Background is important.

No, it’s essential. This summer I watched the final two movies in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It had been three years since I had seen the first movie. Needless to say, I had a little bit of catching up to do and not all of the dots connected in a smooth fashion. If you jumped into The Two Towers, knowing nothing of The Fellowship, you might wonder what a Hobbit is, what the importance of the ring is, and who are those guys with no faces that ride on the horses! But if you began at the beginning of the trilogy, or even better yet, read all of the books, including The Hobbit, it would all make perfect sense.

As I contemplate what to write about, I keep catching myself saying, “No, they need to know about this before they would understand that.” Although I have been here less than a week, I have learned much that has amended my often erroneous preconceptions. I will do my best to convey some of these lessons now, and more in the future.

Close your eyes and imagine the outskirts of Raleigh, North Carolina, a medium-sized city in the U.S. Picture the fairly busy streets, horns blowing from taxis, many people walking, apartments lining the roads. Now, make that picture a little dirtier (from the pollution) but safer (in my opinion), and you might have Changchun. I live in a large apartment (for a single guy), am within walking distance of my school (2 km), can take a bus or taxi into town whenever needed, can watch the BBC for news updates, have relatively stable internet connections, get paid 4,000元 a month ($500 USD – 1:8 exchange rate), have supermarkets and great restaurants just around the corner, friends living around me (Mathew is 4 floors straight up), and three Wal-Marts within a bus ride. I say this hesitantly, because I don’t want you to stop ‘remembering’ us over here. But I do not want you to pity us, either. Every need we have is provided for. Are we ever inconvenienced? Sure. But aren’t you at times? Are the stores and restaurants different than in the U.S.? Much—thankfully the food is markedly better than the Chinese food you must endure! More than the things mentioned above, we have blessed fellowship with Brothers and Sisters, both American and Chinese.

Hopefully that gives you a little background for future updates. I confess that my preconceived ideas were not quite what I have found to be true. Maybe more time here will give me a greater understanding of the culture and people.

Several new experiences while I've been here:
1. I have a cell phone. Until last night I never have had a cell phone or knew how to send a text message. They are invaluable here for communicating with Brothers and students.
2. I used a Chinese plunger. It didn't work, so they brought in this small device, pumped it up, stuck it in the WC, covered the WC with a bag to prevent us from getting wet, and "shot it." Have you ever tried to convey to a Chinese-speaker that your WC is clogged? Hmmm...
3. I learned how to play Chinese Chess, and was promptly schooled by my teacher. Similar to American chess, but slightly more intricate.
4. I learned one more way that my name could be spelled: Johnathen. That was a first. But I can't imagine trying to spell their names with Chinese characters!
5. I learned much about my place in the big picture here. This will probably be the topic of my next post.

Greetings to each of you, and thanks for your thoughts.