The Finish Line- Finally!

I did it! I actually did it! Last Saturday, I ran my first ever 10K race- The North Face Endurance Challenge Run. I ran with perseverance, and I crossed that finish line!! I've only ever really run one other race in my life, and that was a dinky 5K back in Pittsburgh (I'm allowed to call 5K's "dinky" now). I don't even really know what possessed me to sign up for this race- I just remember Peter talking about it back in January and me thinking, "I should do that". So I found an 8-week training plan online, printed it out and told myself that I could do it. I laugh to myself now as I remember the first day of running back in February- I struggled to run 1.5 miles (10K = 6.2 miles). I remember thinking, "I have to do that 4 times, all at once?? Dang."
But I stuck with it, putting my miles in like Hal Higdon told me to. Then came an interesting and quite puzzling obstacle: my left foot would go completely numb after running about 2.5 miles. Strange how painful a lack of sensation can be. I tried everything I could think of- loosening my shoes, stretching more, switching running surfaces, changing directions, running slower, running faster- but nothing really seemed to help. Some days were better than others, but basically the only thing that would bring my foot back to life was having a seat, literally. I had to stop running and sit down until the feeling returned, which is a major bummer to someone who's trying to RUN. I basically resigned myself to the fact that I would have to stop at some point during the race, but was still resolved to run my best while I could and finish well within the 90 minute time limit.

Race day finally came, and it was so exciting! The race was held in ChangPing, just north of Beijing, at a reservoir where they held the Olympic triathlon. The setting and the scenery were gorgeous- our course took us all around the reservoir, with water on one side and mountains on the other:
I was also so excited to be with a great group of friends and encouragers- there were 8 of us running from IECS, plus one of Peter's Chinese friends. Pregnant Jess and her friend Cassie were there to cheer us on and snap some fun pictures:
(Ladies before the race)

Please notice the whitecaps in the first picture, and the wild hair in the second- it was super-duper windy out there!! 30mph gusts were coming at us, pushing us around and creating waves that were crashing against the side of the dam. Another interesting obstacle, you might say. No matter, my adrenaline was pumping and I was more curious than anything to see how this whole thing would play out. The first 3K were pretty tough- we had hills and the wind in our faces. But I had my running buddy Shannon with me, and we stuck together and encouraged each other for the first 25 minutes or so.
(no, we do not usually run with our arms in the air!)

I managed to pick up the pace a bit when the course flattened out and I turned to run with the wind at my back. After 6K and 45 minutes, I was amazed that my feet were not numb at all!! So I made like Forrest Gump and kept on running. And running. It was such a beautiful place that I found myself just looking around, praising and thanking Him. After 57 minutes, my calves needed a break, and I decided that walking for a bit would be better than collapsing completely. But my feet never went numb!!! A true miracle as far as I'm concerned. When the course finally started heading back downhill for good, I realized that I was actually going to do it- I was going to finish, and I was going to finish strong! I had an awesome song blasting in my ears, and I started to really pound the pavement. I came around the last turn and saw Peter, WanLi, Jess and Cassie waiting for me. Talk about a rush! I think my face says it all:
That is a true and honest look of pure joy. I get chills just remembering! And as if finishing were not enough, I came in faster than I thought possible, especially on a hilly course on a windy day with numb feet to deal with:
One hour, thirteen minutes and 20 seconds!! My previous (and only) trial run took me an hour and eighteen minutes. This is truly an accomplishment and I don't mind saying that I am so proud of myself!! I set a goal, worked hard, and then exceeded my expectations as I met that goal. If you haven't done this lately (set a goal and then reached it), I highly recommend it. I'm already thinking about my next 10K: a flat course on a windless day. Who's with me??


And now for the parallel lesson (there's always one, isn't there?):
I am less than 2 months away from going home. While that thought excites me to no end, my goal is to be fully present here in China while I am here, running the full race and finishing strong. The finish line is in sight, but there is still so much to see and do before I get there. As in the race, when I take a moment to look around me at all that's happening, at all that He's doing here, I find myself praising & thanking Him. I am loving this race!!

The Short List

Just a few fun things I've realized/thought of lately:

You know you're in Langfang when...
...you actually look forward to eating eggplant and tofu (ok maybe you already do, but I never did)
...you vacuum every surface instead of dusting (including the walls & ceiling)
...one bottle of shampoo and conditioner cost more than all of your other groceries combined
...you forget what rain sounds like
...you wash your eggs off before you put them in the fridge (cause they're just that fresh!)

Told you it was a short list. Maybe I'll think of some more and add to it later on.

Things are humming along here- it's nice to kinda have a feel for what's going on, especially teaching. Some highlights from the past week or so:
- having 13 people (8 students and 5 teachers) in my apartment to watch the movie "Prince of Egypt"- a meaningful movie that has sparked some meaningful conversations
-visiting our friends Wil and Courtney in Tianjin- we played games, chatted & laughed, and checked out Eric Liddell's old home (bonus points for you if you know who he is without Google's help). Check out all of our silly pictures HERE
-warm weather!! Hopefully I'm not speaking too soon, but it seems that spring has finally arrived, and I've put the long johns away. Yippee!

Happy spring to YOU! What are your highlights??

Jiaozi everywhere!

What the heck is jiaozi, you ask? And why is it everywhere? Well, for those less fortunate who have not had the pleasure of eating jiaozi, they are Chinese dumplings- tasty little Hot Pockets, if you will- similar to (but better than) what you will find in wonton soup in America. And it was everywhere-meaning all over my apartment-when "the girls" came over and helped me make my very own homemade jiaozi (pronounced: gee-ow-zuh). These are the same girls who have come over before to sample pancakes and chocolate chip cookies. After the last time, they decided that they would have to share some of their homemade cuisine with me. So that's what they did on Saturday- and we had a blast together. A delicious blast. Here are some pictures of the process:

First comes the dough-simply flour and water mixed together, then pinched into little balls, then rolled out

Then you add your fillings. We had three kinds: beef & onion, egg & mushroom, and egg & greens

Next you fold it and pinch it together. Much trickier than it sounds. Lisa was also a novice at this, so we had fun laughing at ourselves together (she's from the south where they don't eat jiaozi very often). After they're all folded, you boil them til they float, and voila- you're done!

Victory is an old pro!

Cinderella mixing up some more dough- she needs a touch more flour

These are special flower shaped jiaozi, made with two pieces of dough. I failed to pinch mine enough times, and they all thought it looked hilarious.

Full and happy: Mango, Rene, Lisa, Victory, Cinderella, Lily, and me!

All in all, I think we made over 150 jiaozi. I didn't get any good pictures of the finished product, but that's mainly because we were eating them as we went. Nothing like fresh jiaozi!

Back in the swing of things

Well, vacation time is over and classes have started again. I really enjoyed all of the time we had, and especially enjoyed all of the adventures I shared with some of the coolest folks to be found this side of the Pacific. A brief summary:
1. Shenzhen- a southern city right next to Hong Kong. We had our first ever IECS All- Staff Conference away from the cold and winds of Langfang, and it was glorious! There was plenty of laughter, great lessons, and daily Starbucks runs! The 11 other teachers on the team are all so wonderful, and I truly treasure the times we get to spend together! Amelia, Shannon, me, Emily, Courtney, and Laura on the beach!

2. Shanghai- after the conference I met my great friend Jessie (a college roommate) in Shanghai. She flew all the way to China just to hang with me for a couple weeks! After spending so much time in Beijing, I was wowed by Shanghai's metropolitan feel- it's what they're calling the "new China"- crazy tall buildings everywhere! They call this one the Oriental Pearl TV Tower:
We also made a day trip out to Fuzhou, which they call the "Venice of the East" due to the vast canal system. No Italian food- but some neat sights.

3. Beijing/Great Wall- I had a great time showing Jessie around Beijing. It's fun to kind of feel like it's "my" city- I know my way around and enjoy showing others what it has to offer. We discovered my new favorite Chinese activity: chair ice skating!
Basically, they've rigged old chairs with runners, and then give you some metal poles to propel yourself around. No more twisted ankles! We also had a great day on the wall, and hiked the steepest part I've ever been on. My calves doubled in size!

4. Qian Xi- After saying goodbye to Jessie, I traveled with Shannon and Peter to visit Sunshine and her family in their home. She is one of our students and a fellow sister. The visit was a true adventure into the life of Chinese villagers- it is completely different than city life. Her family was very gracious, and fed us constantly. Here is her mom making us some homemade bao-zi (steamed dumplings):

I have posted pictures from all of these adventures on Facebook. Click on these links to see them if you haven't already:
Conference in Shenzhen
Shanghai
Beijing/Great Wall
Visit to Sunshine's

Throughout all of these travels, I realized a couple of things about myself. I was reminded that I really do love adventures- going to new places, seeing and doing new things. I hope to be a lifelong traveler and adventure-seeker. Yet, at the same time, I love and even crave routine and schedules. It's nice to know what to expect sometimes, especially here in China. And it's nice to have classes to plan for and tasks to complete and students to hang out with again. I am truly blessed to be in a place where I can experience both the adventurous and the routine sides of life. Come to think of it, we're all in that kind of place. You don't have to be in China to experience the adventures He has planned for you. But, if you do want to have a Chinese adventure, I have a bed with your name on it! :)

Back by popular demand...

I must say, it is nice to know that people out there want to know what's going on with me! Many of you have left subtle (and not so subtle) messages that you'd like a blog update. Thanks for caring! There has been a lot going on here, so much that I can't even think of everything. So I'll highlight a few of the "firsts" that I've had lately.

My first fake Christmas tree:A Langfang Wal-Mart specialty, this beauty stood 5 feet high. It was actually kind of fun to unfold it and design my own tree for once (this is the OCD in me speaking). The decorations were modest (only on the front side), and the presents underneath wrapped in pink Disney princess paper (which was hard enough to find, forget red & green), but it definitely lifted my spirits during my first Christmas away from home and family.

My first donkey burger:

This is not some kind of metaphor or analogy for some other food. I straight up ate a donkey sandwich. It wasn't so much a burger (they call all sandwiches "burgers") as it was like a roast beef sandwich from Arby's, which is what I was telling myself as I ate it. Honestly though, it tasted pretty good, even if I was eating it for breakfast at 8 in the morning. This was part of my visit to Lindy's house in Da Cheng, and the whole experience was pretty fun. I even got to share some Good News with her :) After the donkey burgers, we hit up the local photo booth shop- a very popular thing for friends to do here. Though I'm pretty sure most people don't get 16 pictures taken like we did. We picked out the different backgrounds, and then cheesed it up. Towards the end, I was running out of creative things to do, but I think they're all pretty funny:(keep in mind that these are pictures of pictures-glittery pictures)

My first Paula Abdul experience:

I got to be one of the judges for our department's talent show! Ten students made it to the final show, which was a lot like the Miss America pageant: they introduced themselves, answered different questions, and then showed off their talents, which ranged from singing and dancing to designing clothes out of plastic bags and acting like Obama and Kobe. One of my freshmen, Sherry Carter, did a great job singing "Waiting For You" by Bryan Adams- and she ended up winning the whole thing. But probably my favorite part was the GIANT banner that was made for this occasion, with the ten participants' glamour shots all over it. Here is Sherry singing (on the right), with her giant glamourous self in the background:

My first failures:

It's still hard for me to believe sometimes that I am teaching college students. I guess it's because part of me still feels like I could be one of them, sitting there taking the exam, rather than the one creating and grading exams. My Oral English classes all had interviews for their final- it is Oral English, after all. Though it was exhausting to listen to all 120 of them answer many of the same questions in the same way, I was happy to hear most of them do well- especially my freshmen, who showed marked improvement. My film students, on the other hand, got a written exam- 15 questions about the movies we watched, and most of them multiple choice. Soo easy! Yet they seemed to do worse, and one girl outright failed the exam with a 43%. Due to her lack of participation in class, she subsequently failed the class. I also had to fail two others on account of their attendance. That was my policy, and I had to stick to it, even after the one girl cried in front of me. I'm such a people pleaser, and I hate being the bad guy. But I'm a huge believer in doing what you say you'll do. Let's just hope it doesn't come to that again.

My first Chinese haircut:

Don't read too much into this; I do not have some crazy, assymetrical Chinese hairstyle. But I did have to submit myself and my hair to someone who does not speak English and thinks American hairstyles are boring. I get stressed out enough getting a haircut in my own country (weird, I know), so this was a special test in faith and letting go. When I told the guy (through my student interpreter) that I just wanted a little bit cut off, and that I wanted all of my hair to be the same length, he actually looked a tad bit sad. Some random lady jumped in and said that my hair would look just the same if they did what I asked. EXACTLY!

I'd say that's about enough for today. Now: please, Please, PLEASE tell me what's going on with you!! It is only fair, you know...

Best.Day.Ever.

I told you last time how I was eagerly anticipating our Thanksgiving celebration. I was definitely not disappointed- Saturday, November 29th was the BEST day I've had in China yet!! It started with a leisurely blueberry muffin breakfast with the girls. Next came the Turkey Bowl football game. If you know me at all, you know how I love football, and especially love my Steelers. So I donned #86 and played my little heart out:

(Emily got to wear #10 cause she is the only other true fan)

You'll be happy to know that our team won the game- Emily actually caught the winning TD- in true Holmes fashion. After the game, we ladies got down to business in the kitchen. I absolutely loved organizing a way to cook a pie and make green bean casserole, mac 'n cheese, mashed potatoes, and biscuits with only a hot plate, microwave, and toaster oven.

In your face, Martha Stewart! Eat your heart out, Rachael Ray!

Everything worked beautifully, and everyone contributed to make this amazing meal happen. Both my stomach and heart were very full.

Check out all of the Turkey Bowl pics on Facebook!

The adventures and new experiences continue. Tomorrow (Friday) I'm getting on a bus with my student (and friend) Lindy to travel to her hometown and spend the night with her family. This will be my first official visit into the unknown of a Chinese home. While deep down I am excited and honored at the invitation, I am frankly a little nervous about it. I know there will be lots of food and that's about it. What will we do? What will we talk about? Are they expecting me to put on a show or something? Where am I going to sleep? How am I going to sleep without my fan?? One thing I cannot let myself forget: HE will go with me, HE will be there. And this is an amazing opportunity to let His light shine through me. I could be the first believer to ever set foot in their home! Now that is a humbling thought.

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from the Father and not from us." May they see through this simple jar to the true treasure inside. That is my hope, my desire.

Giving thanks, with a grateful heart

If I didn't have a calendar to remind me, I probably wouldn't know that today is Thanksgiving day. All of the usual suspects are missing: no grocery stores tempting me with discounted turkeys and yams, no Macy's parade, no Pittsburgh gray skies and snow flurries, no giant newspaper full of ads for stores opening at 5 am tomorrow, no trip home to see my family. All that's left is the knowledge that this day is set aside simply to be thankful. As I taught my students about Thanksgiving this week, it was wonderful to realize that you don't need decorations or special music or lots of gifts or even certain food to celebrate His abundant provision. Aside from the familiarity of being with my family, I'm not missing anything this holiday. If anything, I have more gratitude and joy in my heart than usual. Everything else has been stripped away and I'm left with a clear view of all that He's given me.
"Thanks be to Him for his indescribable gift!"
I am SO blessed, beyond words. If you're reading this (which you obviously are), then you should know that I'm thankful for YOU.

So it's been a great Thanksgiving day here- we were given the day off from classes, and my cell phone has been overwhelmed with text messages from my students wishing me a great day and expressing their gratitude for me-they are so kind and thoughtful. Tonight I'll be dining with my great friends Newt, Claire and Tony- though our food will be far from traditional fare. We're saving all of that for Saturday, when the entire IECS team will gather here in Langfang for the first annual Turkey Bowl and Feast. We'll be playing our own football game, and following that with what I'm anticipating as my best China meal ever: chicken, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy!, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, creamed corn, mac 'n cheese, biscuits, and pumpkin pie!! We can find many of these things here, but we're also getting a little help from back home. We're going to cram all 16 of us into one room- and I cannot wait!!

To update you on other happenings: the heat is on, and has been cranking it out for over a week now. In fact, it came on the day after I wrote my last post- thank heavens! The apartment is back up over 70 degrees, and the afternoon sun makes it even warmer. I actually had to open a window the other day- but you will never hear me complain about that! November has officially been the fastest month so far, and my days have been filled with things like English clubs, playing cards with my pancake party girls, and a trip back to the Philip Hayden Foundation. This little guy was laughing up a storm almost the entire time we were there, it was so precious, and I couldn't help but laugh along with him:

Isn't he the absolute cutest thing you have ever seen??

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Facebook albums:
October, Part 2
My birthday celebration