green mini bus (the most awesome kind - seats 16 and will basically pick you up or let you off wherever you want along a predetermined route) to go other places. 

Q: What has been the biggest surprise about living in Hong Kong?
A: I love this question!  I had to think the first time somebody asked me (Thanks Hardie!) but I think the biggest surprise is just how livable the city is.  I expected HK to be really exotic and foreign, but I am often surprised by the efficiency and level of livability this city has.  It is incredibly easy to live here.  Everything (at least in the majority of the city) is in English along with Chinese, most people speak perfectly fluent English (and Mandarin along with their native Cantonese), and transportation is cheap and easy.  This solves a lot of potential problems before they even arise.  I will say that one of the only things that consistently ruffles me is the lack of personal space here.  When you couple 7 million people in a very small area with a culture that doesn't have the same idea of personal space as Americans do, you get a lot of touching by random strangers.  Not inappropriate touching, let me say, just a constant crowd of people up against you.  I'm not sure that I'll ever be used to that.

Q: What do you miss the most about the US?
A: This is probably the question I got asked the most while I was in the US.  I don't think I can narrow it down to just one thing, so I'll say my top few misses.  First and foremost, it is having a clothes dryer in my apartment.  I know this seems crazy, but there is something so cathartic about doing a load of laundry with a laundry soap you choose, spicing it up with a little fabric softener in your favorite scent and pulling out soft, and mercifully dry items from the washing machine.  I finally wised up here and started sending my clothes out (where they do at least have a dryer) instead of doing the hang dry thing.  I don't know, there is just something about air dryed clothes that just feels like putting on a cardboard box to me.  Also, if you hang dry something, you can be sure that it will not be truly dry for several days thanks to the extreme humidity here.

I also miss one stop shops like Target.  It can be incredibly frustrating trying to find things in HK because stores don't always carry the same things, or have the same thing from visit to visit.  It would be so great to be able to get a pair of pants, groceries, a lamp and gift bags all in one place.  But alas, that is not the way it works here.  So things that used to take me 30 minutes can now literally take an entire day.  At least I get to explore?

Food.  You know, everyone has their comfort food.  If a Trader Joe's would open up around the corner from me here in HK this would probably be solved.  But until then, I will continue to crave Trader Joe's Cranberry Macadamia trek mix and Salsa with Tostito chips.  Nom.

Q:  I just feel so sorry for you without anyone to date over there...is there anybody you could date?  (disclaimer this question wasn't asked to me, rather my friend, but it was so hilarious I just had to post it)
A: I assume that my friend's friend is making a few inferences. 
1) Asia is full of Asians 
2) White people don't/shouldn't date Asians
3) There are no other White people in Hong Kong.  
The truth is that yes, Asia is full of Asians.  The other truth is that I know a lot of white people who have or currently are dating or married to Asians.  Third, there are many, many white people in Hong Kong.  In response to this question, I would simply say this.  I didn't know just how attractive Asian men were until I was in a country full of them.  Case closed.

Q:  Isn't it scary waking up every morning knowing that the Commies could be tapping your phone and ransacking your apartment at any moment? (usually paired with some compliment about being so brave to take the love of Jesus to 'those people'.)
A: Well, the first problem here is that there are no "Commies" here, at least not any that I know.  Hong Kong is a democratically governed Special Administrative Region of China.  Yes, that does mean that technically HK belongs to China, but it is about as similar to mainland China as New Zealand is to the US.  HK pretty much governs itself, and I while I hate to disappoint, Christianity is completely, 100% legal here.

Q:  What's the weather like in Japan?
A:  Oh my.  This is the most irritating question I got asked while I was home.  Three times.  If you don't understand why I am not answering this question, I suggest you go to your local google maps and locate Hong Kong on a map. (A real answer is that I suppose the weather is lovely this time of year, though since Hong Kong is about as far from Japan as California is from North Dakota, your guess is probably about as good as mine). 

Well, I think that's about it!  Maybe I'll do a second installment if you all have any burning questions that you'd like to be answered!  In happy news, my parents will be here in just a couple of weeks! It will be so fun to be the tour guide and show them all around my new home.  I'll also be posting our itineraries after the fact so that if you or anyone you know is coming to HK they can benefit from it!

Until next time,

The Adventurer

Back in the US of A

It really has been great being home.  For those of you who don't know, I surprised my Mom for Christmas which was the most awesome and nerve-wracking experience of. my. life.  Let me tell you that keeping that type of secret is not easy! But that'll be another blog post.

One of the strangest things about living abroad is coming home.  There are so many weird things about being in the US, especially coming from Hong Kong.  My life there is very different from my life in the US was, but is probably the polar opposite of the life my parents live. They live in a very small (~3,000 people) town in North Texas.  So there has been ample opportunity for comparisons.  I have been taking pictures of things my Hong Kong friends would find amusing, and let me tell you, there are certainly a few choice things.

 

To start with, Texans LOVE Texas.  I am a Texan, so of course, I too love Texas, but it is really interesting seeing the level of Texas devotion present.  Take for example this.  Why yes, this is cheese in the shape of Texas.  I saw it at a grocery store in Austin.  Why does one need cheese in the shape of Texas?  One will never know, but there it is.  Perhaps there is no Hong Kong shaped cheese because with all the outlying islands, it would just end up looking like a mess (and costing $298347827394 dollars, thank you, HK cheese prices). 

My parents were given this as a gift by someone at their church the other day.  I flipped through it and it is apparently an ode to everything Texas.  Could also be titled "Why Texas is Awesome".  True enough for the most part.

 

Additionally, Texans love guns.  It has been interesting to be abroad and especially in a place like HK where guns are illegal during this whole Newtown tragedy.  But, welcome back to Texas! You can visit a variety of gun stores, including ones just for girls.  

On a related note, see this segment on the news.  I made my parents pause.  Keep in mind that this is Texas, but still I was surprised at some of these stats. 

Moving on to something less controversial, I discovered to my dismay that my room in Hong Kong is the size of my parents' bed.  Literally.  

 

Why yes, this Hot Chocolate mix is large enough to last you through the zombie apocalypse. It didn't occur to me that the reason that everything comes in small quantities in HK is that nobody has any room for large things. You should have seen me in Sam's club. I was on complete overload.  And it finally occurred to me that perhaps the reason many Americans are incapable of making decisions is because we have so many choices.  I was telling my parents that often in the HK grocery store, there are two cereal choices - corn flakes or mystery Chinese brand.  In the grocery store here there are 9837 choices for cereal.  How does one ever decide?!

 

This is one of the churches my Dad serves.  It is literally in the middle of nowhere.  There is a lot of open land here in North Texas which has been a welcome reprieve from the multitude of skyscrapers in HK.  

 

Last but not least, I discovered something fascinating.  My dad can do the Asian Squat!  I spied him doing this the other day and was completely astounded (and of course immediately had to take a picture).  I have been consistently trying to do this since I moved to Hong Kong and can honestly say I am no closer today than I was when I started.  He'll fit in just fine when my parents come to visit. 

 This is short, but nonetheless will give you a little glimpse into my temporary re-entry to US life.  I'll blog more on the surprise later, but for now, Happy New Year! May 2013 be full of adventures! 

-The Adventurer

2012 in Review

I've been having peripheral guilt about not sending out a Christmas card.  It's something that I've wanted to do for the past two years, and this year I PROMISED myself that I'd send them out.  I even made the "here's what's been going on with me" letter to put inside, but just never got the cards bought, stamped and sent.  So I guess this will have to suffice.  It is truly crazy to me that this year is almost over.  I feel like this has been a year full of life-changing decisions.  Here's my year in a few paragraphs...


 I woke up on January 1 in Ruidoso, NM after having skied the day before with some great friends. 
I was also still getting my feet wet with Elementary Ministry.  My family gathered together to be with my Grandfather as he passed away.  It was incredibly sad, yet to know the fullness of his life and to hear about the generosity that he displayed to friends and strangers alike was extremely inspiring.

Skiing with the Moores.  That guy on the right is a New Mexico State Senator now!

In February, I returned to Denmark! From the moment I booked my tickets in November of 2011, I was excited.  Denmark is so much a part of my story and has contributed so much to the person that I am today that I was excited to re-visit.  I was so glad to visit my host family and to see Chase's host family, and spent equal time with both.  I could talk about the things I saw or ate, but the real reason I love Denmark so much are the people that I met while there.  It was like a breath of fresh air that I desperately needed (especially because I was starting to mull over what my next move might be, sorting through some complicated relationship issues and just in general feeling overwhelmed).  I left at the worst possible time for the rink, though, as there was a very serious fire in the compressor room that forced us to close down for two weeks right before I left.

With my host sister! <3 br="br">

Maggie and Me in Helsingør

March brought a lot of BFF time.  Sara and I did a lot of things together from attending a friend's wedding on St. Patrick's day to setting up one crazy night for an experiential worship service she was doing for her kids on Palm Sunday.

Me and the French girls!

April was when I finally got my act together on applying to churches in Hong Kong.  I felt pretty strongly that I might be feeling a call to move abroad but had no idea what that meant.  April started off with a bang, as on April 1, Palm Sunday, we walked into our holding area for the palms to discover that they had been out of the refrigerator for about 48 hours thus rotting and falling apart for the most part.  Most of the people on my staff went into damage control mode and pulled out the few usable palms.  The rest of April was a whirlwind! I celebrated my birthday with both a surprise party and a party with some of my good friends thrown by Sara.

Birthday surprise!

I can honestly say that I remember very little of May.  Grace, the church I worked at in Houston puts on a massive VBS each year and this consumed most of May for me.  I did get a great piece of relaxation when Sara and I took a few days to go to Aunt Becca's ranch at the end of the month.  My move to HK was looking more and more possible, so I savored those moments with her for sure.

Elementary Ministry summed up in one picture

Amazing time at the ranch

June was also nuts.  In addition to running VBS, we had an in town mission trip that week.  It's no secret that I love youth ministry, so in addition to my role in VBS, I also stayed the night at the church each day and participated in their activities and nighttime worship each evening.  By the end of the week, I was a complete and total zombie.  I also got my very first intern!  It was a lot of fun learning how to supervise him and help him pursue his calling to ministry! Possibly the most exciting thing that happened in June was that the Woodlands (north Houston) got a Trader Joes.  I'm not even kidding when I say that I shed a tear in the parking lot.  I LOVE Trader Joes.  Oh, and on June 29th, my church here offered me the job.  And I cried.  On Skype.  With my future bosses.  Haha.  Now that I think of it, that was obviously the most exciting thing that happened.

A horrendous picture but you can see the highlight of my week - shooting off a confetti cannon!

In July, I went on a cruise with two fabulous friends from college, Jordin and Meleah.  They were some of the first people to know that I had officially accepted the position and would be moving to Hong Kong.  It was a great time to relax and recuperate from the craziness of June.  We went to the Bahamas, St. Maarten and St. Thomas.  Jordin and I even went parasailing in Nassau! It was a really great trip.  Almost immediately after returning from the cruise, I got on a plane to New Mexico to join our family at our cabin in Colorado to spread my grandfather's ashes.  "The Cabin" is my favorite place on earth, hands down.  It was great to get to enjoy it one more time before my family sells it.  Once I got back, the reality that I would be moving in just 6 short weeks hit me.  And it was go time.  I began sorting through my stuff, letting all my jobs know that I'd be moving, and doing a lot of secret crying.  I was excited, but terrified, too.

St. Thomas

 

My BFF and me at the cabin

No more gorgeous place on earth

At the beginning of August, I ran up to my parents' house for a goodbye visit before I moved.  It was a great few days where I got to spend a LOT of time with my precious nephew.  I adore this child.  It was also great to see my parents and get to have a lot of quality time and conversation with them.  Sara was in Germany at a teen conference, and the reality of what it would be like for us to be apart for a long amount of time really started to sink in.  I finally got my tickets booked (a 36 hour long flight that I would not recommend), bought new suitcases, and cleaned out every nook and cranny in my house.  I sold most of what I owned packing everything into three suitcases and a backpack (and storing 8-10 boxes at my parents' house).  On August 21, I left Houston forever...  Okay, okay, not forever.  Just for a while. And I arrived in Hong Kong.

In September, I did a lot of sweating.  Yes, it's true.  If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you'll know how I loathe sweating.  There were about 17 days in September where I thought to myself, what the heck did I get myself into?!  It is literally that hot in Hong Kong.  But I did also start to settle into my job, I lived in a fabulous 23rd floor apartment with a gorgeous view of the HK skyline from both my bedroom and bathroom, I did a lot of hiking, visiting of beaches and making new friends.  Which is exactly as it should be when you move to a new place.  We also had a lock-in where I feel like I got to know the kids much better.  Additionally, my work visa was approved and so I had to head to Macau for the day to go out of the country and come back again. 

Church façade in Macau

October brought more travel.  I headed to Vietnam over Chinese Mid-Autumn festival with my friend Lillian and have blogged in detail about that.  If you'd like to read more you can head on over to blog posts "Vietnam 1 and Vietnam 2".  It was really fantastic to get away if only for a few days.  

Crazy Motor Bikes in Vietnam

November brought yet another move.  I moved into my cozy apartment in Wanchai in the middle of sketchy-ville.  It's true that I do live above a strip club, but actually I love my neighborhood.  It has grown on me even more the longer I've lived here (and the craziness is really contained in a very small area).  We also took our Junior students on a retreat and did the best poverty simulation I've ever participated in with an organization called Crossroads.  I went kayaking with some youth worker friends, cooked two thanksgiving dinners, was invited to a third (and attended) and spent the majority of Thanksgiving day crying.  It was an intense month.  Luckily, my staff is awesome and gave me lots of grace in my homesick state.  And my dad even sent me flowers on Thanksgiving.  What a winner.

Thanksgiving shopping craziness

And now it's December! One of my two roommates moved a couple of weeks ago, and we've got a new roommate, Melody.  Things seem to be working great in that department.  I've been scouring the markets for great unique Christmas presents and enjoying the colder weather.  My friend Katie have kept up our weekly ritual of having dinner, but since our go-to Downton Abbey is finished for the season, we switched to Christmas movies.  To top it off, my young adult group had a Christmas party on a tram this last week where we sang Christmas carols and acted like lunatics.  I loved it.

Christmas party on the tram

I'll post more on the rest of December later, but I hope that wherever you are that you're having a Merry Christmas!

Maybe I'll get those Christmas cards out next year...

-Til next time,
The Adventurer

In defense of the "Independent Woman"

Alright, I had to lure you in somehow with a catchy title.  Let me say on the front side that this article is NOT a feminist commentary.  This isn’t a guy-bashing article either.  It’s just my attempt to process some things that have happened recently (and to solicit advice, too).  What has really gotten me thinking about this is that we’re starting a new series on Identity in my youth group in the spring. As I’ve prayed and thought about it, I really have decided that I need to get to the core of my identity so that I can be vulnerable and honest with my students. 

So here’s the back-story.  First and foremost, over the past few years I have had next to no guy friends.  I’ve had acquaintances at work or guys I interact with on a periodic basis, but no real guy friends.  Here in Hong Kong, it’s a whole new ball game.  Most of the people that I’ve become good friends with happen to be guys.  Which is awesome.  I can truly say that I love these guys.  They’re upstanding, good, Jesus-loving men.  But it has brought to the front of my mind that there are some fundamental differences between guys and girls.  I’m not here to create an argument on whether this is due to culture or birth, but let’s just settle on the idea that my guy friends and I are different from each other.

We’re different in the way we approach things, in the way we respond to things, and in our attitudes.  And this is a very good thing.  I love hearing other perspectives, and often leave conversations with them challenged to think about my opinions.  They’re smart and opinionated and it keeps me on my toes.

So here’s my most current issue.  A few weeks ago, I was at coffee with two guy friends and a female friend.  At the end of the night, one of the guys offered to pick up the check (for everyone, not just me).  Almost immediately, I responded that I could get my check – that he didn’t need to do that, as nice as the offer was.  I think I also made a quick quip saying something to the effect of “if this was a date, I’d let you pick up the check, but since it isn’t, I can get my own!” I meant it to be funny. He insisted, and we got into a debate during which my level of passion surprised even me.  We went back and forth with him asking why I wouldn’t let him get the check, and I said because I made plenty of money and was just fine paying for my own coffee.  Even as I type this, I can see that it came out more harshly than I meant.  Eventually we settled and he paid the check. 

As he and I walked back to our neighborhood, I was very happy that he asked me a few more questions about why I wouldn’t let him pay.  I was glad to have the opportunity to debrief the incident a little more.  Because what I realized in that moment is that I came across as some feminist, independent, “don’t need a man” type.  I had to ask myself if that was my honest attitude.  As we talked, it became clear to me that the reason I didn’t want him (or anyone for that matter) to pay is because I worry about inconveniencing other people, not out of some gender power struggle.  Something else that I realized during our walk is that I am very conscious of taking care of myself.  This is also a derivative of this desire to not inconvenience anyone.  I have always been self-motivated, responsible, and had a strong desire to be self-sufficient.  I think this comes more from a desire to not be a burden on anyone than to prove that I don’t need a man.  I was never the kid who thought, oh, hey, if my life post-college doesn’t work out, I’ll just move back in with my parents.  In fact, I found myself in that exact situation and did literally everything possible to avoid it.   

I felt a lot better about things after our chat and thought I had moved on.

Last week, though, I returned from having dinner with another friend to my house for my roommate’s going away party.  As the group sat around chatting, my roommate mentioned that I had met a friend of hers.  She said that her friend told her about how I was “one of those independent women” and recounted the coffee shop story to her.  I couldn’t place this friend of a friend, and in fact have since come to realize that I have never, in fact met this person.  I’m not sure what the story is there, but I can safely assure you that her friend was not there for the coffee shop incident.  So what I finally figured out is that at a “guys night” my two guy friends who were at the coffee shop apparently talked about it with their friends and my roommate’s friend heard what happened.  Which doesn’t bother me.  What does bother me, however, is that now, an entire group of people, without knowing me, have stereotyped me as being something that I’m not. 

I am probably more sensitive about this than most people because I feel like being a woman working in a church keeps me on the defensive a lot of the time.  Thankfully, in the walls of my church I am accepted, loved, and my ministry is validated.  But often times outside of the church, I meet people (normally well-meaning guys) who seem to think my ministry is a joke, or worse, unbiblical.  I am often typecast because of the kind of church I work in and therefore my theological opinions are assumed to be “feminist”.  And this is without people knowing anything about me.  I feel like I do a lot to NOT become one of those angry women working in churches.  The ones with a chip on their shoulder.  I find a lot of joy in my job.  I love the ministry I do. I’ve been on staff with women who are more interested in pushing their feminist doctrine than the doctrine of the good news of Jesus Christ and this is the opposite of what I want to be.

So then, what is it that I want? 

I think this is the core question of this whole issue.  I want to be who I am.  I believe that we each have our personality for a reason, even if there are some challenges that come along with it.  I know I wouldn’t be as effective in ministry if I didn’t have my personality.  But on the other side of the coin, I want people to be able to see beyond my desire for independence and self-sufficiency.  I want to be able to be vulnerable with them.  I want them to see the softer side of me, to see the side of me that would give up the shoes on my feet for someone else.  I want people to see that I am nurturing and I love kids and I am probably the most loyal friend you will have.  I want people to see that I have a touch of whimsy, a bit of mischievousness, and a love for life. That I am adventurous and inquisitive and that these are the parts of my personality I love even more than my independence.

So here’s the summary.  Being “independent” which by my definition means being able to function, make decisions, and form opinions on ones own (caveat: not ALWAYS on one’s own) is not a bad thing.  But somehow, when a woman is independent, we typecast her as being hard or unfeeling or feminist.  What can be very good things are all of the sudden turned into negatives.  I struggle with this because I am both independent and yet deeply desire warm relationships.  Often when people don’t know what to do with someone who doesn’t fit into the mold they expect, they will fit them into another mold.  Hence, typecasting.  But at the end of the day, instead of trying to fit people into prescribed molds, wouldn’t it be healthier to accept each person with their unique mix of gifts and talents and see their identity in Christ? To see their personality and gifts as part of God’s plan for their lives? 

I can tell you that I don’t have all the answers.  This issue has got me thinking a lot about how I come across to people and whether that aligns with who I am at the core.  But it also has me thinking about how I relate to other people.  How I might be guilty of the same thing – of typecasting people into molds that exist in MY mind.  I deal with people all the time from teenagers to adults who are asking these same questions.  Who am I?  Is my identity derived from what people say about me, what I say about myself, or what God says about me?  How can I be a mix of things that seem paradoxical?  But the truth is, I believe, that we are all paradoxical beings in a way.  That God has given us the perfect blend of traits and characteristics for the adventures he has called us into.  It’s messy, but it is also strange and beautiful. 

-Til next time, 

 The adventurer

 

Hong Kong Disneyland

One thing that you probably should know about me is that I LOVE Disney.  I have been to a Disney park almost every year since I was in second grade.  And now, I can say that I’ve been to Disney parks on three continents, which is also pretty awesome.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.  I have been wanting to visit Hong Kong Disneyland since I got to Hong Kong, but it has been so horrendously hot outside that I knew I’d just be sweaty and miserable, so I wanted to wait until things cooled down.  This past Monday, I knew the weather would be downright freezing for Hong Kong standards, so I thought it might be a great time to go.  I put out a poll on facebook on Sunday night about whether I should go to Disneyland or get and decorate a Christmas tree and Disney was the overwhelming winner.  Thanks, friends!

Beyond my desire to go to Disney for my own interest, I also really needed to go to get some Christmas presents.  My parents collect Disney trading pins and I knew I wanted them to have some from Hong Kong.  The really unfortunate part is that unlike the Disney parks in the US, there is no shopping area outside the park, so you pretty much have to enter the parks to do any kind of shopping (for future reference, I did find out later that the resort hotels have small shopping areas, so I suppose I could have gone that route…)

Loved the Disneyland Resort Line.  So creative!

In any case, when I woke up on Monday morning, I saw a bunch of comments on facebook including one from a friend from college who works for HK Disney offering to walk me in the park for free.  Um, yes.  Decision made.

More good theming

One of the things I love most about Hong Kong is how easy it is to get around.  In about 45 minutes from my house, I arrived at the Sunny Bay MTR (metro) station.  One of the really brilliant things the HK government did when bidding for Disney is plan a devoted extension to the MTR that would service Disneyland.  So all you have to do is take the normal MTR line out to Lantau Island (where Disneyland is located) and switch to the Disneyland resort line.  I love unexpected touches, and I was actually quite surprised to see that the Disney theming had already started when the MTR cars pulled into the station.  The cars were definitely standard-issue MTR cars, but they were retrofitted with Mickey-shaped windows, blue couches instead of metal benches, Mickey Mouse shaped handholds and characters throughout.  It was a really great touch. 

I met my friend at the front gates and we caught up a little bit on what had been going on over the past few years.  It was so surreal to see someone from home here.  So far, everyone I know here I’ve met here, so it was definitely a strange feeling.  We hung out for a few more minutes before he had to go to a meeting and rehearsal, then I headed out to explore the park. 

The only Disney park with an actual mountain behind the castle.

So, first for a couple of observations:

People told me that Hong Kong Disney is much smaller than other parks.   This is true.  It is missing Frontierland completely and lots of the other lands have different and/or missing rides from the other parks.

Extra HK addition at It's a Small World

A cold December day was the perfect time to go.  The park was extremely empty.  I never waited more than 5 minutes for anything, which was awesome.  And the park was decked out for Christmas with carols blaring on Main Street.  I couldn’t help being in a festive mood!

There were a LOT of mainlanders.  I try to avoid talking about this in my blog because it’s a very polarizing issue here in Hong Kong.  But I can say that unfortunately, a lot of the stereotypes are true.  In queue lines that were not nearly full, people would cram up against you trying to push ahead, and people would take any advantage to slip in front of you.  Or in a show where there is a large queue and the theatre or whatever venue is opened and everyone is supposed to walk in at the same time, people literally sprint to get ahead (though there are not many people in line at all).  It’s strange, really, because this is so contrary to the way I was raised.  I vividly remember my mom scolding me in a Target one time because I was in the personal space of a lady in front of us.  It’s just a different mentality.

My very, very talented friend in Festival of the Lion King

I also had a little girl come up to me, reaching for my hair saying “Cinderella!!” It was very funny.  Yep, the truth is out, I’m Cinderella incognito wearing jeans instead of a ball gown! They asked for a picture and though I tried to convince her in Mandarin that I wasn’t Cinderella, she wasn’t buying it.

I skyped Sara during this show.  Yep, the whole thing... haha!

So, all of those initial observations aside, I had a really great time.  HK Disney does have some of my favorites including Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin, Festival of the Lion King (in which my friend is a lead performer), Mickey’s Philharmagic, and a couple of new favorites including Toy Story Land and Golden Mickey show which is possibly one of the best Disney shows I have ever seen.  It was also great to see “snow” on Main Street and to see the fireworks. 

Not a great pic, but some cute little princesses

Finished with fireworks.

It was truly exactly what I needed on Monday.  Christmas is without a doubt my most favorite time of year, but it is strange being away from home and trying to establish new traditions, etc.  It was nice to be in a Christmas explosion!

On another note, I have been in the best mood this week.  I don’t know if it’s the weather, or Christmas, or the fact that I’m not sweating, but everything has been really, really, good this week.  It started off with a dinner for about 10 people at my apartment on Sunday night, Disney Monday, and has just kept getting more awesome. 

On that note, I will leave you with yet another funny chinglish o the day.  It’s great because many of my blog readers and friends are now aware that I do this and have started helping me snap pictures of funny signs.  This is from one of our youth group parents!  Enjoy!

Til next time, The Adventurer