10.29

I took my nose ring out yesterday.

I miss it,

But I miss him, more.
Things seem to be getting… not necessarily easier, but I’m starting to understand a bit more of what’s going on.

Which isn’t much.

But when I even get somewhat of a hint of what’s happening, it’s comforting.

So far, I’ve eaten pig esophagus, a whole fish head, eyes and all, hotter peppers than even the majority of the Chinese in the house can handle, and yet when I dislike the dreadfully popular jelly cups, Tim calls me picky.

Trudy is still in Sichuan to be with Greg Alice and the new baby Morgana, and Trudy got pick pocketed yesterday. She thought she felt something, so she turned around and just started weeping to 2 men behind her whom she thought might have been the ones to do it. So as she was crying, she was saying in Chinese; “my money my money! That’s all the money I have for my baby! My baby my baby…!” one of the men looks at the other, reaches in his pocket, and simply gave her the wallet back.

Man. God is good.

Barbara and I went to the mall to get pedicures for 30 yuan, which is less than like 5 American dollars. Hoorah.

While we were waiting to go in, we were sitting in a McDonalds and 3 little homeless kids came in, who couldn’t have been older than 5, begging for food.

So Barb bought them fries.

I actually taught English yesterday and today.

You know, using the book and all.

It went well.

I didn’t even mind it, really.

I’ve learned how left is [phonetically] ‘zho bien,’ and right is ‘yo bien.’ This is ‘jigga,’ and that is ‘nigga.’ I’ve taken the ‘son lawn sure’ to work everyday by myself, bought pictures, and even gone to stores alone.

Hey. It’s a big step for me.

I didn’t get bit by any bugs yesterday! It’s a … China day miracle.

Everyone smokes here.

It’s even worse than the south, I think.

My hair has started to come out a bit. But I’m going to leave it in as long as possible.

It rained again today.All the pastel colored umbrellas are kind of… beautiful.

The Chinese in the house keep complimenting my ability to use chopsticks.

I knew my never satisfied desire for sushi would one day pay off.

I printed out numerous pictures to put on my wall a few days ago. And then strung a mosquito net around my bed with the rope from my hammock, and now can’t even see the pictures at all.

Yet I’m excited to take even more pictures of the people, and places, and just… faces that make up this dreadfully humid, uniquely beautiful, island that is Hainan.

Isaiah 42:6-7 “I am the Lord; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and keep you; I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness…”