Dear friends,
It's difficult to believe that my last update was two months ago! Life has been chugging along for Brad and me, taking many fun and surprising turns. One year ago I was in grad school while Brad was readying our home in Hagerstown for the move to China. The months have flown by, and here I sit again at the computer in my in-laws' home, miles from our adventures in China. China is never far from our hearts though, and the people we know there remain in our thoughts daily. Here is a recap of the last couple months as we have returned to the U.S.A.:
May 1-10: My parents and brother Josh came to China to visit during our Labor Day vacation! My family had a great time seeing the sights, and meeting our students and friends. They spent their first couple days in Langfang, where they hosted
English Corner for a very enthusiastic crowd of college students! Then they joined us for a visit to a nearby
orphanage, before heading to Beijing. In Beijing we visited the Antique Street Market,
Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, National Theatre,
Bei Hai Park, the Tea House restaurant,
Temple of Heaven, and Pearl Market. Then we were off to the seaside resort town of Qinhuangdao, where we visited
Pigeon Park, Qinhuangdao's English Week team, the Olympic stadiums, and
Old Dragon Head (the end of the Great Wall). Finally they returned to Beijing to see the Silk Market, and the main Olympic stadiums. One of my students served as our friend and guide for most of the trip, and she grew quite attached to my family! The two times that Danielle had to say goodbye to them were full of heartfelt tears. She has since been corresponding with them over e-mail.
May 12: At 2:28 pm an earthquake hit the Sichuan Province of China, 950 miles from our home in Langfang. Brad didn't feel a thing in our ground level apartment, but I saw the ceiling lights swing and felt the floor move gently in my fourth floor classroom. The building was evacuated for 10 minutes, and then classes returned to normal. South west China was devastated, and the hearts of the Chinese sought answers to many difficult questions.
May 17: Brad and I ran and finished the Great Wall Marathon!
May 22-June 2: English Week at Baoding. As most of you know by now, one week before English Week would have come to our campus in Langfang, the city officials decided that they would not permit our English Week to occur. Attempted meetings with these same officials were impossible due to the closure of government offices to mourn for the earthquake victims. At the last minute, Hebei University in Baoding decided to take on the additional English Week team, bringing their total visiting teachers to 26. Shannon, Peter, Brad, and I took the bus to Baoding for May 24-25. We met up with the group again in Beijing on June 1 to see them one last time before their departure. These volunteer teachers (including Brad's friend Brian Kough, Shannon's sister Emily, and Shannon's brother-in-law Jeff) were a great blessing to everyone they met. This trip was also instrumental in bringing a long-term team to Baoding for the 2008-2009 school year.
May 31: Shannon's closest Chinese & American friends in China conspired to bring Shannon a surprise bridal shower! Secretly, friends arrived from Beijing, Langfang, Baoding, and Qinhuangdao to celebrate the happy occasion. Those who arrived early distributed balloons, photographs, and festive foods around the room. Most Chinese guests admitted that they had never participated in a "surprise" party or a bridal shower before. Brad videotaped guests giving their best wishes to the bride and groom. The large group hid in the dark until Peter, Emily, and Jeff led Shannon into the room to the shouts of "SURPRISE!!!" Shannon then introduced everyone to her sister and brother-in-law. At that point, Brad took Peter and the guys out to play basketball, while the girls spent the afternoon playing wedding games like What Famous Woman Am I?, Toilet Paper Bride, and How Well Do You Know The Bride? Then Shannon opened her many traditional Chinese and American wedding gifts. After the party, the team from Qinhuangdao and the team from Langfang went out for a delightful dinner together.
June 12: After a hectic week of packing, giving exams, and grading work, Brad and I boarded the airplane home from China! My Dad picked us up from the airport, and drove us home where my Mom had beef stroganoff (one of my favorites) waiting for dinner. Mmm...
June 13: My family celebrated my sister Kristy's 21st birthday together.
June 14-19: Brad and I went to camp at
Rockbridge Alum Springs with the students from Boonsboro High School whom we had been working with before we went to China. We were exhausted and slept a lot during afternoon free times as jet lag caught up with us. We were really excited to be joined by Deb Fiola and a new young cadre of Boonsboro students. The week was awesome despite our fatigue, and we loved catching up with students and leaders alike as we heard about their past year.
June 22: Brad and I spoke at Haven in Hagerstown, Maryland about our adventures in China.
June 25-29: Brad and I went with my family and the people of TUMC to
Creation Music Festival in Mount Union, Pennsylvania. A generous donor decided to sponsor our ticket so that we could participate. Brad and I attended numerous presentations on youth leadership and international businesses. We really enjoyed hearing the new music, and finding some to bring back to China with us. We spoke with many different leaders in Asian countries about their work and compared stories. One group even gave us two whole cases of their books! We came home with many new resources and ideas for our teaching.
June 30-August 1: Brad and I are currently working at Antietam Recreation Summer Day Camp for five weeks. We've been working about 37 hours each week, teaching swimming lessons, lifeguarding at the pool, crawfish hunting, kayaking, and floating down the Antietam Creek in inner tubes. Next week our work load will go to 42 hours a week, and we'll add facepainting, arts & crafts, and drama to our responsibilities. Today we spent the 30 minute period after lunch sharing with all 300 students about our work in China. Each week we have also been asked to share with the counselors about our work in China.
July 7: We had dinner with Mike & Larue Beckley, and Jennifer & Joe Pearson. It was a great evening of sharing about China, Taiwan, family, homeschooling, adoption, and the stories that shape our lives.
July 13: My sister Kerri called me, Kristy, and Karilyn to ask if we would like to drive up to New York City for the day on Sunday. Incredibly enough, all four Head sisters were available for the day. So we piled into the PT Cruiser and headed for New York City to meet a friend of Kerri's from France who was visiting the U.S.A. for the first time. Anne-Charlotte and her friend Carole were delightful, and we had a great time exploring the NYC Subway, Greenwich Village, and Soho. We returned home exhausted but happy to have so much quality time together. I also loved getting to see Kerri's house in Lancaster, which I hadn't seen in 1.5 years.
July 16: We led a Book Study with the Tristate Young Adults and shared about China. We showed some of our videos from China and answered questions about our work there.
Upcoming Speaking Engagements:July 23: Meet with the Doub family to discuss China
July 27: Speak at TUMC about China
August 14: Speak at the Lion's Club about China
August 16: China "Thank You" Open House
August 17: Speak at Tristate about China
(Please let us know if you want to invite us to speak with you or your friends in the next 1.5 months!)
As you can see, these past few months have been a whirlwind of catching up on a year's worth of relationships. We have loved every minute of it though. Our relationships are so precious to us, and all the more when our time at home is so short. If we haven't seen you yet, we hope to see you before we leave. We are learning to live every day to the fullest, to hang on to every moment. Thank you for making our days at home so wonderful, and for keeping us in your thoughts all year long. Our work would be impossible without you.
Always,
Jess and Brad
The summer is flying by! We have been teaching swimming lessons, visiting friends & family, and preparing for our return trip to China. By the end of August, we will return to Beijing for another ten months of teaching.
