My Life in Hong Kong

Come Buy 香草奶茶.wmv

2010-05-13T13:28:00.000-04:00

So many fun times just hanging out -- "haee" (do nothing 无谓)-- but something about this Soy Street that I enjoyed. The lively atmosphere and local places nearby really made me call it home. So I thought it would be appropriate for me to end my Hong Kong experience here. The video doesn't portray the full Soy Street experience because my friends Stephy, Flora, Craig, Vanessa, Jason, or anyone else could not make it. I will sure miss drinking Vanilla Milk Tea here!

Beach

2010-05-13T10:46:00.001-04:00

Jacob - you're hilarious. Hallie - your photogenic. As for me - I am soozai傻仔

Filipino Dinner

2010-05-13T10:37:00.000-04:00

Thanks Filipino Baptist Church!!! You guys are such a joy to be around and I will miss coming to visit you all. I enjoyed the food and I'm glad that you didn't make me eat a "balut" aka Chicken Embryo!! Can't wait to go visit the Philippines someday.

Volleyball

2010-05-13T10:31:00.000-04:00

It was a great day - gonna miss these fun times. Not too easy to get to the beach from my neck of the woods.

'Pearl TV' Interviews

2010-05-13T10:22:00.000-04:00

Thank you Hallie - and happy birthday to you. I will be praying for you as you go to the United Kingdom for a year. Please know that we will always be in touch!
Thank you Jacob - I look forward to working with you in the future. I know that you have a big calling in life and I will support you wholeheartedly as you share the Good News of Jesus.
Thank you Nate - for all of the great arguments on who is the best NBA team. I appreciate your love for Lebron James and hope that your 40pt loss to the Celtics in Game 5 was acceptable :) (Rondo is amazing, isn't he? Probably because he is from Kentucky!)
Thank you Joshua - for your hilarious jokes and your fun personality. Be sure to get Thai food in Kowloon City more often!
Thank you Rodolfo, for caring about my future and giving me advice on how to be a minister. Your kind words have impacted me as well and I hope to be partnering with you in mission opportunities with the Philippines.
Thank you all, especially KIBC, for being such an encouragement for me in my transition back to the States. I am definitely Asianized and that means I will have to come back sooner or later. If not next summer, then hopefully after I graduate in 2012.
Know that I am trying to live my life according to Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 4:1-2. My Life in Hong Kong is coming to a close, but I'm anxious to see where I end up next. Hopefully I will still be posting on this blog and please help me think of a new title!

乒乓 Ping Pong.wmv

2010-05-12T14:06:00.000-04:00

Aaron, Peter, and I in the infamous ping-pong room at HKBU. Though I didn't play as often as they did, I did manage to dominate them both in a few friendly matches towards the end of the semester :)
Just good fun and good memories here on video for keepsake - I sure hope I don't get addicted to ping-pong when I go back to Georgetown College!

香港 Hong Kong: UNPREDICTABLE

2010-05-09T12:43:00.004-04:00

Hong Kong is UNPREDICTABLE. Kowloon Tong is my neighborhood; more quaint and home of the rich. Jackie Chan lives right down the street - Bruce Lee's childhood crib is also here. My church is Kowloon International Baptist Church and it is a wonderful church with a cowboy pastor from Texas with members from Liberia, Pakistan, China, Philippines, US, everywhere! Kowloon Tsai Park is right next to HKBU's campus and it's awesome. From the park there is a nice view of Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui at the edge of Kowloon.

Mong Kok is crazy! If ever I feel the need for a busy, local atmosphere then I go to Mong Kok. Here is where people of all walks hang out. But the best hang out spot in Mong Kok is definitely Soy Street. That's right - Soy Street. Here you can get Curry a la King, Vietnamese, Shanghai, Japanese Udon, Gaidanzai (waffle balls, Dantart, and most importantly....VANILLA BUBBLE TEA @ Come Buy! I probably go here at least once a week. You can also go the market and bargain/practice Cantonese :)

Tsim Sha Tsui aka TST is probably the most international hub in the world (I would argue). Indians hanging out at Chung King Mansions, tourists from all over the world to watch the light show at 8pm from the city skyline at night from the harbor. Businessmen and locals like myself also enjoy the occasional ferry ride to and from Hong Kong Island to TST for only 2 HK! I love taking bus no. 7 from TST to Kowloong Tong because I can see all of the activity going on from the double-decker bus second floor.

Hong Kong Island is definitely the highlight of Hong Kong. Only the rich can call this home and all other visitors simply admire the high class culture that goes from Wan Chai to the oldest city zone of Sheung Wan. You can enjoy the nice bars and restaurants at Mid-levels in Soho District or if you are a crazy party person unlike myself then you can have late-night fun at Lang Kwai Fung aka LKF. As for me, I enjoy putting on my suit and pretending to be an important businessman! Or I can dress casually and go to church on the 75th floor of Central Plaza to worship with Hong Kong City Church - which is such an amazing experience (and view)!

So what makes Hong Kong unpredictable? Well, alllow me to introduce you to the New Territories. North of Kowloon in between Shenzhen is quite a bit of mountains and reservoirs and of course beaches! Besides being home for a lot of residents, you can also hike and explore many areas around here. Kowloon Tong is the last train station before entering New Territories and my favorite train station on the line to Shenzhen is definitely Sha Tin. Something about the atmosphere and the fact that it's not on the tourist book that attracts me and I could definitely see myself living here if I were to ever consider coming back to work in Hong Kong.

If I wasn't coming back to Hong Kong, I would then consider Shenzhen. This is a recently sprouted city that is also like a Hong Kong a Special Economic Zone (SEZ). This SEZ is bigger now though and it's where I should be because it's in Mainland China! This would mean I could speak Putonghua! Cantonese is also used here, but Putonghua is encouraged as the lingua franca. Although I enjoy speaking and learning Cantonese, it just makes more sense for me to speak and learn Mandarin. So much more useful! Especially when all HongKongers nowadays can speak English.

Yea, but that's just a brief recap of my now home away from home. I have learned so much about Hong Kong and China having now lived here a year and I definitely want to come back and see how things change. I know they will because construction is the biggest business in Hong Kong and with all the tall residential buildings all over this small patch of land I can see why that is so!

Somber Goodbye.wmv

2010-05-07T11:29:00.001-04:00

Time flies! I can't believe two semesters in Hong Kong are getting ready to be a thing of the past, but my time is nearly up. It's funny how I've traveled to Tokyo and Hong Kong, two of Asia's prime-time cities. You'd think coming from Kentucky I would go somewhere more quaint!

Either way, I'm gonna miss seeing the city lights and the crazy amounts of people on the streets. I guess I'm a city-boy now...and I was thinking about what it would be like to come back and work on Hong Kong Island. That would be nice, but who knows where I will end up in the next few years. I'm sure those few years will fly by too, and when that time comes I will be anxious to see where I end up.

I'd like to go to Indonesia, or back to rural China (uniquely quaint). But I'd also like to travel to Singapore and Korea. Then I'd also like to check out Shanghai. Those would be my long term stays - my vacation would definitely be a 2 month Euro Pass (extended stay in Spain and then Austria with my friend Daniel). So much to see in this world, but I guess I better first see the Grand Canyon and Rocky Mountains!

Pizza Party.wmv

2010-05-06T13:32:00.000-04:00

HK Museums and Sushi Buffet.wmv

2010-05-05T15:32:00.000-04:00

This video is in honor of HKBU student ambassador Stephy Pang, my favorite Hong Konger hands down! She and I both are "Soozais", but when we are together we always have a good laugh. She helps me learn Cantonese and even tries to help me improve my Mandarin, so for that I'm very appreciative. Stephy is convinced that I am going to come back and work in Hong Kong so that we can have bubble tea and gaidanzai together at least twice a week, haha.
Thanks Stephy for helping Craig, Vanessa, Craig, and I have such a good time in Hong Kong. We will never forget you and will always keep in touch. Promise me that I will forever be your number one exchange student :)
Finally, promise me that you will see us again - even if that means you have to come to Kentucky!

Temple Street & Chinese Studies

2010-05-05T12:45:00.000-04:00

旺角 Mong Kok with Jessica_0001.wmv

2010-05-03T13:28:00.001-04:00

This video is in honor of my 知己 (best friend), who has been with me through thick and thin the past two semesters as exchange students at HKBU. She is from Guangzhou, China and is a student in Beijing studying abroad in Hong Kong. We will be keeping in touch for sure and though it is sad to go our separate ways, I know that we will always appreciate our friendship. Wish you all the best Jess!

HKBU Star

2010-04-28T14:04:00.003-04:00

http://buwww.hkbu.edu.hk/eng/main/index.jsp
Check out the link! I'm on HKBU's website - that's right I'm a star (I'm guessing less than 1,000 people visit the 'prospective students' part of HKBU's website)

Crane House Interview - TA position

2010-04-28T12:24:00.002-04:00

As my life in Hong Kong comes to an end, I am beginning to plan for my summer back in Kentucky. I'm excited, but I have mixed feelings. It's been a wonderful year with amazing experiences and lessons learned. My eyes have been opened to the world and my global perspective has skyrocketed. Although Hong Kong is pre-dominantly Asian in population and cultural heritage, it is also a special economic zone that attracts people from all cultural backgrounds.

But I definitely am in love with the Asian culture. I appreciate the history and how they try their best to uphold traditions of old. The Chinese are very thrifty people and I enjoy letting them share with me about their history and philosophy on life. Not only have I studied Chinese geography, politics, and philosophy, but I have fallen in love with the language. It has been difficult learning Chinese, especially when you are having to learn two dialects - including the most tonal dialect of Cantonese. My Mandarin proficiency has improved significantly, but I am still not as proficient as I would have liked due to the predominance of Cantonese.

When I compare with my classmates though, I can see how far I've really come. I've really worked hard and put a ton of independent study in these past two semesters. Doing this has rewarded me with the highest grade in my Mandarin class both semesters. Having taken Elementary Chinese twice now, I really feel like I have a solid foundation of the Chinese language and although it has been boring at times going at such a slow pace, I know now exactly how foreigners should approach Chinese. If I had gone at a faster pace, I probably would not have been able to see so clearly how best to approach Chinese.

I posted this video of my interview for a summer job position with Crane House Asian Institute as their teacher's assistant. With all of the time and effort I've had to put in learning Chinese, I've become very passionate about helping others better approach Chinese and I hope to be of help for Americans interested in learning. So, if you are an American considering studying the world's most useful and interesting language, then send me an e-mail or contact me through this blog and I will try to give you my advice.

I really would recommend you to come to Hong Kong if you are interested in living in Asia because it is the perfect jump start or "gateway to Asia". Although you don't here Mandarin that often, you can still get a more welcoming experience for the beginning stage of your potential lengthy stay in Asia. Anyways, I don't regret being in Hong Kong one bit. It's been the perfect city for me to start my career in Asia and I can't wait to come back because I know I can forever call it home.

Destination: 北京

2010-04-13T10:03:00.024-04:00

This Easter was without a doubt an Easter that I will not soon forget. I had the blessing of celebrating Jesus' death and resurrection with my dad in Hong Kong and Beijing. He arrived in Hong Kong on Good Friday and we went to worship our awesome God together in the 75th floor of Central Plaza on Hong Kong Island. This is where Hong Kong City Church meets each Sunday for it's worship service, but they happened to have a special Good Friday service which worked out perfect because Easter Sunday Dad and I would be flying to Beijing for my Easter break.

Wow, where do I start? Well, how about the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square? Here's some pictures of our walk “逛一逛” around this very historical place. By the way, these pics do not show you how ridiculously ginormous the Forbidden City really is. There is no way the Emperor had time to check out all of his crib!

After a nice stroll through the Forbidden City, we began to be curious about all of the billions of corridors we were passing. Ashamed for passing up so many, yet hurried because of our appointment with Elizabeth in a couple hours, we decided to check out an art gallery at one of the eastern hallways. Choi Choi, my Chinese Art Studio professor (who by the way is the epitome of traditional Chinese heritage still alive today...with his long white hair and 100 years of age and spontaneous behavior just like Laozi would propose in his Taoist book Daodejing) would be extremely proud of me for the studying I was doing of ancient Chinese artifacts. Very interesting to see and I wish I had more time to read and learn all the gory details of each artwork.

As we approached the northern gate of the Forbidden City, we were able to enjoy the serene Imperial Garden for a little while before meeting Elizabeth back at the southern gate of Tiananmen Square. Here dad and I really felt warm and fuzzy because of all of the beautiful ancient trees throughout this part. What we had seen before was nothing but a bare, vast concrete city. But now this area had been specially preserved and was much more lively. It seemed that we saw people from all over the world gathering in this garden and the atmosphere was splendid!

After a long morning in the Forbidden City, we met up with Elizabeth. Being an encouragement for her was such a blessing and we had productive conversations as we stopped by Starbucks and then journeyed to Summer Palace. Although Elizabeth has been to Beijing quite a few times, she has yet to see the Summer Palace. So it was a perfect way to spend the day together! Although this wasn't the prettiest time of year, this park is just as big as the Forbidden City and much more beautiful.

After Summer Palace, we headed over to Beijing University before dark. Walking the streets of this very prestigious university where very very few are accepted gave me a cool vibe. I've been strongly considering going there for grad school and so being able to get a sneak preview with my dad and Elizabeth was pretty neat. Can you tell how geeked out I am about possibly studying Chinese language and culture here?

Now onto day 3, where dad and I began our endeavor to the Great Wall. This was our dream and it was about to come true! I could hardly believe that we were actually headed to hike it together and everything felt so surreal. When that sunset and dad and I were gazing out onto the wondrous maze of a wall dating back to 7th Century BC, I knew I had to snap out of the dream and soak up every second. That we did. Dad and I had probably the best conversation I've ever had with him in my life and I can see how we are now becoming best friends. Dad, I know you'll never forget conquering Simatai Great Wall with me, nor will you or I forgot those annoying villagers following us so we could be their stinking book! I highly suggest that everyone go and see this historical site before you die - it's crazy to think that it is still standing after all of these years.

阳朔，广西，中国

2010-03-24T14:57:00.001-04:00

The last days of Chinese New Year were spent in Yangshuo, Guangxi, China...sleeper buses, rock climbing, bamboo boating, amazing drinks and food, and incredible fireworks!

Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communications Review: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight | The Heritage Foundation

2010-03-24T14:25:00.001-04:00

Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communications Review: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight | The Heritage Foundation

你会不会说中文？
If you can't answer that question above in Chinese, then I can answer it for you: You don't know how to speak Chinese. Well, though I have spent 1 and a half years of fairly intensive study in Mandarin, I am far from gaining fluency in the immensely challenging language.

Think about globalization and the role that United States plays in our global society. Now think about China and the role they play. Pretty big responsibilities for these two nations, huh? Well there is a problem: language barrier. If diplomacy is going to be effective, we need to be able to communicate with them effectively. That being said, China has already started to learn English. Now, America needs to make an effort to improve relations with one of the globe's most influential countries if not the most influential in relation to the global economy. Our national strategy for strategic communication is thankfully realizing the need for promoting outreach programs for China and Chinese language teaching for Americans. I for one am convincing my friends here in Hong Kong to start learning as I have because it just makes sense to know Mandarin when you think about the number of speakers. In our flat world it is just so useful. If you are considering to learn a foreign language because you only speak English and feel that you are at a disadvantage (which you are) then please take my advice and start learning Mandarin - also known as Putonghua 普通话; meaning "the popular language". So be cool, 学中文！

Kunming

2010-03-23T02:11:00.001-04:00

It's a bit late, but here is the last video of Kunming made by Craig. This was the tail end of our Chinese New Year trip and we were tired. It was great to see Quqi though and go to her hometown in Yuxi! Although I regret the food that we had...never want to eat Yuxi BBQ again.

Why Are Parent-Child Suicides Rising in Hong Kong?

2010-03-19T07:05:00.002-04:00

Why Are Parent-Child Suicides Rising in Hong Kong?

Just read this article online and it struck me hard because I just heard a deep lecture given by Ravi Zacharias. Ravi is a well known Christian apologetic who has been referred to as "the present day C.S. Lewis". He was born in India and is now a professor at University of Oxford. He is remarkable keen with his words and thus is a marvelous communicator. His explanations for life's toughest questions in today's intellectual world are so awesome. The question which he is now going around the world to answer is "What does it mean to be human?"

The other day I was watching him speak on you tube because of my friend Daniel recommending me too check him out. My friend Daniel is from Austria and is studying Religion and Philosophy as an exchange student here at Hong Kong Baptist University. Anyways, he is very passionate about apologetics and its importance in today's society due to the great influence that professors have on the educating of our next generation. I really admire his heart and see much truth in the need for making sure that Christian education is emphasized more amongst the body of Christ. We need to be able to stand firm in our faith and know the Word and be able to defend ourselves against the enemy. The word is like a double-edged sword. So, I started to feel bad because I don't memorize verses enough. I do on a number of occasions, though not regularly, open my Bible for encouragement and direction. But also when I am needing spiritual nourishment - which when I go a day without opening the Bible, I tend to become hungry rather quick.

So that day I spent around 5 hours or so watching Ravi Zacharias and other speakers about apologetics and debates they would have with Atheists or Muslims. The following day, I went to my Mandarin class which I take with Daniel, and he tells me that Ravi Zacharias will be speaking at Hong Kong University on March 18 at Hong Kong University....that very night! I was like, "are you serious?" Yea, very surprised, I couldn't believe it was true because I had just watched him on you tube the day before after he recommended me to listen to him probably a month ago. Luckily, I didn't have plans and decided that I must go with Daniel to hear Ravi speak.

Low and behold, he was speaking on the question which I stated earlier and saw on you tube: "What does it mean to be Human?" (in accordance to the Christian faith). So Daniel, our non-Christian friend Billy from mainland China who is an amazing student, and myself set off for Central Hong Kong which was home to the area's most prestigious university - HKU.

Seeing him in person was crazy - his hair is white like the snow and his dark Indian toned skin makes his hair look even whiter than snow! That's not really correlated with anything other than the fact that this man had a demeanor that was up to par with the likes of Billy Graham. Anxious to hear him speak, including all other 1000 in attendance from all kinds of backgrounds, I started to feel a little giddy about where I was and couldn't wait to hear what he had to enlighten us with! He's just that smart. Before he started his lecture Daniel and I were thinking of questions to ask him because the best part is the Q&A session afterward. The one we wanted to know was how he would define evil. However, it was unnecessary to ask because he answered it in full within five minutes of his lecture!

It's really hard for me to extract his lectures and let you know in full what I got out of it because for one I can't remember it all and two it's just so highly academic! But he has made me sure of this: All humans have intrinsic value and the Declaration of Independence is the only national document that adheres to that truth for human rights with this statement: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."

Wow, talk about a bold statement with some rock solid truth to back it up. The only absolute in this world is found in God. Nothing is naturally absolute in man and though we as Christians believe that we are made in God's image - we are absolutely not capable of answering all life's questions. Realizing that we all have this freedom to choose, I know that Christ is our only choice for salvation - which is found through God's perfect love and grace which being what we all naturally long for.

I appreciate Ravi Zacharias and what he is doing for the defense of the Gospel and the God's Holy Word. I will be considering Oxford as he has programs for students and coincidentally Georgetown College has a partnership with the Regent's Park College in University of Oxford.

U.S.-Indonesia Relations: Build for Endurance, Not Speed | The Heritage Foundation

2010-03-18T03:35:00.002-04:00

U.S.-Indonesia Relations: Build for Endurance, Not Speed | The Heritage Foundation

This is a wonderful article composed by Walter Lohman, Director of The Heritage Foundation's Asian Studies Center. As I hope to be taking part in a summer internship with an Indonesian non-profit organization in July, I was hoping to gain a better perspective of our nation's relationship with Indonesia. It seems that our relationship really plays a significant role in today's global economy and especially in regards to the War on Terrorism.

As a representative of the United States, I hope to help develop a good relationship with the 10 Indonesian students that I will be partnering with this summer. Knowing that George W. Bush and now Obama have done much to promote democracy in Asia through the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Nations) as places like Burma struggle politically. As well as promotion of education through the $157 Billion annual funding for Indonesia to start more schools. As for the promotion of peace and the war on terrorism, George Bush formed a wonderful relationship with former Indonesian President Megawati who condemns the attacks on 9/11 and now after having terrorist attacks from Islamic terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah in Bali and other parts of Southeast Asia they are desperate to make sure that they can control these extremists. We have a mutual perspective towards the War on Terrorism and I feel that new Presidents Obama and Yudhoyono will take the necessary steps together even though Obama has yet to make a visit to mother's husbands home country of Indonesia.

As for the economy, I find it ironic that I am now in Hong Kong and in high pursuit of Chinese language and culture. When you think about the rise of China and the impact they are making towards the global economy - especially when they are undervaluing the renminbi for successful exports - you can't forget that Indonesia is just a short plane ride across the South China Sea for quick and easy trade transportation. Especially when you realize that Indonesia is the 4th largest country in the world! That makes it clear that a partnership is needed to be built. Our bilateral relationship with Indonesia as far as imports and exports must increase so that we can start to have closer trade and investment ties with our highly influential economies.

Of course our main goal is to establish democracy in Asia. I think that Indonesia is our best bet for starting any political trends in the Asia Pacific and the rest of Southeast Asia. Please take the time to read this if you have nothing else to do because it's very informative. I definitely recommend all Global Scholars to have a look at this.

If not, at least be supporting me as I pray that God shows me the way this summer - if that means acceptance into this highly competitive summer cultural exchange internship then so be it! Regardless, he is always faithful and will lead me to the cross where his love conquers all. Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and be sure to sing praise for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ! Glory to God and may we be forever thankful for the Gospel.

China Learns to Say 'Hola' | Asia Society

2010-03-05T04:42:00.004-05:00

China Learns to Say 'Hola' | Asia Society

According to a recent panel conducted by the Asia Society, the economic integration of China and Latin America is developing rather quickly. Their relationship is improving significantly and they are showing signs of growth in trade. However, as we have learned in class, doing business internationally always creates some barriers and each country must accommodate one another so that they can achieve the desired "win-win" relationship.

In today's global society, the relationship between China and Latin America is very important. The heavy competition that has risen in today's global economy has forced these two regions to negotiate so that the trade barriers can be settled and so both parties can benefit from each other. Hu Jintao has been working with Cuba and Costa Rica on bringing about free trade agreements. Although there has been a lot of political downturn with Latin America, Hu Jintao is still striving to help Latin America also benefit from the stronger Chinese economy.

China is so much bigger when put on a scale with Latin America. They have more investment in capital, are able to save more, have cheaper labor, and they are more unified. Latin America on the other hand doesn't have technology, yet has expensive labor and more internal barriers.

Because Latin America has problems and differences in terms of per capita income, China is needing to focus on obtaining well developed manufactured goods from them. They are able to get commodities and well manufactured goods from countries like Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. Further economic integration is needed from China and Latin America by integrating countries like Peru, Chile, and Costa Rica. As for China, most manufactured bases are along the coast near Shanghai and Guangzhou. They are focusing on growth through exports.

Both sides are cooperating to solve trade issues. Latin America as of now doesn't play a huge part of Chinese imports (only 5%), but it is growing. Agriculture to China from Latin America has a 15% tariff. The free trade agreements in place have given tariffs a tendency to come down so 90% of products are fully liberalized by the 10th year.

As we look at Chinese political economy, they need to encourage domestic consumption instead of strictly relying on exports for obtaining sustainable development. At the same time, if China and Latin America want to help their relationship benefit both sides then China must be willing to help the smaller Latin American economy grow and develop. However, China is not like the United States who would go the extra mile to try and fix their economy. China expects Latin America to figure out how they can make this economic integration work and China will make sure it benefits them.

Because of the linkage of these two economic regions, the already wealthy Chinese economy should help Latin America get to the point where it is not only exporting commodities. This would require Chinese investment in infrastructure throughout Latin America and also Chinese companies must be willing to set up shop there. Latin America must be able to learn from China's experiences so they themselves can know how to succeed and experience industrial diversification and revolution through innovation.

Knowing that the only way for this relationship to improve is for Chinese companies to go to Latin American countries, there are now some International Business lessons needed to be learned by the Chinese. Lesson number one: know how to say "Hola!" Of course learning the language is a great way to connect with those whom we do business with internationally. Actually, this isn't much of a problem because most can communicate with each other using English.

But there are cultural differences between Latin America and China such as urban violence and crime which is non-existent in China. As far as China's difference from Latin America is that they seem to be only worried about themselves and their own benefits. This is a rather controversial opinion, but I for one somewhat agree. If you look into China's history they have never been one to intentionally change, influence, or harm another society. That being said, they don't feel obligated to help others in regards to their economic development. Unless of course by doing so they will be able to better achieve their own economic goals; which are very high goals.

How then should they deal with these cultural differences? Well, the Chinese companies can't use the same marketing strategies or approaches in Latin America as they do in their home country. The best way for a firm to overcome these cultural barriers is to have fluency in Spanish and or Portuguese. This would obviously require them to have workers who are from Latin America. When they do this, then they will have a chance to start advertising and effectively communicating their product in their new country.

The language barrier is just the first hurtle needed to jump. The next is the image that the Chinese companies' status and image and whether it's new Latin American consumers see them in a positive or negative. Our textbook refers to this as source effects and it's a barrier because if there is a bias against foreign firms then it can really keep the Chinese companies from being able to compete with the already established international and domestic businesses. The best way to jump this hurtle is by trying to get rid of the image of Chinese heritage. Although this may seem a bit unfair, it must be done in order for the Chinese companies to achieve it's goals. A good way for them to avoid having to compete with more preferred companies in Latin America is to go to the countries with less noise or competition.

The next hurtle is religion. These Chinese companies will have to be careful when dealing with Latin America because practically all countries are apart of the Roman Catholic church. Confucianism ethics is without a doubt effecting the Chinese business ethics and they have to be willing to respect any differences or controversies that may be faced in regards to the different beliefs and practices done by its Latin American colleagues and consumers. This means that companies must be mindful of Sundays and it's holiness. Although the boss of a Chinese company entering Latin America may find it silly to lose a day from progressing in it's business workload, they must realize that they have to sacrifice this time to cooperate with the new culture. In order to cooperate they must allow it's Latin American workers to attend mass each Sunday and also show respect towards lent. By doing this the Chinese company will be able to win the favor of more Latin American workers and possibly receive mutual respect from the consumers as well.

The next big hurtle would be marketing and advertising strategies. Obviously when you are preparing a speech you must first take into consideration your audience. If you are talking to a bunch of professionals in the subject, then you should be sure to get your facts straight and should have a very in depth analysis to present. But if you have an audience of people who are not very knowledgeable of the subject, then you would need to change your delivery style to keep them entertained and also make sure that you keep it simple enough for them to understand. The same goes for these Chinese companies who will be entering Latin America. Of course, each company will have their own product which will be intended for it's own particular group of consumers. It is important that they get in tune with their consumers and make sure they can keep them interested and attracted to your product.

As far as global advertising, it is not always standardized although there are those who think it should be. The truth is it isn't so the Chinese companies going to Latin America will have to deal with the different legal and cultural environment. Although, in dealing with this hurtle it can bring up costs having to deal with localized advertising efforts instead of having a set internationally recognized slogan. If the Chinese companies that come to Latin America can come with an already established brand that is known worldwide then they will not have to worry about this problem. So there is much value in a company's advertising campaign.

However, it definitely benefits to mix up the advertisements so that they can be more suitable to the region. For example, they could integrate the globally known Olympics to relate to the people of Brazil. This would be an excellent way to establish their brand in Latin America because the next location for the 2012 World Olympics will be in Brazil. Ironically, the previous one in 2008 was in Beijing so surely the Chinese companies could take advantage of this correlation to become a likable brand in Brazil and the surrounding countries as well.

The last hurtle that these Chinese companies will have to jump is pricing. The Chinese government’s way of regulating prices is not the same as the way of governments in Latin America. China has been a target of antidumping from Latin American countries such as Argentina and Mexico. Latin America is trying to protect its own domestic markets and China has been unable to be competitive by dropping its prices below the cost of production. It’s difficult for Chinese companies to deal with this issue because it’s hard to take legal actions and defend their rights because of the strictness of the Chinese government. Also their market status has not really been fully recognized as of yet so this makes it hard for them to make any agreements. Though, Hu Jintao is making more effort recently to fix these economic problems.

Overall, it seems that China is willing to jump all of these hurtles to have a win-win relationship with Latin America and its economies. In my opinion, China must be willing to take more risks with its business there if they intend on achieving all economic goals in the next decade or so. This means making more foreign direct investments in the region and changing its strategy of exports. I believe that China is taking the measures necessary to show the globe how it needs to be recognized and its status is surpassing Japan and my home country of the United States better start taking notes!

Tiger Leaping Gorge.avi

2010-03-03T10:49:00.001-05:00

Simply stunning. GORGEous as we were saying. This two day hike was unforgettable an my definition of mountains is no longer the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee (no offense Craig). The Halfway Lodge was so beautiful and I would love to go back again someday. Highly recommend that you hike this trail.

LiLi's Adventure

2010-03-03T10:15:00.001-05:00

So this is Craig's second video production. Here we are starting our adventure with Lili, a Naxi-Tibetan whom we met while in Lijiang. She took us to see a Bai minority monastery and horse-back riding throughout many Naxi villages. Enjoy!

The Beginning.avi

2010-02-25T05:03:00.001-05:00

This first video is recapping the first days of our trip before Chinese New Year celebrations as we go from Kuming to Dali to Lijiang in quick fashion.

Yunnan Trek - TLG, Lijiang, Dali, Kunming, Yuxi 云南游：虎跳峡，丽江，大理，昆明，玉溪

2010-02-23T03:09:00.028-05:00

Finally, my heavily anticipated itinerary to and through Yunnan is complete! What an amazing time we had. Without a doubt the most adventurous 10 days of my life. Have you ever read the book Wild at Heart? Well, I haven't but I'm pretty sure that Craig, Jason, and myself should read it because God really ignited a fire in is to adventure into his glorious creation. Talk about revelation! This trip was full of different revelations from God - number one being his omnipresence. He is alive and is working in all parts of this world. The number one lesson I will take from this trip is how worth while it is to join in on the work that God is doing, has done, and will continue to do.

So the trip started with just mua. My flight to Kunming left from Hong Kong, whereas Craig and Jason were flying out from Shenzhen. I was a bit nervous not being with them from the get-go because I wasn't certain how easy it would be to find each other in Kunming, but it all worked out fairly smoothly. I beat them to the Kunming Airport by like 30 minutes and in that time I was able to hook up with a travel agent to help get us to the long distance bus station. Daniel from Austria and his German friend Lucas happened to be on the same flight Craig and Jason, and they even considered coming with us to Lijiang 丽江, but Daniel was pretty sick and felt that he needed to stay in Kunming until he felt good enough to travel by long distance bus to a more remote area. So, we unfortunately ended up splitting up from the get go.

From that point on, it was just The Three Musketeers. Our first mission: get to the long distance bus station within the next 30 minutes for the last sleeper bus to Lijiang at 9:30pm. Mission impossible because when we got there and I spoke with the ticket counter they said only two beds available. So, we had to go to Dali instead. This was no problem because I was actually looking forward to seeing a bit of Dali anyways. The sleeper bus was an eventful experience for us, especially for Craig and Jason with it being there first time. We were too nervous to put our belongings in the trunk like everyone else so we all slept with our huge backpacks. Not the most comfortable thing to have shoved in with you on a tiny bed where you have to shove your feet under a tiny metal rod/shelf for any other belongings. Speaking of feet, our first hilarious experience was the Chinese dude sitting in front of Craig saying in broken English, "move your shoes. They have smell!" haha.

After 7 hours or so we finally arrived very early the next morning to Xiaguan which from there we had to take a mini-van to the main gate of Dali 大理. Immediately we started to look for a bank because I couldn't get money in Kunming because the banks didn't take MasterCard. For some reason, Dali didn't have as well! I was pretty frustrated and thankfully Craig and Jason had gotten enough money out in Shenzhen before coming to get us by. Thank you Craig for lending me 2000RMB! After that frantic search, we then went to check on getting a bus ticket to Lijiang. When we got to the ticket counter, the guy informed us that the next bus was leaving in 15 minutes, and then the next in like 5 hours. Right on the spot we had to decide whether to go straight to Lijiang or stay in Dali. For some reason, which I am kind of glad, we decided to leave Dali and go on to Lijiang.

So we started walking with this guide to the bus pickup spot and along the way he stopped and pointed at this small store with a guy making these pancake things called Baba. He said we should get some for breakfast. What a perfect snack! Cooked and filled with honey (well the one I had was salty) they are really tasty treats. Now with a sweet taste in our mouths and adrenaline pumping for the heavily anticipated Lijiang Old Town, we got on another bus for about 6 more hours.

On the bus ride I finally was able to sit calmly and listen to the family next to us speak Mandarin. It was such a relief to finally hear Mandarin instead of Cantonese. At that moment I was reassured of all the hours I've put in for my Mandarin studies. Meanwhile, Craig next to me was asking me all kinds of questions about the language and I was excited to help him progress in his own studies. Then Jason, big playa, was in front sitting next to a Chinese girl asking her all kinds of questions on how to say this or that aka flirting (just kidding Jason).

Arriving in Lijiang late that afternoon, we were pretty giddy. With backpacks strapped on and adrenaline now fully pumped, we entered the Old Ancient City after quickly passing through the New City and started walking the cobbled streets. Definitely a touristy kind of place, but regardless of that fact it was undeniably cultural and the unique architecture and souvenir selection had us sold. Naxi paper, naxi clothes, necklaces, Pu'er tea, Dongba Characters, Tibetan scarfs, and much more. Of all that I had ended up coming back with a Dongba Character for "climb every mountain", a blue and white Tibetan scarf, and Pu'er tea. Pretty good seeing as I had no where to fit whatever I decided to buy!

Our first meal that evening after getting our hotel was a tough decision because of the amazing selection. Craig had done some research and printed off food reviews of most of the restaurants. We ended up picking Naxi Restaurant across the bridge and the main stream in the northwest part of the Old Town. Wow is all I can say. Delicious goat cheese, Sulima 苏里玛 and pineapple juice to drink, garlic and butter sauce with cooked spinach, crossing bridge noodles 过桥米线, eggplant, and I forget what else but we ate it all and were completely satisfied. Maybe we spent a bit too much, but we were way to excited about trying all the new foods and so we convinced ourselves that it would be worth it to splurge a bit.

No better way to walk off a meal than to get lost in the narrow mazed streets of Lijiang Old Town 丽江古城. It was so surreal being there because just a few months ago I was so excited about the possibility of coming but wasn't sure if it would actually happen. Well, after arriving to our hotel that evening and putting our belongings down in the nice room with three beds and a bathroom I was surely aware that this was going to be an awesome vacation.

When it came time for our first night's rest in a room with a bed, I took the time to do some journaling and reflecting on all that was happening. Having Craig and Jason there made it definitely a lot more fun and we had no idea how much more great memories were about to be made the next 9 days.

Journal Entry February 13, 2010: Chinese New Year Eve

What a day! God is incredible! He completely revealed himself to us today. Last night I was wondering if there was any Christians in this area. I began to pray for a sign. So we got up @ 10:40am this morning (12 hrs of sleep!). So excited for the day ahead, we set off to Black Dragon Pool 黑龙添 up just north of Old Town. En route, we stopped to get some walnuts and fruit. The walnut cakes aka Lijiang's gaidanzai were a delicious snack with yummy bean paste inside the ball shaped cakes. The fruit was such a satisfying choice as we enjoyed the best oranges with seeds to spit in each slice; and these strange small green apple-like things that we don't know the name of. Also we had this huge purple fruit that had juice inside and came with a straw like coconut.

After breakfast on the go, we found out from locals that you could by pass the 80元 ticket booth and get in the Black Dragon Pool for free. If it's free, it's me! Entering the pool area was so cool. Such a serene landscape and seats to relax and enjoy the scenery were everywhere. We found a nice table with a great view of the pool and Chinese style building on the other side. Just gorgeous. The fish were so easy to spot in the clear water and they were swimming without fear of being caught along the edge of the pool next to us. Jason got sick after eating the fruit. He went to go find a bathroom and Craig and I began to worry when didn't come back after 15 minutes or so.

Finally, we saw him talking to a family. He introduced them to us and happily told us that he was a missionary from South Korea. Wow, I thought. I was so thankful to meet him and immediately knew that God meant for us to meet. He had a Korean wife and three adopted Chinese children. They seemed so delighted to see us and we were just as delighted. They didn't speak a lot of English, so I had to really try hard to speak Mandarin with them. God helped me a lot and we were still able to communicate okay.

Waking up with an adrenaline rush, we all went out to get a nice breakfast at Prague Cafe. Oh wow, what a wonderful place for foreigners lol. With English speakers and English muffins, what could be better? Well, muesli was on the menu and was a must for Craig and Jason. As for me, I just wanted some coffee! While eating this lady walks up the stairs and starts talking to us about how she would take us on a tour of this Bai Minority 白族 monastery and then horse back riding through Naxi 纳西 minority villages. Personally, I was pretty excited to here her offer and the price seemed reasonable. But Craig was feeling a little iffy about the whole thing and for good reason because this lady had the craziest personality. She was a straight up nut! We call her marijuana lady because she jokingly said that she smokes marijuana everyday - who knows maybe she was being serious. Anyways, we needed transportation to Tiger Leaping Gorge and we thought that it would be a good experience for us to better understand the ethnic minority groups in China so we decided to accept her offer.

What an experience! The drive wasn't too bad and along the way I was able to learn a lot from Lili about the Naxi Dongba 东巴 religion and history. She also explained to me how the Naxi people in Lijiang are being bullied by Han majority businessmen and such. She thought it was unfair how they were able to have a better chance of becoming successful and wished that the minority groups were treated more fairly. I find it interesting how the Chinese government may be showing favoritism, but at the same time I feel that Lili had a pretty ethnocentric opinion about the matter and would like to hear other opinions before gathering my own.

Soon we arrived at the Bai monastery and it was in a rather beautiful location as we had to scale up a mountain side. The view from the monastery was great and the people were so glad to see us. Here Craig was able to get some wonderful photos of people as they were all happily gathering with their families for the Chinese New Year. It was rather difficult to understand all that was going on at the monastery for it was all rather foreign to me. But Lili said that they were Taoists, although I could see Buddhas at the top inside a cave so that really confused me. They were burning incense as well and burning prayers so that made me think that Lili didn't know what she was talking about. Regardless, I was glad to see and experience the rituals taking place and to see how the families would gather was definitely special.

After this wonderful experience, we hit the road again towards a large open land of 28 Naxi villages. This land had a beautiful lake and mountain scenery surrounding all of these similar styled homes. We must have went through all 28 villages because we stopped at a dead end in this beautiful remote area. Immediately we were welcomed by some villagers and they already had horses ready for us to hop on and giddy-up! This was Jason's first time on a horse and I was excited to get on one again because it had been quite a while since I last rode one. With adrenaline pumping once again, we set off with our new friends who couldn't speak a single word of English as they lead us to an unknown destination. I was so giddy that I could care less where we were going, but my camera was out and I was taking tons of photos.

We dismounted at this random basketball court in the middle of a poor village, and then walked into a local family's home. This was an interesting experience indeed! We were greeted by about 10 family members from toddler to elder. They had a room with chairs and a fireplace and dead animals hanging from the ceiling. We sat down on the floor in a large circle and just awkwardly sat there. I tried to speak Mandarin with them but none of them understood and instead spoke this strange dialect. The guy next to me offered me a cigarette and I said yes only because I thought it would make the atmosphere less awkward. Craig thought it was funny and obviously enjoyed taking pics of me puffing it up with a village dude whom I just met.

After a few minutes of hanging out with the family, they had us come outside to see these two younger newlyweds in their nice ethnic outfits. They both were very happy and they seemed to be very excited to see us and seemed proud to represent their family in front of us. We took pictures with them and gave them a little money because they were so nice to us and obviously could use a bit of help financially. I would have given them more but Lili said what I was about to give was too much.

After saying goodbye, we rode the horses another hour or so back to the "original place to eat food and drink beer!" according to our crazy tour guide. The Naxi hotpot and Baixue Beer was actually pretty good - although I would have preferred to have a glass of water! We were so hungry though that it didn't matter what they gave us. After dinner we told Lili that we needed to hit the road for Qiaotou, which is the small town where we would begin our trek of the heavily anticipated Tiger Leaping Gorge.

We made it that evening after 2 hours of beautiful views out the window from the mini-van. Saying goodbye to our new friend Lili was tough, but we knew that she couldn't wait to go home and have some Mary Jane. Thanks to the handy Lonely Planet Southwest China book, we knew exactly where we were going to stay the night: Jane's Guest House.

Have you ever seen Pirates of the Caribbean? You know the oracle lady? Well Jane is freakishly the same. The same hair, talk, expressions, attitude, demeanor, everything it seemed. No joke! Anyways, she made us dinner upon arrival and it wasn't amazing but the room sure was. Especially for the price we paid. I couldn't believe how cheap it was and the room was totally for backpackers. The whole environment was obviously flavored for hikers and I was loving it! Craig, Jason, and I were all so ecstatic about being there and we knew that we were in for an amazing adventure. Especially after talking to a British family who had just got back from doing part of the hike until they were stopped by a landslide of boulders the size of their heads. Although it was kind of scary to hear their life threatening stories, they still obviously were in awe of the mountain views. After hearing that I had much to sleep on that night and sleep I did because those beds were soft and the blanket was even softer!

The next morning we got some hearty breakfast aka "baba" and then set off for the main event: TLG. All geared up and ready to go we followed Jane's directions to get to the beginning of the high trail 高路, only to realize that we had gone 2km past the entrance! So we ended up hiking an unnecessary 4km before even starting this ridiculously strenuous trail. And believe me this was not a walk in the park! No sirry, this was uphill for miles. After 30 minutes we had already started to drip in sweat because of our heavy bags and we started to strip down even though it wasn't even that warm outside. Yea, thank goodness that we were only 19,19, and 21 years old! Our youth came in handy because we were in for a heck-of-a hike.

There weren't really many other hikers on the first part of the trail that morning, but soon we ran into some Koreans and Chinese who had much less gear than us. They must have thought we were crazy with our huge bags as we raced pass them rather confidently and seemed to be flying up hills with much haste. I think Craig and I were a little too excited and plus our competitive drive was making us feel the need to dominate the trail in cool fashion. Unfortunately, I think we made a mistake in doing the uphill part of the 16km trek so quickly because Jason started to have trouble breathing and his lungs were hurting. We started to slow down from then on and this was for the better I think because we needed to enjoy this beautiful scenery and not zoom through it all.

I was so proud of Jason though because not once did he give up. The whole way up hill and through the toughest part known as the 28 bends he made it backpack and all - and the whole way we had this guy following us with a horse waiting for us to pay him to use it for carrying our heavy bags. We made it our goal to persevere and finish the difficult part of the trek without any assistance. That we did! When we made it to the first breakpoint we loaded up on oranges and water and said no to the cheap marijuana being sold lol. Jason started to regain some strength and we met up with some French people from Jane's and together we started to tackle the second quarter of the trek towards the Halfway point. This second quarter of the trail was 10 times as beautiful as the first quarter because at this point we were at least 1500 meters high. When we first got a visual of Snow Jade Dragon Mountain 玉龙雪山 I couldn't believe my eyes.

It was heaven. The sunlight glistening against the glacier peaks and the clouds cuddling up against the skying mountain tops. It was just unbelievable. The three of us were so amazed and they finally understood why I wanted us to hike Tiger Leaping Gorge. It's the number one trail in all of China for a reason. And the reason was right before our eyes. The French were great company as they gave us sausage and wine as we sat gazing at the wondrous, glorious Snow Jade Dragon Mountain. No one has ever gotten to the top of the mountain because of it's peculiar shape. At 4500m high, it's not Mt. Everest, but still it has yet to be conquered. The mysteriousness of this peak really makes you relate it to heaven as you wait for the clouds to move so you can actually see the top. I still am not sure if I ever saw the top...but maybe Craig or Jason did I'm not sure. After spending quite a long time in sight of the sacred mountain, we realized that we better give ourselves enough time to get to the Halfway Lodge and or Tina's Guest House before dark.

We first decided to keep hiking to Tina's Guest House because we were making such good pace in the hike. However, Jason was really getting sick and the dust and wind had started to mess up his lungs to the point where Craig and I had to carry his bag for a bit. I know Jason would have rather felt more up to par, but I'm actually glad that his sickness made us stop because the Halfway Lodge was by far my favorite place in all of Yunnan. The location and view of this place is just ridiculous. The balcony they have and the surrounding rooms for backpackers from all over the world just made the coolest environment. I was astonished when we saw the view from our room's window and though Jason was sick I know that he was still astonished by the beauty.

I helped Jason get situated and tried to figure out why his lungs were effected and Craig and I were fine - especially when he is in better shape than we will ever be. I came to the conclusion that it was because he had been breathing improperly by only using his mouth. The dust was messing up his lungs because he was breathing it in through his mouth. If he had breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth then his nostril hairs would have stopped most dust from getting into his lungs. Although I'm not a doctor, I was glad to have figured out what the problem was!

Soon he started to get back up to par and then we went out to join the rest of the hikers for dinner. What a group! We first met two guys, an Australian and a German. We had a good conversation, but didn't really connect with them as well as we would have liked. But God was definitely at work as later this young American couple sits down with us and introduces themselves. Drew from Oklahoma City and his wife I forget where she was from though. They were both teaching at a University in Xian 西安 and were passionate disciples for Christ. It was so encouraging to listen to Drew and all that he had to say about China and I was so glad to meet them. Jason especially. After meeting the Korean family in Lijiang and now this couple in TLG, he was really wanting to join in on what God is doing in China.

After dinner, though it was cold, I went up to that balcony and gazed at the stars for a bit. They were so beautiful. I hadn't seen stars in months because Hong Kong is so polluted and the city lights light up the sky and clouds. But here was so nature - so heavenly. I wish I wasn't so tired and in need of rest because I would have stood there all night on that balcony until sunrise. But I did end up eventually going back to the room and slept with those stars in sight from my window.

The next morning I got dressed and went right back out to that balcony to watch the sunrise slowly over the high peaks. Hear is where my amazing facebook profile pic was taken (way to go Craig~haha). The weather was really chilly, but I was so not going to miss out on the sunrise from this view - I would so love to go back to that spot again someday. After a great breakfast at the lodge we all set off early for the second half of the trail. My shoulders were so soar from the big blue Lafuma bag, but luckily we wouldn't have to anymore uphill hiking. But the distance was still rather lengthy.

At this point my pants were pretty disgusting and I had worn all of my shorts and shirts - only putting on fresh underwear and socks. The weather was cold again but we would heat up because of the hike. My black Columbia jacket was so useful as it broke away the heavy wind and wasn't too heavy. But the wind was absolutely ridiculous on this day. It would randomly just start blowing so hard that we had to stop and grab the nearest rock so we didn't go off the cliff to our right. Yea, kinda scary but very adventurous! We crossed a waterfall that was kind of dangerous but I made it through without much trouble and so did Craig and Jason. We started to see a bunch of goats and then also some random village folk who were just sitting enjoying the view as chill as could be. This whole stretch still had beautiful large mountains, however we could tell that we were starting to get to a lower elevation.

We finally made it to Tina's in time for a late lunch. We had arrived much earlier than the other hikers because of our quicker pace and the fact that we started earlier in the morning. I think I would have liked to take it a little slower, but the timing all worked out in the end because we ended up going down to see the Tiger Leaping Stone, get up the crazy ladder of death back up the cliff and then back to Tina's right when Drew and his wife whom I wish I could remember the name (Amber? maybe) were getting ready to take a bus to Qiaotou. We originally planned on going to Daju, but everyone was saying that it was not a good idea because it would be difficult to get a bus back to Lijiang. So we decided to save time and money by joining them and their mini-van back to Qiaotou.

This was a great idea because we were able to get to know Drew better and I was looking forward to hearing more about him after seeing the evidence of Christ in his life from the dinner conversation the night before. I think I speak for all of us when I say that this guy was sent by God to help encourage us in our own walk. He definitely helped me see how urgently I need to join in on what God is doing on this side of the world. I am excited to see God at work and this revelation that I have received is without a doubt been a blessing and I am anxious to see how God continues to equip me for my career as I seek to bring him glory to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

The drive to Qiaotou along the trek we just hiked was not easy because the road was blocked from a landslide. So we waited a while and then had to get on a bigger bus with a bunch of Americans. This was pretty cool and the fact that basically all but 3 people on the bus were American was very awesome. We all connected and Drew with his excellent communication skills kept the conversations interesting the whole trip. Some were even singing praise and worship songs so it was definitely a surreal China experience!

Finally we made it to Lijiang and Drew and Amber invited us to eat dinner with them in the Old Town before they would head back to there friends house in Shuhe 束河. Before we went to eat Sichuancai, we had to get a room for the night and that was rather difficult because now Lijiang was much busier than when we had arrived on the 12th. We ended up staying in this crappy room that was too expensive and didn't even have three beds or hot water. It was frustrating but we dealt with the cards played and made it through the night. But I had a bad headache so I was grumpy anyways. Using my scarf as a pillow didn't help things and neither did eating the "death ball" which was the ultra spicy ingredient used in Sichuancai.

We went to the long distance bus station that morning to get a bus ticket to Kunming as soon as possible. We left around lunch and arrived in Kunming that evening only to be warmly welcomed by the worst weather I think Kunming aka Spring City has ever had. It was freezing! After just leaving heaven I think this was a huge drop in excitement, but luckily the hostile we were staying in, Cloudland International, was legit. The food here was good, the atmosphere was cool and chill, and the beds and showers were okay besides the fact that the first night they didn't have hot water.

Although Kunming itself sucks, this hostile really met our standards. They offered us internet access which was a first (Lijiang no way) and they had great maps and information for traveling to surrounding areas such as the Stone Forest 石林. We wanted to go to the Stone Forest even though it was 1.5 hrs away so we went to get a bus ticket but the bus station was a hassle to get to and when we got there we were disappointed when they said that there weren't anymore going that day so we had to buy the ticket for the next day - which was fine because we were 2 days ahead of schedule. We were tempted to go see the rice terraces in Yuanyang 元阳, but I was worried we wouldn't make it back to Kunming in time to meet up with Quqi on the 20th.

That night we had a nice dinner at the famous 汽锅鸡 restaurant which I forget the name of lol. Amazing food and we definitely made the most out of this horrible city with horrible weather. After another nice night at Cloudland with a late snack and hot shower, we woke up the next day and started the day off with a nice Swiss breakfast. Yum - and I also got some coffee so I was ready to take on the day, no matter how freakin' cold it was. We headed early so we could make it in time for our bus that left at 10:30ish or so. We made it just fine and I got a liter of tea for the bus ride: bad decision. With still 30 minutes or more to go until we arrived at Stone Forest, I was about to burst in my pants I had to go so bad. It was the most painful feeling ever - having to hold it in that long was extremely difficult and definitely the worst part of the trip for me. That made me moody for the rest of the day and so I'm sure I got on Jason and Craig's nerves with my negativity, but we ended up having a good day still because of the fact that Stone Forest was such a joke.

Probably the most touristy place for Chinese people. So many people there and hardly any foreigners. We were tired and grumpy because it was the tail end of our 10 day trip, but we managed to laugh and kid about all the funny Chinese tourists in particular "Mr. Relentless". This dad was trying to take pictures of everything and there wasn't nothing that was going to stop him, not even a gajillion other tourists pushing shoving on the top of a lookout zone. It was kind of funny to make fun of other people all day seeing as we didn't have anything better to do. But all in all I'm glad we had an experience like that because now I can know that I won't be going back to Kunming again unless to see Quqi of course.

Speaking of Quqi 瞿麒, it was finally time to meet up with her! We planned on meeting her in Grand View Park near Yunnan University and I couldn't wait to finally see her again. That day was so much better than the previous days in Kunming. The weather was beautiful and that in itself made it a much more pleasant environment to be in. When we met Quqi, I was so excited and we gave each other a hug and then I introduced her to Craig and Jason and she introduced her husband. He didn't speak English, so we didn't talk much but he seemed like a nice guy I guess. Well, he bought us dinner for that night so he was indeed nice! And the food was unique because it was from the Dai minority 傣族. Kind of spicy, but it was much more tasteful to me than Sichuancai.

After dinner they invited us to stay in Yuxi 玉溪 which is their hometown near the Stone Forest. After already being sick of Kunming, we all thought it would be a good idea to go elsewhere for the night. I was excited especially because I wanted to see what Quqi's home was like and the guys were content I'm sure because they were taking care of our every need. They got us a nice hotel and a coach back to the airport the next day. The only thing that I will forever regret about Yuxi is that meal we had. My Lord it was atrocious. Rotten tofu that was unbelievably gross, pig's palate that was unbelievably strange, duck's tongue that was strangely textured, tape worm veggies that were ungodly spicy, chicken joint bones that were the most edible dish, and hot soy milk that made my already intensely spiced mouth beg for something cold. So, I had to drink beer just to make my flaming mouth feel somewhat cooled. Horrible, just horrible.

We did end our trip on a good note however. Our hotel was so nice and completely western and the shower was top of the line. I slept like a baby one last time and it was funny to look back and reflect on our trip...especially the randomness of the last 3 or 4 days in Kunming and Yuxi - extremely random lol.

All in all I consider this trip a complete success. Sure there's always something wrong on the itinerary, but I signed up for an adventure - not a tour guide. We definitely had an adventurous time in Yunnan, and I will never forget TLG - especially because good ole' Craig has it all on youtube and facebook!

craigthiessen.blogspot.com

虎年 "Year of the Tiger"

2010-02-08T10:44:00.006-05:00

How ironic that this year happens to be the year of the tiger! My school mascot is the Tiger, and I intend on going to Tiger Leaping Gorge 虎跳峡 for celebrating this Chinese New Year. So what does the Tiger represent? Well first off it is just one of the 12 animals represented in the 12-year cycle. Supposedly, people born in this year possess the following traits: Adventurous, sensitive, emotional, and risk-taking. Those who are born in the Year of the Tiger are smart, uncomplicated and friendly by nature. They have strong will power and a never give-up attitude.

Chinese New Year 春节 is very similar to the western one, but is just a month later in accordance to the Lunar Calendar instead of the Gregorian Calendar. But the celebrating history of the Chinese New Year is so old and the traditions and meanings are much deeper. Just like Christmas, people start buying presents, decorations, food and clothing about a month in advance. Also, everyone makes the house look spotless just like my family does. However my mom does it just because, whereas Chinese people do it because they are sweeping away bad luck and the old.

The Chinese characters emphasized are happiness, longevity, and wealth. Windows and doors will be adorned with red paper cutouts with these characters written in gold. This holiday is a great time of year to reconcile forgetting all grudges, and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone. Children enjoy this time of year because they receive red-packets 红包 full of money from their parents. This time of gift exchanging and reflection is known as 守岁 Shou Sui.

Some popular phrases:

恭喜发财 gong(1)xi(3)fa(1)cai(2) "Congratulations and be prosperous"

岁岁平安 sui(4)sui(4)ping(2)an(1) "Everlasting peace year after year"

红包拿来! hong(2)bao(1)na(2)lai(2) "Give me a red-packet full of money!"

新年快乐! xin(1)nian(2)kuai(4)le(4) "Happy New Year!"

There is a certain ancient myth that still holds for today and it is about the mythical beast known as Nian who would devour livestock, crops, and even people. The only way to protect oneself from the beast is to celebrate the coming of the New Year and forget about the previous year. This means new clothes, clean home, newly painted window frames, fireworks, festivals, drums, and most importantly food. It was said that if they prepare food and place it in front of the doors for Nian to eat, then it wouldn't attack them anymore.

Symbols:

"During these 15 days of the Chinese New Year one will see superstitious or traditional cultural beliefs with meanings which can be puzzling in the eyes of those who do not celebrate this occasion. There is a customary reason that explains why everything, not just limited to decorations, are centered on the colour red. At times, gold is the accompanying colour for reasons that are already obvious. One best and common example is the red diamond-shaped posters with the character 福 (pinyin: fú), or "auspiciousness" which are displayed around the house and on doors. This sign is usually seen hanging upside down, since the Chinese word 倒 (pinyin: dào), or "upside down", sounds the same as 到 (pinyin: dào), or "arrive". Therefore, it symbolizes the arrival of luck, happiness, and prosperity.

Red is the predominant colour used in New Year celebrations. Red is the emblem of joy, and this colour also symbolizes virtue, truth and sincerity. On the Chinese opera stage, a painted red face usually denotes a sacred or loyal personage and sometimes a great emperor. Candies, cakes, decorations and many things associated with the New Year and its ceremonies are coloured red. The sound of the Chinese word for “red” ( 紅) is “hong” which also means “prosperous.” Therefore, red is an auspicious colour and has an auspicious sound."

Flowers have much symbolism and are another great decoration during the Chinese New Year.
Floral Decor Meaning
Plum Blossom symbolizes luck
Kumquat symbolizes prosperity
Narcissus symbolizes prosperity
Chrysanthemum symbolizes longevity
Bamboo a plant used for any time of year
Sunflower means to have a good year
Eggplant a plant to heal all of your sickness
Chom Mon Plant a plant which gives you tranquility

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year#Greetings

I look forward to experiencing the celebrations firsthand as I will be in Yunnan province for 7 of the 15 days in which the New Year festivities will be held. The ethnic minority groups have unique ways of celebrating this holiday and I am excited to see what it will be like. Wishing everyone a Happy Lunar New Year! Go Tigers!

Hiking.Beach.

2010-02-07T11:48:00.001-05:00

Craig's video production recapping our Sai Kung to Long Ke Wan adventure....really good time!

Long Ke Wan

2010-02-06T03:49:00.007-05:00

My life in Hong Kong continues to be unpredictable. Since the start of the new semester, I have made some great new friends coming to study abroad from the States. Craig,a sophomore at Samford University studying pre-med and calls Memphis, TN home. Jason, a recent graduate of Fresno State University with a degree in Business and calls Las Angeles, CA home. And Vanessa, a senior at Taylor University majoring in International Studies and calls Louisville, KY home. I had the pleasure of having these three great people as companions for a hiking adventure to the east-side of Sai Kung.

What an adventure we had! After packing up our clothes and necessities, we all headed for the grocery store to get s'mores, veggies, snacks, and fruits. We intended on making some dinner over a campfire while at our campsite. We had no idea what to expect, but we loaded up and headed out on our trek with a full tank of energy. After following the map of bus routes to take to get to Sai Kung, we finally arrived to the area where only taxis go. But no, we would not even dare take a taxi, even though they kept slowing down as they passed us wondering why we were dumb enough to hike uphill and such a long distance.

After 2-3 hours on Maclehose Trail, (would have been 2 if Craig wasn't such an avid photographer!) we finally saw the sign pointing us to the direction of Long Ke Shan campsite. We soon passed by a leapord cat in the bushes, so I was already getting excited about where we were and it's obvious remoteness.Then we came around that corner. It was ridiculous. Jaws-dropped, eyes widened, we just started to react dramatically to the view before us. The mountains surrounding the ocean, and then a perfectly placed beach in between the mountains.

With only about 30 more minutes of sunlight, we hurried down to begin setting up camp. We saw a campfire down below so we knew we weren't alone. But almost, because there was only one other group of college guys from City U. Two of the six guys were from Hawaii and the others were from Indiana and Michigan. Unfortunately we wouldn't be hanging out with them because their intentions were to get drunk and wake up with a hangover. They entertained us nonetheless as they were searching for wood with flashlights at 3:30am.

Thanks to Vanessa and her 10 years of being a girl scout, we had a nice dinner and campfire. However, thanks to me and my reliance on a magnesium stick for starting the fire, we had to go ask the City U guys for a lighter because the wind was making the sparks from the magnesium stick difficult to catch twigs on fire. Lesson learned: always bring matches no matter what other kind of cool fire starting technique out there exists. After our hobo dinner of broccoli, potatoes, sugar snaps, and green bell peppers we started roasting the marshmallows for s'mores! Ahh, I love s'mores. I used an entire chocolate bar to shovel down 4 s'mores. I probably could have had 8 if I didn't feel bad for being the only one still eating.

After that amazing meal time by the campfire on the most amazing beach, I pulled out my cell phone with full bars (PCCW rocks!) to check the time for the sunrise. 7am was the time and so with it being 11ish we went ahead and started to get comfy for bed. I brought my sleeping bag (thanks Hallie!) and boy did I need it! Not only was there a cool breeze all night, but sleeping on the sand wasn't all as easy as I thought it would be. Once comfortable, I just sat there and began to think about the Lord. My whole world was still, with only the sound of the waves and crackling fire to distract me. Being able to just lay there without a care in the world and look up into the sky (no stars though) was something I will forever cherish. Times when I am still are few it seems and to be on the beach was a perfect setting to feel God's presence. I spent an hour just reflecting in my mind over all that was going on in my life. It was like I was having a conversation with God Almighty. I was just telling him my thoughts and he would respond, "I know". haha, it's funny to think like that because in actuality he does know and so why would I be telling him? I'm not sure how to answer that, but what I do know is that communication with God is a must for us and we all really need more time alone with our Maker.

Craig aka Fireman was rebuilding the fire at 6:30ish and that's what woke me up. First thing I looked for was the sun....which was no where to be found. I really was upset that we didn't get to see the sunrise due to the cloud covered sky, but that didn't take away the beautiful scenery surrounding us. Waking up there was special and I prefer seeing that beach over my roommate anyday! Jason was our nightwatcher; according to him he didn't really sleep at all...I wish he would have taken my sleeping bag that I offered to him. He and I both pulled out the word and started flippin' through pages looking for God's Word to jump start our engines for the day ahead.

After feasting on some Psalms, I was ready to feast on the fruit and granola bars! Thanks Jason for the Fuji apple and your welcome Craig for bringing my jar of Skippy peanut butter haha. We were pretty hungry I guess because we just kept eating everthing we had and it seemed that we could finish it all! But with hiking the area on the agenda I figured we better save a bit for later.

We first headed towards the mountain to our right to climb the rocks with crashing waves. Craig being a photographer made sure to get some great pics (along with great video production; check YouTube and his blog craigthiessen.blogspot.com). Vanessa showed us how she could keep up with the big boys as we climbed some interestingly shaped rocks with somewhat difficult angles to get to what we initially thought to be a sea cave. It wasn't.

With nothing else to really explore on that side of the beach, Craig pointed at the other side and declared that we "climb straight up". Yea, lol, so it was an ambitious proposal but none of us objected and headed that way. When we approached we began to see that there was no real easy way (aka marked trail!) to get to the top, but we were up to the challenge. We get up 50 feet rather easily, and then we were slowed down by what I call "marshmallow bushes". Craig on his blog says "mushroom mountain", however I prefer marshmallows because I love s'mores and had my 5th one that morning (yummy!). So we were struggling. Jason didn't have a long sleeve shirt on like the rest of us and was really getting itchy from rubbing up against all the bushes. Wow, this trek was ridiculous! What were we thinking?? I have no idea but amidst all our struggles we were just laughing histarically. I was being my usual goofy self and pretending to be playing Mario Bros. by bouncing on the bushes up the mountain haha. Jason and I got competetive and started to race to the top...haha dumb idea I don't know how we didn't break our legs our our ankles with the fact that we couldn't see where we were stepping. Really dumb, but wow it was fun. With sweat dripping and hearts beating rapidly, we finally made it to the top.

Turning around to see the view was unforgettable. All four of us just found a spot to sit (which was kind of difficult so we had to spread out) and we sat there basking in the beautiful panoramic wonder for at least 15 minutes it seemed. Wow! I was so lifting up His name on high and I never felt so aware of God's power and might. Then suddenly Jason and I look down a ways and see three black leopard cats walking along the mountainside! I didn't get my camera out in time though...

After we had memorized the view, we headed back down to the beach only to be welcomed by this local woman who seemed to be the beach's caretaker. She started pointing at us and talking in Cantonese. I was the only one who had any idea what she was trying to say and luckily what she said was something I could understand: "Put your things here!" She was wanting us to clean up the mess that we left on the sand and put it in the brush. So we did! As we packed up and cleaned up, we all decided to head back to Sai Kung for lunch. We were pretty beat and decided to take a taxi back. However, we still had to hike up the most dreadful flight of stairs you will ever come across. Leading the way, I tried to run up them and get it over with but it was impossible to run up these stairs no matter how hard I tried. When we approached the flat part of the trail, we passed by 30 or so workers who were carrying various supplies that I guess were for the Rehab center that was behind our campsite. That druggie haven was the only building site in the area and so we were kind of nervous about some druggie coming out at night haha.

The taxi we took cost only 60 HK and got us to our destination in only 12 minutes! Next time we will definitely be taking a taxi there because hiking there was quite a long ways. When we arrived to Sai Kung we started looking for a good place to eat. After saying no to all the expensive seafood restaurants along the coast, we decided to look up for something cheaper and better on openrice.com. I love that website and I love the fact that I have internet on my phone! Craig chose a Vietnamese restaurant on Fuk Man Road, lol. Well this place was very tiny but had exactly the type of atmosphere we were wanting: small, comfy, no people, cheap, and a good menu with English. Yes, it was perfect! After the vietnamese sausage pho noodle soup and rice noodle rolls with mango and fried crab we went out to look for dantaat (egg tart). So Craig is a bit addicted to this stuff and luckily there was a bakery just next door. This day was just going really smoothly and so we got on the bus and all took wonderful naps on the long bus ride back to Choi Hung MTR.

This ended our adventure and I am now ready to start my next adventure: backpacking in Kunming, Dali, and Lijiang. Stay tuned.... Happy Chinese New Year! 新年快乐！

Lion's Peak

2010-02-01T11:26:00.001-05:00

Meet Craig Thiessen. Follow his blog @ craigthiessen.blogspot.com

Spring Semester: Revival

2010-01-13T01:07:00.006-05:00

First I just want to sincerely apologize to everyone and I'm mad at myself for not posting any posts recently. Especially with all of the great things that have been going on in my life. I'm happy to be back and have the next hour and a half to spill out some of what's going on in my heart-mind 心 and just reflect on all of the many blessings bestowed upon me from the previous semester.

Last semester was a long, tiring, yet extremely satisfying semester. I just learned so much! From how to get a China Visa, how to get myself around this crazy city confidently, my progression in Chinese language and practicing in daily life, singing karaoke with locals, eating Chinese dessert in Kowloon City, hiking Lion's Peak, seeing luxurious casino's in Macau, speaking Mandarin and eating traditional Chinese style dinners in Shenzhen, or even trekking the villages of remote areas surrounding Guilin. My first semester has been so full of wonderful memories and I am so thankful for the experiences because they've helped me achieve a better sense of independence and traveling internationally. Gosh I just can't begin to type all that I've learned you will just have to sit down and have a conversation with me sometime!

My outlook on life is much different here. I know how it feels to be secluded and not fit in. Cantonese is a difficult language and I've been embarrassed quite a few times trying to speak with locals and them giving me funny faces and saying things about me that can bring me down. I've had some tough days when I wake up and realize that I have a roommate whom I'm not friends with and no mom or dad to give me a hug or take care of me. Yes, the truth is I'm still only 19. So besides the fact that I am having the time of my life, the time I'm at in my life is that of tough transition to adulthood. Thanks be to God for his omnipresence and great faithfulness! That's right, through the good and the bad - happy and sad - my Father God has been pouring out his love, showing me his grace, leading me in the right direction, enlightening me with his wisdom, and teaching me through his Son Jesus.

My encouragement definitely mostly came from KIBC and Andy Rose. I just want to make sure and mention them in this reflection because there's no denying the role they played in my life this past semester. So I really was too addicted to studying Chinese in my room! If it wasn't for Andy and his great friendship to me, I probably wouldn't be as social as I have been now. Chinese really takes up a lot of my time, and although I'm convinced I need to be hitting the books and progressing in the difficult language, I am reminded of how important it is for me to build upon relationships started here with the exchange students. Thanks Andy, you're a true brother and I will look forward to the day we cross paths again.

It has really been a revival for me the past week. On December 29th, right after a somber first Christmas without family, my wonderful Mom came to Hong Kong. It was so good to see her! It was her first time to come overseas and what an exciting experience for us both in the 10 days we had together here. Just giving her a hug and telling her face to face about my experiences and sharing with her how I've changed was incredibly necessary. No offense to Skype because it really is awesome, but it just doesn't match up with sitting down in Pacific Coffee shop for however long with nowhere to be and just having an endless open heart conversation with her. Her encouragement and love has helped reignite me for the next few months.

Though it was a somber goodbye on January 8th after a full nights stay in the 1 star hotel named Hong Kong International Airport, I really didn't want to do what I wanted to do and cry. I truly felt that at that moment when she was walking away to fly back to the other side of the world leaving me alone, that I was no longer a goofy kid like I thought I was. Scary as it may still sound, I'm kind of an adult. Wow, that's difficult to type let alone say! But with that being said, I did everything in my power to hold the tears and not forget about why I'm here. The hour bus ride back to Kowloon Tong was unforgettable. My mind was racing with just my life's direction, my purpose, and just all kinds of related questions I wanted to know.

I'm at peace. Big questions can really stir us up when we look at our past and wake up to the present. Sure, God has shown me numerous times how divine he is and how he remarkably works things out for the good of those who love him. This truth that I have found and my trust in God for direction has without a doubt made me stop, close my eyes and pray a prayer of deep love and adoration for him blessing me with the opportunity to have life and his great love compels me to live it to the fullest by giving him ALL the glory. Thank you mom, for helping prepare me for this next semester. You helped me more than you realize.

Living is simple. How we, as humans, choose to live is what makes things complicated. As for me, I'm choosing each day to get up thankful and take hold of the precious gift of live. So in order to take hold of life, I feel that the best way is to help encourage others to do the same. Therefore, I felt God calling me to intentionally reach out to the new exchange students coming here this semester. Boy has it been a blessing! I've tried earnestly to help them with all of their questions about living here seeing as they are clueless as I was when I arrived in August. It has been so fun! I've made some great new friends and being able to just share Christ's love with them through acts of kindness has really helped me start off this semester strong.

And I have much to look forward to. Craig from Memphis, Tennessee; Jason from Los Angeles, California; Vanessa from Louisville, Kentucky; Alan Cheung from New York City, NY; Katie Sanders from Baylor University. These are just a few of the new friends that I've made. Yes, I know they are all American! Well I didn't have really any American friends last semester but for some reason there is a larger ratio of Americans in the program and we've all connected. I've taken them out to Kowloon City for 糖水 (sugar water!) also known as Chinese traditional dessert. I've been giving them a unique cultural experience in local areas because of my ability to speak some Cantonese. It always gets the locals' attention when they see a gwai lo (foreigner) speak Chinese. Especially when it's Cantonese, because it's so local and unique. Although I'm very limited, I really have enjoyed progressing and knowing enough to get a 10% discount for all of them! Jason, a handsome African-American, got his dessert for free because the waitress thought he was Tiger Woods! hahaha.

Jason and Craig have been my closest friends so far. Craig is half Korean and they both know the Lord so I'm excited about hanging out with them and just enjoying freedom in Christ with them as brothers. And we are definitely going to get to know each other very well! They both have decided to join me on my hiking trip to Tiger Leaping Gorge (虎跳峡). Yes, we will be having the adventure of a lifetime together in our 10-day hiking endeavor to Lijiang, Yunnan. This is without a doubt the most beautiful hiking trail in all of China. I'm so pumped! My dad is considering coming as well and I pray earnestly that he can make it happen, but it may not work out understandably so.

We will arrive in Kunming 昆明 on February 11 and then take an overnight bus to Dali. There in Dali 大理 we will be celebrating the Chinese New Year with the Chinese minority groups residing there. With my recent studies in the 56 民族 (ethnic minorities) living in China, 26 being in Yunnan, I have really been looking forward to doing some research and experiencing their lifestyles. I find the Naxi 纳西 music and the Miao 苗 dialect and other special characteristics of these groups extremely interesting. If I could begin researching them at age 19 then I feel like by the time I'm 30 I could have a book written about them hopefully. After Dali, we will head to the even more remote city known as Lijiang 丽江 which is home of the wondrous Tiger Leaping Gorge. This hike will take 3-4 days. I don't intend on rushing through it either. According to hikers' reviews, this is not a hike that you want to rush through hastily because the beauty leaves you stopping in awe as you gaze at the glorious peaks and sparking Yangzi River. Don't believe me? Check out this link: http://chinabackpacker.info/dest/d35.html

Holy Bible and Southwest China Lonely Planet Hiker's Manual in hand, the three of us will be anxiously venturing to one goal: Tiger Leaping Gorge. I'm sick to my stomach thinking about how beautiful it will be to see in person. Oh yea, and Craig's a photographer and has an awesome camera so be looking forward to wonderful pics that I will post on here. Once again, sorry it's been a while and hope that everyone reading this knows how thankful I am to know that you care about what's going on in my life. Please leave me a comment so that I can know who to thank in response.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-23T03:58:00.000-05:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Epic Shower

2009-12-21T21:44:00.001-05:00

Wow. This is the funniest thing I have ever seen in my life. If this doesn't make you laugh I don't know what will.

Christmas: Different Place, Same Meaning

2009-12-21T05:30:00.006-05:00

I will never forget the great excitement I had for Christmas as a young boy. From the count down of our family's Christmas calendar from December 1st to 25th, to making a Christmas list, to singing Christmas carols, seeing all of the beautiful red poinsettias, and praying for the season's first snow. And that's just the beginning part of December. As Christmas eve would finally come, my sister and I would always build a fort and have the hardest time falling asleep knowing that Mom and Dad were putting presents under the Christmas tree. I could smell dad making the chocolate chip cookies for Santa and could hear mom playing that beautiful Celine Dion Christmas CD (which I have memorized by now and recently gave her Josh Groban's new Noel album so that I could hear something different!). Our spirits were so alive and the joy of the season put smiles on all our faces.

Christmas morning finally comes after a anxious, yet still peaceful night's sleep. The song "O Night Divine" really matches up with every Christmas Eve I've experienced with my family. God truly sends his spirit upon our family as we try to not forget that true meaning of Christmas where God sent his Son Jesus to save all of mankind on that Holy Night in Bethlehem. Each year we would wake up and see the presents under the Christmas tree. We wouldn't be aloud to come into the living room until mom and dad told us we could. I admit as a child I was always so excited about knowing what was in that big present that mom and dad always saved for opening last. The stockings were always a surprise even though I never was as excited to open them. With the camera recording from the tripod in the corner of the room, I was always the goofy one of the family. I thought I was so funny and tried to make everyone laugh by saying random things. Unfortunately, this childhood habit still has not left me today.

What does Christmas mean to me now? Well, I'm sitting here listening to Josh Groban and Celine Dion. My hands are freezing as I try and type this because I don't have any heat in this room. Tears are wanting to come down my face when I think about all of the wonderful memories of Christmas in my old Kentucky home. All right, I can't hold it in any longer. I'm crying because my family means that much to me. You never really know how much something means to you until you don't have it. Christmas means so much to me. Our busy lives really get distracted from the big picture which God paints so beautifully for us each day. Let this be our prayer when we lose our way: Lead us to a place, guide us with your grace, to a place where we'll be saved. This place where we are saved is found at the baby manger in hay where the baby Jesus was born. Give us faith so we can be saved by this heavenly child named Jesus.

Christ is alive in me and for that I celebrate this Christmas. Though it's quite a strain on my heart to celebrate without my loving family and to see their beautiful smiles, I don't want my sorrows to overshadow the truth of Christmas: our Savior was born. For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that if I would believe in him I would not perish, but have everlasting life. Because of this baby Jesus coming to this world, I am saved. How can I keep myself from celebrating his birth this Christmas season? Why should I dwell on the bad? I am so blessed to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. His love has no bounds, and for that I too shall not be bounded by any selfish desires that may be keeping me from celebrating joyfully this Christmas.

May this Christmas be the merriest for each and every one of you. Being on the other side of the world in one of the most stressful cities on our planet, I can assure you it is easy to choose to not be merry. May you not let yourself miss out on the best time of year and brush off any hindrances. Because unto us a child is born, the best present of eternal life has your name on it from God the Father. Will you be excited and open it up? Do you have the faith to believe that the hope of the world is inside? If you've already opened up God's gift, may you open up your heart and share the hope you've found this Christmas.

The Great John Wall

2009-12-13T14:10:00.011-05:00

I knew I was going to regret missing out on this season of UK basketball. I've managed to keep up with every ounce of news online, however - including live streaming of the games thanks to justin.tv/funchester. You know only a true blue fan would stay up until 4 in the morning watching the Cats play Indiana on a Saturday night. I'm proud to represent this unbelievable program on the other side of the world and it's been fun watching us be so successful.

John Calipari is a good coach. Sure, he has shown to be a better recruiter than coach as of late. But give the man some credit because he sure does know how to get the one and dones on the right track! Demarcus Cousins, Daniel Orton, Eric Bledsoe, and John Wall have all shown their great will to win. Yet, at the same time, they have shown their inexperience as well. That being said, Coach Cal has done a marvelous job of making sure these highly talented players learn how to execute and make every play count. 10-0 is not easy to do, especially with all the hype and pressure coming from our fanbase. Nevertheless, Patrick Patterson and Ramon Harris have stepped up and lead this team with their impeccable execution each game.

I mention Ramon Harris and Patrick Patterson because they are the ones crashing the boards, calling the plays, and just making sure that these younger players' heads are in the game. Ramon may not be averaging a double-double as Patrick, but he sure is being vocal and being a mature basketball player for us.

Having said all those great things about our two seniors (let's just call Patrick a senior because he's graduating this year), lets not dilute the amazing show put on by our highly ranked recruits. This truly is arguably one of the best recruiting classes in the history of the sport. Eric Bledsoe could easily be starting elsewhere and has been humble enough to give up his role as point guard to the superiorly gifted John Wall. With 23 pts verse Indiana, he has shown that he has the abiliity to adjust and excell as a shooting guard as well - even while still recovering from an ankle injury. Although he has made quite a few freshman mistakes, he has a high basketball IQ and it will be wonderful seeing him develop each game and be a great starting point guard for us next season (assuming he doesn't go pro). On a side note, does anyone else think Eric resembles with Tony Delk? Speaking of Tony Delk, my all-time favorite Wildcat, why didn't he get a spot on our coaching staff? Oh well, former NBA star point guard Rod Strickland has shown to be a great teacher for our future NBA star point guard John Wall.

My best friend Jessica and I have decided to give John Wall the nickname, "The Great Wall" 长城（chang2cheng2). Jessica gave him this nickname because she is actually a student in Beijing and so it seemed rather appropriate. Jessica, better known as Li(3) Meng(2) Chi(2) 李梦驰，has become quite the Kentucky Basketball fan. Being from Guangzhou in southern China, she has always enjoyed watching the China Basketball Association (CBA). She laughed and told me how everyone thinks it's boring to watch CBA because they aren't nearly as athletic as NBA players. But she doesn't watch CBA to be entertained with dunks, she really understands the object of the game and enjoys seeing it played fundamentally. Chinese basketball hires western coaches to help Chinese athletes learn the fundamentals of the game and so they have a much different playing style because of the cultural background difference.

Anyways, I have really enjoyed watching the games online with Jessica. She teaches me how to basketball terminology in Chinese, and I do the same for her in English. As a lover of the game of basketball, she never really knew someone like myself could be so prideful for a certain team. My love for UK basketball is obviously contagious because she has asked for a Wildcat mascot stuffed animal for Christmas. I'm excited and hope this contagious fanhood will ripple effect into her peers back in Beijing! I find it suiting for Chinese to become UK fans because John Calipari has recently traveled to China and John Wall's nickname is ironically suitable for the nickname "The Great Wall".

Let me revert back to our great roster and boast about John Wall a bit. This 6-4, 195lbs. "diaper dandy" is only just a month or so older than myself. If only I could be as talented as he! It has always been a dream of mine since I was a kid to play basketball for Kentucky, but seeing this phenomenal athlete perform boggles me. And I'm not alone - even dukey Jay Bilas agrees that this Cat deserves to be the #1 pick in the NBA draft. Averaging 18.1 ppg and 7.1 apg, he has been the ultimate definition of point guard for our team. Sure, the first couple games he was a little hesitant in calling plays and making some turnovers. But that didn't keep him from making the highlight reel with a game-winning shot to save us from losing to Miami of Ohio! He is something special and as a UK fan I am honored to say that he put on our jersey even if for one season.

Which makes me wonder...with our new coaches, new offense, new transfers, new freshman, and new atmosphere it would seem that Kentucky can only get better than what level they have already scaled up to these first 10 games. Each game has brought our young team more experience, and with their unbelievable talent more confidence. Could you see the confidence shown by all verse Indiana? You would have to be silly to not take notice of Patrick Patterson shooting the long range jumper like he was Reggie Miller. And then to have the trust in his big men Cousins and Orton down low says even more about the confidence our players have in their ability to take over. With this confidence, I will be hoping and praying that we can hone in on the prize of that 8th national title. We all know it's possible. Calipari knows it can be done (as long as they don't fluke like Memphis did verse Kansas). Patrick Patterson stayed another year because he wanted to be in the NCAA tournament, so he's hungrier than ever. And John Wall wants to prove that he should be up there with Carmelo Anthony as a freshman able to lead a college team all the way and then head to the NBA in style.

Most of all, UK fans believe it can happen. The Gillespie era is a thing of the past, it's a new era - Calipari's era. He has instilled quite a bit of hope in the Commonwealth and reignited our pursuit for that title (and 2,000 wins - we beat the Tar Heels!). Rupp would certainly be proud - and no matter what happens, I will always be proud to bleed blue.

Remarks of President Barack Obama: Acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize

2009-12-10T12:40:00.004-05:00

Remarks of President Barack Obama: Acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highnesses, Distinguished Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, citizens of America, and citizens of the world:

I receive this honor with deep gratitude and great humility. It is an award that speaks to our highest aspirations — that for all the cruelty and hardship of our world, we are not mere prisoners of fate. Our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice.(See photos of eight months of Obama's diplomacy.)

And yet I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the considerable controversy that your generous decision has generated. In part, this is because I am at the beginning, and not the end, of my labors on the world stage. Compared to some of the giants of history who have received this prize — Schweitzer and King; Marshall and Mandela — my accomplishments are slight. And then there are the men and women around the world who have been jailed and beaten in the pursuit of justice; those who toil in humanitarian organizations to relieve suffering; the unrecognized millions whose quiet acts of courage and compassion inspire even the most hardened of cynics. I cannot argue with those who find these men and women — some known, some obscure to all but those they help — to be far more deserving of this honor than I. He doesn't hide issues and really knows how to approach these issues very well. One of the best diplomats in my opinion.

But perhaps the most profound issue surrounding my receipt of this prize is the fact that I am the Commander-in-Chief of a nation in the midst of two wars. One of these wars is winding down. The other is a conflict that America did not seek; one in which we are joined by forty-three other countries — including Norway — in an effort to defend ourselves and all nations from further attacks.(See pictures from Obama's West Point speech.)

Still, we are at war, and I am responsible for the deployment of thousands of young Americans to battle in a distant land. Some will kill. Some will be killed. And so I come here with an acute sense of the cost of armed conflict — filled with difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace, and our effort to replace one with the other.

These questions are not new. War, in one form or another, appeared with the first man. At the dawn of history, its morality was not questioned; it was simply a fact, like drought or disease — the manner in which tribes and then civilizations sought power and settled their differences.(See video: "Obama's War.")

Over time, as codes of law sought to control violence within groups, so did philosophers, clerics, and statesmen seek to regulate the destructive power of war. The concept of a "just war" emerged, suggesting that war is justified only when it meets certain preconditions: if it is waged as a last resort or in self-defense; if the forced used is proportional, and if, whenever possible, civilians are spared from violence. Have you ever read the verses right after John 3:16? Jesus says to Nicodemus thereafter in John 3:19-21, "This is the verdict. Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light cause their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God." There is no war just as there is no denying darkness. Chinese Philosophers argue on the human natures original state. Master Xun is the only Confucianist to admit that we are born sinners. It's true, we are all battling against evil - will we go on fighting for justice? God is light and therefore is the only just character to come in and justify this dark world. May our country fight in the name of God, our Supreme Judge, by loving our enemies in hopes of bringing them God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. I love the Mohists idea of war. They were non-aggressive and were the enemy of the Confucianists. They practiced 兼爱, which is agape love. They would use self-defense fighting techniques and would allow the enemy to kill them instead of killing them. All for the promotion of their belief in universal love. Now, why can't we be the same way about the Gospel? Let us put on the armor of God and yield the sword of truth found in God's Word as we shine the light of the world and bring sight to the blind.

For most of history, this concept of just war was rarely observed. The capacity of human beings to think up new ways to kill one another proved inexhaustible, as did our capacity to exempt from mercy those who look different or pray to a different God. Wars between armies gave way to wars between nations — total wars in which the distinction between combatant and civilian became blurred. In the span of thirty years, such carnage would twice engulf this continent. And while it is hard to conceive of a cause more just than the defeat of the Third Reich and the Axis powers, World War II was a conflict in which the total number of civilians who died exceeded the number of soldiers who perished. "Doing Good to all" Apostle Paul says in Galatians 6:7-10, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

In the wake of such destruction, and with the advent of the nuclear age, it became clear to victor and vanquished alike that the world needed institutions to prevent another World War. And so, a quarter century after the United States Senate rejected the League of Nations — an idea for which Woodrow Wilson received this Prize — America led the world in constructing an architecture to keep the peace: a Marshall Plan and a United Nations, mechanisms to govern the waging of war, treaties to protect human rights, prevent genocide, and restrict the most dangerous weapons.

In many ways, these efforts succeeded. Yes, terrible wars have been fought, and atrocities committed. But there has been no Third World War. The Cold War ended with jubilant crowds dismantling a wall. Commerce has stitched much of the world together. Billions have been lifted from poverty. The ideals of liberty, self-determination, equality and the rule of law have haltingly advanced. We are the heirs of the fortitude and foresight of generations past, and it is a legacy for which my own country is rightfully proud.

A decade into a new century, this old architecture is buckling under the weight of new threats. The world may no longer shudder at the prospect of war between two nuclear superpowers, but proliferation may increase the risk of catastrophe. Terrorism has long been a tactic, but modern technology allows a few small men with outsized rage to murder innocents on a horrific scale.

Moreover, wars between nations have increasingly given way to wars within nations. The resurgence of ethnic or sectarian conflicts; the growth of secessionist movements, insurgencies, and failed states; have increasingly trapped civilians in unending chaos. In today's wars, many more civilians are killed than soldiers; the seeds of future conflict are sewn, economies are wrecked, civil societies torn asunder, refugees amassed, and children scarred.(See pictures of people around the world watching Obama's Inauguration.)

I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war. What I do know is that meeting these challenges will require the same vision, hard work, and persistence of those men and women who acted so boldly decades ago. And it will require us to think in new ways about the notions of just war and the imperatives of a just peace.

We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth that we will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations — acting individually or in concert — will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.(See an interactive guide to the first 100 days of Obama's presidency.)

I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King said in this same ceremony years ago — "Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones." As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of Dr. King's life's work, I am living testimony to the moral force of non-violence. I know there is nothing weak —nothing passive — nothing naÏve — in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King. NOT PEACE BUT DIVISION. In Luke 12:49-51 Jesus says, "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division." This is controversial, but if you keep reading, Jesus goes on to say in verse 56, "Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is it that you don't know how to interpret this present time?" Though this may come across surprisingly harsh, it's a reminder of the fact that earth is not heaven. Though we may promote peace, it will not be met. We must promote heaven - then with our personal relationship to God the Father of heaven and earth through his saving grace found in Jesus, we can achieve eternal peace.

But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: evil does exist in the world. A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force is sometimes necessary is not a call to cynicism — it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.

I raise this point because in many countries there is a deep ambivalence about military action today, no matter the cause. At times, this is joined by a reflexive suspicion of America, the world's sole military superpower.

Yet the world must remember that it was not simply international institutions — not just treaties and declarations — that brought stability to a post-World War II world. Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this: the United States of America has helped underwrite global security for more than six decades with the blood of our citizens and the strength of our arms. The service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform has promoted peace and prosperity from Germany to Korea, and enabled democracy to take hold in places like the Balkans. We have borne this burden not because we seek to impose our will. We have done so out of enlightened self-interest — because we seek a better future for our children and grandchildren, and we believe that their lives will be better if other peoples' children and grandchildren can live in freedom and prosperity.(See pictures of Barack Obama's nation of hope.)

So yes, the instruments of war do have a role to play in preserving the peace. And yet this truth must coexist with another — that no matter how justified, war promises human tragedy. The soldier's courage and sacrifice is full of glory, expressing devotion to country, to cause and to comrades in arms. But war itself is never glorious, and we must never trumpet it as such.

So part of our challenge is reconciling these two seemingly irreconcilable truths — that war is sometimes necessary, and war is at some level an expression of human feelings. Concretely, we must direct our effort to the task that President Kennedy called for long ago. "Let us focus," he said, "on a more practical, more attainable peace, based not on a sudden revolution in human nature but on a gradual evolution in human institutions."

What might this evolution look like? What might these practical steps be?

To begin with, I believe that all nations — strong and weak alike — must adhere to standards that govern the use of force. I — like any head of state — reserve the right to act unilaterally if necessary to defend my nation. Nevertheless, I am convinced that adhering to standards strengthens those who do, and isolates — and weakens — those who don't.(See pictures of Barack Obama's nation of hope.)

The world rallied around America after the 9/11 attacks, and continues to support our efforts in Afghanistan, because of the horror of those senseless attacks and the recognized principle of self-defense. Likewise, the world recognized the need to confront Saddam Hussein when he invaded Kuwait — a consensus that sent a clear message to all about the cost of aggression.

Furthermore, America cannot insist that others follow the rules of the road if we refuse to follow them ourselves. For when we don't, our action can appear arbitrary, and undercut the legitimacy of future intervention — no matter how justified.(See pictures of Barack Obama on Flickr.)

This becomes particularly important when the purpose of military action extends beyond self defense or the defense of one nation against an aggressor. More and more, we all confront difficult questions about how to prevent the slaughter of civilians by their own government, or to stop a civil war whose violence and suffering can engulf an entire region.

I believe that force can be justified on humanitarian grounds, as it was in the Balkans, or in other places that have been scarred by war. Inaction tears at our conscience and can lead to more costly intervention later. That is why all responsible nations must embrace the role that militaries with a clear mandate can play to keep the peace.

America's commitment to global security will never waiver. But in a world in which threats are more diffuse, and missions more complex, America cannot act alone. This is true in Afghanistan. This is true in failed states like Somalia, where terrorism and piracy is joined by famine and human suffering. And sadly, it will continue to be true in unstable regions for years to come.(See video: "Obama's War.")

The leaders and soldiers of NATO countries — and other friends and allies — demonstrate this truth through the capacity and courage they have shown in Afghanistan. But in many countries, there is a disconnect between the efforts of those who serve and the ambivalence of the broader public. I understand why war is not popular. But I also know this: the belief that peace is desirable is rarely enough to achieve it. Peace requires responsibility. Peace entails sacrifice. That is why NATO continues to be indispensable. That is why we must strengthen UN and regional peacekeeping, and not leave the task to a few countries. That is why we honor those who return home from peacekeeping and training abroad to Oslo and Rome; to Ottawa and Sydney; to Dhaka and Kigali — we honor them not as makers of war, but as wagers of peace.

Let me make one final point about the use of force. Even as we make difficult decisions about going to war, we must also think clearly about how we fight it. The Nobel Committee recognized this truth in awarding its first prize for peace to Henry Dunant — the founder of the Red Cross, and a driving force behind the Geneva Conventions.

Where force is necessary, we have a moral and strategic interest in binding ourselves to certain rules of conduct. And even as we confront a vicious adversary that abides by no rules, I believe that the United States of America must remain a standard bearer in the conduct of war. That is what makes us different from those whom we fight. That is a source of our strength. That is why I prohibited torture. That is why I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed. And that is why I have reaffirmed America's commitment to abide by the Geneva Conventions. We lose ourselves when we compromise the very ideals that we fight to defend. And we honor those ideals by upholding them not just when it is easy, but when it is hard.

I have spoken to the questions that must weigh on our minds and our hearts as we choose to wage war. But let me turn now to our effort to avoid such tragic choices, and speak of three ways that we can build a just and lasting peace.

First, in dealing with those nations that break rules and laws, I believe that we must develop alternatives to violence that are tough enough to change behavior — for if we want a lasting peace, then the words of the international community must mean something. Those regimes that break the rules must be held accountable. Sanctions must exact a real price. Intransigence must be met with increased pressure — and such pressure exists only when the world stands together as one.(See pictures of Barack Obama's nation of hope.)

One urgent example is the effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons, and to seek a world without them. In the middle of the last century, nations agreed to be bound by a treaty whose bargain is clear: all will have access to peaceful nuclear power; those without nuclear weapons will forsake them; and those with nuclear weapons will work toward disarmament. I am committed to upholding this treaty. It is a centerpiece of my foreign policy. And I am working with President Medvedev to reduce America and Russia's nuclear stockpiles.

But it is also incumbent upon all of us to insist that nations like Iran and North Korea do not game the system. Those who claim to respect international law cannot avert their eyes when those laws are flouted. Those who care for their own security cannot ignore the danger of an arms race in the Middle East or East Asia. Those who seek peace cannot stand idly by as nations arm themselves for nuclear war.(See pictures from Obama's West Point speech.)

The same principle applies to those who violate international law by brutalizing their own people. When there is genocide in Darfur; systematic rape in Congo; or repression in Burma — there must be consequences. And the closer we stand together, the less likely we will be faced with the choice between armed intervention and complicity in oppression.

This brings me to a second point — the nature of the peace that we seek. For peace is not merely the absence of visible conflict. Only a just peace based upon the inherent rights and dignity of every individual can truly be lasting. Obama, is the peace you are talking about everlasting? Can the United States really dictate/orchestrate everlasting world peace? I see why we have to restrain ourselves in keeping God out of the picture, but how can we promote peace without bringing up the Author of Peace? Our founding fathers were not the authors of peace, but rather the transmitters. Confucius proclaims this as well in his Analects. He says that he is not the Creator of 仁 human cultivation and 义 righteousness, but rather transmitting in accordance to ancient traditions and rituals for promoting greater learnings. However, Confucius is unaware of the Creator. He knows 命 or fate, but his spectacular philosophies haven't come to grips with God's purpose for mankind - to share His love to all. I feel that Master Mozi, his first opponent, better understood this truth of a greater love that has authority over us. God wants us all to realize that he first loved us enough to create us, let us choose (and make the mistakes), and then epically send as a Savior through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. It's a beautiful story that all should come to grips with.

It was this insight that drove drafters of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights after the Second World War. In the wake of devastation, they recognized that if human rights are not protected, peace is a hollow promise.

And yet all too often, these words are ignored. In some countries, the failure to uphold human rights is excused by the false suggestion that these are Western principles, foreign to local cultures or stages of a nation's development. And within America, there has long been a tension between those who describe themselves as realists or idealists — a tension that suggests a stark choice between the narrow pursuit of interests or an endless campaign to impose our values.

I reject this choice. I believe that peace is unstable where citizens are denied the right to speak freely or worship as they please; choose their own leaders or assemble without fear. Pent up grievances fester, and the suppression of tribal and religious identity can lead to violence. We also know that the opposite is true. Only when Europe became free did it finally find peace. America has never fought a war against a democracy, and our closest friends are governments that protect the rights of their citizens. No matter how callously defined, neither America's interests — nor the world's — are served by the denial of human aspirations.

So even as we respect the unique culture and traditions of different countries, America will always be a voice for those aspirations that are universal. We will bear witness to the quiet dignity of reformers like Aung Sang Suu Kyi; to the bravery of Zimbabweans who cast their ballots in the face of beatings; to the hundreds of thousands who have marched silently through the streets of Iran. It is telling that the leaders of these governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation. And it is the responsibility of all free people and free nations to make clear to these movements that hope and history are on their side.

Let me also say this: the promotion of human rights cannot be about exhortation alone. At times, it must be coupled with painstaking diplomacy. I know that engagement with repressive regimes lacks the satisfying purity of indignation. But I also know that sanctions without outreach — and condemnation without discussion — can carry forward a crippling status quo. No repressive regime can move down a new path unless it has the choice of an open door.

In light of the Cultural Revolution's horrors, Nixon's meeting with Mao appeared inexcusable — and yet it surely helped set China on a path where millions of its citizens have been lifted from poverty, and connected to open societies. Pope John Paul's engagement with Poland created space not just for the Catholic Church, but for labor leaders like Lech Walesa. Ronald Reagan's efforts on arms control and embrace of perestroika not only improved relations with the Soviet Union, but empowered dissidents throughout Eastern Europe. There is no simple formula here. But we must try as best we can to balance isolation and engagement; pressure and incentives, so that human rights and dignity are advanced over time.(See pictures "Fun with Photoshop: Obama's Other Awards.")

Third, a just peace includes not only civil and political rights — it must encompass economic security and opportunity. For true peace is not just freedom from fear, but freedom from want.

It is undoubtedly true that development rarely takes root without security; it is also true that security does not exist where human beings do not have access to enough food, or clean water, or the medicine they need to survive. It does not exist where children cannot aspire to a decent education or a job that supports a family. The absence of hope can rot a society from within.(See pictures from Obama's first state dinner.) Hmm...10% unemployed. Whatever decisions are going to be made better be allowing businesses to not feel reluctant to invest and hire people so that people will be getting jobs. Layoffs aren't a big enough part of that percentage to make us think that Obama's administration hasn't made any wrong moves with the repairing of our nation's economy. This distribution of wealth idea hasn't brought much peace. And I don't think China is going to comply with G2's proposals on leading the world in it's hopes of becoming more green when they are so focused on continuing their development process which includes huge urbanizations. A rather impossible feet to be wasting money on right now in my opinion.

And that is why helping farmers feed their own people — or nations educate their children and care for the sick — is not mere charity. It is also why the world must come together to confront climate change. There is little scientific dispute that if we do nothing, we will face more drought, famine and mass displacement that will fuel more conflict for decades. For this reason, it is not merely scientists and activists who call for swift and forceful action — it is military leaders in my country and others who understand that our common security hangs in the balance.

Agreements among nations. Strong institutions. Support for human rights. Investments in development. All of these are vital ingredients in bringing about the evolution that President Kennedy spoke about. And yet, I do not believe that we will have the will, or the staying power, to complete this work without something more — and that is the continued expansion of our moral imagination; an insistence that there is something irreducible that we all share.

As the world grows smaller, you might think it would be easier for human beings to recognize how similar we are; to understand that we all basically want the same things; that we all hope for the chance to live out our lives with some measure of happiness and fulfillment for ourselves and our families. Nice! Clever comparison in finding a correlation between our now "flat world" and finding "common ground" on morality.

And yet, given the dizzying pace of globalization, and the cultural leveling of modernity, it should come as no surprise that people fear the loss of what they cherish about their particular identities — their race, their tribe, and perhaps most powerfully their religion. In some places, this fear has led to conflict. At times, it even feels like we are moving backwards. We see it in Middle East, as the conflict between Arabs and Jews seems to harden. We see it in nations that are torn asunder by tribal lines.

Most dangerously, we see it in the way that religion is used to justify the murder of innocents by those who have distorted and defiled the great religion of Islam, and who attacked my country from Afghanistan. These extremists are not the first to kill in the name of God; the cruelties of the Crusades are amply recorded. But they remind us that no Holy War can ever be a just war. For if you truly believe that you are carrying out divine will, then there is no need for restraint — no need to spare the pregnant mother, or the medic, or even a person of one's own faith. Such a warped view of religion is not just incompatible with the concept of peace, but the purpose of faith — for the one rule that lies at the heart of every major religion is that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Jesus' Sorrow for Jerusalem: Jesus says to the Pharisees in Luke 13:34-35, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! Look, your house is left to you desolate." If only people, even those proclaiming in the name of God, would all look into the mirror and submit to God and quit arguing. Jesus says in Luke 17:22, "The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the Kingdom of God is within you." God doesn't put us in groups - he looks at each one of us individually and therefore it is not a religion but a relationship. When you make it a religion you get caught up in dispute and miss out on the good stuff.

Adhering to this law of love has always been the core struggle of human nature. We are fallible. We make mistakes, and fall victim to the temptations of pride, and power, and sometimes evil. Even those of us with the best intentions will at times fail to right the wrongs before us.

But we do not have to think that human nature is perfect for us to still believe that the human condition can be perfected. We do not have to live in an idealized world to still reach for those ideals that will make it a better place. The non-violence practiced by men like Gandhi and King may not have been practical or possible in every circumstance, but the love that they preached — their faith in human progress — must always be the North Star that guides us on our journey.

For if we lose that faith — if we dismiss it as silly or naÏve; if we divorce it from the decisions that we make on issues of war and peace — then we lose what is best about humanity. We lose our sense of possibility. We lose our moral compass.(See video: "Obama's War.")

Like generations have before us, we must reject that future. As Dr. King said at this occasion so many years ago, "I refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. I refuse to accept the idea that the 'isness' of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal 'oughtness' that forever confronts him."

So let us reach for the world that ought to be — that spark of the divine that still stirs within each of our souls. Somewhere today, in the here and now, a soldier sees he's outgunned but stands firm to keep the peace. Somewhere today, in this world, a young protestor awaits the brutality of her government, but has the courage to march on. Somewhere today, a mother facing punishing poverty still takes the time to teach her child, who believes that a cruel world still has a place for his dreams.(See pictures of people around the world watching Obama's Inauguration.)

Let us live by their example. We can acknowledge that oppression will always be with us, and still strive for justice. We can admit the intractability of depravation, and still strive for dignity. We can understand that there will be war, and still strive for peace. We can do that — for that is the story of human progress; that is the hope of all the world; and at this moment of challenge, that must be our work here on Earth.

The Amity Foundation 爱德基金会

2009-12-05T02:03:00.002-05:00

Wow! Why have I not come across this amazing organization sooner? After being heavily inspired by Britt E. Towery's book "The Churches of China", I frantically searched for a way to contact him online and tell him of my desire to "take root" in the Chinese Church through my spiritual gifts and calling to serve in hopes of "bearing fruit" for the advancement of the Gospel 福音 in God's beautiful country of China 神国。After coming across his blog (which you should follow here on blogger!!http://britt-towery.blogspot.com/), I noticed that he had made contributions to The Amity Foundation on the right panel of his web page. Then I remembered about reading an inspiring passage in his book on how Chinese Christians are making a huge difference on the image of Christianity in China through their passionate service towards improving society - which has earned the favor of even the Chinese Government --seeing as their goal is to "benefit society”through socialism 社会主义. Which reminds me of another fact. The character for society 社, includes the spirits. Hmm...why would the government profess Atheism and still include ghosts in society? I know this is an ancient Chinese character and I know that they profess Atheism so that they can be "common", but I am convinced that the Chinese Government is beginning to see the work of the Holy Spirit 生灵 through the lives of it's citizens who are becoming Christians and doing the Great Commission through acts of kindness and good deeds -- which is a symptom of Christ's contagious agape love. Furthermore, agape love is rooted in the Chinese history, although disregarded and almost forgotten completely, Master Mo 墨子 as I am learning in my Chinese Philosophy class, revealed the power of something that can be compared to that of Christ's "no greater love" or heavenly love. This love can be translated into Chinese, in accordance to the Mohists, as "all-embracing love" 兼爱。Unfortunately, Confucianists (not Confucius himself - he actually wasn't against agape love) have strayed the Chinese from accepting this teaching and thus likely explains their distaste for relational evangelism of Christians and it's missionaries.

Anyways, I can't wait to get in connection with this amazing organization and tell them of my call to service as an ambassador for Jesus Christ. It ends up from my research on their website, http://www.amityfoundation.org/wordpress/, that I am not the first student from Hong Kong Baptist University to come to their office and share a desire to get involved in the AMAZING work that the Lord is doing through The Amity Foundation. Check out their website, and if you don't have time -- at least check out this recently posted article on Jiangsu Christian Charity Foundation:

“The son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28

The Jiangsu Christian Charity Fund was established as a joint initiative of the Amity Foundation and the Jiangsu Christian Council in March 2009 with the aim of developing social services offered by the Christian community in Jiangsu Province.

Background

Encouraging Government Policy

As civil society in China keeps developing, the values of social organizations have found greater recognition from the side of society and government. The Protestant church of China with its millions of members is increasingly recognised as a promoter of the development of Chinese civil society. The Chinese government has declared that a policy of encouraging “the Christian church to play a positive role in society” is part of the “construction of aHarmonious Society“. The National Human Rights Declaration issued by China’s State Council in 2009 defines “the positive function of religion” as “promoting social harmony and socioeconomic development” and states that the religious community should be encouraged “to develop public welfare and charity, and to explore ways and methods of social service.”**Praise God! This is, as you've seen my previous blog post, THE HOPE FOR CHINA. God will not stop his mission of bringing himself glory through the advancement of his good news of His Son, Jesus Christ.

The United Front and the Religious Affairs Bureau of Jiangsu Province have devised that the church should serve the people and promote social development through social service according to the development situation of the church in the province. The establishment of the Jiangsu Christian Charity Fund has received powerful support from the United Front and the Religious Affairs Bureau of Jiangsu Province.

Increasing Social Needs

In Christianity, social service is interpreted in terms of witnessing God on Earth. The church has a long tradition of providing social services. As the Chinese church has developed, more and more churches have become involved in social service. The church in Jiangsu has a strong foundation in this area, for example a home for the elderly and church-run clinics. There are currently over 4000 churches and meeting points for more than 1.6 million believers in Jiangsu, so there is a large potential for the development of social services in Jiangsu churches.***I want to get involved in the development! There truly is so much potential, and it's exciting to see the development of the Chinese Church alongside their "rapidly developing" economy. Socio-economics is beckoning for the work of Chinese Christians to balance out China for sustainable development needs it's people to find hope in a better China- what more hope than salvation through Jesus Christ and the radical changes he can do in a lost and dieing world? There is a reason why we proclaim Jesus as "Our Sustainer".

Social development has caused several new social problems in China, such as demographic problems (an ageing society) and problems of the community service systems. These have grown into important issues which need adequate solutions. The churches can use their own resources when taking part in social services and working towards a solution of these problems.

The Fruits of Theological Reconstruction

The process of “theological reconstruction” was adopted as an official church policy in 1998. The main problem that it seeks to address is the localization of Protestant Christianity in the historical and cultural context of China. According to “theological reconstruction”, China’s culture and history have instilled in its people a particular appreciation for the power of action. Chinese Christians being Chinese, they believe in a close connection between strong beliefs and honest practices. Christians making their faith visible through their behaviour is essential so Chinese people can better understand Christianity. The promotion of social service thus becomes an important part of theological reconstruction. Along with the deepening of “theological reconstruction”, more and more churches have become involved in social service in order to glorify God and provide benefits to the people. This is one of the fruits of “theological reconstruction” and will remarkably improve the mutual understanding and integration of the Chinese Protestant church and society.***Can you hear them calling out for help America? Let's support them!

The Relationship Between Amity and the Chinese Protestant Church

Amity was initiated in 1985 by Chinese Christians, so it was born with a strong connection to the Protestant church. In the 25 years of its history, Amity has gathered rich experiences in social service in various fields, including community development, medical care, rural education, and social welfare, but especially in the promotion of church involvement in social service. For over 20 years, Amity has supported churches in 13 provinces with social service related to health programs, education, agricultural development and drinking water projects, which have delivered many social benefits. To promote church involvement in social service has always been part of Amity’s mission, and Amity has been, and will keep on, trying to support such endeavors.***Praise God for the work they are doing - and pray for the continually improving connections build with the church and The Amity Foundation.

Mission

The mission of the Jiangsu Christian Charity Fund is to promote the development of the church’s social service; to enhance the positive role of the Protestant church in the socioeconomic development of the country; and to achieve the harmonious development of the church in society.

Service Areas

The service of the Jiangsu Christian Charity Fund covers the following areas:

1. Helping Protestant churches in Jiangsu to provide and manage social services in compliance with Amity’s mission.

2. Supporting Protestant churches in Jiangsu with cooperative social services in compliance with Amity’s mission.

3. Supporting other work as devised by the management committee of the Fund and according to the mission of the Fund.

Challenges and Difficulties

The Jiangsu Christian Charity Fund has been established recently and is facing a lot of challenges and problems in the process of development

The Jiangsu Christian Charity Fund is young and lacks project funding. Since the establishment of the Jiangsu Christian Charity Fund, it has raised only CNY 50,000 from churches. Amity is going to contribute about CNY 1 million for capacity building. However, this is just a drop in the bucket compared with the huge demand for social service in Jiangsu churches. More churches are waiting for investments to develop their social service programs.

Social service in Jiangsu churches has just started and needs further promotion

Social service in Jiangsu churches has not flourished for various reasons. In many churches social service has only just started, while what exists is not of high quality. The capacity of social service workers needs improvement as well. Promoting projects in both quantity and quality is one of the most important issues in front of the Fund. All these need our commitment and devotion in the future so as to ensure the effective operation of the Jiangsu Christian Charity Fund.

Fundraising

In order to promote the project development and raise funds for social service in more churches, we have worked out a fundraising plan. In the coming months we will start public fundraising through multiple channels, both domestic and foreign:

1) printing brochures to distribute in churches and provide easy channels for donating, such as donation boxes

2) The CCC/TSMP of Jiangsu Province will draw up a plan for church donations, or choose one day for Fund contributions, or launch irregular donation collection activities.

3) The management office, supported by staff from Amity and the CCC/TSMP of Jiangsu Province, will present the Fund and ongoing projects in churches in the province.

4) Regarding church needs in the province and issues of high social concern, the workers will prepare proposals for fundraising from overseas donor organizations. **Churches in America seeking ways to give internationally should consider**

Putting emphasis on support for capacity building

In the present phase, the Jiangsu Christian Charity Fund, with the support of Amity, puts emphasis on helping churches with capacity building for their workers involved in social service. According to the different needs of social service in different churches, there will be more training focusing on particular professions to improve the capacity of church workers in social service, to improve the quality of church-run projects, and to improve the work of social service. There will be capacity building activities about social service in two or three more city churches in the coming year.***They need disciples who are well-trained in theology and Chinese to better lead these projects.

Making a systematic plan for existing social service projects in churches

Many churches have started social service projects; some have proposed their plans to the Fund. We are going to make project development plans according to the situation in the target places, in order to assist the projects in reaching sustainable outcomes.

Building a team of volunteers

The Jiangsu Christian Charity Fund is set to promote and improve social service in churches of Jiangsu Province. This is why it needs the wide participation of local churches and congress. We plan to build a team of volunteers to motivate voluntary resources in churches, in order to promote the development of projects with joint associations. We are going to recruit volunteers in churches. One or two volunteers from each church will work to give information about the Fund to the congregation. The volunteers will be the liaison to the management office, and the office will provide necessary material and support. There will be an assembly at the end of each year with all the volunteers to summarize the work, strengthen the network, and improve the development of the Jiangsu Christian Charity Fund through networking.

The establishment of the Jiangsu Christian Charity Fund is a fruit of the intention to enhance the cooperation and connection between Jiangsu churches and Amity, to promote social service in the Jiangsu Protestant community, to practice belief through the witness of Christ, and to encourage Christian churches to contribute to the development of civil society. We believe God loves people. Through the work on our hands, we are able to show God’s love on Earth.

We serve to express our love to God. This is the only way. For those who need our help, we have to pour out our love, because through them, we can express God’s love. (Mother Teresa)

My Library

2009-12-04T13:47:00.003-05:00

So I'm starting to become quite the book worm these days. Now that my first semester is coming to an end...I can hardly wait to dive into something other than a textbook!

Apologia Pro Vita Sua
Cardinal John Henry Newman - Religion - 2007 - 292 pages
First published in the mid 19th century, this is a replica of the 1908 edition, and features the author's thoughts on his religions opinions throughout his life as well as sermons andother addresses and correspondence with other clergy and religious opinions throughout his life as well as sermons and other addresses and correspondence with other clergy and religious philosophers. British theologian JOHN HENRY CARDINAL NEWMAN (1801-1890)-a leading figure in both the Church of England and, after his conversion, the Roman Catholic Church-was known as "The Father of the Second Vatican Council." His Parochial and Plain Sermons (1834-42) is considered the best collection of sermons in the English language. He is also the author of A Grammar of Assent (1870)

Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China‎
Peter Hessler - Travel - 2007 - 528 pages
In Oracle Bones, Peter Hessler explores the human side of China's transformation, viewing modern-day China and its growing links to the Western world through the lives of a handful ofordinary people.

Love Your God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul‎
J. P. Moreland - Religion - 1997 - 256 pages
Unfortunately, many of us leave our minds behind when it comes to our faith. In Love Your God with All Your Mind, J.P. Moreland presents a logical case for the role of the mind inspiritual transformation.

The Complete Bible Answer Book‎
Hank Hanegraaff - Religion - 2009 - 560 pages - No preview available
And he's done something about it-he's spelled out the answers. "The Complete Bible Answer Book" is a simple guide covering over 170 of the top questions that the BibleAnswer Man has dealt with in his ministry.
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Making Religion, Making the State: The Politics of Religion in Modern China‎
Yoshiko Ashiwa, David L. Wank - Religion - 2009 - 294 pages
With chapters written by experts on Buddhism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Daoism, Islam, and more, this volume will appeal across the social sciences and humanities to those interested inpolitics, religion, and modernity in China.
Note: Modernity treats religion as a matter of "individual belief" in the context of secularism.

China: a global studies handbook‎
Robert André LaFleur - History - 2003 - 298 pages
Complete ready reference covering Chinese history, economics, politics, culture, and prevalent social problems ... a "must-have" addition to any global studies collection.

Missions, nationalism, and the end of empire‎
Brian Stanley, Alaine M. Low - Religion - 2003 - 313 pages
This work not only sheds light on the relation of religion and politics but also uncovers the sometimes paradoxical implications of the church's call to bring the gospel to all theworld.Contributors: Daniel H. BaysPhilip BoobbyerJudith M. ...
Note: pg. 160: Chen Chonggui's "Anti-Communist" speech in 1957.

Religion under socialism in China‎
Zhufeng Luo - Political Science - 1991 - 254 pages
Note: Ch. 3 pg. 54: Changes towards Religion after Founding of PRC
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Chinese Characteristics‎
Arthur H. Smith - History - 2001 - 342 pages
Written by a highly observant British missionary after living fifteen years in the country, and first published in 1890 in China, this book presents the social life and personal charactertraits of the typical Chinese.
Note: Classic - Must Read!

Although all of these are on my reading list, I am already very pleased to have found this unknown book written by a former missionary and lecturer at this university - Yes, Hong Kong Baptist University. Britt E. Towery, Jr., author of "The Churches in China: Taking Root Downward, Bearing Fruit Upward", is officially my new role model. He wrote this book in 1986 while living in Hong Kong after serving as a Southern Baptist Missionary in China for 25 years. Funny thing is, I wasn't even looking for this book - rather I just happened to come across this tiny book while looking through the "Religion" section of the library out of boredom. God has spoken to me tremendously through his writings about the churches in China and I have gained much from this less than 200 page book. Although this is not 1986, it still has much good to say about my approach to evangelism in Mainland China.

Hong Kong City Church

2009-12-02T13:34:00.008-05:00

This past Sunday, I went with my friend Jonathan from Arizona to this church located on the 75F of the Central Plaza skyscraper along the harbor coast of Hong Kong. It was the most unbelievable worship experience. All around you is windows and you can see all of the the city's structures with a downward angle. Like nothing I could ever have imagined.

Here are some pictures of my amazing experience:

2009-11-25T22:25:00.001-05:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

Hope for China

2009-11-17T15:58:00.005-05:00

As a Westerner, I am expressing my opinion from a far different perspective than my classmates. I have done much research to make sure that I am learning first before expressing my thoughts. If I were to blindly express my opinions on the way that China's government makes decisions then I would probably have nothing good to say about Communism, seeing as I am an American who believes strongly in freedoms of speech and the press. However, from my research I have gained a much better understanding for why China is the way it is today.

In my country we take pride in our freedoms. Personally, I come from a Christian family and our lives reflect the way that God discerns us through his word written in the Holy Bible. This means we live unashamedly, passionately pursuing his command to share the Gospel (福音) to others. Given my personal background, I may have an ethnocentric opinion. At the same time, I admire China very much. Their deep history shows how deserving they are to show their own patriotism. This patriotism was proven to me not only in the Beijing Olympics, but also in the recent 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China.

I would like to focus on state governance and how it relates to society today. Since Chairman Mao caught China's vision of becoming a utopia, the Chinese Communist Party has striven to bring the nation together in hopes of becoming modernized. It may be more than hope, but rather intent because China's sheer determination has proven to let there be no distractions or choice for ignoring its progressivism. A good example of this would be through the development of communes. Before the development of the communes, the state had much more social control. This, in my opinion, is because China was and still is extremely economically driven. They soon realized that embedding the work unit into the social body was not an effective tool for social control. This social control seems to be a strategy to get focused on Mao's vision of becoming modernized.

Reforming the danwei system by giving the people more autonomy was good for the people, but still not what they really needed in my opinion. This is just one of the many examples of how China has rapidly advanced it's society in the past 60 years. Although they started in coastal areas, the inland area is now already catching up. It's very impressive to see China, as Mao hoped, regain their wealth and power, dignity, international respect, and territorial integrity. Don't get me wrong - the CCP is legit and the majority of the Chinese have proven their loyalty to the party. Their massively industrialized cities such as Shenzhen are evidence of these strategies working quite well. According to TIME magazine's article "China at 60: The Road to Prosperity, China is the world's most populous and industrious nation, is the world's third largest economy and trading nation, has become a global innovator in science and technology, and is building a world-class university system. It has an increasingly modern military and commands diplomatic respect. It is at peace with its neighbors and all major powers."

I think China's government needs to cool down a little bit. Being mostly capitalist, their world view is continually progressing and beginning to reason. However, technological advancement is their main reasoning for how to make China a better place. When this becomes your main focus, people begin to face an identity crisis. Living for the market and not considering human rights denotes the value of human life. People living in China can't express their own individual opinions on how to make China a better place because they have to stay focused on the task at hand: "become modernized". China has yet to recognize the problems of market economy and capitalism and the importance of governing the people in respect to their freedoms of the press and speech. I really dislike the Chinese government censoring.

Living in Hong Kong for the past few months and visiting Tokyo a couple years ago has revealed to me how materialism can impact a society's livelihood. Chinese author K.K. Yeo in his recently published Chairman Mao meets the Apostle Paul states, "University students, Christian and non-Christian alike, have repeatedly told me of their fear that the pragmatism of capitalism, technological advancement, and economic modernization will lead to the neglect and robbing of China's ethical, spiritual, and relational wholeness." With the lack of nostalgia coming from Mao's visionary leadership, Chinese people can begin to question their purpose in life in regards to the fact that they seem to have already achieved modernization. Of course, I am mainly referring to those living in developed areas. The result can be depression or even suicide. Without a sense of meaning or an end goal, how can China have a healthy society?

I know that the CCP professes Atheism. They have tried and failed to abolish religion, and have now decided to protect the individual’s right to believe in Buddhism, Catholicism, Islam, Taoism, and Protestantism. Article 251 of the Criminal Law states: "State personnel, who unlawfully deprive citizens of their freedom of religious belief and infringe upon the customs and habits of minority ethnic groups, when the circumstances are serious, are to be sentenced to not more than two years of fixed-term imprisonment or criminal detention." Many westerners are unaware of the truth of religious freedom. Some still think that treatment is at the same level as it was during the Cultural Revolution. I, too, before researching thought this way. I am seeing signs of hope in China they are realizing how crucial it is to have religion in order to have a healthy society. However, in my opinion China is still struggling to find how they want to be seen by others. The state and its loyal citizens seem to be very patriotic, but also trying too hard to uphold secularism.

Secularism is not the answer. In my opinion, God is the answer. China can still keep its patriotism, but it needs to realize the imminence of something greater than technological advancement. What is best for the people is personal faith in the One who has all of the answers to life, not personal wealth which infects us with greed and temporarily pleases us inside. Personal faith gives people a sense of purpose. Love is a powerful thing. When someone experiences the love from God, human nature gives them the will power and internal desire to change lives. This love that I am talking about is contagious. If this love would transcend into the hearts of the government leaders, then they too could find individual purpose. Being convinced of eternal hope found in God's gift to the world of salvation through Jesus Christ will truly allow humanity to shine like the Sun. Money and assets, skyscrapers, a strong military, or even a strong leader as Mao cannot bring redemption to this lost world.

Although I try to focus on the big picture, I realize how difficult it would be for this politically run world to have a nation that solely relies on God. Even America, with "In God We Trust" on its dollar bill struggles to let God govern it's people. Because of this, I am reminded how faith in God must be personal. God speaks to us personally and desires to use his people to speak to the world. He doesn't choose to speak to all of China through the Chinese Communist Party. Before I get too off topic, I want to get to the point. China's government may be struggling with an identity crisis, but so is every other government. For that, I come to the conclusion that China is doing a wonderful job in governing its people. I just hope that they can become more receptive to the Gospel as it, too, does a wonderful job in bringing goodwill toward man and assisting us in our pursuit for happiness.

Guilin Adventure 桂林，很多的山！

2009-11-08T09:22:00.020-05:00

Yet another amazing adventure! This past Thursday I completed two of my mid-term exams for Cantonese and Mandarin. Feeling rather free from all prior anxieties, I and my friend Jonathan Pager from Arizona decided to plan a weekend trip to Guilin (桂林）. This was a rather ambitious decision that was made rather abruptly, but we were so excited about traveling to Mainland China. We both have great interest in living in China, and so we set off with little hesitation.

Guilin is a 12 hour bus ride away from Shenzhen, which is the first city across the border from Hong Kong into the Mainland China. It was only 130RMB (~20USD) to take our bus. This isn't an ordinary bus because it actually only travels overnight and all passengers have their own bed. They are surprisingly comfortable, however not completely horizontal and the foot space was very cramped. Other than that, not too shabby for 20 bucks!

Allow me to explain what happened first. We didn't actually know that the bus was going to be this cheap. We were intending on taking the train via China's Railway System. However, the desk didn't speak English. I was able to speak in Chinese well enough to explain where we were going and when we would need to return in Chinese, but wow was it difficult! Especially when tons of Chinese speaking only people are looking at you amazed with the fact that I am a foreigner speaking an ounce of Chinese. It was a cool feeling, however you must know that I am far away from fluency. But at least I was able to say "liang ge pian dao guili. women xingqitian hui lai zhe'r ,hao ma?" This meaning we want two tickets to Guilin and would like to return Sunday. She understood me! I looked up to the heavens and thanked God for the fact that she understood me, then was disappointed when she said, "meiyou". This meaning they didn't have any tickets left. Lesson learned: their are many people in China. Always book in advance. Especially on weekends.

At that moment, we had to decide on whether we should just go next weekend, or take a bus. Realizing that next week I would have to study for another exam, we decided to take the bus. On our way to look for the bus, this man with one arm comes up to us asking for money. This is common in Mainland, so we have learned to just walk away and smile because if not you may get swarmed. Especially in Guilin. This guy was really bugging us though. A younger Chinese man comes up and tells the man to leave us alone and then starts speaking in English with us. We told him we were looking for the bus station to go to Guilin, and then he asked if we needed a translator. Barely knowing the guy, I questioned whether or not this was a good idea. But he came across to be very helpful and because I was with Jonathan we both agreed it would be good to have him with us.

Next thing you know, he has taken us to this local travel agency and we end up getting tickets for 20 bucks each. We told him in return for his help we would pay for his ticket. This was the least we could do for him being so helpful. There were a lot of good reasons for us to take the bus. Not only was it cheaper, but it was just as comfortable (besides the bumps) and we got a chance to better understand the road systems in China. Not only were we able to gain this new perspective, but we were able to see what China looks like from the window quite clearly. I can now answer the question, "Is everything made in China?" Almost! It seemed an endless amount of factories where we could see people working inside making various things.

Well, I could write pages about other cultural differences such as how crazy they are at driving! But, let's fast forward 12 hours to where you can find out about Guilin. Guilin is in Guangxi (广西）Province, northwest of Guangzhou (广州）the capital of Guangdong（广东）province. Guangdong is the province just north of Hong Kong. We arrived in this largely populated town/city - hard to say - at around 8am. We had booked a nice hotel online for free, and it was only going to cost us 30USD at the counter (15 a piece!). However, upon arrival we realized that maybe it would be better to do what we came to do - which was to see Li River (漓江）and then take an overnight bus back that same day. This would save us money and still allow us to experience this beautiful place. Wow, the whole city is surrounded by these oddly shaped mountains. They endlessly stretch so it seems. The downtown is in a flat region in between this stretch of mountains, and the river is flowing alongside the eastern part of the city on down south towards the smaller city of Yangshuo (阳朔).

My roommate is the one who recommended us to go here. He even gave informed of us a small village worth visiting and where we could also get on the Li River by boat. The small town to which we were heading to was known as Yangdi (杨堤). So, after practicing my Chinese by ordering fruit in the local market for just nickels and dimes (2元~.20cents), we hopped on the bus that would take us to this village. It was about an hour drive it seemed. Once we hopped off the bus in this remote area, I felt like I had just entered another world! I had never seen such an environment as this. The city had countless people, but here you could count the number of people. Not only that, but there were no tall buildings. The mountains were surrounding the villagers' homes, and everyone seemed to be working strenuously on various projects that obviously needed to be done to upkeep their shelters and crops.

Many of the villagers were older than 40 it seemed. Our guide, who by the way is from Fujian (福建) and named "Mr. Lu" (卢先生), informed us that most people his age leave there homes to find jobs in the city. He explained how he also did this and went to find work in Shenzhen. However, it is hard to find work if you don't have a good education. It is hard to get into good schools in China because it is very competitive. Anyways, you could see that many of these hard-working villagers made no money whatsoever. Instead, they grow their food and tend to their shelters on their own. It was difficult for me to get a picture of the villagers. In fact, I didn't even get one picture in the small village unfortunately. This is because we were swarmed by older ladies holding bags of oranges chanting "2 kuai, 2 kuai". As they continued to pursue us, they would look us in the eye and smile, knowing that we had more than enough money to buy. I was overwhelmed at first, but then I finally bought a bag from one of the ladies. She was the oldest of the group, and would not leave me alone. I ended up giving her 5 kuai and told her "meiguanxi" when she asked me if I needed change. I was glad to let her keep the rest. She looked at me and gave me a sweet, wrinkled smile that I will not soon forget.

Soon after, Mr. Lu was helping us bargain for the cheapest boat. The first guy offered us a very cheap deal, but he was older and Mr. Lu thought we should have someone younger lead us. Just in case you are unaware, everything is in Chinese - there is no English at all. I can read some characters, but not enough to get around. So, it was a blessing to have met Mr. Lu. He was no doubt a Godsend. Finally, we decided to let the older man take us because he was offering us a much cheaper price than the others. Now here is where I let my pictures do the talking:

Yea, so that was what we came to see. Although it would be nice to have more days to hike to even more spectacular views, we knew we wouldn't have the time or energy to do more than the boat ride. Still, this was a great experience. However, I am extremely adventurous and was craving to explore more. Especially into the caves. Supposedly, the mountains have a number of caves - two of which I was able to get pictures of from the boat.

We got back on to land and the older man kindly asked us if we were hungry. He wanted to take us to eat some food in a nearby village, which he said would also be where we could take a bus back out of the mountains to Guilin. Such a nice gesture! I told him "fei chang gan xie ni" meaning thank you so much. He said "bu ke qi". The villagers are very down-to-earth and friendly. Their kind nature and hard work ethic makes me want to consider living as a villager!

This took up most of our day, but we did have time for a late supper before our bus would leave for Shenzhen at 7pm. So, we being typical Americans, went to Pizza Hut. I know, I was upset to give in to the western food, but you wouldn't believe how nice Pizza Hut's are in China and Hong Kong! Luxurious, but still rather cheap as well (cheap for foreigners). Plus I just wanted some pizza! It had been a long day of crackers and bananas and oranges - now it was time for a meal.

Now, I will Fast forward again to the end of the trip when we arrived back in Shenzhen. Mr. Lu asked the question that Jonathan and I knew was coming, "how much money will you give me?". Knowing he was going to expect us to pay him, I offered him 120RMB, which is about ~20USD. He said he wanted 300RMB, but we came to an agreement. Jonathan really needed help with Mandarin, and Mr. Lu really needed to make some money. So Jonathan and him made a deal to meet once a week for Mandarin lessons. We couldn't have done the trip without his help, so I was more than willing to give him the money - even though it was a bit out of my budget!

Overall, I am glad to have experienced this diverse area in China, and hope it has better prepared me for my time in Yunnan. I say this because Yunnan will be even more ethnic than Guilin I am sure. As I continue to learn more and more each day, I am continuing to be thankful for the opportunity I have had to be here. Next stop: ? We will see...

道风山 "Life After College" Retreat

2009-11-01T10:52:00.005-05:00

This past weekend, I went with Kowloon International Baptist Church (KIBC) on their university and 20-somethings first retreat. This has been a great church for me. I have really come to know a lot of solid Christians and am always meeting new people. Our weekly fellowship time after church is the best. We gather together for lunch and a bible study, which really starts my week off right.

The past two weeks I have been unable to attend church, which made me really look forward to this retreat. I really didn't know what to expect. I knew the plan for this retreat was to stay the night somewhere and just have guest speakers come and help us better understand the idea of life after college.

As all of the group of around 30 hopped on the bus, we headed to Sha Tin. This is my favorite place in all of Hong Kong. It's not super busy because it's in the New Territories north of Kowloon. At the same time, there is beautiful mountain views, tall buildings, and a river flowing through. Simply perfect environment. Even better, the retreat was going to be held in a Lutheran Seminary up on the mountainside. Gorgeous, with every building being traditional Chinese style roofs. All overlooking Sha Tin.

The theme verse was Matthew 14:24 where Jesus says to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Michael W. Smith's song "Oh God, you are my God" was our theme song.

"Oh God, You are my God,
And I will ever praise You,
Oh God, You are my God,
And I will ever praise You,
I will seek you in the morning,
And I will learn to walk in Your ways,
And step by step You'll lead me,
And I will follow You all of my days."

Our guest speakers consisted of three Christians who are working in secular fields in Hong Kong. The first, was the one whom I connected with the most. He was a father of two sons, who grew up poorer than most. He worked hard in school so that he could climb up the status ladder. He ended up making a lot of money as a real estate agent. He was very successful, until one day he lost 5 million dollars due to the economy. Everything gone, and on top of that, his mother died. His mother had good morals, and raised him well. Now that he was gone, he began to seek out God's will for his life. He realized that he needed to do something different with his life because he wasn't using God's gifts and living a passionate lifestyle.

This is what I really connected with him in relation to how I want to decide on my career. I, like him, clearly see how important it is to make sure you are using your gifts to serve God - no matter what your career is. To make sure you are where you are supposed to be, then you must have a passion. After starting over from losing everything, he chose to pursue his passion for teaching by starting a learning center. With his gift of teaching and administrating, he has changed the lives of many students and parents through this learning center. He has written a book that consists of all of the letters that he has written to parents over the past 5 years. He really seems to enjoy being a light to the student's parents as a school administrator. I really could see in his eyes how much he loved what he was doing now. He is an active member in the church and said his challenge now is trying to raise his two sons so that they can pursue their passions in life and not get off track.

As for me, I am constantly thinking about the future. Although I know I must, according to God's word, live for today and not worry about tomorrow. At the same time, I feel that God is presently equipping for that which he has planned for me in the future. Knowing this, I can't help but be curious to know what exactly he has planned for me. As far as my passions, I love stepping into the unknown and making a difference in the lives of those around me. I think this passion has been formed because of the number of times that I have moved in my life. Starting over is something I am accustomed to. When I was younger it was tough, but now I am glad for this because I know it has given me the strength to overcome the adversity of adapting to a new environment.

I see all of this as God's way of using me to bring Him glory to people in China. I really have a gift to connect with the Chinese, even though I can't yet speak their language. Many Chinese students know English, but not well enough to communicate as we do with each other in the States. Our social environment here is limited, due to this language barrier. This barrier seems to be something that I feel gifted in breaking. By my great desire to learn Chinese and their extraordinary history and culture, I am able to listen and comfortably have a conversation with them. Even better, some of them have offered to have conversations where I speak Chinese and they speak English so that we can both practice!

My ultimate desire is to be like Christ. If that means I live in China and being a light to them by just showing them kindness and God's love each day, then so be it. Is there life after college? Yes, without a doubt - and with the immense joy that comes in glorifying God, I look forward to what he has in store for me.

Destination - Macao Videos

2009-10-26T23:54:00.000-04:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Macao 澳门

2009-10-26T10:23:00.007-04:00

This past Sunday I took an hour long ferry ride from Sheung Wan in Hong Kong to the island of Macao. Why would I miss church to go to this place get-a-way casino haven? For good reason, I can assure you. I had the opportunity to see Pete Sampras play versus Andre Agassi in an exhibition Tennis Showdown event. To see them play each other in a match was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I knew that I had to get a ticket.

I'm so glad I went. Not only did I feel like I went back in time as I sat there mind-boggled with the fact that Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi were on a tennis court together before my eyes, but I was excited to be in Macao. To be honest, the only reason to visit Macao is to gamble. Everyone there is either working for the Casino or is a tourist having the time of their lives at the casino. The tennis match was held in the Cotia Arena, which is connected to the biggest Casino there (I'm assuming it was because it was monstrous)called The Venetian. This place is similar in style (so I'm told) to The Venetian in Las Vegas. But this place was out of this world with decorations. People were telling me this is "Asia's Las Vegas". I testify to that nickname, because the amount of money spent on the architecture, inside and out, was unheard of.

Maybe one of these days I will take a trip to Vegas and compare, though I would be fine without ever stepping foot there. You get off the ferry, and these amazingly high quality charter buses escort everyone to the casino free of charge. That right there proved to me that there's not much else to do in Macao! Although I'm sure there are some pretty landscapes to see or parks to visit, there can't be much else complementing these massive casinos.

At the game I made a new friend while waiting in line for getting into the arena. His name is Monu and he is a Hindu from India. It was great to meet him! He knew so much about tennis and we hit it off from the start as we talked all about tennis. He is a fan of Nadal, and I am a fan of Federer. Then he told me he was a fan of the Lakers! And then I went on to tell him how much I loved the Celtics. We ended up sitting together the whole game and I'm glad because talking with him during the matches made it a lot more fun.

The cool thing about him being from India is the fact that the number one 17-year old junior player from India Yuki Bhambri was there to play a set verse Ryan Harrison from the States. So we both felt an obvious desire for our fellow countrymen to do well (and win mind you). Nonetheless, we were still able to become good friends and teach other about our culture. He lives in Tsim Sha Tsui, which is also in Kowloon, Hong Kong nearby where I am living. I hope to reconnect with him sometime soon.

Now, about the players. The first match was a timed match between Yuki Bhambri and Ryan Harrison. This was great to see them play because it was their first times on the big stage. They were both very talented players who were obviously fighting nerves. Yuki was a smarter player than Ryan, but Ryan was strong and had an amazing serve.

Next up: THE LEGENDS. Well, the old men who looked like they needed a bit extra time to warm up! LOL. After a few games, they finally started to impress us with there secret weapons. Pete's beautiful serve formation and graceful one-handed backhand was amazing to see in person. Even better today was Agassi's serve, surprisingly.

He was really feeling it, and seemed much more focused than Pete. Sampras seemed so calm and relaxed, and didn't really show any huge desire to win. But, somehow, Pete managed to be the victor. When they got to the third set for the 10-pt tiebreaker, Pete showed Agassi who was the boss when it came to serving. Agassi really played well though, which makes me wonder how Pete won. I guess when you are the best, you just don't even have to play well to win.

Don't worry all, I didn't go to the slots. And I didn't even play poker - although it was tempting. Luckily, I scheduled my ferry ticket to leave soon after the match. So I didn't really have enough time to do much else. Nevertheless, I am glad to have said I have been to Macao! Great place for gamblers - but not for me! By the way...Rod Stewart was supposed to have a mini concert before the match, but he supposedly had to go to the hospital for some reason. Bummer! Rod Stewart is on my Favorites list in my iPod - JUST KIDDING.

外婆生日快乐！Happy Birthday Mammaw!

2009-10-19T12:34:00.002-04:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

New Adventure: Tai Wai to Tai Po

2009-10-18T03:45:00.008-04:00

It was just yet another stress-free day in Hong Kong. My friend Ben from church had e-mailed me an invitation to go on a bike ride with a Christian Fellowship from City University of Hong Kong on a Saturday. Ben is actually Chinese, but he lived in Australia for a few years so he has a fun Australian accent to go along with his friendly personality. This weekend I had no intentions of studying, because I find that being an exchange student, it is better to study by experiencing. I had a good feeling that a bike ride with Christian professors from a more well-known university would be a pretty good experience. Boy was I right!

From left to right: Ben, Eddie, Myself, David, and Wang. Eddie is local second year student studying chemical engineering if I recall correctly. Ben is teaching communications by the way. David is actually an American-Chinese teaching English at City U for the past 7 years. Wang actually grew up in the United Kingdom and has been teaching Engineering for the past 21 years. Great group of Christian men. Eddie has been married for 2 months now, David is seeking to find the right girl just like me, and Wang is married with 4 kids (3 boys and a girl). After introducing ourselves we began to embark on our semi-long journey to Tai Po from Tai Wai.

It was a beautiful bike ride along the coast. Passing Sha Tin, Fo Tan, and even Chinese University of Hong Kong, there never was a moment without a good view. I had never realized how open and spacious the New Territories were until this trip. Sure, it's a bit out of the way. But it seems like such a pleasant and more peaceful area to live in. I really like Sha Tin because it is quaint, beautiful, and close-by to Kowloon. Being able to take turns chatting with each of these guys was so nice. We would have to converse in two's seeing as we were trying to ride our bikes and dodge all other bikers in the meantime! The amount of bikers is nothing at all compared to the chaos in Beijing. I have heard life-threatening stories of tourists riding bikes in Beijing. There were, however, a few people that I saw crash along the way. It was mainly there fault because they weren't paying good enough attention and ran into the fence!

After our tiring adventure, we took an hour long bus ride back into Kowloon for dinner. We ended up deciding on going to a hotpot restaurant in Mong Kok. I don't think I have ever felt more hungry in my life! We ordered so much food, we had to wait a while because we ordered so much. When they finally rolled out a huge cart full of food for us, we turned on our hotpot to boil the water, and then threw in all of our food. This style of eating is very communal and enjoyable for friends and family to eat together. During this meal time I really had some great conversations with them. You can learn so much from professors even outside of the classroom! I really am glad that I decided to join this fellowship time, and I will surely hope to join them again in the weeks to come. God is good, all the time - and all the time, God is good.

Li Bai 李白 “A Tranquil Night” 静夜思

2009-10-13T12:47:00.004-04:00

床前明月光，

疑是地上霜。

举头望明月，

低头思故乡。

Before my bed a pool of light,

Is it hoarfrost upon the ground?

Eyes raised, I see the moon so bright;

Head bent, in homesickness I'm drowned.

This poem （静夜思）is from the Chinese Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai (701-762). He is known as one of the two greatest Chinese poets ever, along with Du Fu. His Taoist beliefs influence his great imagery in his 1,100 poems that still exist today. Poet He Zhizhang called Li Bai the "Transcendent dismissed from Heaven". This is because he lived a very carefree life, with a great love for alcohol. His nickname 詩仙 “Poem-God", which is true because of his amazing ability of communicating his feelings to the reader. He is very free-spirited and uses the characters wondrously. Among the common people of China, Li Bai is unquestionably the most beloved figure in Chinese poetry.

Unfortunately, since the start of the Nobel Peace Prize in Literature in 1901 - not one winner has been Chinese. The Swedish Academy decides who gets the prize each year. They have received a lot of criticism in recent years because of their controversial decisions. Since I have begun to gain much respect for the Chinese characters and it's uniqueness, I now am frustrated to find out that not one winner of this prize is Chinese. How can we disregard this language? Just because the meanings are deep and difficult for the Latin languages to adhere to doesn't mean that it can't be praised. Nearly all laureates have been European! This is not fair - I officially will never eat Swedish meatballs again!

Fan Scores A Penalty Kick During Saturn Spartak Moscow Game

2009-09-29T13:27:00.001-04:00

This is hilarious! I would SO do this if I was at a game with that many fans.

Lion's Peak

2009-09-28T05:15:00.021-04:00

The Adventure of a Lifetime

One night, about a week ago, I just couldn't sleep. Well, I could, but I just decided to stay up and study. Something in me told me, "Jon, you know you really don't have to go to sleep. I mean, you're in college on the other side of the world. Who cares?"So I let my conscious be my guide and stayed up studying Chinese until around 4:30. Finally, I decided I better at least consider going back to my room. As soon as I opened my door to my room, I noticed the sun was coming up. Wow, I thought, "It's only 4:45ish, and the sun is already coming up!" Full of this sudden burst of energy, I somehow convinced myself that I needed to go hiking. What was I thinking?! Oh, I have no idea, but this was the best decision of my life - other than accepting Jesus Christ as my Savior of course!

The photo above is what I see when I'm trying to find my way from campus to get to the top of this mountain. Yea, that's right, my goal was to get to the top of this mountain. I don't know what inspired me (other than my adventurous nature), but I was determined to make it to the top of that mountain. With great ambition, my Eddie Bauer hat, and my Merrel hiking shoes, I took off with bloodshot eyes from zero amount of sleep. Even better, this is a solo journey.

My strategy for finding my way up was simple: just start walking straight towards it! Not that simple in Hong Kong, however. With busy streets blockading my what seemed to be straight path, I had to weave my way via walking sidewalks and scale

overpasses to get to my destination.

Finally, I found my way to what seemed to be one of the many entrances to Lion's Peak Trail. The entrance was very secluded and an abrupt change from the rural to natural environment. I was amazed that among all of this, that so close was this beautiful vegetation. I took some videos, I can't get them on my blog sorry. But they are uploaded on my Picasa Web Albums if you want to check them out. Which, after you read what I am about to tell you...you will probably be really curious to see the videos!

Going in the morning was the best idea. Once I got on to the trail, I felt like I was in a whole different culture. All of the people I saw were elderly (obviously people my age were asleep). This was such a cultural experience for me because they were so friendly! Everyone said "Jousahn" to me, which means "Good morning". It was so cool because I was able to practice what I had learned so far with the friendly locals. Some of them told me that they climb the mountain everyday. Yea - the age range seemed to be 60-80 years old! So, these people are healthy. This is not an easy hike. Very vigorous, but well worth it when you get to the top!

Well, I didn't just talk with elderly people. I made other friends while on this amazing hike. As I approached the peak of the mountain and was in awe of the most amazing view of the entire city and harbor, I was startled. Not by the amazing

view, but by the peculiar shaking of the trees behind me and to my left. Happening to already have my camera on hand, I turn to the left, and see a monkey dangling from the tree - looking straight at me! Oh my goodness, is this reality? I

shook my head in disillusion, trying to make myself believe what I was seeing. It was true!

There were nearly 10 monkeys climbing around and "oo-oo-ah-ah-ing" or whatever the sound effect translation is! I could not believe my eyes! After a few seconds goes by, I un-drop my jaw, and begin to video-tape them. As I am video-taping, I am thinking to myself, "I need to get them on tape because they are going to leave before I can get them". To my amazement, they were not leaving. In fact, two of them jumped down athletically from 15 feet off the tree limb to the edge of the cliff that I happened to be standing on. I was trying to enjoy a nice view of Hong Kong, but these guys didn't seem to care.

Suddenly, I realized that I had a pack of Ritz crackers in my hand. Then it all made sense - they were hungry and I had a nice treat. Uh oh, I thought. But, no, I wasn't going to run away, especially seeing as I had no where to run but off the cliff! They had me trapped. So, instead, I quickly decided to try and be really friendly to them. I started waving; that didn't work because they were still curiously monkeying around me. I gave in, and motioned for them to come and take the Ritz crackers. These guys are smart, because the biggest one came at me in an instance and snatched it out of my hand. Good thing I'm an experienced hiker and brought extra food!

But, I was beginning to have fun now and they didn't seem as aggressive anymore. So, I started to play around with them. I actually climbed a tree and tried to get close to one. I dangled down, showing them that I was athletic too! It was the coolest, yet goofiest experience ever. I started talking to them thinking they actually understood me. Then, I started to realize that they just

wanted more crackers. Giving in to their now what seemed to friendliness, I sat down at a nearby rock. I began nibbling my three pack of crackers. Suddenly, one of the monkeys comes up to me and sits down next to me! Laughing hysterically, I got out my camera again, and offered him one of the crackers. He seemed more shy than the big monkey who snatched the other pack of crackers (by the way I saw him open it with his hands just like we would!). I call friendly, shy monkey Curious George. I kept my hand held out until he finally conjured up the courage to come take it out of my hand. It was an amazing feeling to touch his little hand. I will never forget that moment of him casually reaching towards me in trust. Although I didn't get it on camera, I did manage to shake his hand. But his friends were uneasy when he did this, and they all chanted what I translated to be "don't do that stupid".

Soon after, a few local women came and saw me interacting with the monkeys. They spoke English, and were amazed that I wasn't injured because, according to them, they were known to be aggressive and scratch the face of humans! I was perplexed, because I didn't get this feeling from them. They seemed to behave differently towards me.

Anyways, I still hadn't made it to the top! I still had a goal to obtain! Feeling like George of the Jungle, I confidently continued on up the mountain. After about 100 paces up, I look to my left and see a mother monkey holding a baby monkey! The baby seemed like it was just born, I was once again in awe! This time, unfortunately, I was unprepared. I tried to get my camera out, but once I did, a monkey pounces at me through the trees directly at me! It was the most startling experience! I don't know how I did it, but I dodged the lightning fast move made by the monkey. He snarled at me and it was obvious that he was protecting the baby. I have it on video! You can hear me scream like a girl and then the snarling monkey. What's unbelievable, is that I managed to get away from them. I scurried up the trail a little ways, and about 10 monkeys were following me!!! I was scared for my life because one of them was enormous. Unbelievably so, but I got all of this on camera! You can see the baby monkey being escorted across the trail for a split second if you pause the video. Wow. Breathing heavily, I continued to walk up frightened by what just happened.

Only 50 more paces and there is a man with a walking stick singing along to his radio! He was as jolly as old Saint Nick! I have a video of him singing this pleasant Chinese song. I thought to myself, "why didn't he get attacked by a monkey?" It must be because they are used to locals and were startled to see a white man. Just a guess.

Continuing on up about 50 yards or so, I find myself at what seems to be the highest point. A small shelter with two elderly men was to my right. Fatigued, I went to sit down in the circular bench circumfusing the shelter. As I gathered my breath back, I just sat there listening to these two Chinese men chat. They seemed to be long time friends. I couldn’t understand them, but it was so good to see smiling faces. Their demeanor was just not the same as the people in the city. They were joyful, and seemed to enjoy talking about me without me knowing what they were saying! I finally asked them their names in Cantonese, and then introduced myself to them. That’s about all I could say!

A few minutes later, many people arrive at the shelter. Most of them were women. But one in particular stuck out like a sore thumb! She had the loudest voice known to man, and she was not shy about confronting me. Her English wasn't very good, but she beckoned for her friend to come speak with me because she spoke English better. They were so curious to why a 19-year old white American from Kentucky was up hiking Lion's Peak at 5 in the morning. I wonder why? I answered all their questions and even impressed them with my Putonghua. It was so cool to speak with locals. I was so happy to experience the culture in this way. Everyone there (about 30) knew each other because most of them hiked to the top every morning. I was impressed, and wanted to make a commitment to do the same. But they laughed and told me I should focus on my studies because I am not retired like them.

This concludes my hike! I went back and reflected on my day. I wrote in my journal a bit, and then suddenly became extremely sleepy. All of the adrenaline had been sucked out of me, and I was hungry as well. But I felt so satisfied because of the amazing events that just occurred in just 3 hours. I hope to go back many times and meet George again. Lion's Peak is a special place to me now, and I will never forget this day.

Summing Up September

2009-09-28T00:10:00.011-04:00

Learning so much! Living it up the Chinese way!

It has already been one month since I arrived in Hong Kong. Never have I been away from home - or even America - for this long. I was afraid that I would come to a point of homesickness, but surprisingly this is not the case. Well, when I received my family photos via e-mail I felt pretty homesick. But in the long-term, I am still very excited about the next 10 months I have left here in Hong Kong.

Why? Because of the progress I can make in my studies. I am learning so much so quickly mainly in part because I am taking courses specifically about China. These courses include:

Regional Geography of China - This, at first, was rather boring. But, aren't most classes boring at the beginning? Just imagine - you are the only westerner in a class which holds 75 other Chinese students - and the teacher is Chinese speaking English to everyone. Sure, they are pretty darn good at English seeing as it's not their mother language. But, they are slow.

On the bright side, I am able to sit back and relax, taking in everything that he puts on the power point at a rather comfortable pace. Even better, the information is actually rather

interesting. We are going over Chinese history like the one-child policy, which is now a law. And we also talk about how things are run - like cities is a flexible term in China. They have municipal cities, prefecture-level cities, and county-level cities. So Beijing is one of the four municipal cities. Guangzhou is a prefecture because it is the capital of the Guangdong province. I'm really gaining

a great perspective of the Eastern way of utilizing space and governing it's people.

Chinese Philosophy - This is a very exciting course! I've come to the conclusion that the teacher is the single-most important factor for one's interest arousing in a particular subject. This teacher has further ignited my desire to learn about China's deep, deep culture. America only has a tiny fragment of history in comparison to China.

What is so cool about this teacher is the fact that he is a Westerner who has grown up in China. He conducts the class in Cantonese, Mandarin, and English. Yes, by himself! It requires a lot of patience for the students because he has to repeat everything he says twice - once in Cantonese for the locals, and once for the exchange students in English. Trust me, it is so worth the wait. His reasoning for having a course like this was to bring the East and the West together. He feels

like our ways of thinking are very different and we can learn so much from each other. He is right. I am reading texts from Fung Yu Lan, who was the first to actual write about Chinese philosophy. You see, the big question is what is Chinese Philosophy? They didn't even have this word in their vocabulary until they received books in a gift package from the Pope in the 19th century. They call it ‘zhexue’ 哲学 which literally means 'wise teachings'. Our first 'argument'

involved a student from mainland China bickering in Mandarin about a passage in Mencius. Then there was an immediate response in English (after Dr. Pfister translated of course) by a

Slovakian student in heavily accented English. Right after that, my friend Byron from Minnesota (who is really Korean and goes to school in Boston, and has a northern English accent) responds with his blunt American style point of view! I was so enjoying listening and almost said something myself, but I was so in awe of the conversation and different points of view! As for the local students from Hong Kong who speak Cantonese, they're culture is more accustomed to not raising their hand or saying something in a class setting. The teacher has encouraged them to forget this idea and speak up, but I have yet to hear one brave enough to get out of their cultural

comfort zone.

I am really looking forward to learning more about the Chinese way of thinking - and hopefully speak up about Jesus Christ and then hear their reactions to my comment:))

Basic Conversational Cantonese - Yes, the name says it all! They make this course as basic as possible because this is just such a difficult language for exchange students to learn. Especially when the teacher is Chinese and teaching in English, which is her second language; and then at the same time, most students (besides me and a couple other Americans) are really limited as well. This is because they are coming from Singapore, France, Germany, Ukraine, etc. and thus also have to listen to her weak English when English is also their second language! Can you see how difficult this is for communication? Especially when the material is so foreign and

completely confusing for them. So, this class has also been rather slow for me because English is my first language. This is nice though, because my main focus is Mandarin. I do, however, want to study this language so I can academically understand the differences between the two - and

boy are their differences! I am learning basic conversation, not writing, which is nice because I am able to utilize my learnings each day with locals. Writing Cantonese would just explode my brain because they use traditional characters and don't comply with what I am learning in Mandarin completely. The teacher is really fun and energetic, so this helps make up for what could be a dreadful class. I love learning Chinese! Example for the differences:

Ngoh yiuh hohk Guangdongwa (Cantonese).

Wo yao xue Guangdongwa (Mandarin).

Elementary Poutonghua - This is Mandarin. They call it 剖通话“poutonghua", which means "popular language". Oh how I love this language. It is by far my favorite language that I have studied so far. It beats Japanese, Spanish, and Cantonese by a long shot. Just studying the characters independently is enough to strike my interest. But there's more; over 1 Billion people speak this language, because Beijing has adopted this language as the national dialect of China.

That means I can speak Mandarin here in Hong Kong, and people will still understand me (as long as I speak clearly of course! seeing as there are four tones and it's imperative to emphasize the correct tones!!!).

握每天练习写汉字。Everyday I am practicing writing Chinese characters. Believe it or not, it is actually a stress relief - and enjoyable for me. There are just so many different meanings and combinations of characters to be had. Just like solving a never-ending puzzle. I don't think I will ever get to a point where I can understand the language completely - but that's the beauty of it! And I'm not alone in this never-ending process because even my professor doesn't know all

characters. In fact, he likely doesn't even know half of what there is to know! There are approximately 48,000 characters. 1000 are used in basic, daily conversation. If you know 1500, then you can read a newspaper. If you know 3,000-4,000, then you can go to college. If you know 5,000 or more, then you are pretty dang smart - like my professor.

Chinese needs to be a "poutonghua" or popular language, and it must. We must promote this language because it is the last language that is based on ideographs. This means that the writings are pictures that have nothing to do with the pronunciation. Well, for the most part. I don't want to go into huge detail! But, it's so unique and I feel that we should at least offer it in all of our schools in America. It shouldn't be a mystery! Okay, so maybe I'm too passionate...

Well, as of today. It is raining like crazy - there is supposed to be another typhoon sometime this week. That means we get rain everyday this week. How exciting...not really. But the wind gets ridiculous - watch a video on youtube about it because you won't believe how powerful the winds get!

I am accustomed to everything now for the most part. I don't hang out with exchange students anymore, unlike most. I really want to learn about the Chinese culture - the best way is through relationships. I have a multi-entry visa to China, so I will be traveling to the first city in mainland, Shenzhen, once a week. This will enable me to listen to Poutonghua and speak. In Hong Kong, unfortunately, most speak English and so they don't want me - a "gwai lo" (literally white ghost - nickname for foreigners) to not speak English.

....oh yea - one more thing - MY SISTER IS ENGAGED!!! Check out her gorgeous ring! Special

thanks to: Andrew Duncan - a great guy!

Wan Chai 灣仔

2009-09-18T00:59:00.012-04:00

Harbour

Thursdays are my days for adventure. I don't have class until 4:30, so I love to go exploring Hong Kong during this day of the week. Today's destination: Wan Chai. My reasoning for going here was for obtaining my Hong Kong Identification Card, and also to begin the process for collecting my China Visa (it takes 4 days).

A number of interesting things happen when you go out into a city like Hong Kong by yourself. Especially when I am always looking for opportunities to share Christ, or just be Christ-like towards others.

When I arrived at Wan Chai station via MTR, I immediately saw foreigners everywhere. Not just that, but businessmen. Wan Chai is the first destination for any foreigner coming into Hong Kong, whether to do business, site-see, or live. Because everyone has to go to the Immigration Tower. There is a beautiful park at the base of the tower. Yet, right next to the park is the busiest street ever. And right above the street is a bridge with crazy amounts of people walking across. Not just one bridge, but maybe 5. Even crazier, the whole building and even a couple of the bridges are made out of some shiny marble that looks really expensive.

After I got my Hong Kong Identification Card, I went to McDonald's for lunch. No, I do not usually go to McDonald's for lunch. The reason for this time was because when I opened up my account with Bank of East Asia, they gave me a gift certificate for a free meal at McD's. So, there I was, eating a Big n' Tasty with fries and a coke "supersized". Typical American, as the locals would say! But, actually, I'm very glad I went. Let me explain the culture of eating in Hong Kong. There are so many people that it's usually difficult to find a seat.

So, people just sit down wherever they can - even if it's with someone they don't know. I have gotten accustomed to this cultural aspect, and noticed an African couple walking into the seating room. I could tell they were tourists and had no idea where to sit. Realizing this, I waved at them and asked them to come sit with me. I don't know why I did this, but I did - and I'm glad I did. The man was very friendly and they both spoke good English. I asked them where they were from, and they told

me Uganda. They were on vacation and staying in Tsim Sha Tsui for site-seeing Hong Kong. He noticed that I was wearing a Rajon Rondo jersey from the Boston Celtics, and so we started talking about Hasheem Thabeet, who is the first Tanzanian basketball player to make it in the NBA. This immediately led me to tell him that my dad was just recently in Tanzania. When he asked me if he was doing business there, I told him he was working for the Tanzanian Baptist Convention. I didn't even have to explain myself because he smiled and immediately knew that my dad was a preacher. We exchanged business cards, and I hope to keep in touch with him. Maybe even have lunch again before he and his wife head back to Uganda. His name was Arthur and his wife's name was Aiishi.

This made me smile as I walked off because I knew without a doubt that God had planned that appointment. The International Mission Board refers to this as a "divine appointment". That it was!

Next stop: China Resources Building. I needed to wait in a long line for turning in my application for a visa to Mainland China. I would be first getting a double entry visa, and then after I go twice I will get my multi entry visa. Well, the wait was atrocious. But I couldn't let a long line keep me from going to China. There's not many other places that excite me more than that of China. It seems like a mystery to most of us, and I want to begin understanding this mystery personally.

So everyone had to leave and they told us to come back at 2 pm because they were closing for a few hours! I was disappointed because it was only 12pm.

I went to a local park, and it was beautiful. Surrounded by tall buildings and somehow this park was still very serene and peaceful. I sat down on a ledge in the middle of a small bridge. It was nice to just sit and people watch. Five minutes of sitting goes by, and then suddenly a Chinese woman decides to sit down next to me. She was obviously curious to why I was there, because I was the only white man there. She didn't really speak English, so I took this as an opportunity to practice my mandarin. Wow, was this cool! She actually understood me, and we had a conversation. A couple times I had to apologize for knowing little Putonghua, but it was so exciting to actually utilize what I had learned independently these past couple of years. I just couldn't have this experience in Kentucky. Simply no way. Sure, I was horrible and probably didn't make much sense to her. But I spoke Chinese! This is my first step to fluency - even if there are 100 more steps to go. Which reminds me; I haven't even been here for one month. I'm anxious to see how far I will have come by the end of my second semester here.

After my stroll in the park, I went up to the Pacific Coffee Company (which competes heavily with Starbucks here and seems to be winning). There was a gorgeous view of the harbour from here. In fact, the view is the picture at the top of this post.

Anyways, during my waiting period here a Buddhist monk comes up to me! Yes, that's right - those bald men who wear orange robes! Well, he asked me to donate to their cause. Just expected me to pull out some doe...I'm like "sorry dude" I'm a college student. He was a bit saddened and walked off. I felt bad, but as I began to think another guy walks up to me! This time it's some middle eastern man from Singapore. He tells me there's a dot on my forehead and it saying I'm going to be a successful man. He just keeps rambling about luck and karma and how I'm going to have successful love and I'm like a rose. I tried to interrupt him to ask him a question, but he was so persistent on fortelling my future. He gave me a little ball, and asked me to give him paper money for his cause, which seemed to be the same as the monk I just saw. However, this guy had a turban on and a button-up shirt and tie, so I was perplexed. I just told him "I don't want to be successful". He was amazed at my comment, and then he said, "you will find successful love". I told him I already have through Jesus Christ. I then showed him my cross knecklace and then explained to him that I was a Christian. Then he asked me, "where are you from?" So, I told him the United States. He then said, "do you know Jesus was from Israel, not US?" I said yes, and then I went on to say, "but Jesus came to save all peoples of all nations." Then he gave me a grimace that I will never forget and stomped away.

I don't know if I said the right things, but I do know that this was a great experience for me. I feel that God was testing me as how confident I am in my faith. I hope I passed the test. But I definitely need to be more aware of those who are in opposition to Jesus Christ.

After this, I took the deepest breath I had ever taken in my life. Knowing where you stand in life is a good feeling. I knew instinctively that I needed to stand for Christ. Doing this on my own on the other side of the world was no doubt an invigorating experience! Please comment on this, seeing as I still am unsure on whether what I said was good, or even what I didn't say. Just give me your opinion. You won't offend me, I promise.

KARAOKE is the new way to party!

2009-09-14T13:00:00.016-04:00

So...my birthday party was the biggest surprise ever! I planned on just going out to eat with some friends at a nice, peaceful village in Sha Tin. If you know me, I don't like being the center of attention or having big birthday parties. Well, so much for being me!

I was on msn (we don't use this really - but the eastern countries do), and I was talking with all of my Chinese friends and a couple from Taiwan. They all knew it was my birthday - and they were telling me that it just so happened to be two other girls from Taiwan's birthday as well. All of these exchange students from Taiwan booked a party room at Neway Karaoke in Kowloon City Plaza. This is beyond what any westerner could imagine if they have never been to an Asian country. People here love karaoke. This is what they do for fun with friends. Now, I can see why - because a good time is surely possible!

15 of us showed up to this triple B-day party. It was such a great cultural experience, and not only that, I was able to celebrate my birthday in the best way that I've ever celebrated before. There was this huge mall, and on the top floor was this ginormous section specifically for karaoke parties. There was a never-ending hallway, like a hotel, of rooms. You walked down the hallway and heard people partying like crazy in each room - singing Chinese songs and some even attempting English songs (key word: attempting). Well, I and my other German and American friends at the party, also "attempted" Chinese songs. Yea, not possible, but 50% of the time we were singing songs we knew in English.

It was so much fun just singing horribly with everyone! We had 5 wireless microphones, and whoever knew the song that was chosen would take a mic and show off what they know. Believe it or not, I may have been one of the better singers there - but this isn't saying much! But the girls from Taiwan were something else! You could tell that they did karaoke a lot. They knew most of the songs and hit basically every note on key. This probably explains why people in HongKong are actually more fond of Taiwan Mandarin Chinese musicians. Many famous musicians come from Taiwan. One of the first songs in English was...the Backstreet Boys. I think the song was "Backstreet's Back...Alright!" Immediately, Andy, Max, Matthias, and myself took the mics and stood up in front of everyone

and passionately sung the whole song to the girls. It was hilarious, and completely embarassing -but it didn't matter! That is what is so cool about asian culture - humiliation isn't possible. People just show respect and have a good time. Well, at least as of now I haven't been humiliated...I better not speak too soon. Maybe I should change my views on humiliation here after living here more than a month! In addition to the music, there was an all you can eat buffet! That's right...this was heaven. For just 100HK (~25USD), we could have this amazing room with full projection screen, LCD on the other side, PS2, internet access, unlimited food and drinks, black leather couches, champaigne, and birthday cake! Pretty sweet deal. So with all of this fun to be had, we had so many songs to sing still! They have practically every song known to man to choose from. You name it, we sang it - seeing as we didn't end up leaving until 2:30 in the morning! I think we sang for at least 5 hours. These asians are all about some karaoke, let me tell ya!

The funniest part was by far the videos played for the English songs. You see, they don't have the actual videos for the songs, so they have the most random music videos with European people just walking around and doing ridiculous poses. It is beyond ridiculous! Not kidding at all. I can show you a photo, but please if you are bored youtube "KTV" English videos. You will surely know what I mean by ridiculous.

After a few hours of partying, the karaoke employees (better known as Butler's - the service was way too good) brought in the birthday cake! With one candle, and three peoples' birthday to sing for, we huddled around this small cake and sang the B-day song in Chinese and English! Very cool. The other two girls spoke Mandarin, but they both knew English very well. Happy Birthday to Tina, Pamela, and random white American Jon! This event wasn't intended for me and my friends, but did we liven up their party or what?! Without us it just wouldn't have been as fun for them, I'm sure. I brought a local friend from Hong Kong, Stephy, and a couple Mainland China friends Jessica and Camille, and also a friend from Kazahkstan named Kamila. So half of the crew came to celebrate, which was great. Probably the best birthday party ever for me, that I can recall.

Mong Kok 旺角

2009-09-07T06:36:00.008-04:00

This is by far the coolest place to go in Hong Kong. The heart of the local culture resides here. At the same time many visitors, known as "white ghosts" Goi Lao, come here to shop. The story behind this nickname goes back to the first time the locals here saw a white person. At that first meeting, they were frightened and thought we were ghosts because of our light skin color. So now they still call us this as merely a joke, not in a disrespectful way - although it may come across that way to us! Anyways - you name it, they got it here in Mong Kok. Shop 'til you drop in this chaotic center.

The nicest building here is Langham Place, which is an enormous mall. But most shops and markets are way down low at the street level. Many electronics can be purchased here, but you have to compare prices. If you are too hasty you may regret it when you notice that another store closeby is selling the item for less.

On top of price comparison, you can even go to markets with people running small booths. This jam-packed, thin streak of booths is a great way to get an amazing deal. Bargaining is the way of purchasing things in these markets. Let me give you an example by personal experience! I wanted to buy a simple HongKong magnet for my mom because she always wants magnets for the fridge from different places. The lady told me it cost 25HK dollars. I responded by saying, "Tai guai" which means "that's too expensive". Then I turned around to walk away. All of a sudden, I here the lady say, "10 dolla". With a burst of excitement, I smiled and nodded to her and got myself a nice magnet for less than 2 US dollars! You see, there are so much stuff to be sold here in these markets that the sellers are desperate to make any amount of money - to the point where they will take whatever they can get from the customer. I've done this strategy on a number of the items I have purchased, but I can't tell you about them because they are Christmas presents :)

2009-09-05T06:19:00.001-04:00

Our family pictures are off the chain! This is our album cover!
We're goin global

My Beautiful Family

2009-09-05T02:50:00.004-04:00

As I make it through my second week here in HongKong, I am already reminded of how lucky I am. I have a family that loves and cares for me. They all support my desire to study abroad, they all want me to pursue my dreams. I really couldn't ask for a better family. Seeing these family pictures makes me so happy and a little bit homesick.
I have already begun to experience the stage after the "honeymoon". My first week was exhilarating! I saw so much and had the time of my life. Now, I must overcome this homesickness. This is good, however. Why? Because it's apart of my growth as an individual. I'm only 18, but I'm beginning to see already what independence is all about. Especially when it means living 9,000 miles away.
Depression is not something I will struggle with. This is because I am still having the time of my life here. I am doing what I love most in life - sharing Christ with people from different cultures. Even better, I have the opportunity to learn Chinese, which has been my career goal since I was a junior in high school. Time flies by, doesn't it? But I am content because I know that am striving to live my life worthy of the calling I have received from Jesus Christ. My calling is to make disciples.
This post is a special one for me because it is in direct response to my parents. They have shaped me into the man that I am today. Without their example, I would surely not be the same.
As for the Chinese, they are so welcoming. Everyone smiles and waves and is friendly to me when I walk by. I feel at home here. They have such a deep and ancient culture. It is so unique in comparison to our country's young history. I am learning so much about tea, the language, and even philosophies. I hope to gain a better perspective of the Eastern world so that I can begin to relate to them better as I share my own upbringing in the Western world. Stay tuned for my next post, which will probably be about tea...it's so interesting believe it or not!

...By the way...I really miss Fudge:( I'm sure she is wondering where I am and why I haven't been there to pet her and kiss her like I always do every time I see her.

香港浸會大學

2009-09-03T00:13:00.011-04:00

I would love to give you guys a sneak peek of my new campus at Hong Kong Baptist University. I am living in Kowloon Tong, Kowloon - which is a peninsula north of Hong Kong Island. The area is much more urban than that of Hong Kong Island, but it is still very crowded and culturally diverse! I live on campus with many locals, mainland china students, and exchange students in the North and South Tower Residence Halls. My floor is on the third floor, so I do not have a great view of the harbor like those on the 10th to 20th floor - but it's fine because I don't have to wait for the elevator as much.

Here is the entrance to the new campus, which I live in:

Here is the entrance to the South Tower, which is my residential building: We have to scan our Student ID cards to get through the door, so it's very high-tech and orderly. Everything in this city requires some kind of card or scanning device, just apart of their culture! Even vending machines will normally be used by a special card called an "octopus card".

Here is my simply magnificent room : I don't make my bed by the way mom:)

Here's my bathroom which I share with 3 others..........and the view out my window:

A Whole New World

2009-09-02T10:55:00.010-04:00

Hello Everyone!

Wow, have I had an exciting week! I cannot begin to tell you all of the things I have seen, heard, and learned sequentially! However, I look forward to sharing some key experiences with you.
There is so much to do here and so many places to go to! The city is unbelievable. I couldn't have asked for a better program or opportunity for the stage of life I am in.
I have met so many people. Let me introduce you to a few.

Andy Rose: Godsend. This 21 year old student is from Baylor University - the Baptist university in Texas that I almost went to! He, like me, has a passion for the Gospel and came to HongKong with the intent of growing spiritually and learning from a cross-cultural standpoint. He is the answer to my prayers. And boy is it odd that his name is Andy Rose. Why? Because the two main prayer warriors who were praying for me to find an accountability partner while abroad were Andy Hardin and Brandon Rose! God has a good sense of humor, I don't care what you say!

Matthias: This is my favorite character that I have met so far. He is so funny, and we just really have become good friends. Interestingly enough, he is from Germany! This whole week (each day if I recall correctly) Matthias and I have traveled together with a few others - usually including Andy and our other German friends Max and Dennis - to site see. Oh has it been a blast! This city has so many tourist sites...this first week has been a vacation no doubt about it! I have learned much about Germany that is very interesting. For example, many exchange students are from Germany because they are able to have their tuition payed for by the government. How nice! Also, there is not many religious people there because he is from the east Germany whom have been suppressed to be religious. I've had great conversations with him so far. He also helped me shop for my new camera (FujifilmF70EXR). I bought it at MongKok Computer Center and got a great package deal with his assistance. He is quite knowledgeable with photography thankfully!

Jessica: Beautiful girl whom I only call friend as of now, from Guangzhou - Capital city of Guangdong Province in Southern China. She is so smart, speaking Cantonese/Mandarin/English well. Studying at Beijing. Daughter of a former Chinese Government Official. It seems that she only needs to improve her English. Hong Kong is the perfect place for people like her to do so. This is because Hong Kong is multilingual and to be at a University setting is the perfect way for her to practice speaking English....well, because she can meet someone like me :) She has taught me so much about the Chinese language and culture and I am so glad that I met her. While I help her with English, she is helping me with Mandarin and Cantonese and informing me of many cultural things.

The people whom I have met are just a small portion of what I have experienced thusfar. I have also done quite a bit of traveling this week. From Lok Fu to Peak View, I have checked many sites off the list already! Transportation is amazing here and affordable. One just needs an "Octopus Card" to use for MTR, Bus, Vending Machines, and many Restaurants. I even get a 50% off student discount for the MTR :) how nice of them to do this for us!
Tonight, I just got back from seeing the nightly light show that goes on at the Victoria Harbour. Amazing and beautiful! Night life is rather exciting here, but mainly enjoyed by the "crazy Europeans" in the exchange program, lol. Just a prime example of the clash of cultures here in Hong Kong. This is nothing new to the locals, however, as they have been accustomed to internationalization for a while now. It just doesn't get much better than this as far as globalization. Being a Global Scholar, one would need to put this city on there top 5 picks for studying abroad. I didn't expect it to be so diverse here, but let me assure you that it is in fact diverse. Especially for the student at the university.
I have also stepped away from the modern culture and seen a more ancient side of this region. Just taking a short train ride to Tung Chung, one can take a bus ride to see the Big Buddha. This is the biggest bronze statue of Buddha in the world. It is rather amazing how it majestically sits on a mountain peak and is surrounded by beautiful mountains and looking out to the sea. Just a taste of everything here geographically. But this site was much more peaceful than the hussle and bussle of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Check out my album on facebook, but here is one photo:

Wow!

2009-08-26T05:09:00.002-04:00

Well, I don't have much time to make an extremely long post unfortunately. I am rather busy with orientation and taking care of a lot of things. However, in a week or so I should have a better sense of things and have more time to regularly update you on some of the many experiences I have gone through! This exchange program is so impressive! There are over 200 exchange students from 28 different countries. I have made friends with Germans, a girl from Kazakstan, Chinese, British, Koreans, Americans, French, and I can't remember the rest of the top of my head!

Just know that I will have many great posts to come, so be prepared followers! I just need to be focused on the important things I must take care of before the semester begins September 2nd. Look forward to keeping in touch with all of you!

Racism

2009-08-13T02:00:00.003-04:00

I found this article online and really got a lot out of reading it. I never really thought about how powerful whites were. I can really break the ice with racism with my actions towards those of color. This will be crucial with my relations to the Chinese because they may have negative views upon those of color. Hopefully I am able to show them that we are all equal and deserve to be respected and loved no matter what our skin color is. I recommend that you read the full article by clicking on "Martin Jacques", whom I have quoted on the next two paragraphs below. Martin lived in Hong Kong for 14 months with his Indian wife, who died in a hospital in Hong Kong. His wife's struggle with racism amongst the Chinese really ignited this man's passion for promoting peace amongst all peoples.

"Hong Kong, compared with China, is an open society, and has long been so, yet it has had little or no effect in mollifying Chinese prejudice towards people of darker skin. It is not that racism is immovable and intractable, but that its roots are deep, its prejudices as old as humanity itself. The origins of Chinese racism lie in the Middle Kingdom: the belief that the Chinese are superior to other races - with the exception of whites - is centuries, if not thousands of years, old. The disparaging attitude among American whites towards blacks has its roots in slavery. Wishing it wasn't true, denying it is true, will never change the reality. We can only understand - and tackle racism - if we are honest about it. And when it comes to race - more than any other issue - honesty is in desperately short supply.

Race remains the great taboo. Take the case of Hong Kong. A conspiracy of silence surrounded race. As the British departed in 1997, amid much self-congratulation, they breathed not a word about racism. Yet the latter was integral to colonial rule, its leitmotif: colonialism, after all, is institutionalized racism at its crudest and most base. The majority of Chinese, the object of it, meanwhile, harbored an equally racist mentality towards people of darker skin. Masters of their own home, they too are in denial of their own racism. But that, in varying degrees, is true of racism not only in Hong Kong but in every country in the world. You may remember that, after the riots in Burnley in the summer of 2001, Tony Blair declared that they were not a true reflection of the state of race relations in Britain: of course, they were, even if the picture is less discouraging in other aspects." - Martin Jacques

Economic Presentation

2009-08-12T00:09:00.006-04:00

Host Country Economic Snapshot

GDP (gross domestic product):-7.8%
Number of people of working age: 3,709,200
Unemployment rate: 5.4%
Poverty line: NA
Percentage living below poverty line: NA
Average family income: NA
Percentage of workforce in:
- Financing, Insurance, and Real Estate:21.4%
- Manufacturing:6.1%
- White collar:45%
- Service/tourist: 19.7%
Main industries:textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks
Main imports: raw materials and semi-manufacturers, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported)
Main exports:electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material
Currency: Hong Kong Dollar
Exchange rate: 7.751 per US dollar
Prevalence of modern communication devices:
- Television: 2 TV Networks
- Cell phones: 10.55 million
- Internet users: 3.961 million

Political Presentation

2009-08-11T01:45:00.004-04:00

"On 1 July 1997, sovereignty of Hong Kong was transferred to the People's Republic of China (PRC), ending over a one and half century of British rule. Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the PRC with a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign affairs and defence, which are responsibilities of the PRC government. According to the Sino-British Joint Declaration (1984) and the Basic Law, Hong Kong will retain its political, economic, and judicial systems and unique way of life and continue to participate in international agreements and organisations as a dependent territory for at least 50 years after retrocession. For instance, the International Olympic Committee recognises Hong Kong as a participating dependency under the name, "Hong Kong, China", separate from the delegation from the People's Republic of China." - "Politics of Hong Kong"
wikipedia.org

Their legal system is based on the English common law. Their government is run by a Chief Executive, who is currently Donald Tsang. Similar to us, they have the executive, legislative, and judicial branch

Chinese Nationality: interesting relations amongst the People's Republic of China (PRC) and Hong Kong. Supposedly, permanent residents of Hong Kong can get a "return permit" if they want to change their residency to mainland China. However, they do not allow dual citizenship.

British Nationality: Hong Kong residents born in the colonial era (about 3.5 million) can get the British Dependent Territories Citizenship (BDTC). To keep from having too many HongKongers migrating, UK created a new nationality known as a British National. Application for this began in 1986 and ended in 1 July 1997.

Political Parties: Hong Kong has a multi-party system. The Chief Executive is non-partisan. Really there is no legal definition so most political groups register as limited companies or societies. There are, however, two distinct political stances: Pro-democracy and Pro-Beijing.

Geographical Presentation

2009-08-09T21:07:00.006-04:00

Hong Kong Flag (Bauhinia Flower)

Geographic Snapshot of Host Country

Continent:Hong Kong
Capital: Hong Kong Island
Size in sq. km/sq. miles: 1,104 sq. km (six times the size of Washington D.C.)
Neighboring countries: South China Sea, Shenzhen coastal city, Guangdong Province
Climate: subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Natural disasters: occasional typhoons
Natural resources: outstanding deep water harbor, feldspar (crystallized mineral)

For more research on this topic, visit this website: http://www.marimari.com/cOnTENT/hong_kong/general_info/geography/main.html

*Hong Kong Baptist University is in Kowloon Territory*

Globalization

2009-08-04T13:15:00.002-04:00

“The world is being flattened. I didn’t start it and you can’t stop it, except at great cost to human development and your own future. But we can manage it, for better or worse.” - Thomas L. Friedman, Author of The World is Flat
Although I have not finished but merely 15 pages of this book, Global Scholars are required to finish it by the end of our sophomore year. So this term - globalization - has been very popular these days. Yet, what is the meaning of it? According to my prep course, it is "a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world."
Alright, so their definition is a little better than mine! But let me go on to inform you of my personal opinion on this matter.
Sure, there are costs and benefits to globalization. But I try to focus on the benefits. Because if we focus on the costs, then we won't be progressing. If we don't move forward through the trials that come with globalization, then controversies will elevate into war/dispute and we will struggle to overcome these difficulties. Cooperation is a must for all people to benefit. For the most part, because of technology such as internet and cell phone communication, we are able to work together and advance.
I feel that most people groups are seeing the benefits of globalization and are all for it. But there are some people who are very ethnocentric. These people are only focused on their own culture and don't have the desire to progress internationally. I, too, am ethnocentric in my Christianity. I desire for others to share in the benefits of everlasting life through Jesus Christ, saving them from death and separation from God the Father. In my perspective, I see globalization as apart of God's great plan for his people. Spreading the good news of Jesus Christ is much easier now through all of the development our world has undergone. I hope you can begin to think about how supportive you are for globalization and how you can promote it within your family/culture.

Teacher to Student Relationship in Hong Kong

2009-08-02T16:13:00.008-04:00

According to the conversation I had with Rachel Lewis, the relationship between student and professor in HongKong is very different than what we, as Americans, are used to. Here in the states, I know that I can raise my hand and make a comment about something that a professor has said. Whether that be starting an argument, or simply asking a question is really not that big of a deal. In fact, in many class settings here it is good to have someone start conversation amongst classmates so that the learning environment is much more involving for the students.
Not so in HongKong.
I found this blog post by Jennifer Farr, an American teacher for Kindergartners in Hong Kong:

"In kindergarten, the students are three to six years old. Once they turn six they can attend primary school. Kindergarten is like boot-camp for primary school. They beat the kids into submission with listening and rule-obeying skills.
The impression I get from the Chinese teachers is that fun is an after-school activity. Because this opposes my learning philosophies, I enter Chinese classes and get the kids moving and engage them in dramatic play. The teachers look worried. It’s like I’m the phys.ed. teacher in elementary school. Phys.ed. is the one class that EVERY student likes because thinking is not a requirement. I often wonder how this strict environment effects these small children. Every class bows and chants in unison “Good Morning Miss Jenny” and the Chinese teachers are so proud. I wonder if these kids need to be making a mess with paints and getting muddy in the nearby creek. The one reason that I appreciate this serious classroom style is because it nullifies any behavioral problems. Even three year olds will obey without a complaint. And they don’t pull the normal three year old trick of pretending that they don’t hear you. It would seem that respecting authority is drilled into Chinese from the womb."-Jennifer Farr

So it seems that the same goes for college students. The Chinese culture inhibits the students to have a great deal of respect towards their teachers. So much so, that the students' role is to do no more than receive that which the teacher is giving in their lectures. Although this will be difficult for me to get used to, I admire their principles. In fact, I intend to use this as a tool for helping them understand how to have a relationship with God through following Christ's example. As Bill Fort (my pastor) said today in his sermon, "All of us in some way refer to Jesus as a great prophet or teacher in our personal relationship with him." Publicly we, as Christ followers, may proclaim him as Lord of all. However when Jesus teaches us how to give 10% of our income to him, we ignore his teaching disregarding and yes disrespecting his authority as Lord. I hope to follow their principles as a student in hopes of improving my respect towards my Savior. For I know that He has much more to show me and I am ready to receive it!

My Socio-Economic Situation

2009-08-01T21:44:00.002-04:00

In an earlier post I informed you guys that I will be living on campus with other exchange students. These students will be coming from all around the world - but mainly Europe. I've got a feeling that they have some stereotypical views about me as an American.
They might assume that I am wealthy. WRONG.
God has blessed this opportunity for me and my family by eliminating all major costs!
I hope to be able to explain to them that their assumption is wrong by making them aware of my family situation. My parents can't afford to pay for me to live in HongKong for a year. I can't either obviously. My dad is a minister and my mom goes to college! I don't want them to think that we are dirt poor, but I do want them to realize that we don't drive a Mercedes Benz and go to parties with Paris Hilton.
I've learned from my research on Hong Kong that the people dress well. Let me explain further: What do 75% of students at Georgetown College wear to class? SWEATPANTS AND HOODIES
As for HongKong students, they wear smart casual always. If I walk into class with a hoodie and sweatpants, I probably will get some weird looks. So, maybe one day I will proudly wear my G-town sweats and hoodie so that they can visually see that I am not rackin' the dow (that's to have a lot of money mom, dad, and all others unable to translate).

Cultural Etiquette

2009-07-29T00:19:00.002-04:00

Request your bill by making a writing motion with your hand.
To beckon someone, extend your arm, palm down, and make a scratching motion with your fingers.
Never point with your index finger. This is used only for animals. Point with your hand open.

This will be a difficult gesture for me to get used to!

Tea is the customary beverage for all occasions. Your teacup will be refilled continually. Leave your cup full if you are finished.

They don't appreciate putting sugar and cream! I need my sugar and cream!

It is bad manners for a host not to keep a guest's plate full, and it is even worse for a guest not to continue eating as long as the plate is full. Always leave some food on your dish after you are finished with each course. Otherwise the host will continue refilling your plate or bowl.

No problem with this one! I have always left a bite or two on my plate.

The Chinese find belching, slurping, clanging utensils and making loud noises at the dinner table acceptable, sometimes even complimentary.
Wear a good watch. It will be noticed.

Gotta get me a nice rowlex!

Gift giving is a tradition in Hong Kong that communicates respect and friendship. Be prepared to present a small gift at the first meeting, such as high-quality cognac, brandy, candy or pens. Unlike other Asian countries, Scotch whiskey is not special in Hong Kong.

I plan on getting some Georgetown College pens to give to people. This will be my gift to those who are meeting me at the airport! BROWNIE POINTS!

Never go to a Chinese home without a gift.
The Chinese are famous for communicating by "Saying it without saying it." You will have to learn to read between the lines.

Their own way of doing things!

2009-07-28T15:42:00.010-04:00

MEETING AND GREETING

.The handshake is commonly used when greeting westerners.
.The Hong Kong Chinese handshake is rather light.
.During the greeting, many Hong Kong Chinese lower their eyes as a sign of respect.
.There is no need for you to emulate this gesture, although prolonged eye contact should be avoided during the greeting.
.If you are at a large function, you may introduce yourself to other guests.
.At smaller functions, it is polite to wait for your host or hostess to introduce you.
.The Chinese traditionally have 3 names: The surname, or family name is first and is followed by two personal names. The first personal name is their father's name and the second personal name is their own name.
.Address the person by an honorific title and their surname.
.If they want to move to a first name basis, they will advise you which name to use.
.Some Chinese adopt more western names and may ask you to call them by that name.

BUSINESS ETIQUETTE AND PROTOCOL

.They are quite familiar and comfortable with people from other countries.
.The Hong Kong Chinese take a long-term view of business relationships.
.Business cards are exchanged after the initial introductions.
.Have one side of your business card translated into Chinese, with the Chinese characters printed in gold, since it is an auspicious color.
.Business cards are exchanged using both hands.
.Hand your card so the typeface faces the recipient.

I've already made my own business card, however after researching I found out I should put Chinese on the other side!All information found from kwintessential

My Life in Hong Kong

Come Buy 香草奶茶.wmv

Beach

Filipino Dinner

Volleyball

'Pearl TV' Interviews

乒乓 Ping Pong.wmv

香港 Hong Kong: UNPREDICTABLE

Somber Goodbye.wmv

Pizza Party.wmv

HK Museums and Sushi Buffet.wmv

Temple Street & Chinese Studies

旺角 Mong Kok with Jessica_0001.wmv

HKBU *Star*

Crane House Interview - TA position

Destination: 北京

阳朔，广西，中国

Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communications Review: Key Issues for Congressional Oversight | The Heritage Foundation

Kunming

Why Are Parent-Child Suicides Rising in Hong Kong?

U.S.-Indonesia Relations: Build for Endurance, Not Speed | The Heritage Foundation

China Learns to Say 'Hola' | Asia Society

Tiger Leaping Gorge.avi

LiLi's Adventure

The Beginning.avi

Yunnan Trek - TLG, Lijiang, Dali, Kunming, Yuxi 云南游：虎跳峡，丽江，大理，昆明，玉溪

虎年 "Year of the Tiger"

Hiking.Beach.

Long Ke Wan

Lion's Peak

Spring Semester: Revival

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Epic Shower

Christmas: Different Place, Same Meaning

The Great John Wall

Remarks of President Barack Obama: Acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize

The Amity Foundation 爱德基金会

Background

Encouraging Government Policy

Increasing Social Needs

The Fruits of Theological Reconstruction

The Relationship Between Amity and the Chinese Protestant Church

Mission

Service Areas

Challenges and Difficulties

The Jiangsu Christian Charity Fund has been established recently and is facing a lot of challenges and problems in the process of development

Social service in Jiangsu churches has just started and needs further promotion

Fundraising

Making a systematic plan for existing social service projects in churches

Building a team of volunteers

My Library

Hong Kong City Church

Hope for China

Guilin Adventure 桂林，很多的山！

道风山 "Life After College" Retreat

Destination - Macao Videos

Macao 澳门

外婆生日快乐！Happy Birthday Mammaw!

New Adventure: Tai Wai to Tai Po

Li Bai 李白 “A Tranquil Night” 静夜思

Fan Scores A Penalty Kick During Saturn Spartak Moscow Game

Lion's Peak

Summing Up September

Wan Chai 灣仔

KARAOKE is the new way to party!

Mong Kok 旺角

My Beautiful Family

香港浸會大學

A Whole New World

Wow!

Racism

Economic Presentation

Political Presentation

Geographical Presentation

Globalization

Teacher to Student Relationship in Hong Kong

My Socio-Economic Situation

Cultural Etiquette

Their own way of doing things!

HKBU Star