Update for Wednesday, June 22, 12 hours ahead of you

 Dear friends and family,

 

 I hope you are eagerly awaiting our most recent blog post,  First off, we miss you more than words can say!

Amidst the jet lag, the early mornings, the blistering hot weather and lack of fork, our visit to China thus far has­­ been an experience we will take with us for the rest of our lives. We have witnessed scenery with mountains that jut across the landscape that is reminiscent of a painting, and of which many may only see through photos. We have experienced Chinese culture first hand – something that the United States can only minimally grasp. I can also say with confidence that not everyone walks around with conical hats upon their head while wearing traditional "cheongsam" (which would look odd in any culture, if you ask me).

 As I get older, I am coming to the realization of how much I have to learn, and after coming to China I am furthermore realizing of all there is to know about the world, my knowledge can be compared to a grain of sand amongst an entire seashore. Often times westerners can fall into the trap of feeling as though we are the "elite", and I am no stranger to this ideology. While I have only been in this beautiful country for a week, I have no doubt that there is far more that we can learn from the Chinese culture than I initially anticipated, and to say that westerners are more cultured could not be further from the truth.

The tradition and customs of this country find many of its' roots in selfless servant-hood. Putting yourself before others is not an option. To be quite honest, the shift from the egocentric western mindset to a mindset of humility has been harder than I wish it would be. Humility is shown in so many different ways, such as serving your neighbors during dinner or walking in the sun so another can have your umbrella.

As for today, we woke up bright and early at 6AM to walk around the graduate university campus and reflect upon our time here as well as the many needs of those we have met, and of those we will meet. What is usually a busy, bustling town appeared still and calm which after long days I greatly valued. We then shuffled onto our bus which would take us and hour and a half to the undergrad campus.

Everyday, I personally value these long bus rides. Many great conversations spawn from the trips, and everyday I am growing closer to each member of the team. The community and unity that this team is building has been absolutely wonderful, and I'm sure our friendships will last much longer than the two and a half weeks we are here.

When we arrived at the university, we visited the campus coffee shop which we were graced with air-conditioning (a privilege I am learning I have taken for granted!). Some members of the junior class joined us for a wonderful lunch of rice, potatoes, asparagus, and beef. (Fun Fact – asparagus in Chinese translates back to "swamp cabbage" which resulted in a plethora of confusion amongst our team when our dish arrived).

After lunch, we met with the freshman class and enjoyed a great afternoon of exchanging talents and cultural games. We played some traditional Chinese games and we also attempted to play "Whisper Down the Lane" or "Telephone" – which you can only image the laughter shared amongst the group as Chinese and English phrases became jumbled through translation. Hunter and David were dressed in traditional men's garb, which is honestly better described as a dress, but for their manliness sake we'll call it a robe. Cyrus astonished us with his piano skills, to which we were pleasantly surprised as his talent appeared to come out of no where. We enjoyed hearing the Chinese students entertain us with the ukulele, and we returned the favor by singing classical Elvis Presley.

Each day we begin to build stronger relationships with the students, and I am so very grateful we have the opportunity to form friendships with those that have an entirely different outlook on life. This world is truly a small world after all, and despite living 7,000+ miles apart, friendliness, kindness, and selflessness is universal.

 

Love,

Jasmine