Back to School

Well, the big vacation is over and it's now "back to work". We enjoyed the last week we had off in February, but I think we were ready to get back into the routine of school. The first step in our preparation for the new semester was to buy a couple bikes to make the commute to school much faster. Last week we went to the second-hand market which is basically an outdoor junkyard and searched for some suitable bikes. We weren't that picky - we just wanted good tires and good brakes and Tiff wanted a basket (ok, we were a little picky), but there were surprisingly few options that fit our description. Thankfully after a bit of digging we found two that we both liked and now our travels to school takes only 5 minutes as opposed to about 10 walking. It's still a bit cold, but the time saved is worth it.

The biggest thing that we did this past week happened during a meeting with the school principal. We sat down in his office last Friday and told him that we would like to stay for a second year as teachers here. That is what we had planned for and told our families since the day we left America, but even so, it is difficult to escape the weight of that decision. It's been a challenge to be away from family and friends this long, and now we've decided to do it for one more go-around. Why did we agree to stay? Well, for a while I (Josh) wasn't sure if I really wanted to, although I kept that mostly to myself. I talked with a good friend on the phone and when he asked why I wanted to stay I told him "Well, we both want to learn the language and culture of China and even told everybody that it would probably take two years (or more) to accomplish that." He replied, and I believe wisely so, "Well, you know Josh, I'm not quite sure that's the best reason to stay." The more I thought about that, the more I knew he was right. We were not placed here to experience China even though living in a completely different culture produces all new experiences. After talking with Tiff I remembered how long we had spent praying about where to go after she graduated, and then later praying about whether China was where He wanted us to be (funny how we can "forget" those types of things). It may have felt like leaving for China was such an instantaneous decision but in reality it was something He was preparing us for since the beginning of 2006. The decision to stay in China another year was made a while ago, but even so I know that our purpose here, whatever it may be, has not yet been fulfilled in this one year. Yes, we want to learn the language. Yes, we want to make good friends. But even more importantly we know that He's not quite done with us here yet. Whether He has us here to impact certain Chinese or just to continue teaching us what marriage really means we have yet to find out. We'll be here, though, and we'll let you know.

I'm in a contemplative mood today, so please bear with me as I share one more story. This happened to Tiff and I during our trip to Yili and really made me reconsider a few things. First you should know that a big part of China's culture is alcohol and its consumption. You should also know that Tiff and I are not big drinkers. Part of it has to do with our upbringing, part of it due to its high price, but the main reason is that we really just don't like the taste much. We don't have a problem toasting with champagne or a small bit of red wine, but that's about as far as we go. So now imagine us in the corner of a small room in Yili, no larger than maybe 15x15ft., accompanied by maybe 15-20 of Sam's relatives who are both smoking and drinking. We had just finished dinner and were waiting for the perfect moment to make our exit when I was approached by an obviously drunk man in his late 50's. In his hand he had a small shot glass of what is roughly translated as "White Lightning", a drink that is about 95% alcohol and has been aptly described by our friend Kyle as jet fuel. Although everybody had been playing games, talking, and basically doing the "family thing", they all stopped and starred when this man first approached us. "I would like to toast you to welcome you to China and small town Yili" the man said through Heidi, our impromptu translator. "Well sure, I'll take my small shot glass of watered-down red wine and accept that toast!" I replied. "No, I want you to drink this stuff, just a little of it" he mumble as he handed me the clear glass of strong alcohol. I wasn't cracking under the pressure yet, but as all eyes were on me I decided that it would be in our best interest if I just put my lips to the glass and pretended to drink. The second the liquid touched my mouth I knew the phrase "jet fuel" was no exaggeration. The old man didn't buy my act, though. "You need to drink all of it, because this is the tradition in China" he told me. "Sorry, but I don't drink alcohol like this, not even in America". Heidi went on to try to dissuade this man from pursuing this embarrassing conflict, but it was no use. For a total of about 20 minutes, with all eyes quietly gazing at us wondering what the Americans would do, we fought with smiles and simple refusals. The pressure was a thick blanket slowly suffocating us. What would you do? Eventually (thankfully) the man gave up and we escaped the living room for much-needed fresh air, but that night I couldn't help but wonder before sleep, did I really make the right decision by refusing to drink that 2oz. of alcohol? On one side of the coin, I did hold to my principles and hopefully gained the respect of both our friends and my wife for doing so, but on the other side I mocked the Chinese culture by refusing to partake in its customs, as absurd as they may be and even if it's a drunk man offering them.

It has been something that has plagued my thoughts for the past week, and I can only hope that in the heat of the moment I made the right decision. I am in China, however, and I want to involve myself in as much of it as possible without compromising me or Tiffany. It is the first time in my life I have experienced true peer pressure and I now understand why many youth fall prey to it all the time - I would never have been able to hold my own in the same situation back in high school. This event, along with my recent birthday, has also made me reevaluate which of my life-principles would crack given that same pressure. It's something to think about.

Well, that's about all I have. It's not all roses here in China, but then again we have very little to complain about. We love it here and that's why we are happy to stay for the second year. We hope to be back in Dallas either late July or early August, but we'll give more specific dates in the future when we know. Right now we're trying to focus our energy on our kids and on staying warm while spring takes its time finding this far corner of China. We still miss you all and are very thankful for your e-mails, packages, letters, and encouragement. Oh and by the way...Go Mavericks!