Beijing Ag: April 2007

Camp(s)

During the weekend, I am usually seeking out new adventures in new places, fratenizing with friends, or just kicking back to relax and recover from a long work week. Call me crazy, but this past week I volunteered my time to be a youth camp counselor. Looking after high school and middle school kids is full of adventure, but definately not relaxing!

My high school kids, two weeks ago.

My middle school kids, last weekend

What youth camp would be complete without... face painting?

Girls look cuter with face-paint than guys.

Case-in-point: me, Sam, and two of my boys.

John and Joe, the BICF youth pastor, and inspiration for the famous JOreo flurry.

Keeping with the food theme, these are some kids at my workshop with un-labeled cans of food. The lesson was that you can't judge a person's value by looks, skills, or social grace (outward appearance.) These cans of various shapes and sizes contained condensed soup, tomato paste, fruit, carrots, and cat food. The kids had the option of eating whatever was in their can. : )

Dinner!

I can eat ANYTHING with chopsticks. Finger-food is no more!

Texans in Beijing

The great outdoors

This is what happens when you make a group of kids eat without their hands...

Aren't they cute?

Susan (forground) and Jay being expressive for the camera

Conner, my craziest middle schooler, being subdued by Rich, our Englishman.

Blocked!!!

I complained once about being blocked from seeing my own website, and it has happened again! I have been able to post, but not to view my blog for the last month. I don't know what the problem is, but the government does still have very strong control over information and media in this country. If any pictures seem out of place, or any words misspelled, please forgive me, I can't see them

Best wishes to all!

The Iron Chef

It is the little things in life. : ) On Wednesday, I arranged to cook a meal - for the first time since I left the USA - at my frend's apartment. The end product actually turned out to be a very good bowl of Northern-style Italian Spaghetti with olive oil instead of tomato sauce. I impressed even myself, and my three friends liked it well enough to allow me to cook again this coming Wednesday. The requested cuzine for the evening is... Greek! I have eaten plenty of it but never cooked in Greek before. Should be fun, and if things turn out badly, we can always order Chinese delivery!

That's me in a apron re-discovering how fun it is to wield a meat cleaver!

I and my host, my meal served four eventually, but the other two didn't show up until late.

Sunday, April 1st: Remember the Sabbath Day...

My day of REST! After church and a youth leader’s meeting in preparation for the spring youth camp, I have been blogging all day at the hotel and that, my dear reader, is where you find me now. I hope you have enjoyed the pictures and stories from the past week. I’ll try to blog more regularly so I don’t have to spew out weeks worth of events all in the same afternoon. I just didn’t have a single spare hour this week! Peace and God bless, may your life be full and your friends close!

- Nathan

PS - Just for the record, I'll most probably be back in Texas this June!

Saturday, March 31st: Passover Sader

Monday is Passover, but for convenience sake, the Schultz household celebrated Passover Sader yesterday, Saturday evening. Everyone was invited (really!) There were more than thirty people plus all of the food and drink we could want packed into that one apartment. Gabriel and Julie (our hosts) did a terriffic job demonstrating and teaching us the significance of the traditions of the passover meal. A picture is worth a thousand words, and I have a thousand pictures from the night (leant Simon my camera, and he went wild with it) which means I shouldn't have to write anything more about last night. Enjoy the pictures!

That's Simon and his girlfriend, Joy.

Five of us went to a local bar where our friend and co-worker DJ's on Saturday nights. His pay? Free food and drinks for him and his friends!

The artist at work.

Friday, March 30th: Of Joe and Ice Cream

“Re-Generation” and Peter’s Tex Mex Again! The Youth Leaders are well known at Pete’s. I had was a J-Oreo flurry (pronounced JOE-reo and named after Joe Johnson, the church youth pastor / smoothie genius.) The J-Oreo is basically an Oreo flurry with Butterfinger and pistachios. “J-Oreo Flurry” is not on the menu, but they'll make it and every time I or my friends order one the little Chinese waitress breaks out into a big grin! Guanxi is so much fun!

Thursday, March 29th: Fast Friends

Thursday night home group Bible study is great. Everyone changes so fast here. I’ve had the privilage of seeing many of our girls and guys grow by leaps and bounds. We’ve had some deaths in the family, a baby was born, several engagements, and couples growing closer to each other as they grow in faith. There have been prolongued sicknesses, career changes, business and family trauma, and Chinese language finals to pray for. We have become quite a tight-knit group and the guys especially are a huge encouragement and a terriffic example of Christian businessmen and family-men living abroad.

Wednesday, March 28th

Rode my bike to the Beijing University of Chemical Technology to meet up with a friend of a friend who is studying there. I really enjoyed being on a college campus again - the atmosphere is not much different from campuses in the states, only the students are all speaking Chinese. My friend and I ate dinner on campus at the dining hall and hung out in his dorm room looking at pictures and telling stories all evening. I promised him I'd take him out for Texas food next weekend, at Tim's Texas BBQ. Should be fun!

Tuesday, March 27th: We be Jammin'

I am taking guitar lessons every Tuesday and progressing quite well! A friend from church, Daniel is teaching me. He is a teriffic teacher, and quite a slave driver sometimes too. I'll be rockin' by the time I get back home!

Monday, March 26th: Get Ziggy With It!

Went to an awesome concert with some of my buds from work. Ziggy Marly was in top shape preforming his and his dad’s best all night.

Wes was all punked out for the show...

And pimped out!

Sunday, March 25th: Forbidden Friends

Today was the most beautiful weather of the year so far! I took full advantage by biking all the way to the Forbidden City to meet up with Sam, my new friend I had just met on Friday. I needed a Chinese guide in the Forbidden city, or I would not have appreciated it nearly as much. Once I've seen one old Chinese building, I feel like I've seen them all, but the history of the place is quite interesting. So Sam and I wandered around talking Chinese history, politics, and more reigion.

Sam's perspective is unique because he grew up in China, but worked in America for more than a decade. He has a local's insider's view of Chinese history, culture, and politics, but he has also picked up a little Western perspective and is willing to think critically about his country. Most other Chinese I've talked to are still very slow to critisize anything Chinese, wether politics, cultural nuances, or even the food. : ) Chinese are very nationalistic that way, and especially if they have never left China, seem to think in the backs of their minds that everything they have (including the political system) is, or soon will be, the best - or at least better than in the USA...

So Sunday was an awesome time, and going out with Sam's friends for Xian soup dinner was a terriffic end to the day. Enjoy the pics!