I wish I could offer a polished, well articulated, pithy, and intellectually amazing post right now. Sometimes I am struck here by new insights into culture and human nature that I want to share. I am still percolating some of these ideas, and I fully intend to examine them on this blog at some point. But I must be honest with where I am, and today it is in the land of the languid.
In order to prevent too much time to pass from my previous post, I'll offer some quick updates:
1) We moved into a new apartment at the beginning of this month. This space is an amazing answer to prayer. We now have a decently comfortable bed, windows that fit in their frame (and don't have a visible gap like the ones in the dorm), more privacy, a KITCHEN!, our own washer (though no dryer), and a shower that is clean enough to use without the precaution of shower shoes. This flat was definitely made for Chinese tenants, however, and has quirks that are both endearing and irksome. I hope to post sometime soon about some of these idiosyncrasies.
2) We had to scramble to pay tuition for next semester's language classes, as well as renew our visas to stay in country. This task wasn't nearly as daunting as it was when we first arrived, though it was still unexpectedly frustrating. I could write an entire blog post on the idiocy of this process, but suffice it to say for now it involved a typical reticence to inform students of deadlines/requirements, red tape equally annoying though uniquely perplexing in comparison to the West, and more trips to the Bank of China's ATM than I care to remember. At least it is all settled, with a new visa in passport!
3) We took a much-appreciated week long vacation to Malaysia. We chose Malaysia because it was A) warm, B) cheap, and C) had an inexpensive non-stop flight from Hangzhou. Turns out, Malaysia is one of the most wonderful countries I've ever visited. Expect yet another blog post on this delightful destination, and the intriguing comparisons of its Chinese diaspora population with the Chinese we meet in the Middle Kingdom.
So that's where we are today. I'll offer one rumination that floats through my thoughts from time to time. About two years ago, I was struck when I first encountered Sirach 38 24:34.* Verses 24 through 26 proclaim,
Scholars must have time to study if they are going to be wise; they must be relieved of other responsibilities. How can a farm
hand gain knowledge, when his only ambition is to drive the oxen and make them work, when all he knows to talk about is livestock? He takes great pains to plow a straight furrow and will work far into the night to feed the animals.
Sirach observes the same for the artist, blacksmith, and potter. In verses 31-34, he concludes,
All of these people are skilled with their hands, each of them an expert at his own craft. Without such people there could
be no cities; no one would live or visit where these services were not available. These people are not sought out to serve
on the public councils, and they never attain positions of great importance. They do not serve as judges, and they do not
understand legal matters. They have no education and are not known for their wisdom. You never hear them quoting
proverbs. But the work they do holds this world together. When they do their work, it is the same as offering prayer.
Perhaps my prayer lately has been foraging for food, washing clothes, securing the legal right to stay here, and keeping warm. I am learning to appreciate how I had an infrastructure that met these basic needs back in the US, and therefore allowed me the "time to study." While we are meeting basic needs here, the infrastructure to do so is not nearly as robust. I'm therefore learning what a gift education is, and how hard I have to work for it.
Speaking of, it is time to secure a meal for dinner. I'm not sure if I'll attempt to cook for the first time in the new kitchen, or simply visit one of the cafeterias nearby. But for now, the effort to feed myself (and praising the One above who provides the food) will be my divine offering. Amen.
* To learn more about the Book of Sirach, see my post from October, "Big Noses Get Big Ears."