North Dakota

I learned a lot in China. Apart from learning about China Geologically, I must of learned more about myself.

It doesn't seem strange to be home, but I do feel different. I feel much more confident.

I have been home almost two weeks. Immediately, I went back to my normal everyday routine. I play the cello every chance I get, I eat dinner with the family, I draw and i read. Occasionally, I tell stories about What I had done or experienced in china to who ever wants to know.

One thing I worried about in China was my family. I always wondered what was happening back home while I was sleeping. I was even worried about my dad.

He drives a large red Hauling truck for a living.

I prayed every night for him to return home safely after his long journeys our of state.

He never new (or may never know) how much I really worried.

His next trip is on the way to North Dakota. We passed through Idaho yesterday and now we are passing through Montana. The beauty is extraordinary. These tiny farms are so simple and peaceful looking. Every once in a while, my dad would tell me "now this is where we should live" and I would reply back and say "Ya, its really pretty here."

I don't talk to him very much, or to anyone. I just listen most of the time and sometimes he will ask me questions about what I think.

I'm sure he feels like he is talking to a wall, but I'm a good listener and that mus be why I might make a good journalist.

NEXT DAY

Yesterday, after finding out we would have to stay overnight in Montana, we explored the small town and the little street with nice little stores that sold nice little things. My dad seems to like small towns.

PRESENT DAY.

We finally arrived in North Dakota this morning around 8:00.

The dirt is lobster red and my dad says we are out in the boonies.

That's just his opinion.

Sure, there are no mountains, barely anyone lives here and it seems like it would be hard to grow livestock.

If I lived here, what would I do for entertainment? Where would I go to explore and could it ever be home?

To many of these people, it seems like it could.

In 3r movie of "lion king", the baboon says Timone"look beyond what you see,: so, he does. He finds himself in a completely different world. Unlike living underground in the middle of no where, it was paradise for Timone. But if you looked as far as you could in North Dakota, you could see so far, you might realize how much land can actually be explored, how much there really is before the beyond part.

But that's just my opinion.

So, we are on our way back. We will pick another load up in Wyoming.

A Moms' Feelings

Madison asked me write something about how I feel about having a daughter gone at such a young age. I thought I should do it since today she comes home and tomorrow it won't quite be the same. I can hardly sit here calmly without wanting to run around the house screaming, I am so excited!

I knew from the time Madison was little that she was a very unique person and would do unique things. It has been very good for our relationship that we were together for most of her life. We needed to come to terms with how to be a mother and a daughter peaceably. I believe that if she had gone to school it would have been very easy for me to dismiss working out our problems. But it was when she turned 8 it all began to get better. She became much more mature at talking things out and trying to see another point of view. I remember she wanted to learn about plants. We got her some seeds and some plants that she would plant around the yard and tend them. She had a fish that she doted on. I think she eventually killedthe fish as the water was always continually being changed. She would cry herself to sleep because she wanted a cat so badly. Her dad finally gave in and they went down and adopted Charlotte that she has taken care of with such devotion. When she was 12 her grandparents were lamenting that they wished one of their grandchildren would want to go to China and learn Chinese. Madison was sitting there, her quiet little self. She said quietly, "I'll go." and from that moment on it was about all she thought about. She studied Chinese formally and informally. She wrote characters with pencil, pen markers, she even embroidered them. Finally after about 3 1/2 years we found a place she could go. All our efforts up till then were fruitless when it came to finding a safe place for her to be in China. We couldn't make any headway with how to get her there and with whom she could live. Amanda de Lange was featured in the BYU magazine for receiving the humanitarian of the year award at the university. She runs an orphanage in Xi'an, China and in the article it mentioned volunteers. Madison was breathless when she wrote to Amanda asking if she could come and volunteer being just 15 at the time. Amanda graciously wrote back and said of course she could come, they would love to have her. We couldn't believe it. We were so excited! Finally the dream would come true.

As time neared for her to go, I was feeling very hollow in my soul that we wouldn't have her with us for possibly a year. Her plane ticket was bought. She was to leave in a week. We made a quick trip to the Unitahs for one last hurrah with our backpacks. She left on a Tuesday and she was to arrive at 12:30 at night our time after about 24 hours of traveling and waiting in airports. About 10:30 am China time. When I hadn't heard from her by 1:30 am I called the orphanage. The Chinese woman that I spoke with spoke English very well. She said they weren't expecting any volunteers that day but that if someone was coming she had heard that all the flights were very late. I felt a panic come over me. I paced the house. I called the airline, the airport, no answer. I checked online. The flight had landed on time. I was just going to call the U.S. consulate when I thought I'd try the orphanage one more time. A different woman answered that didn't speak English. She giggled as I tried to communicate. She hung up. I called back. The same thing happened. I called again. She handed the phone to someone else who giggled too. They hung up again. I tried again and finally the woman who spoke English, the most beautiful voice I had ever heard told me that she had just arrived and was in the shower. She told me to call back in 10 minutes and Madison would answer the phone. When I finally talked with her, it was terrifying to hear that no one had picked her up from the airport. The orphanage had the wrong day.

As time passed, she had wonderful experiences. She had times when she had to think hard and figure things out. She had to count more on herself than she ever had in her life before. She had rely on Heavenly Father. She was magnificent with His help.

I went to Peru when I was sixteen. I stayed there for 11 months. It changed my whole outlook on the world and my place in it. I was forever changed to view my fellow creatures as actual children of God who were loved by Him just as He loved me. It made me realize what was really important in life and, thankfully, I have never forgotten that.

I have wanted all my children to have an experience like I had. Madison was the first to make the attempt and I am curious to find out how this will change her.

I have missed her terribly. She is the one that can take her younger brothers and sister and keep them entertained for hours in friendly concentration. I have missed seeing her daily creations of pinned bugs or drawings. I have so missed hearing her play the cello; those deep sonorous sounds wafting through the house. Visiting her in her room, immaculate and beautiful.

Her dad and I have held our breath quite a few times waiting to hear the outcome of her adventures from day to day. Skype is such a blessing. I think I will write a thank you letter to it's creator.

We leave for the airport in about 3 hours to pick her up. If her plane is on time, we will rush to the church where she will get in on the last few minutes of the girls volleyball game and surprise everyone. I can't wait!!!

The Sights and Smells of China

After a wedding we went to this morning, we bought our train tickets to Beijing. Lai Si squealed all the way home with excitement. I am very excited to go to Beijing tomorrow, but if I attempted to squeal that high and loud, my brain would explode. I was able to withdrawal 1300 Kauai from the ATM machine at the bank, but I spent 300 in only one hour. I needed to pay Lai Si for buying my camera card so I could tape her friends wedding with my new awesome Olympus camera I got here in China. I don't want to leave China. I would actually rather stay for the rest of the time I thought I had, which was about 7 more months, but if I am going to go early, this would be the time to do it. It is going to get very cold in Jinan soon, and my clothes don't allow me to dress warm enough. I also didn't want to buy expensive new clothes. It's not my money, it's my mom's and dad's, and they have already spend hundreds of dollars to keep me comfortable here. My volleyball team has their fourth game on Thursday. When I return to America, the first place I will be going is our church gym, where I will surprise my team and play my favorite sport again. After the game, I will give my family their gifts and immediately start playing my cello. It will be like recuperating from all the energy I lost not playing for three months. One of my goals in life was to stand on the Great Wall of China. I am excited to pronounce to you that one out of hundreds of my goals will be accomplished in only a couple of days. This may not have even been me that accomplished it at all. I am only 16 and wasn't even able to buy my own supplies to pack when I left. My family and host family were the ones, and are the ones, that have gotten me here. I know they all did it out of love for me. Being here makes me feel so grateful for the things I have. Yesterday was the second to last night I would be in Jinan. It was the most beautiful day I have ever seen in my life. The sky was clear and blue in the evening when we went to the Da Min Hua lake and I was able to see such wonderful sculptures as the sun faded and beautified them even more. The stars came out early, and the city seemed more quiet than usual. We drove to a friends house after seeing the beautiful lake. Lai Si's friend lived how many of the Chinese people are forced to live, in broken down buildings that looked to be hundreds of years old. I had seen these buildings before, but didn't know people lived in them. We drove through the alley ways. The air was so clear, I could smell the home cooking coming from all the open windows. I waited outside as Lai Si's husband went in a large old building looking for their friend, which was where she had to live. He couldn't find her door because it was so dark inside. Lai Si and I went in while he stayed by the car. She knocked on her friends door. When she answered, I could here the television. We went inside. The first thing I saw was a little homemade sink. A very small cracked mirror hung by a nail on the brick wall. A large bowl of water was sitting on a tall stool under the mirror and I realized it was where they must have washed their face, brush their teeth and comb their hair, but they had no running water, and they must not of had a shower. Inside a room, I could see a bed crammed into the corner while the TV stood on some furniture on the other side of the room. The floors looked decently clean, and it seemed like they made it quite comfortable, but it was so small and dark inside. I felt like I was being surrounded by evil spirits. I walked out of their shelter and out to the largest room in the building. There were grape and melon vines hanging from the broken ceiling. The exit of the building had no door at all, and there were beautifully hand made pots lying on the floor. They looked very detailed but they were breaking from age. The moon beamed down through the large holes of the roof and the brick floor was crumbling under my feet as I walked back out to the car. The smells were amazing as we drove away. The buildings were old and breaking, but they had history and to me they were very beautiful and ancient. I told Lai Si I liked going through the alley ways and told her it was very beautiful. She just laughed at me and said something in Chinese to her husband as she giggled. That morning, when we went to the wedding, I dressed up nice. I was, of course the only foreigner there and many people who knew the word "hello" in English didn't hesitate to say it to me. I would say hello back, and then say something complicated in English afterwords to get them confused and feel embarrassed like I do sometimes.... Though it is cruel, it just makes me feel better. It was a wonderful week and in just three months, I feel like I have seen, experienced and done everything there is to do in a year! I have cried, laughed and growled. I have been peed on, thrown up on, stared and pointed at for hours at a time. I have been snapped at by thousands of different peoples cameras. I have been stolen from, spit on, begged, followed and even yelled at. I have experienced every feeling there is to feel here, even love, because when those kids at Star Fish smile at you, or give you a hug, that love bounces off them like the light bounces off the sun, and it lands in you heart immediately. Yes, I am going to miss China. I will moan for a couple weeks after I return home, but I love China. I love the people and the respect and attention they gave me. I love the sights, smells and sounds. I loved the challenges and blessings I received. I loved it all, andIi have a feeling, I'll be back again some day. So what's the last conclusion we will take from this adventure.... We came, We saw, We did and we did it! :) Mattie.

My Testimony

I am leaving China in about a week and a half. My family is excited, I am excited, my friends won't know until I get home, but here, what I am leaving behind, is something so special, it hurts to think I may never see this place again. I have met so many amazing and wonderful people here. Individuals I have lived with will be able to contact me on the internet, but the experiences we had together are now only memories, and so it is back to reality for us now. All the volunteers at the orphanage felt this way. I was there longer than any of them, and I watched, every couple weeks, as someone would have to leave the children and go back to their home, but not one had not felt the blessings that came from helping these kids.

I have felt the Spirit stronger than ever in China, and though I am coming home sooner then I had hoped, there will be many other opportunities in the future. I know that if I do what is right throughout my life, my testimony will grow as those experiences come and go, and the Spirit that has always been there for me, will grow and make itself known even more as well.

I have felt Heavenly Fathers love for me in difficult and scary situations. I have felt his assurance that He is with me and will never forget me when I need him the most. This is my (still growing) testimony to you and I testify that Heavenly Father lives and loves all of us.

The Chinese people are limited to a small portion of the knowledge of our Savior, but they are still loved and each one of these billions and billions of people are special in His eyes.

I have listened to general conference on the internet in English and in Chinese and I am so glad for the access I still have while so far away from home. My family has been a wonderful support and has helped me so much so that I can do the things I want to and to accomplish the goals I have set for myself. I love them very much, and I know that they wouldn't have done so much for me if they did not love me.

I want to thank my Grandparents, Larry and Mimi. They have played a huge role in the support I have had. I love you and will never forget what you have done for me. It is amazing to be walking in your footsteps and to see where you have gone and where you have taught in the university in Jinan.

Hearing President Monson's voice after I downloaded the first conference session helped me get through many days of homesickness and I am so blessed. I know he is our living prophet on the earth and he has had a huge impact on my life from his teachings and his great example and love for the Savior.

I want to experience many things, but through all of these experiences, I know they will not be happy unless I choose to let my Heavenly Gather in and guide me to stay on the right path.

I wish I could explain to my host family how much I love them and appreciate their help and hospitality. They have sacrificed a lot to make me comfortable and I am so grateful to them. I can only say "thank you very very much", but hope that I will, one day, be fluent in their language, come back and express my thanks to them. They are a wonderful family. They have taught me so much about how life is lived in China. They have also taught me how to spit like a Chinese individual, how to eat like one, how to bargain for food, how to stay safe in the scary alleys of Jinan, how to keep myself from being robbed and how to enjoy a place that many of you may not think possible to live in.

I want to be journalist. I hope that through these amazing months I have expressed my feelings in a way that will inspire you to go out and live your life in my writing. I want you to experience without fear and live how your Heavenly Father wants you to so that you can return to him and Jesus Christ again.

This is a story about a man who lived in china, came to the US and became Mormom. He is a great inspiration in my life.
http://mormon.org/me/13K6-eng

Fishing

This morning, when I went downstairs for breakfast, Lai Si's husband was gutting and cleaning fish in the kitchen. These fish had just been caught at the Yellow Waters on the other side of the city in the country area. They both did the motion of catching fish with a fishing pole. I told them I also liked to fish, and right then, Lai Si decided to call her son and tell him we should meet at the Yellow waters to spend the day fishing, but they were already there and so we left an hour later. The fish in the kitchen was actually caught that morning by Lai Si's son.

We drove through the city, past many deserted houses, over the "Yellow Water River" (the second largest river in China) and into the country side. Our driver honked for some men to open the gate that led into some brush and bamboo, so I could tell there was definitely water nearby, but that is not where we went first.

We passed these buildings made out to look like rock caves, but they were not being used by anyone for anything. On the side of some of the buildings, a fake tree would be carved into the side. The tree I saw near the road, as we when past, was made to look very old and real. It was actually so realistic, it's branches were being held up, as if it were meant to seem very old. I had a lot of questions, but could not ask anything to Lai Si. Then, without going straight to the lake, we came to a large building. It was also deserted with it's widows broken and the door wide open. While we were getting out of the car to go look inside, I was very puzzled as to why we would go in. When we did, I looked around bewildered at the scene. It was a giant greenhouse. There were playgrounds made out of logs and bamboo. The ground was covered with growing vines that grew on the walls and the ceiling and the rocks they had placed inside. It looked like a playground for gorilla's, but almost as if it were never used, just made, then was left alone. There were many different plants growing. Most of the plants were different kinds of vines that had been growing around the area for years and had finally taken over the whole building.

The greenhouse had another area in the back. We ducked our heads as we went through the broken door and under the broken glass. There was a very large hall way that must have been a hundred feet long and on the sides were fields of vines growing on the ground under the beautiful shining ceiling. I climbed up one of the little houses into a tiny little hut, then went back down on the other side. It was beautiful in there. It almost reminded me of what I thought heaven would look like. I thought of it as a work place for movie making. Through the building was a small stream that was still running and was beautifully preserved with a brick ditch that led the stream in a snake shape. There were little bridges that went over onto the other side to where the back of vine fields were. By the exit of the greenhouse were broken down fish tanks, as if someone had been putting their fish there for a while after fishing in the yellow waters and brought them here to cut and clean them. Many of the tanks were still full of water. In one of them, a large insect struggled to get out. It looked like a dangerous insect and I did not dare touch it without my equipment. I was going to help it out, but got this feeling to just walk away, and so, that's what I did.

We got back into the car. I had many questions about what I had just seen, but knew I wouldn't get a clear answer anyway. We drove further into the bushes and bamboo. we came to another large building with no windows or furniture inside, except for one room on the bottom left. A man lived there, but it didn't seem like an uncomfortable place to make a home. Around the building, was a lot of bamboo and a very beautiful traditionally made brick fence which surrounded the small lake where we would spend the rest of our day fishing. We met the rest of the family on the side of the lake. The man that lived in the building near by had many dogs and they had followed us seeing if we would give them some food. We sat down and talked for a while. Lai Si's son's friend had gotten his fish hook stuck in the branches above him and he wasn't able to get it down for about 25 minutes.

There was a wonderful breeze that day and I enjoyed sitting and watching them take a small fish every once in a while out of the water. They had been fishing all day to eat with their dinner tonight and worked hard to catch every single fish. After about an hour, Lai Si's son went and bought us lunch. There was chicken feet, pepper and beef dish, egg, potatoes, beef, root and garlic stew and some spicy noodles with bread. The bread and stew was all I ate. After everyone ate a chicken foot, they threw the extra meet and bones to the dogs.

As we were finishing our lunch, the man who lived in the large building by the lake, had caught a very large fish that must have been a foot and a half long. He stuck it on a large stick while still alive. Immediately, he took it back to his house to gut and clean it. Here, they don't wait for it to die before they gut it like I had learned to do. Me, Lai Si and her husband watched him as he killed the beast with his knife. He cut it open from the bottom, but the fish was still squirming with all it's might. he stuck his had in the large animal and even when the insides of the fish were falling out of its body, it still squirmed around until the man pulled with all his might and, in a strange way, pulled out the insides all together and killed the creature immediately. One of the young puppy's the man had owned carried off the bladder to eat. The man cleaned the inside. After he was done spraying the fish with large amounts of water from his hose, he laid it on it's side, took his knife, and from the down up, made clean slits into the fish.

After making the slits, he had gotten some sacks from his room, which were filled full of salt, seeds and seasonings. He filled these slits with the seeds, then he seasoned the fish and after, he had spread salt all over the animal. His friend stuck a hook in the mouth out through the gills and they both walked up the the top of the large building to let the fish soak in the sun for the day and hang. They would either sell it or cook it that night.

Seeing something like this was very interesting. It was common to do in this area of China and now, just like a Chinese man or woman I know how to fish like they do, cut the fish like they do, and how to preserve it in a very traditional way.

We had gone to meet some friends, have some tea and say hello. We got home at about 5:30 that evening. I collected some beautiful plants near a river next to the lake and will keep those as my souvenir from another great experience.

Dumplings

There is a glass wall between me and the Chinese people. It separates us from the understandings about our cultures, foods, the life we live and what we have both gone through in the past. This glass wall may never be broken. We may understand a lot about each other, but it is only a small dent compared to how much there really is to understand. Many may never break this glass, but I know it can be cracked, and if I crack it large enough, I will be able to understand much more than many others understand about this world. Just being here gives me the knowledge I need to to know things about China that I can write down and capture in my own mind. Hopefully, someday, I will pass on that knowledge to someone else, and then that person will pass it on to more and more individuals until eventually it will be as if the whole world is one organism in mind, and that glass will finally be cracked, crushed, pounded down and let us see a clear view of our so very different worlds.

It is my third week in Jinan. For the last six days I have unfortunately been ill. My throat, eyes, stomach and nose are all exhausted from pain and tired from fighting off the sickness. I am still tired and sluggish not wanting to leave my room, not wanting to do anything other than rest. Lai Si doesn't understand how bad it has all been. She filled me with medicine and thought that is what I needed. I needed to sleep, I needed to give my body a rest from the alien things I have been doing and eating. Changing my diet is a large part of the reason and it is hard to take it slower and eat things I normally do.

It is very beautiful outside, but right now,I only care about covering my eyes to block off the light and not move until the sun goes down. I got up anyway, just in case today is anything like what happened yesterday.

I had not wanted to do a thing but sleep. La Si and her husband urged me to get into some nice clothes, put make up on, dress warm and come with her outside to meet her friend.

I got dressed, but I didn't care about wearing anything nice. I washed my face but left it blank and I had no desire to look pretty today.

I went downstairs and out the door with Lai Si. We went out to the gated entrance. We saw her friend and her friends daughter coming towards us. The woman was in high heels, fancy clothes and she was wearing sun glasses. Her daughter was wearing long pants, a long sleeve shirt with a light jacket and bright blue shoes her mom got her from America. She was very tall and skinny with short black hair. she wore eye glasses and continued to text on her cell phone as she walked to meet us.

I said hello trying not to show my sick face, but Lai Si explained to them I wasn't feeling well. I thought I was going to go back to the apartment with her, but she left me with these strangers and so I walked with them to the pharmacy which was very close by. They bought warm tea that tasted very sweet. I tried to refuse but there faces told me that it was very good and that it would make me feel better. I knew it was going to be a long day with these people. They knew it too, and so through the journey, in order to keep me alive, they were going to stuff me with different medicines to keep me functioning to help their daughter practice her English. The girl was always stumbling, she was very clumsy and embarrassed to be with me for some reason. She was always afraid to say the wrong things and fought a lot with her parents telling them she doesn't want to translate, or that she can't say a certain word. She knows more English then I do Chinese, but she was very modest about it.

We first went to their home and they showed me pictures of there family when they went to Washington for a trip. Then they took me to a nice restaurant with even more food I couldn't eat. I took advantage of the fruit and they finally figured out I wasn't having the best time eating sea cucumber and jelly fish or even lambs meat. The mother began to get worried and called the pharmacy. They asked for someone who could speak English. I talked to the women on the phone. She had a strong Chinese accent I could barely understand. Finally I told her I was ok and all I wanted her to tell them was that I didn't want to eat very much and to just let me be and eat the fruit that I had on my plate. They offered me the water, but it was warm and I only felt like drinking cold water like I always did in America. I asked them if they had any ice. They brought out some just for me and it was very nice to know they wanted me to feel comfortable. Their daughters English name is Tabitha. I explained to her what a beautiful name she has and I thought it was nice to know she had such an uncommon, but pretty, name. She only ate cake and sweets for breakfast. The mom and dad got a lot of clams and see cucumbers to mix with their meal. I sat there answering any questions the parents wanted Tabitha to ask in English.

There was a chubby boy sitting across the room going back for seconds then thirds then fourths as I sat and watched him. He was very pleased with the amount he ate when he was finally finished. He had a large grin on his face. He never noticed I was there, well, he knew I was there, of course, but he showed no indication that he cared.

We went back out to the car when we were all finished eating. I had been asked if I needed to use the bathroom before we left, but I decided I would wait until they took me back to the apartment building. I realized, while we were driving, that that is not where we were going because we must have been driving for about 30 minutes. Suddenly, I couldn't hold it anymore. Tabitha was asleep next to me in the car and was the only one that could understand the word "bathroom" in English. I had to wake her up and they finally knew. We stopped at a small motel and had to walk up two floors to get to a bathroom. Tabby's mom went up with me. We finally found a bathroom, but it did not have an actual toilet just a hole in the floor, which was always what I tried to avoid. I have finally been able to get use to it and know what to do in those situations. After I had gone, I felt better but guilty I couldn't tell them earlier until the minute I really needed to.

We finally came to large park, much like the one in the Zoo or at the springs Lai Si took me to. This was another spring park. It was the largest spring display in Jinan and it was very beautifully developed. There were lots of springs and many were very big. My favorite is the black spring. It is so deep and so large, that the water is completely pitch black. It makes me wonder about the history of it and how it became so large and famous. There was also a white spring. It is mainly called the white spring because they made it that way. They put white rocks in the water which continues to make the spring flow in that shade. I think they are beautiful, but think it would be better if they were left to use naturally and not have to pay to see them. On the brick walk way around the park, Tabitha saw very small bubbles and water came out the middle of the two sidewalk bricks. She got out her camera and they all seemed very excited about it. It was funny but I can understand why they think it is so interesting.

I posed for many pictures they took of me and the springs, but my stomach made me uncomfortable and my throat began to get worse. They gave me medicine as we went through the day, but all it was was a clump of sugar and mint flavor. It did no good whatsoever. When we left, we drove even longer after that and came to a large dumpling restaurant. They asked me if I liked dumplings. I told them I do in Chinese and they were very glad about that. But as the dinner party went on, and the food kept piling on the table, I didn't see any dumplings until the very end, when I was already full. I couldn't eat most of the food and I took advantage of the mushrooms and soup. When they brought out the fish they finally asked why I stopped eating, and so I told them (in Chinese) I am full, "wo bou le." At dinner parties, they don't seem to care about this simple disadvantage the stomach has, because if you are full, ignore it and just keep on eating. That night I put my foot down and knew that if I don't want to eat something, I won't eat it, and if I want to stop, I don't care if they don't take no for an answer, they're just going to have to try and put it in my mouth for me.

Lai si has already done this, but I won't continue to let her or anybody else anymore!

So, at the end, I only had two dumplings and we finally drove back to the apartment at about 10:15 pm. Lai Si was waiting for me at the gate. I told them thank you for the experience, I hope to see you soon and good job on your English to Tabitha. They gave me their email address and I gave them mine. They will send me pictures soon and It will give you a better look at where I was all day yesterday.

Good night.

Too much Crab

When you read this, don't judge, don't think "for heaven sakes, why can't she just ever ask for help about these things." I had everything under control, there wasn't any real problem. But it was a very uncomfortable situation.

The water stopped working the other day, it wasn't a very convenient time to stop working either. That night, I was tired from walking so much with Lai Si from our site seeing through the Sheng Dong Spring Park and I was hungry.

Lai Si had brought out some food from the kitchen, and some of that food had eyes and very sharp looking pincer’s. It was a crab. I wasn't too excited about it, but because I was desperate to just get something in my stomach ( and because it was the main dish anyway) I ate two crabs. Lai Si told me she loves crab and she also ate two of them. It is funny to watch the Chinese eat at dinner parties. The culture here is different when it comes to food. If you don't eat it really fast and are not sloppy about it, your being impolite and your not doing it right. Both two dinner parties I have attended here, I didn't feel comfortable eating that way, and everyone thought I hate all food. Some of it wasn't too good, and I admitted it, but most was delicious and I just couldn't explain to them that it was.

Well, after dinner the other night I headed up to go to bed. I said "Wan an" to everyone, which means good night, and climbed the steep stairs up to my room. I didn't stuff myself, but the crab wasn't doing so well inside me, and at the springs that day, Lai Si said to fill up my water bag with some of the spring water that she said was safe to drink from, but I don't think the water was doing it for me either. It must have not been clean enough because I suddenly felt sicker and sicker before I went to bed.

I got on the computer to write about my day at the famous seven springs, but I didn't even get close to the end when I felt like I was going to throw up. I was fine for a few minutes, but I ran in to the bathroom anyway. I felt ok afterwards and was about to flush the toilet, when I realized, the water wasn't running through the pipes that day. It had stopped just for that night. Why that night?!!! I tried to remember what Lai Si told me to do if I wanted to flush the toilet when the water wasn't running. I remember she showed me to dump water somewhere, but I couldn't remember what to do after that. The sink was barely working either, but I managed to get some water from the trickles it made. It took a while to fill the bowl up. When I finally got enough water, I dumped it right into the toilet. I stupidly thought that, because of the weight of the water, it would magically just go down!!! Why would I think that!?

I refused to go downstairs and ask for help. If they saw what a mess I was in, oh man, I don't think I could bare the embarrassment from the situation. I took the lid off the top of the toilet and looked inside for the problem. It was so obvious! All I had to do was fill that part up with water and flush it manually!! "Wow Mattie, what the heck?" I thought over and over. I filled another bowl full of water. In order to get enough water in there, I had to fill it up about four times. Only the hot water was working and I had to be careful not to burn myself. When I take a shower I have to be careful not to turn it to far to the left to get hot water, because if you do it at all too far, it gets really hot and you can boil to death, then if you get it too far to the right, it's ice cold!

I finally got the stupid thing to flush right and it was all over. I went out of the bathroom and was glad to finally be breathing fresh air. I felt even more exhausted and went straight to bed.

It was a stupid blond moment for me that night. I won't ever be able to forget this.

If you must, tell your friends for a nice laugh, but know this, It could have happened to anyone, unless your something other than a blond like me. :(

Mat

The Amazing Springs of Jinan

Yesterday was unexpected. When Lai Si sais "Salt lake" I keep assuming she'd take me to an actual lake, but that's not true. What is true, is that it at least has something to do with water.

Remember when I told about the fountain show in Xian, you know, the time I broke and also lost my camera?...

Well, Lai Si took me to something similar. It was a fountain show, and there were tons of people, but the fountain looked like a giant flower, and the water was in perfect balance. The music that followed the beat of the water was beautiful and even though it is more beautiful during the night, the water glittered in the sun. There was a long balcony that went above the fountain, and we decided to climb the high stairs to look at the fountain from above. It was even more beautiful. While we were up there, Lai Si asked some men if they could translate the history of the fountain on their cell phones. They did, but the English writing said nothing about a fountain, only a spring.

I loved to look down at all the people as the kids played in the water. The mom's and dad's had bought some water toys that were being sold for the children, and it was funny to watch as they squirted one another.

Every once in a while, I would see a kind of food being eaten as a treat. It looked like some kind of meat on a stick that was topped with caramel.

I pointed to one and told Lai Si I would like to try one of those. I was so curious. So, we went back down the stairs and past the fountain through the crowds of people.

First of all, Lai Si has a horrible sense of direction, and even when she knows where she is going, it seems like her legs won't let her get there for some reason. While she is walking, and while I am walking right behind her, she will immediately stop in front of me. She just stops, then she mumbles something and then she goes again. It makes me want to laugh!

That happened a lot yesterday. I finally decided not to stop with her. I just walked and eventually she learned to follow.

As we were getting close to the food selling area, her phone rang, and she stopped again, right in the heat of the sun. She took it out of her fanny pack, and answered it. She said "Wei?" and for a second there I though she would just walk and talk at the same time, but no. She stood there like a statue with her head held up yelling the words to the caller as if she was speaking to him from across the park while he was all the way on the other side.

I've noticed a lot, that when the Chinese pick up the phone, they yell the words. Sometimes it will be silent in the house and then when I hear the phone ringing, I wait for the loud talking to arrive. They can't keep quiet when they are on phone!

When I was in Xian, the apple man came in the baby apartment while they were all still asleep. His phone rang. He sat on the arm rest of the couch and answered it. His voice suddenly exploded when he said "WEI?" We all immediately whispered HUUuuuush!

He had to leave the building to talk to his friend.

Lai Si just stould there talking for about 5 minutes. I was patient and just waited in the sun. We finally arrived to the food court and we got some of those weird stick food things. When I had a chance to look at I closer, I realized they were small apples. Lais Si got plums on hers. I knew I had made the wrong decision. I took one bite and realized I would never be able to gulp mine down. Little apples here are very sour, even if you put tons of sugar on it, it wouldn't make it taste any better.

So, I confessed to her that it was not good to me at all. She let me try some of hers, and guess what...

It was the most heavenly thing I have ever tasted before, period.

I told her it was really good, and we went back across the street to get me some. I snarfed it down like you wouldn't believe! It was wonderful to have something really really good to eat, finally.

Now, every time we go out, and I see those juicy plums, I am making sure I have my wallet with me.

We ate our treat in the shade under some giant rock sign that said something in Chinese. I didn't realize it was to z sacred park until Lai Si bought tickets to go in. I looked around. There were lots of trees and beautiful willows that hung their vines down to the ground. We came to a man-made stream, or so I thought. Lai Si showed me a sign that explained where we were , and it was in English letters.. It said that I was in the park of the seven most famous springs in China, and that, in order to display them, they had built this beautiful park to preserve the water and it's beauty. They had made brick ditches for the water to flow in. The buildings around us were also very beautiful. We went up to a large pond, which everyone was huddled around. In the water, there were hundreds of gold fish. Every kind of gold fish you can imagine. Some of them were gigantic and they were in such nice and beautiful environment. The water was so clear. Each pond and ditch were at least 7 feet deep and you could see straight to the bottom.

I ignored all the stares for the first few minutes, but I was (amazingly) the only foreigner in the park, and some of the kids didn't seem as though they had seen someone like me before. Because it got so annoying to be stared at so much, I put my sun glasses on and secretly had staring contest at the eyes that followed me where ever I went.

We came to an even larger area of water, and there, smack in the middle, were three of the largest springs in China. It wasn't completely much to look at, maybe because I didn't have much knowledge about them, but people were snapping so many pictures if it, I got more and more excited about being able to see them.

Lais Si told me where to stand and I posed for some pictures near the spring. After just one picture, people started noticing me a little more, they all got out their cameras and snapped at me like hungry animals. I ignored the flashes and decided to go to another display. We went into a small building. Inside there were pictures of the making of this park. Everything was in Chinese, but I could tell by the pictures it was a great discovery to find these springs. Maybe, the city was in the middle of a drought, and some farmer found the water and they all took advantage of the great fortune... I don't know exactly what happened, but it was nice to imagine on my own.

In the building, there was a small room with beautiful paintings of birds and wild life. On the larger wall, there was Chinese writing and it must of been a very important saying because people took many pictures of it. Lai Si told me she wanted a picture of me in front of it. I agreed and stood next to the Chinese characters. We were the only two in there at the time and I was very glad about that, but not even a second after she began to take the picture, people started to pile in, just to watch me. It was like they payed to see the American girl, not the springs! Lai Si didn't notice them behind her. They got up close to watch her take the picture.

I stood there for about 6 minutes until, finally, someone came up to her and watched, then showed her a better way to take the pictures. People stared the whole time until it was all over, then they all went back out of the room not even wanting to look at the display. We went back outside. I put my glasses back on. At the next spring, I didn't even get a chance to look at it very much, because one mother wanted me in a picture with her daughter. I had to take my sunglasses back off and smile for the camera. She took about three pictures.

While looking at another display, one man got out his cell phone and set it to camera. He pretended to take a picture at some of the fish. I watched him closely. I knew he was going to snap at me any second now. When he hurried over in my direction to take the pictures, I darted away and had a horrible feeling, like I wanted to just fall in the water, grab his arm and pull him in.

I tried to enjoy the rest of the park, and I did pretty well most of the time. Lai Si took me to another pond. It had no fish, nor any springs coming out, and the water was dirty too, but people were surrounding this one even more and for some reason, they were clapping there hands and chanting at the water. I looked down and saw something really big swimming in the water. It was gliding through very fast and gracefully upside down. I thought it was a giant fish at first. Then, It flipped upwards. It looked around with it's lively dark eyes. It was a seal, a very large seal too. I haven't seen one for along time, but It was beautiful and very playful, I could tell it was young and enjoyed being in such wonderful water, but I wished it had a larger place to play. Maybe this pond leads to other ponds.

Not long after this, a mother and her two children wanted a family picture with me. The dad stayed out to snap it. I gave in to the nagging and finally agreed to do it. I did the largest fake smile ever.

I looked back at the pond, but there was no seal. I had missed some of the entertainment and there was a man cleaning the pond they were in.

After a while, the seal revealed itself again, and brought a friend with him. It was his mother. I could tell by the size and age and they were the only two seals in the park, so they must have been family some how. The second one wasn't as playful. It was sluggish and very large.

Lai Si and I walked away and I told her how beautiful I thought they were. We came to a bridge and were about to cross it. I looked behind me and saw a small stubby women running up to Lai si with a giant smile on her face. She must of just been an acquaintance of hers and wanted to say hello. Her husband wasn't far behind. They asked who I was and were very excited to meet me. Lai Si told them I barely knew any Chinese, but when I told them my age and said some things, they were very surprised and looked at Lai Si like she was lying. I felt good about myself, but then noticed all the stares and crowds that huddled around us. Some people where even taking pictures. I stood behind Lais Si hoping to dodge some of the snapping, but, like a camera crew, they followed my face and snapped even more viciously!

We all sat on a rock together. I was glad to take a rest. From the sugary treat we had earlier, my stomach began to growl and murmur about it. I thought "sorry down there, but it was good, I couldn't help myself!"

We sat for about twenty minutes as I listened to them gibber jabber, but i didn't mind. I learn a lot just by listening to what people say.

Next to us there was a large rock with holes in it with Chinese writing. It must of been a sacred rock or something because people took pictures in front of that too. Lai Si told me to get in front of the rock too, but I refused. She understood and so we began to look around again. There were many other times when people asked for a picture with me, or just snapped when they thought I wasn't looking, but at the end of the day, I accepted it.

When we got to the end of the displays, we came to the exit of the park and kind of just stood there with Lais Si's friends after seeing so many amazing things together. While they were talking, there was a young girl with a camera in her hands. I waited for her to raise it up. When she did, I jokingly hid from her behind Lai Si and continued to dodge her camera. We finally walked away and I knew she was still trying, but I didn't look back.

We got in front of the entrance of the park and Lai Si wanted me to pose in front of the sign that said "Sheng Dong Springs". I agreed, but since we were now outside, there were even more people in the area and they began to stop and watch me pose for the pictures. Finally it was all over, and Lai Si put her camera away. We said goodbye to her friends and started to walk to the bus stop.

This was also a moment when Lai Si couldn't find where she was going. I didn't blame her, the bus stops were pretty confusing and I was glad I was with her on this journey to find the right bus stop. Yes, there were a couple times she stopped and I almost ran into her and felt like I wanted to scream, but when we found the right bus stop, we both felt relieved and had a feeling of joy. We loved the time we spent together.

As we were getting close to the bus, I walked by two boys. I had my sun glasses on and was able to see what they were mouthing. They stared very strongly, not knowing I was staring back. I watched their mouths as I quietly herd them say "Piou liang" or "Beautiful".

I felt pretty good about it. I didn't take it offensively, I was just glad they thought so.

I sat on the bus seat and pulled out a peach from my pack. I was very tired and it felt really nice to finally sit down and enjoy the wind on my face.

It was a wonderful day. I felt good about it and I was very grateful to Lai Si for taking me, even if she didn't, or even couldn't, let me know what we were doing in the first place. In a way, it was a surprise. That happens a lot, but I like surprises. It's like I receive a present every day here. Now, this morning, Lai Si said the words, Elephant and Tiger, so I assume the Zoo, but we will just have to wait and see what that means later.

Yesterday was unexpected. When Lai Si sais "Salt lake" I keep assuming she'd take me to an actual lake, but that's not true. What is true, is that it at least has something to do with water.

Remember when I told about the fountain show in Xian, you know, the time I broke and also lost my camera?...

Well, Lai Si took me to something similar. It was a fountain show, and there were tons of people, but the fountain looked like a giant flower, and the water was in perfect balance. The music that followed the beat of the water was beautiful and even though it is more beautiful during the night, the water glittered in the sun. There was a long balcony that went above the fountain, and we decided to climb the high stairs to look at the fountain from above. It was even more beautiful. While we were up there, Lai Si asked some men if they could translate the history of the fountain on their cell phones. They did, but the English writing said nothing about a fountain, only a spring.

I loved to look down at all the people as the kids played in the water. The mom's and dad's had bought some water toys that were being sold for the children, and it was funny to watch as they squirted one another.

Every once in a while, I would see a kind of food being eaten as a treat. It looked like some kind of meat on a stick that was topped with caramel.

I pointed to one and told Lai Si I would like to try one of those. I was so curious. So, we went back down the stairs and past the fountain through the crowds of people.

First of all, Lai Si has a horrible sense of direction, and even when she knows where she is going, it seems like her legs won't let her get there for some reason. While she is walking, and while I am walking right behind her, she will immediately stop in front of me. She just stops, then she mumbles something and then she goes again. It makes me want to laugh!

That happened a lot yesterday. I finally decided not to stop with her. I just walked and eventually she learned to follow.

As we were getting close to the food selling area, her phone rang, and she stopped again, right in the heat of the sun. She took it out of her fanny pack, and answered it. She said "Wei?" and for a second there I though she would just walk and talk at the same time, but no. She stood there like a statue with her head held up yelling the words to the caller as if she was speaking to him from across the park while he was all the way on the other side.

I've noticed a lot, that when the Chinese pick up the phone, they yell the words. Sometimes it will be silent in the house and then when I hear the phone ringing, I wait for the loud talking to arrive. They can't keep quiet when they are on phone!

When I was in Xian, the apple man came in the baby apartment while they were all still asleep. His phone rang. He sat on the arm rest of the couch and answered it. His voice suddenly exploded when he said "WEI?" We all immediately whispered HUUuuuush!

He had to leave the building to talk to his friend.

Lai Si just stould there talking for about 5 minutes. I was patient and just waited in the sun. We finally arrived to the food court and we got some of those weird stick food things. When I had a chance to look at I closer, I realized they were small apples. Lais Si got plums on hers. I knew I had made the wrong decision. I took one bite and realized I would never be able to gulp mine down. Little apples here are very sour, even if you put tons of sugar on it, it wouldn't make it taste any better.

So, I confessed to her that it was not good to me at all. She let me try some of hers, and guess what...

It was the most heavenly thing I have ever tasted before, period.

I told her it was really good, and we went back across the street to get me some. I snarfed it down like you wouldn't believe! It was wonderful to have something really really good to eat, finally.

Now, every time we go out, and I see those juicy plums, I am making sure I have my wallet with me.

We ate our treat in the shade under some giant rock sign that said something in Chinese. I didn't realize it was to z sacred park until Lai Si bought tickets to go in. I looked around. There were lots of trees and beautiful willows that hung their vines down to the ground. We came to a man-made stream, or so I thought. Lai Si showed me a sign that explained where we were , and it was in English letters.. It said that I was in the park of the seven most famous springs in China, and that, in order to display them, they had built this beautiful park to preserve the water and it's beauty. They had made brick ditches for the water to flow in. The buildings around us were also very beautiful. We went up to a large pond, which everyone was huddled around. In the water, there were hundreds of gold fish. Every kind of gold fish you can imagine. Some of them were gigantic and they were in such nice and beautiful environment. The water was so clear. Each pond and ditch were at least 7 feet deep and you could see straight to the bottom.

I ignored all the stares for the first few minutes, but I was (amazingly) the only foreigner in the park, and some of the kids didn't seem as though they had seen someone like me before. Because it got so annoying to be stared at so much, I put my sun glasses on and secretly had staring contest at the eyes that followed me where ever I went.

We came to an even larger area of water, and there, smack in the middle, were three of the largest springs in China. It wasn't completely much to look at, maybe because I didn't have much knowledge about them, but people were snapping so many pictures if it, I got more and more excited about being able to see them.

Lais Si told me where to stand and I posed for some pictures near the spring. After just one picture, people started noticing me a little more, they all got out their cameras and snapped at me like hungry animals. I ignored the flashes and decided to go to another display. We went into a small building. Inside there were pictures of the making of this park. Everything was in Chinese, but I could tell by the pictures it was a great discovery to find these springs. Maybe, the city was in the middle of a drought, and some farmer found the water and they all took advantage of the great fortune... I don't know exactly what happened, but it was nice to imagine on my own.

In the building, there was a small room with beautiful paintings of birds and wild life. On the larger wall, there was Chinese writing and it must of been a very important saying because people took many pictures of it. Lai Si told me she wanted a picture of me in front of it. I agreed and stood next to the Chinese characters. We were the only two in there at the time and I was very glad about that, but not even a second after she began to take the picture, people started to pile in, just to watch me. It was like they payed to see the American girl, not the springs! Lai Si didn't notice them behind her. They got up close to watch her take the picture.

I stood there for about 6 minutes until, finally, someone came up to her and watched, then showed her a better way to take the pictures. People stared the whole time until it was all over, then they all went back out of the room not even wanting to look at the display. We went back outside. I put my glasses back on. At the next spring, I didn't even get a chance to look at it very much, because one mother wanted me in a picture with her daughter. I had to take my sunglasses back off and smile for the camera. She took about three pictures.

While looking at another display, one man got out his cell phone and set it to camera. He pretended to take a picture at some of the fish. I watched him closely. I knew he was going to snap at me any second now. When he hurried over in my direction to take the pictures, I darted away and had a horrible feeling, like I wanted to just fall in the water, grab his arm and pull him in.

I tried to enjoy the rest of the park, and I did pretty well most of the time. Lai Si took me to another pond. It had no fish, nor any springs coming out, and the water was dirty too, but people were surrounding this one even more and for some reason, they were clapping there hands and chanting at the water. I looked down and saw something really big swimming in the water. It was gliding through very fast and gracefully upside down. I thought it was a giant fish at first. Then, It flipped upwards. It looked around with it's lively dark eyes. It was a seal, a very large seal too. I haven't seen one for along time, but It was beautiful and very playful, I could tell it was young and enjoyed being in such wonderful water, but I wished it had a larger place to play. Maybe this pond leads to other ponds.

Not long after this, a mother and her two children wanted a family picture with me. The dad stayed out to snap it. I gave in to the nagging and finally agreed to do it. I did the largest fake smile ever.

I looked back at the pond, but there was no seal. I had missed some of the entertainment and there was a man cleaning the pond they were in.

After a while, the seal revealed itself again, and brought a friend with him. It was his mother. I could tell by the size and age and they were the only two seals in the park, so they must have been family some how. The second one wasn't as playful. It was sluggish and very large.

Lai Si and I walked away and I told her how beautiful I thought they were. We came to a bridge and were about to cross it. I looked behind me and saw a small stubby women running up to Lai si with a giant smile on her face. She must of just been an acquaintance of hers and wanted to say hello. Her husband wasn't far behind. They asked who I was and were very excited to meet me. Lai Si told them I barely knew any Chinese, but when I told them my age and said some things, they were very surprised and looked at Lai Si like she was lying. I felt good about myself, but then noticed all the stares and crowds that huddled around us. Some people where even taking pictures. I stood behind Lais Si hoping to dodge some of the snapping, but, like a camera crew, they followed my face and snapped even more viciously!

We all sat on a rock together. I was glad to take a rest. From the sugary treat we had earlier, my stomach began to growl and murmur about it. I thought "sorry down there, but it was good, I couldn't help myself!"

We sat for about twenty minutes as I listened to them gibber jabber, but i didn't mind. I learn a lot just by listening to what people say.

Next to us there was a large rock with holes in it with Chinese writing. It must of been a sacred rock or something because people took pictures in front of that too. Lai Si told me to get in front of the rock too, but I refused. She understood and so we began to look around again. There were many other times when people asked for a picture with me, or just snapped when they thought I wasn't looking, but at the end of the day, I accepted it.

When we got to the end of the displays, we came to the exit of the park and kind of just stood there with Lais Si's friends after seeing so many amazing things together. While they were talking, there was a young girl with a camera in her hands. I waited for her to raise it up. When she did, I jokingly hid from her behind Lai Si and continued to dodge her camera. We finally walked away and I knew she was still trying, but I didn't look back.

We got in front of the entrance of the park and Lai Si wanted me to pose in front of the sign that said "Sheng Dong Springs". I agreed, but since we were now outside, there were even more people in the area and they began to stop and watch me pose for the pictures. Finally it was all over, and Lai Si put her camera away. We said goodbye to her friends and started to walk to the bus stop.

This was also a moment when Lai Si couldn't find where she was going. I didn't blame her, the bus stops were pretty confusing and I was glad I was with her on this journey to find the right bus stop. Yes, there were a couple times she stopped and I almost ran into her and felt like I wanted to scream, but when we found the right bus stop, we both felt relieved and had a feeling of joy. We loved the time we spent together.

As we were getting close to the bus, I walked by two boys. I had my sun glasses on and was able to see what they were mouthing. They stared very strongly, not knowing I was staring back. I watched their mouths as I quietly herd them say "Piou liang" or "Beautiful".

I felt pretty good about it. I didn't take it offensively, I was just glad they thought so.

I sat on the bus seat and pulled out a peach from my pack. I was very tired and it felt really nice to finally sit down and enjoy the wind on my face.

It was a wonderful day. I felt good about it and I was very grateful to Lai Si for taking, me, even if she didn't, or even couldn't, let me know what we were doing in the first place. In a way, it was a surprise. That happens a lot, but I like surprises, It's like I receive a present every day here. Now, this morning, Lai si said the words, Elephant and Tiger, so I assume the Zoo, but we will just have to wait and see what that means al