Climb, Climb Up Paaa-per Mountain, Heavenly Breezes Bloooow....

Paperwork. An area of life in which I have not been particularly blessed (probably not a good thing for a future teacher). In this whole process of going to China I have not been quite up to par in the ORGANIZED department, which has not put the odds in my favor. To all future employers--never hire me to be your secretary because I will save all your two-item grocery lists and throw the important papers into the shredder so I can play with the leftover confetti. 

Last week, I finally sent in my big China paperwork (which had to be expensively over-nighted because it was somehow all left to the END). 

But let's take it easy on the student teacher, here. It was a lot of paperwork. How much? Another student in the program described it this way: 

I am flying across the ocean (passport, health records {with doctors appointments}) to live (insurance) and work in another country for a year (Visa, CV, college transcript, recommendation letters, tax forms) teaching students (background check, TEFL training/certificate, teaching proficiency exam) with a non-profit organization (support raising) in hopes of spreading His joy and love (quiet time, studying the word). 

Try to do that AND figure out teaching in an urban school kindergarten classroom for the first time, whydontcha? (and for THOSE interesting adventures, please click here.)

After hiking Paper Mountain, I was given two seconds to breathe before receiving China books in the mail. 

Now, I have this fantasy that if I don't research anything about China, I'll get there and everything will be as exciting and easy as I daydream it will be (exhibit A: I would be much more at ease if I still thought their toilets looked like ours). 

FALSE.

This:

Soon turned into this: 

And I'm thinking I may try again after graduation (two weeks from today. HOLY MOLY MOTHER OF PEARL). 

Let's hope that my sense of organization soon overrides my need for brain-breaks in the midst of finishing college so that maybe I'll actually get all of my support letters out before I try to board a plane to China without a ticket. 

Squat Practice

In the last few weeks since I signed a year of my life away to a country I've never been to before, I've been struggling with some mountains and valleys--worries about my life before- and in-country. With you, my readers, I will share two.

1. The Potty Squat
Yes, friends, instead of doing Chinese language study or brushing up my knowledge of culture, I have been researching something else.

Public toilets. 

Not something bad, but something I need to be informed about. Here is an example of a picture I found:

Along with lots of pictures of public restroom stalls with no doors. This, of course, left me panicked about how my squatting skills would be judged by fellow potty-ers. So I watched an informative video on the Asian squat: 

The long and short of it is that, once your tendons are used to it, squatting with heels on the ground is FAR more sustainable over...say...a longer period of time. SO. I have been practicing. And my sessions look like this: 

I think my skills will get better with practice. 

2. Trusting my Father

Have I ever gone a day without food? Without clothing? Without someone to provide the few extra cents I need for a caramel brulee latte if I REALLY have to have it (and it's in season)? 

NO.

But here I am, sitting with a Calling in my lap and about ten dollars in my wallet, looking at the sky with furrowed brows and saying, "Can I really raise enough to do this?" 

NO.

I can't. But my Father can. He could whistle and BOOM all $16,000 needed would fall onto my head. And whyyy doesn't He just do that (the question many people in my situation face)??? Because He wants to develop something I need in order to be strong enough to do what I've been Called to do: trust. 

Trust means not running over possible figures in my again and again. Trust means listening to His words instead of babbling about my worries. Trust means sticking with the path I've been put on. Trust means having the humility to lean on others He will bring alongside me in this Call. 

And much like facing the future unknown public restrooms, it's a scary thing.