On the contrary, China seems to be more present-oriented (and past oriented as well, but that's another blog post): the university only assigned us our housing upon arrival. Students are only assigned to classes upon arrival. We were expected to pay for everything upon arrival. Seemingly nothing can be planned ahead of time.
What this means for us is that we were told to arrive over a week before classes started so they could see how many students actually showed up, and only then assign them to classes. Turns out, too many students showed up--we were some of the unfortunate ones who were dumped into overflow housing (i.e. a guest room for visiting scholars). Our first week here found us not only in the equivalent of an old motel room (read: not sustainable housing), but also with nothing to do because classes hadn't started. We also had the ticking time clock of a 30 day window to get a residency permit (i.e. additional official registration) that is dependent on wherever we end up living. Combine all these factors to ensure one fidgety, frustrating, and nerve-wracking first week here.
Week number two has fared much better. Classes have finally started, which means we have the opportunity to meet others, adjust to a schedule, and actively engage in language study. The school also (finally!) had a room open up that is a much better fit for Brian and me. It's by no means luxurious (yesterday afternoon was spent scrubbing and sweeping an initially dingy room), but it at least provides sufficient space to live here long-term. And as of today, we supposedly have all the paperwork we'll need to get our residency permit. I can't put into words what a relief it would be to feel settled somewhere (at least for the next three months, which is what we had to pay for up front) and to have the green light from the local authorities to live here on the up and up. We still have other to-dos for acquainting ourselves with the city, but these two items have been the most stressful and daunting. Only now can I see a light at the end of the bureaucratic tunnel, and even imagine feeling comfortable here.
We praise God for all of this. God has indeed been faithful (especially regarding prayers for better housing), and the imposed spare time of last week was a blessing in its own way by forcefully removing the comforts and distractions we had in the US. We've learned forced simplicity, yet perhaps that's a good thing.
On one level, however, I may like the Chinese focus on the present. The Chinese celebrated their mid-autumn festival a few days ago, which means everyone was home from work (and that classes were delayed in starting). With nothing else to do, Brian and I went on another walk to explore the local area. We had no idea where we were going--we merely set out down a street and followed the path. After awhile (and a couple of turns), we actually found ourselves in the back entrance of one of the city's botanical gardens. I hope to post pictures soon (we have limited internet now, but that's yet another blog post!), but we stumbled upon tropical birds, butterflies, SQUIRRELS (they are not so common here), fountains, weeping willows, gentle creeks, orchids, sculptures, picnicking families, tea houses, children blowing bubbles--basically, paradise. We hadn't planned to find this park, and I imagine any walk we had tried to research and map out ourselves would not have been as nice as this one. It was purely by chance (Providence?) that we found it, and we were blessed because of it. Perhaps our time in this country will be one long stroll whose destination is unknown. I just hope it involves more squirrels!