What A Small World It Can Be

I recently received an email from two Chinese exchange students who are studying at my alma mater, the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana.  I was shocked to hear that they had received my email address and information from my parents at the recent football game.  They happened to be sitting next to them and my parents, being the friendly people they are, started up a conversation.  They learned that these two students came from a university in Beijing and are studying at U of I for one semester.  My parents taught them the rules of the game and shared many stories with them of their dedication to U of I.

I emailed these two students back asking what they are enjoying about studying in America and what they miss about their home country, China.  After living in China for over a year, I recognize the many differences between the two cultures and how difficult and exciting it can be for an exchange student.  I have had to deal with many hardships adjusting to Chinese culture and I am sure that for many exchange students, living in America is a shock to what they are used to.

I stumbled upon an article on NPR explaining the struggles that these cross-cultural students can have.  It gives many examples of how awkward and un-relatable living in another culture can be.
Take a look: From China to the U.S.: Student Juggles Two Worlds

Some of you may know that I studied abroad twice while in college.  I went on a short-term winter trip to Benin, Africa in 2007 and a semester long study in Tuscany, Italy in 2008.  It was because of these opportunities that I am living and working in China today.  I recognized my passion for international work and the desire to learn more about other cultures. I encourage everybody to either study abroad while in school or go on short term trips.  They are invaluable experiences and often life changing.

My parents at the U of I football game...Go Illini!!

Beautiful Yunnan Photos

Here are a few gorgeous photographs taken by a professional photographer around Yunnan, not me.  They highlight the different minority groups and their traditional dress.  Enjoy!  More to come later.

Calling all pregnant women

This goes out to all the pregnant women out there. How would you like to spend an entire month after you give birth in your pajamas? This is a traditional Chinese custom for pregnant mothers. For 30 days after the birth, the mother and baby are not allowed to leave the house, not even go outside. Still interested? This custom is literally called "sitting the month" (zuo yuezi) in Chinese. Along with not leaving the house, a new mother cannot eat raw fruit or vegetables, drink coffee, have cold drinks or even cold water. These rules are supposed to help restore the balance to the new mother's body after childbirth.

Along with eating bland food and tepid liquids, the new mother cannot take a shower or brush her teeth for the entire month. They bundle up in wool socks and warm clothing, even in the summer, to prevent a chill. Chinese doctors warn that getting a chill could lead to joint problems or illness later. Another Chinese belief about newborns is the lack of physical touch. A common thought is that too much cuddling is not good for the development of the newborn's bones. They don't want the baby to become dependent so they don't hold him much in the first month, only for breast feeding.

Restoring the balance refers to the Yin and the Yang. The Chinese believe that everything in life requires balance between the Yin and the Yang for harmony to exist. If imbalance occurs than a person will become ill. Pregnancy is believed to create an imbalance within the body that must be restored postnatally or the mother will suffer the consequences later in life.

As the modern world is butting heads with the ancient one, Chinese traditions have started to bend just a touch. New, modern postpartum centers are popping up all over China. New mothers are transferred to these confinement centers right after they give birth and are then waited on hand and foot for the next 30 days. At $500 a day, many mothers say it is worth it to have nutritionists, trained nurses and doctors on hand 24-hours a day to monitor their baby. Inside these centers, new mothers are given a sponge bath by nurses who wipe them down with washcloths steeped in Chinese medicine about once a week. According to the traditional rules, a mother is not supposed to bathe for 30 days, but rules are being bent for the needs of the modern woman. This new generation of new mothers is experiencing the consequences of the one-child policy. Because they have not grown up with younger brothers or sisters, they need more help now than ever before. They don't know how to look after kids and are just happy that there are people at these centers that can teach them.

A few other rules and reasons behind them:

-Drinking tea is not allowed as it might harm the baby.

-If a woman doesn't stay in bed the whole month or does any sort of exercise this could result in a prolapse of the uterus.

-They wrap their bellies with a special cloth to get it flat again as soon as possible.

-Air conditioning, fans and opening of windows is not allowed. Break this rule and it is believed that you will have arthritis and migraines in old age.

-Women must breastfeed lying down on her side.

-Reading and watching TV are limited for the prospect of eye disease.

As much as I would enjoy a month in my pajamas with my baby, I think I'll stick to the American way of getting my body back to normal through exercise and careful, but not superstitious, diet.

Home Service

I can't believe it is the end of August and September is just around the corner. It was just June and I was sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation for my trip home to America. Well, I am back in China after a wonderful three and a half weeks seeing family and friends in my home country, America. I cannot believe I have lived in China for over a year now and only have a few months left of my service before I head back home for good.

My time at home was fulfilling and enlightening. A few highlights: Going to Wrigley Field with my Dad to watch the Cubs face the Nationals. Spending time with my brother in the great city of Chicago. Seeing my sister and spending a family weekend at our cabin in Wisconsin. Laughing with my old Camp Arcadia friends and reminiscing about out summers on staff. Seeing my old college roommate and discussing the upcoming wedding we will both be in. Spending time in the mitten of the north (Michigan) and seeing the calming shores of Camp Arcadia.

I also got the chance to visit two churches that are supporting my work. I spoke at Immanuel Lutheran in Adams, Wisconsin and my home church, Trinity Lutheran in Lisle, Illinois. It was great to be able to talk openly about my work and hear affirmations from loving and caring supporters. Sometimes, on the field, it is easy to forget that I have a support network back at home and I can feel rather lonely at times. Returning home in the middle of my service has reminded me of the support I do have, even if it is across the globe.

Coming up this fall are a few trips I am very excited for. My boss comes into Kunming this next week for an orientation and to welcome CWEF's two new English teachers. At the end of September, Concordia International School Shanghai (CISS) comes to Yunnan for several service projects where I will help lead one water project. Then in October, I head to Guangdong Province to help lead an English teaching project with Hong Kong International School. Please pr-y for the new English teachers traveling to Kunming for the first time these next few days and bless their time here with peace and comfort in a time of newness and discovery.

Cambodia and Vietnam

A week ago, I took a mini vacation and traveled down to Phnom Penh, Cambodia to visit an old friend, Aurora Sandell who is now the Service Coordinator for CWEF in our Cambodia office. It was a great chance to catch up, get out of China and see what our other offices are doing. She took me around the city, specifically stopping at the Killing Fields and S-21. This is where thousands of Cambodians were killed by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970's. A tragic ruling of the Communist Party at the time, shocking to have stood on the grounds of so many murders.

Then we picked up the mood and traveled to Siem Reap, Cambodia where the famous Angkor Wat is. We got up at 4:30 am and were touring the temples that make up the grounds of Angkor Wat by 5:15 am. It was so cool to see something so historic, so massive and wonder how they built such large temples without modern day construction equipment. We walked around Bayon, the temple with hundreds of faces carved into its rocks. Then Ta Prohm, the place where Tomb Raider was filmed with its gigantic trees and roots weaving in and out of the rock. Then the famous Angkor Wat, the largest of the temples and also shown on the Cambodian flag. It truly was an amazing experience to walk around one of the wonders of the world and take in how large and historic this piece of earth is.

After Siem Reap, we flew to Saigon or Ho Chi Min City, Vietnam. Here we toured the War Remnants Museum and were once again reminded of the horrors of war and how awful people can treat other human beings. Saigon was as crazy as you might have heard. Motorbikes zooming past in every direction, people selling fake accessories on the street and of course, delicious Vietnamese food at every corner. I thought I could handle crazy traffic coming from China, but Saigon's traffic even threw me for a loop.

After Saigon, we flew to Phu Quoc Island, off the coast of Vietnam. This is a small island not yet bombarded with tourism. The island is actually only 15 km away from Cambodia, but is currently owned by Vietnam. In a few years, this place will be filled with resorts and fine restaurants but for the time being, it was a nice and affordable getaway for Aurora and I.

We hopped on a ferry that took us back to Vietnam where we crossed the border back into Cambodia and traveled back to Phnom Penh where we started the whole adventure. It was a great trip, exhausting but adventurous nonetheless!

China: Beyond Borders

NPR is doing a great series this month entitled China: Beyond Borders. The articles are well written and I agree with the points they make about the country I am living in. The latest article, China's Businesses Boom, But Its Brands Don't is especially interesting because three new Starbucks just opened in Kunming this month. More and more American brands are popping up around Kunming, which at times is a nice chance to get away from the dense Chinese culture I feel sometimes, but it also raises the question of where are all the Chinese brands?

Check it out at China: Beyond Borders

CWEF Interns - Scholarship Students

As I stated in my last post, a few weeks ago, six high school students came to Kunming to intern for CWEF. They go to school at Concordia International School Shanghai (CISS) and are truly a fascinating bunch of kids. Last post I talked about the conclusions we came up with after interviewing several villages about drinking water projects. Here, I want to highlight the interviews we conducted with our scholarship students. Each year, CWEF gives out a handful of scholarships for middle and high school students. Without these scholarships, many students would be forced to stay at home and help with farm work.

Here are a few excerpts from the report written by Taylor Jurgens:

• When parents or guardians were asked about personal education levels, the most common level of education was elementary school. 6 of the 18 female guardians went to elementary school but didn't necessarily graduate; 1 went to middle school and only 1 graduated high school. 6 had no education at all and were completely illiterate. Of the male guardians 7 went to elementary school, 2 went to middle school and 1 graduated high school. 4 had no formal schooling.

• The average annual income for all families was roughly 4500 RMB which translates into about $680.

• On average the families eat two meals a day consisting of corn, rice, potatoes and other vegetables. About once a week, they will eat meat such as pork or chicken. Students are given money to eat a meal at school, though many of the students skip their midday meal in order to make their allowance last as long as possible.

• All of the scholarship students interviewed spent the school days living in the on-campus dormitories and went back to their village only on weekends and holidays.

• All of the families said that had they not received the scholarship they would have paid or tried to pay for their child to go to school anyways. Some parents went as far as to say that they would sell the house and all they have because they know the importance of their children's education.

• Students were also asked what their goals were for the future as well as what they wanted to be when they grow up. Many students expressed an interest in being doctors. The overwhelming amount said it was because they had a family member that was sick or in pain. Many also said they wanted to be teachers because they were inspired by influential teachers or the scholarship they had received. Other popular responses were lawyer, manager, government official and police officer. All students expressed a desire to use their education to first help their families and then help others who were in similar conditions.

• Many students were brutally aware of just how poor they really were. Throughout the interviews, most cried and had a hard time admitting their financial situation. Many family members were thankful for the scholarship because it gave their children an opportunity to go to school. Even though basically all the parents said they would pay for their children's education even without the scholarship, looking at their situation, this didn't seem likely. The scholarships have obviously had an enormous impact on their lives. They have given the students an opportunity to make the world a better place in the future. Many students looked up to the workers at CWEF and wanted to help others in dire situations like themselves. More importantly, the scholarships seem to have given many students the hope and self-confidence to reach for their dreams, no matter how mighty or seemingly impossible.

A few photos of our scholarship students: