Problem-Solving as a Lao-Wai

Clearly, my Chinese skills are improving, or at least my ability to use what I have to solve problems.  The other day I turned the key in my lock farther than I was supposed to (with the door open, trying to test the security bolts), and found that I could not retract the bolts.  This meant that I could not close my front door.  It was almost 5 p.m., and, after some attempt to fix it myself, I decided I'd better call a locksmith before it got too late.

Now, I should have known better.  I had done the same thing before, while checking out the apartment prior to signing the contract, and the same thing happened.  That time, I insisted that the landlords fix it for me.  They did, and passed on the warning from the locksmith that I should not turn the key more than twice  while locking it.  So, this was really a boneheaded  move on my part.

Fortunately, however, they had also left the locksmith's business card.  That meant that I knew who to call; however, I was not confident of my ability to give my address and explain my need over the phone.  So, I went downstairs to find someone.  I managed, with my very limited Chinese skills, to communicate my need and my apartment number, and get the guy in the apartment office to call the locksmith.  Then, I went and waited in the elevator lobby.

To make a long story short, after about an hour, I called the guy directly, and understood that he was coming, "ma shan" which means something like "now" or "soon" or something like that.  Anyway, come he did, and he fixed the problem, and also the minor problem which had motivated me to mess with it at all.  It involved a missing spring that I had found on my floor (and fortunately kept).  So, that problem was solved.

Last night, I found I had another problem.  My China Construction Bank ATM card was missing.  Now I also have accounts at Bank of China and Bank of Jiangsu, so I could still get cash, but CCB is where my salary gets deposited by WKS.  And this morning I found that a drain pipe with an uncapped access hole was dripping onto my washing machine, and had soaked my instruction manuals.  (The water was clean, and it was raining for the first time since I moved in, so this pipe is clearly a rainspout.)  So, I had two more problems to solve.

I texted my apartment agent to learn where the maintenance office was, and went there.  Then I struggled with my Chinese skills, knowing how to say "Can you help me?", "rain", "water", and my address.  They sent someone up "ma shan" and he, after looking at the pipe, asked me something and gestured to indicate a screw-on cap that was missing.  I told him that I had none, and he said something about "ma shan" and left.  After a while he came back with a cap, which fit properly.  So, that problem seems to be solved.

Next, I had to go to CCB.  There are at least two branches in the New District that are convenient for me to go to, but, after having had to replace my Bank of China card, I was pretty sure I had to go to the particular branch where my account was opened.  Now, the CCB account was opened by the school finance guy, without my presence, but I had discussed the location with my supervisor Emma, and was pretty sure I knew where it was.  Going there by bus was easy, and when I got there, I found that it was open on Saturday.  I showed my passport to the first available teller, who spoke enough English to understand my problem.  It took a while, but they were able to replace my card that time.  (BOC, when I needed to replace a lost card, took a week.)  I just need to make sure the school finance department has my new card number.

Now, I'm in Lotus Café, having written two out of three midterms, relaxing and waiting for my girlfriend.  My VPN seems to be working better here than it was in my apartment, so I decided to use the access to write an update to all my loyal fans.

Prayer Requests

Firstly, praise God for helping me deal with these problems!  The lock problem was especially urgent, and especially stretched my communication skills.  I did learn a new phrase, even though I'm not exactly sure how to use it myself.

Also, please pray for my students.  I have a class of 5-year old kids, and three classes of middle-school students; 7b, 8b, and 9a.  The 9th graders especially need to learn respect and self-control.  We had a "school picnic" (actually an outing to a cheesy dinosaur theme park) yesterday (Friday).  Next week we'll be preparing for midterms, and taking them the following week.  My 9th grade class is smart, but their preference for chatting in Korean over attending to the lesson makes it hard do any meaningful teaching in that class.  I really need to learn patience, and to adjust my expectations to a reasonable level.

That's all for now.  I need to post this before Sophie arrives.  Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying!

Knocking the Dust Off

That's what it feels like to be back writing this blog.  I know a blog doesn't really collect dust, but a computer does, and in fact, when I started using my laptop again a few weeks ago, I did have to dust it off.

Firstly, I want to apologize to everyone for the long absence.  For the past year, I've been working until 9:00 p.m. four days a week, and until 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays.  It seemed hard to find a time to use the computer at home in a way that wouldn't mess with my sleep schedule or risk my being late for work, and being well-rested was absolutely essential to performing well in that job.  So, it was easier to just let it go.

In August, however, I got the word that my boss did not want to renew my contract.  That felt like bad news at first, but then, after I got over the initial shock, I found that new jobs were readily available.  In fact, after some brief confusion, I got what I consider to be the best job I looked at.  Better pay, better hours, better working conditions, and Korean food for lunch!

For those who haven't heard, I'm working at Wuxi Korean School.  Most of you should know that I spent almost three months teaching math in South Korea, about three years ago.  I really loved that job (even the food), and was really sorry to leave it, but a visa denial from the ROK government is one of the few problems I can't overcome, without marrying a Korean woman.  (I briefly considered that as a possible solution, but it wasn't workable.)

So, this feels almost like coming back.  If you compare salaries dollar-for-dollar using current exchange rates, it doesn't pay as well as a similar job would in Korea.  However, the salary and housing allowance are better than I've had, or even been quoted, anywhere else in China.  I'm sure higher salaries are available to experienced teachers in places like Shanghai or Beijing, but then, the prices are higher there too.

Shortly after taking this job, my apartment agent asked me about renewing my contract, and I explained my situation.  Since my old apartment is rather far from my new job, and the new housing allowance allows me much more choice, he found me a small but comfortable apartment right next to the school.  The hardest part of moving in was the washing machine.

Now, in China, rental apartments are normally furnished with bed, table, and basic appliances, including washing machines.  So, my apartment includes a washing machine.  So did the last one, and the one before that.  However, the last one was not good.  (It was a typical Chinese machine.  Some Chinese machines have a tendency to eat clothing for lunch.  In general, the quality of Chinese goods is mediocre at best by American standards, and most Chinese I've met would agree that goods produced by foreign companies are better.)

I have a friend who works for BSW (a joint venture of Bosch and Seimens), making washing machines for the Chinese market, with a plant here in Wuxi.  With his GM's permission (the GM also goes to our church), he was able to get me a machine out of their test lab.  This one had been through about half of the lifetime-test regimen that they normally run on such machines, and still had plenty of life left.  For its size, you can't get a better washing machine.  It's designed to use cold water (as are all the washing machines in China), but this one has a heating element and allows me to control the temperature, the spin speed, and even the start time.

So, this washing machine was the only thing I could not move by myself.  I had to have some help to hire a moving company.  This "moving company" chosen by my girlfriend turned out to be one guy with a "truck", actually more of a frankencycle.  It held the washing machine, though, and a couple of other boxes, and since I had secured the transport bolts properly, I wasn't too worried about it.

That happened last Saturday.  Today, I went to China Telecom to order and pay for an Internet transfer, and then, after lunch and a little shopping, went to my old apartment, put the last fridge stuff in my backpack, and rode my bike back.  On the way, I got a phone call.  The caller didn't speak English, but he did mention my address in Chinese.  I think he was expecting me to be there.

Now, I had tried to forestall this problem at China Telecom, by insisting that they book the installation appointment at that time, where we could point to a calendar day.  (I'm still not good at dates in Chinese, but I understand everything from "yesterday" to "the day after tomorrow".)  They wanted to let the installer call me, which I would not accept.  Finally, they made a phone call and said he would come tomorrow (Sunday) at about 1:00 p.m.  With the switch to the morning church service in October, that would work for me, although I'd have to forego a relaxed lunch with my friends.

So, today's phone call was a bit of a surprise.  I was able to say, "Deng yi xia, wo kuai dian," which means, "Wait a moment, I hurry."  After I arrived, I started looking for him, and when he called me again, I was able to find him in the elevator lobby.  Once in my apartment, he did some things at the downstairs panel, then hooked up the computer upstairs.  Other than the fact that there's no WiFi, and the Ethernet cable's rather short, it seems to work fine.  We'll see if I'm able to post this.

Otherwise, things are going pretty well now.  The hardest part of my new job is classroom management, which is another way of saying that several of my students would rather play or chat with each other in Korean than pay attention to the lesson.  I need to make sure they know who the boss is, and then try to make it fun.

It's just about time for dinner now.  I had fried rice yesterday, and bibimbap (Korean mixed rice, vegetables, and egg) for lunch today, so it'll probably be fried noodles today.  I'm getting better at reading a menu (that means I know the characters for "beef"), and at ordering food.  Still, sometimes I get something unexpected.  But, knowing how to ask someone not to smoke makes small Chinese restaurants much more tolerable.  And the meals are so cheap!

Prayer Requests:

Firstly, praise God for providing a new job (with a better compensation package) here in Wuxi!  I was very close to signing a contract and moving to Hangzhou, which is supposed to be a nice place, but far from my friends and church in Wuxi.  The offer here came at the 11th hour, clearly God's timing.

I've broken up with my previous girlfriend, Wu Yi Feng.  After about a year together, it became clear that things were just not working out between us, and we agreed to just be friends.  She's still doing well, and teaching Chinese at the Number 3 High School.

However, I have met someone else, at church.  Her English name (chosen by me) is Sophie.  Her English is rather weak, but she also speaks Korean.  She's visiting her family in Xuzhou right now, because October 1 is Chinese National Day, which means a one-week holiday for most workers.

Sophie was interested in me from the beginning, which was flattering, but after my last experience, I'm trying to be careful.  Communication is very important.  So, please pray for her English skills to improve, and with it the quality of our communication.  She's very sweet, and she tries hard to express herself in English.

My apologies again for the long silence.  Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying!

Moving

Well I found an apartment, signed a contract (with Amelie's help), and I'm moving.  Tonight.  Without a car.

The plan is, to move all my things by taxi.  It may take two trips.  Doing this by hand signals alone is going to be challenging.  Please pray for my safety and success.

P.S.  I will probably be offline for a few days, until my Internet gets hooked up at the new place.  Don't worry. Don't send any unnecessary e-mails.  I'll post another entry when I'm back up.  That's all for now.

Apartment Hunting

Well, I had some warning that I might have to move out of my current apartment.  Sunday morning, however, in response to my e-mail, I was notified that I would indeed have to move out by the 23rd.  That gives me a little over a week to find a place, sign a contract, and move.

Fortunately, I'm not completely on my own.  Yi Feng has been very helpful.  Yesterday, I met her after the first service (where she was serving as an usher), and explained the situation.  She took me to an apartment agent, who was able to find a place for us to look at.  (The agent tried to find more, but the owners were not available.)

The place we looked at (a 4th-floor walk-up) might have been OK, but the owner wanted too much money.  (He was concerned about renting to a foreigner.)  So, we left there, and the agent promised to find us a place.  Yi Feng left her phone number with the agent.

After that, I needed oats, so we went to the open market.  Then, leaving the open market by a different route, we got a little lost in the alleyway.  But after walking for a little bit, Yi Feng recognized a school, and we found a stairway to an overpass which was part of a familiar road.  Then, we found another rental agent, and he had some places he could show us.

The next place we looked at, a 3rd-floor walk-up, had recently been redecorated, so it was in pretty good condition.  The only real problem was that the owner would not make any agreement until she met me, which can not happen until the 20th when she is back in town.  That doesn't give me much time to move, or to find another place if she doesn't like me.

The third place we looked at, a 6th-floor walk up, was in pretty good condition.  It had everything I needed, and the price was very reasonable.  It did have a used ashtray, but I didn't notice much smoke smell.  It was also available immediately.

I decided to put some earnest money down on 6th-floor apartment.  The problem was, I didn't have enough cash on me, and I didn't have enough time to go to the bank before church.  (Church was at 1:30, and it was then about 1 o'clock.)  So, we agreed that I would come back after church, and put the money down then.

After church, we returned with the cash, only to find that, in the meantime, someone else had already seen the apartment, and put money down on it.  Yi Feng was pretty angry at the agent for allowing this to happen.  I was initially a bit upset, too, but I realized there was nothing that could be done about it.  After a while, the guy offered me a discount on the agency fee for another apartment, but he didn't have anything he could show us right then.  On Tuesday, he will have something he can show me, but I'll have to go alone, because Yi Feng will be busy.  However, this guy speaks a little English, so I should be able to manage.

Prayer Requests

Please pray that God would help me get a good apartment.  This is much more challenging than it would be in the U.S., and I don't have much time to look.

That's all I have time for right now.  Thanks for praying.  God bless.

Chinese Lovers' Day

Saturday, August 6, was the Double Seven Festival, more commonly known in China as Lovers' Day.  On Friday evening, as Yi Feng and I sat talking on a department store bench, she told me the legend on which this day is based.  (Her story was slightly different from the Wikipedia version.)  For most of Saturday, I was busy volunteering for Hudai Church, or traveling there and back.  However, I arranged with Yi Feng to meet me in the New District, and we went out to dinner.

Most of my readers know that I don't have any experience with this sort of thing.  However, this time I picked a good restaurant that she hadn't been to before (I had, with some school staff), and we got a private room.  The meal was delicious, made all the more so by the excellent company that I had to share it with.  We enjoyed ourselves immensely.  Yes, I was a gentleman.

Prayer Requests
I can't imagine how I ever came to be this fortunate.  I am truly grateful to God for bringing Yi Feng into my life.  Praise God for his marvelous goodness to me!

Today, Yi Feng will take her mother to church in the morning.  Mrs. Wu wants to see why this Christian thing is so important to Yi Feng.  I will not be there.  For one thing, that service is always extremely crowded.  For another, it will all be in Chinese.  I will try to meet them after the service.

So, please pray for that meeting, that it would go well.  More importantly, please pray that Mrs. Wu's heart would be softened, and she would be open to the gospel.

Got to get ready to go.  Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying.  God bless.

Chinese History Lesson

Sunday was an exceptionally good day.  It started with meeting Yi Feng at church, a few minutes before 8 a.m.  That was just the rendezvous point.  She had somewhere she wanted to take me, but she wouldn't say where.  She just took me to the bus stop and looked at the table to find which bus to take.  (I love dating a local Wuxi girl.  I would be lost without her.)  When the bus came, it was extremely crowded, but that was a good excuse to hold her close.  :-)

When we got off, there was a small mountain in view with a traditional-looking Chinese tower at the top.  We weren't going to the top of the mountain, but rather to the old-time, partially-restored Chinese town at its base.  At first, I was too busy holding on to Yi Feng to remember my camera, but eventually she reminded me, and I did get some pictures.

Chinese Painting, Portrait View

Chinese Painting, Landscape View

Stone Pedestal of Unknown Use

Water-Wheel for Irrigation

Picture Showing Use of Water-Wheel

Wicker Basket of Uncertain Use
(I say it was a crib.)

Strollers or Prams

Chamber Pots and Wash-Basins

Axi (AH-shee)

Afu (AH-foo)

Statuettes of Chinese Lovers

Statuette of Dragon Puppet

Statuettes of Statuette-Carvers

Ancient Chinese Writing
(Note the 3rd character down on the left-hand column.  It's the "zhong" character, meaning "middle".)

More Modern Chinese Writing

Another Mode of Old Chinese Writing

Fine Porcelain Seats Around a Table

"Wu" Character, the Family Name of Wu Yi Feng

Picture of Common Chinese Life

I learned a bit about old Chinese life and customs.  I also had a chance to see Yi Feng bargain when I wanted to buy her a hand fan.  The original price stated was 10 RMB, which I thought was fair, but she bargained down to 6.  I fanned her with it, and she showed me how well she could handle it.  (It does take some skill.)  Then, of course, I gave it to her for her to use.

After that, she wanted to take me somewhere else, somewhere indoors.  First, however, we stopped at a place just across the street, where I could add more money to my bus card.  Yi Feng made the transaction much easier.  Then, after sitting and relaxing in the cool office for a little while, we went back to the bus stop, and took another bus downtown.  Time, however, became a bit of a concern, and we decided to just have lunch, and save the other outing for another time.  A dumpling place presented itself, which made a good lunch.

The rest of the day was pretty good, too.  Yi Feng was baptized (sprinkling, for those who care), and she really valued my support, which touched me.  After church, we went back to the New District, and successfully ordered two barrels of water for my apartment; a replacement and a spare.  (Yi Feng was essential in that process.)  Later, we went out to dinner, and then we went for a walk.  Yes, that's it.  What, you want details?  MYOB.  :-)

Prayer Requests
Firstly, praise God for Wu Yi Feng's baptism!  As I said, this is a big deal in China.  She was very happy about it.  At the same time, please pray for her family.  None of them currently believe in Jesus, and none of them were present to support her; only me.  That was the only dim spot on what should have been a completely joyous occasion.

That's all I have time for now.  Thanks for reading, and thanks for praying.  God bless you.

"Wo yao yi tong shui." ("I need water.")

Well, this week has been fairly quiet.  I continue to spend as much time as possible with Yi Feng.  I'm reminded of something that C.S. Lewis wrote.  He said that if a man loves a woman, he wants to stay with her and never leave her side, but normally the necessities of life (like earning money) keep tearing him away.  But, if he is somehow able to arrange his life so that he has no outside responsibilities, and spends all his time with her, then the fascination grows stale.  I hope I never get to that point.

In other news, I accepted the job offer from Hy-Lite English.  I will continue on my current status until September.  Then, I will sign a full-time contract for one year.  My schedule will also change.  I'll be working mostly nights and weekends, unfortunately.  I'm pretty sure I can get Sundays off, or at least Sunday morning for church.  That's life when you're working with schoolkids in a private education business.

The main thing I wanted to write about was the water.  That is, my drinking water.  For reference, here's my water dispenser:

Water Dispenser

In China, as in Korea, the normal tap water is not considered safe to drink without purification, although we use it for everything else (except brushing teeth).  Most people have water dispensers in their homes, like the one pictured above.  This works fine for me, until the water runs out and the jug needs to be replaced.

I have asked around, and no one seems to know of any place where you can go to purchase these water jugs.  When it runs out, you need to call the phone number on the barrel, tell the person on the other end that you need water, and what your address is.  Then, they send a delivery guy with the water.  Same-day service, apparently.  That works fine for most people here, I guess, but for me (since I don't speak Chinese), not so much.

When I was spending all day at Wuxi International School, I just filled my small bottles from their dispensers, and I managed not to use mine very much.  (I did the same in Korea, only with larger bottles and filter machines.)  Thus it was that this week was only the second time that my dispenser ran empty and needed a refill.  The first time, I took the empty jug down to the guard shack and showed it to the guard.  After some protesting in Chinese, he showed me the phone number.  Then, when I asked, "Do they speak English?" and after some more Chinese, he got out his phone and made the call for me.  (I wrote down my apartment number for him.)  Fortunately, I had nowhere I really needed to go that day.  So, I went up to my apartment to wait, and later, the water guy came.  It cost 14 RMB (if memory serves) to replace the water.  More than the 10 RMB I had been quoted earlier, but quite reasonable.

This last week, my water was running low again.  So, instead of having to bother the guard, I asked Yi Feng to teach me how to call for water myself.  She wrote down in my book what I would need to say, and drilled me on pronunciation until I had it right.  On Friday, the water ran out.  Saturday, I planned to leave by 10 a.m. to catch a bus and meet someone.  So, I made a call at 8 a.m., figuring a local delivery shouldn't take two hours if I called early in the day.

The call didn't work out quite the way I planned.  After an hour or so, I got a call back from them.  Someone spoke a little English.  I tried to tell them my address, but it ended up that they said I should find a Chinese friend.  So, I called Yi Feng.  She said she would help.  She said she enjoyed doing something for me.

It turned out that, since I was using the area code on the jug, I was getting the water place in another city, where (I guess) their main office is.  Yi Feng said she made the correct call, and that I just had to wait.  Well, I waited until 10 a.m., but then I had to leave.  However, I had a plan that I thought would work.

I took a rubber band, and a 20 RMB bill, and attached the bill to the neck of the empty jug.  I then placed the jug outside my apartment door before I left.  I figured that if no one stole the money, and if the delivery guy was intelligent, he would take the empty, leave a full jug, take the 20 RMB bill, and maybe even leave my change on the full jug.  That would require both honesty and intelligence on the part of everyone involved; two things that are not always guaranteed in China, apparently.

Well, something went wrong.  Either he didn't show up, or he wasn't sufficiently intelligent or observant to notice the bill on the jug and figure out what he was expected to do with it.  The jug was exactly the way I had left it.  No one stole my 20 RMB, but I didn't get my water refill, either.  (I have a small reserve, so I'm not going thirsty just yet.)

What I really want is a way to buy one additional water jug.  I want to keep a full one next to the water dispenser.  That way, when one runs out, I can replace it immediately, without waiting for a delivery.  Then I would have plenty of time to figure out how to get water delivered at a time when I am present to receive it.  I think I just figured out how (based on my scanty understanding of Standard Chinese), but I'll check with Yi Feng first.

What I'll probably have to do this time is get help.  Yi Feng texted me this afternoon (as I was riding home on the 766 bus) that she is free all day tomorrow.  She has some places that she wants to take me to.  Well, I'll take any excuse to spend time with her, doing anything.  Lord willing, I'll meet her at 8 a.m. tomorrow.  That afternoon, I may have to take her to my place, where I can call for water, with her present to help if something goes amiss.  Then we can sit and wait for the delivery, and I can take her out to dinner after the water arrives.  That's the plan, anyway.  There's plenty we can talk about while we wait.

Prayer Requests
These past few weeks have been a little surreal for me.  Spending hours almost every day with a beautiful young woman, going out for meals with her, holding hands, sharing dessert, etc. never happened to me in the U.S.  Yi Feng actually wants to spend time with me, and even welcomes physical contact.  How could this happen to me?  It feels like I'm living someone else's life.  As one of my colleagues said to me, "It looks like you've got a girlfriend."  Well, she denies it (in both English and Chinese), but I don't really care how she defines our relationship, as long as she continues seeing me, and letting me express my affection for her.

So, thank God for bringing Wu Yi Feng into my life!  For the first time in my life, I have real hope that I'm not destined to live like a monk.

In addition, I just heard back from Jane, the vice-principal at WIS.  She says I don't have to move out right away.  She'll tell me how to pay the rent on my current apartment.  It's about 1400 RMB/month, which, considering the location and quality, seems quite reasonable when compared to others that I've seen.  So, praise God for at least a short-term solution to the housing issue.

The only thing that's really bothering me right now is my lip.  On Wednesday, I took Yi Feng out to dinner (as usual), at a restaurant that was new to both of us.  The meal involved a boiling pot on a hot plate right at my seat.  Taking something out of the pot, I misjudged the temperature of some mushrooms and burned one spot on my lower lip rather badly.  It's got a scab now that's quite noticeable.  (Yi Feng was very cute about it, wanting to touch it last night, when it started bleeding from trauma.  She doesn't mind how it looks.)  So, please pray for infection-free healing.

Also, Amelie's mother had an accident on her bicycle last week.  (Of course, she wasn't wearing a helmet.  Hardly any Chinese people wear proper helmets unless they're on something motorized, and even then not always.)  She seems to have suffered a rather bad concussion.  (Worse than the one I had when I was 10 y.o.)  She's been in and out of the hospital, and Amelie has been busy helping her.  Please pray for healing for Amelie's mother.

Well, I've got to get to bed now if I'm going to be well rested when I meet Yi Feng.  ("Go to bed early," she would say.  Apparently, in Chinese, it's like our "Sweet dreams," or something similar.)  So, thank you for reading, and thanks for praying, especially for Amelie's mother.  God bless you all.