...things goin' on

Ugh…so, sorry to my few, but loyal readers…but I just haven’t been updating like I should…

Plenty has happened, but I’ll keep it brief – just the highlights….let’s see…where did I leave off…Well since the last update, I’ve adjusted fairly well to life here in Dalian. Work’s been nuts…so busy, but really don’t have much to show for it, lol...we’re still about two months from being done (assuming things move much faster than they’re going now, lol). Fortunately, I’ll be headed back to the good ol’ US of A in November for *officially* the last of my GA Tech roommates to be married…yep.

Fun things to do in Dalian:
- make some local friends
- go shopping
- learn enough Chinese to help bargain with said shopping
- don’t pay more than 200 RMB for a fake Louis Vuitton…or else you’re a sucker!
- eat “fresh fish”…so fresh, they still have the oil from the refinery on them (see flickr)
- eat cow feet…don’t ask
- eat cow tongue…why not, right?
- go to a football game (pics on flickr…check ‘em out); be sure to go alone…stumble upon the crazy fan bus, get invited along, go nuts with 100 crazy fans…but be sure to be the only ones in the stadium cheering, lol
- visit the aquarium…in the rain. It’s more fun like that…helps you relate to the fish ;-)
- join an international church. Get asked to help out with worship. And lead the first bible study – but be sure that you let God let you lead the group a week late, so that you forget your notes and let Him take over…it’ll go better like that
- when some jerk says that a dvd cost 20 RMB when the price tag says 15 RMB, walk away, lol…you can get them for like 8 somewhere else
- buy some copy’d dvd’s
- buy some souvenirs for an old friend…..and some new ones.
- change your blogger account language setting from Chinese to English

And finally, do better about keeping up with folks back home...

Bottoms Up

**Voice of Dr. Nick from the Simpsons** “Hello Everybody”….yesterday a few of the managers at work took the other guy (from work) and me out to dinner last night to this nice restaurant on the other side of town. It was a pretty nice place, we had our own room and all…very typical Chinese dinner: lots and lots of food, most of which was put on a giant Lazy Susan in the middle of the table (which makes me wonder who is Susan, and was she lazy…or a genius…seriously, a Lazy Susan is really just a buffet table where you don’t even have to get up to get food…Susan was probably fat…maybe it should be called a Fat Susan). Anyway, Dalian is “famous” (everything here is “famous”) for its seafood…which is most likely because it surrounded on three sides by the Pacific. Haha and every time I ask our translator what something (food wise) is…she either says “sea fish” or “sea vegetable”…sounds fishy to me. pun intended.

The funny thing about nice Chinese dinners, is that it’s traditional for everyone to toast each other – usually to “friendship” and how much you drink is directly proportional to how good of friends you are, so most toasts are “bottoms up.” Also, one of the favorite drinks is so called “white wine”…which is definitely NOT wine, it’s got to be about 50% alcohol. We were finally able to convince them that we’d toast them with coke or juice to their beer. Yeah, yeah, not too exciting I know, but you have to remember that everyone toasts everyone else…so I think I did about 10 toasts or more…so you can imagine that it’s best to toast with something other than alcohol if I actually wanted to make it to work the next day, haha. All in all it was a good dinner and now I have a bunch of new “friends,” lol.

What other news…oh we’re looking into finding a church in the area…and there’s always the Sea Shell Museum to look forward to…

sick

We go through some interesting areas to work every morning. At one point we go over this bridge and as soon as you get to the other side it instantly smells like fish poop. There’s this other area right next to work that straight up smells like garbage….weird.

So I got sick…yep. I was a this little local place that I’d eaten at a few times before, so I thought it was safe. I had what I thought was tea (I had Coke all the times before this) and apparently the tea wasn’t boiled all the way…ohh, it’s like the Shanghais Shakes or something. I guess everything is made in China, even dysentery (ok ok, so it’s not as bad as that). Anyway, takin meds and stuff…yea for UOP doctors making us carry that medical kit.

What else, oh, there’s a big Economic conference in town this week. Must be a big deal because I can’t open my windows the entire time it’s here. Only thing I can figure is because my windows face the main road where all the hotels are and there are some big wigs and they're afraid somebodys gonna get shot or something. Either that or they’re afraid all the crazy Americans would moon all these big shots and bring bad press down on the city…hmm…probably the latter...sad but true.

k, I’m gonna try and take in some culture this weekend (no no, hold the crazy, stomach churning bacteria please)...let ya know how that goes.

Ps. Someone eat a Quizno’s sub for me (honey mustard chicken)…I’ve got a cravin.

Day at the beach

Let me first just say that I love that when people drive here, they use the lines on the roads more as guidelines, than as actually lanes, lol…

It’s funny how G-d is right there when we need him isn’t it…I think this new hotel is going to work out pretty well. I just happened to move in the one weekend of the year that the staff takes all of the guests (it’s a pretty small hotel) out for an outing to the beach.

Today, we went to Golden Pebble Beach (which literally has NO sand…only golden pebbles). Anyway, we all met this morning and headed out…in the rain (great beach weather). But G-d stopped the rain for us when we got there and kept it away all day…it was actually kinda nice to not have the sun blaring down on us all day – especially seeing as I forgot sunscreen. OH, and can I just say that the people here can eat! Granted, it’s mostly rice, noodles, and sea food, but I don’t see how the people here aren’t bigger, lol.

After lunch we started playing a friendly game of volleyball…and you’d think that the populace of a country where ping pong and badminton are considered national sports (haha, as in, literally, shown on TV) would be good at volleyball….they aren’t, lol. Anyway, we were playing around, just having fun when this group of guys came up to us and asked if we wanted to play a friendly game. Let me just say, that these guys were H U G E…all of them were taller than me…I mean, these guys looked like the national volleyball team, lol. I thought we were going to get our butts handed to us…but we reluctantly agreed. Long story short…we showed them what America was made of!! Ok, ok, just kidding…especially because only three of us were from America, the rest of the guests were Chinese…but honestly, we DESTROYED them – it was awesome…one of the most dominating volleyball performances ever! Seriously, stories will be told, movies will be made, children’s coloring books will be printed…legends have been created.

All over-exaggerations aside and all things considered, it was a pretty fun day. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still ready to come home…but it’s really nice to know He’s listening and knows when I need a pick-me-up (and then provides one, lol).

China

So, my first work week is finally over…and all in all it went pretty well. I won’t bore you guys with all of the gory details (haha, just most of them ;-). So first thing’s first – business class = awesome!! haha.

K, some things that caught me by surprise: this place is not nearly as crowded as I thought it would be, and I’m not the biggest person here, lol (just bigger than most…ha). Hmm, oh and I haven’t been able to find any crazy cheap market places…but that’s on the agenda for this weekend, lol (that and McDonalds).

So far, my days are kinda boring – wake up, work out, go to work, work out, get some food (ha, at this little place down the street where I point at the pictures on the menu to order b/c no one speaks English), maybe go to Starbuck…and then watch a movie till I fall asleep. A little boring, but it keeps me sane ;-). My hotel is pretty nice…hmm, moving to a new place today b/c the one I’m at now is booked solid in like a week. But all is good b/c the new place has free internet and free breakfast…haha, which brings my total food expense to about 3 USD a day, lol…gotta love it.

Some downsides…I’ll probably be here for a while…the refinery is already a little behind. I’m hoping to be back by early November, which kinda sucks =(.…right now, just trying to get settled-in. So if anyone feels like giving me a call, my skype stuff is set up just call the number on my facebook profile and it’ll forward to my cell here (only costs me like 2 cents a min). I’m like 13 hrs ahead of you, so don’t call between 10 AM – 7 PM Chicago time (well, you could call…but you might not like how I answer the phone, lol), Or you could send me an email…I got plenty of time.

Aight, I’ll put up some pictures later…for now I’m think I’m gonna go to the American Embassy (i.e. Starbucks, lol) and then maybe get some Subway for lunch =).

K, as Joe’s Crab Shack says “Peace, love, and crabs”…well, ok…not the crabs part, b/c that’s just gross. ;-)

update

wow...so much has happened since my last post...

well, for starters I don't usually post when I'm in Chicago - mostly because anything I would want to say to anyone, I just tell my roomates and/or firends, lol...this is a bit tougher overseas (or out west)...thus the beginning of the blog a while back. Anyway, what all's new with me? Welp, a good frined from back home is havin a baby =), which is awesome - it's amazing how God works in some pretty crazy circumstances...what else, I'll be in yet ANOTHER wedding for someone from back home this November (always the groomsman...ha), my sister graduated (which is pretty cool...she's an ER nurse), ohh things are going relatively well at work! Basically, if I can get some good experience/jobs over the next 6 months or so, then I'll be able to get an office job - everyone I've talked to at work is pretty "on-board" with the idea, so I think it's going to work out =) God answered that prayer pretty quick (relatively speaking...). What I mean is that it was pretty quick considering that we want everything instantly these days, but really, when you think about it, a few weeks/months really isn't that long in the grand scheme of things...besides, the best things are always worth waiting for....

hmm...that reminds me of some other things going on...or should I say potentially going on. what? nevermind...that's another story altogether - one I might share soon...

Anyway, here I sit in Tulsa, OK waiting to go back to Chicago (my new home =) and I can't wait. I've gotten to the point where I get soooo freakin excited when I'm done with a job and get to go home - it's pretty much the greatest feeling ever, lol. I can't wait to take some vacation and see my friends...play some guitar, and sleep in. God's so awesome...even when we screw-up, or stumble, or "forget" to spend time with him, or just get so busy that we lose our priorities...even when all this happens and we realize that we're so unworthy of his love...it seems like that's when he shows us most strongly that it's just not true. He loves us...He loves us so much. It's pretty freakin ridiculous when you think about it, lol..but I'm so grateful.

Summers night, your delight
How long's it been
Too long...at least it feels too long
I fell back there, a pebble really...but a boulder to me
I'm up now...
but you know that - you helped me up
Ok, you picked me up.
But, I'm up now...and back in the race
It really is amazing...your grace that is
Confounding
Confusing
Comforting
...Uncompromising
Unyielding
Unending...
All encompasing
Surrounding...like water...like an ocean
Like an ocean of love
A glacier of earth and ice and fire
...Steady, slow, and fast all at once...but never stopping
Unstoppable really
Which is good, because I never want you to stop
...regardless of what I say or how I act sometimes...

I'll leave with this: one drop of God, one breath of the creator, the smallest peice possible of Him that is "I Am", is more powerfull than all the evil that has ever existed (or ever will) put together. God is "I Am"...everthing else is "i think i am right now", or "i was...or thought i was", or "i may be". Nothing else really IS, but God...and He IS awesome, and loving, and He does listen and answer...even when, maybe especially when we don't think we deserve it...

back

well, i'm back again. been back for almost a week. now, i'm off to the magical land of Whiting Indiana (which is pretty much right next to Gary, IN) so as you might expect, i'm pretty excited. lol. i should find out early next week what's next b/c this job in whiting is only suppposed to last a night or two (yup, back on night shift)...i worked 90 hrs last week. doin that and not getting paid overtime, and in fact, only getting 1 day of comp time kinda makes you think about stuff. working ridiculously long weeks is precisely why i didn't get some dumb corporate job downtown.....so maybe change is in the wind, or maybe i just need a day off. oh, i'm seriously thinking about getting a condo - i really want a house, but probably won't be able to afford one of those in chicago for another 20 yrs or so, ha. but i am starting to look in E-town. it's nice there, i like the lake. anyways, i'll update when i know where i'm headed next. peace till then.