The New York Times Travel Section recently published a picture slideshow from Heshun, China (click on the above link to see all of the NYT pictures). Heshun is in Western Yunnan and is the city I visited over National Day in early October! Even more ironic, I actually met the lady in picture #5. Perhaps the next time the NYT wants pictures or a travel article from China, they’ll call me?!?
Here are some of my pictures from Heshun...
I am currently obsessed with making my apartment feel like home. The last two months have been focused on surviving, rather than thriving. And I believe that a key component for me to transition to thriving, is to make my apartment feel like home. That being said, I am taking gradual steps to give the apartment more personality. The fact that all the walls are painted purple is a great first step : ) With each step in “Project Personality,” I plan to share pictures so you can see my new home. (Note: I am especially blessed and thankful to have two awesome roommates who support my decorating craze).
The first area of concern in “Project Personality” was to address the bare kitchen wall. It is bare from floor to ceiling, but it is located in a walkway area so nothing can be put in front of it. Instead, something needed to be hung on the wall. Solution: hang a World Map on the wall! Anna and I had been talking about how we both love maps – so this is a perfect place to prominently display one.
The World Map has much more significance than just covering a bare wall, however. I feel so much closer to you when I can put my finger where you are on the map. Concordia, Alma, Kansas City, Columbia, ALL of Missouri, Mobile, Cincinnati, Chicago, Washington D.C., San Jose, Arkansas, Alabama, Kansas, Colorado, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Virginia, Latvia, Hong Kong, and so many others are places that I hold close to my heart. Please know that whenever I walk into my kitchen now, I think of you! : )
Additionally, looking at a World Map always causes me to stand in awe of our Creator. The fact that He created the whole world on the map, the galaxies, and the universe is incomprehensible. Isaiah 40:38 says, “The Lrd is the everlasting G-d, the Creator of the ends of the earth.” Wow.
Sometimes, I feel like Kunming, China is one end of the earth. And if Kunming isn’t, then the villages in Yunnan can most definitely be classified as such! I find peace in the fact that the “end of the earth” I’m living in is His creation. As the song goes, and as I plastered around the map, “He’s got the whole world in His hands.” So as you read this, I hope that you find comfort in knowing that He is holding us both in His hands. Blessings to you today!
Fun Fact 1: Stairwell lights are one of my favorite features of life in China. Yes, it sounds silly, but let me explain… China’s hallway and stairwell lights are “Clap-On!” It is so awesome! Whenever I walk into my apartment or office building, the first thing I do is clap my hands three times to turn the lights on. (Which is more difficult than it sounds when you have an armload full of groceries; sometimes, I have to improvise and stomp my feet -- Mom has always said I'm good at that, haha).
The first couple of days in China, I looked around embarrassed because you have to clap pretty loudly to set the censor off. (I felt like I was making a scene and disrupting the neighbors). But not anymore! Now, I walk into the building and immediately start smiling and clapping loudly (call me Coach Z : ). Literally, every time I just grin and sing to myself, “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands, *clap *clap” and the lights immediately turn on. You know, sometimes it’s the little things in life that bring happiness!
One of the best parts about the Clap On Lights, is that they were popular in America in the 1980's. If you have never experienced the glory of Clap-On Lights, here is an original commercial. Enjoy!
