Missing Life in the City

As most of you know, David and I are currently in good ol' Lubbock, Texas--my hometown and basically the capital of suburbia. Today I was missing my other home a little bit (East Asia) so I was getting on friends' blogs and reading about what was going on on the other side of the world. Basically, I discovered they are smack in the middle of the summer rainy season, which I very much remember from last summer when the temperature never got above 60 degrees and it rained continuously, 24 hours a day, for about 25 days straight in July (no shorts or swimming or any of the fun summer activities I was looking forward to). So, that was good and made me thankful to spend the summer in a different way--at home, with family, in Lubbock where it is currently 102 degrees. But I read a recent blog by my friend Josh that was inspired by a book he was reading about urbanism--basically, it was all about how living in the city really is good for the soul. He described a lot of the casual relationships he and his wife have built with their neighbors and with the shopkeepers and vegetable sellers in their neighborhood. About these he said, "I’m realizing how significant all these short little human interactions are. Interacting with strangers is good for the soul. It helps me remember that I’m not the only one on the planet and helps me to care about people who aren’t directly involved in my life. I think that it makes me more human." I completely agree. I feel like living in the city I meet new and interesting people every day--cab drivers, women who sell handmade aprons on the street, etc. 90% of these interractions are positive, but even the negative ones are good for me in that they teach me patience, and they help me take seriously being polite, kind and compassionate to others. Its defintely my favorite thing about living in the city, and also one of my favorite things about living overseas (that the people I meet are from a different culture just makes them more interesting to me)! Anyway, I highly recommend reading this blog entry.

Fun with Family

We've been enjoying the clear, blue skies and gorgeous, cool Utah weather these past few days, but even more we've been enjoying being together with family! Here are some favorite photos:




This one is my favorite! Mom, Becky and I came home from buying groceries to find David, Josh and Dad ALL just sitting around on their laptops!

Random in Park City

Here are some photos I took today in Park City, Utah. This tree of shoes reminds me that America can sometimes be just as random as Asia.
My favorite is these ski boots someone managed to get up in the tree. :)
This tiny cottage in Park City is for sale for $795,000.
Interesting--this photo was NOT taken in Asia, but Salt Lake City. Bilingual in English and Chinese.

Thankful

So, David and I are back here in the good ol' USA!! We arrived Thursday night, delirious and wanting not to ever spend another second on a plane ever again, which is a wish that will be granted us for exactly one month. Jet lag kicked in for me at exactly 4:30 a.m. friday morning, when I found myself wide awake and yet somehow also still exhausted. But, friday ended up being a great day, and we managed to stay busy and awake until 11 p.m.! This day included an overwhelming trip to the grocery store (suddenly, so many choices all available to me any time I please!!), and overwhelming trip to the mall (people are wearing that these days?!), and a wonderful couple of hours spent at Barnes and Noble (browsing books with a Starbucks in my hand? Awesome!). My mom treated us to a delicious lunch at this really nice fresh fish restaurant--it made for a spectacular first real meal in the States! Last night, my sister took us to a little cafe she likes that reminded me a lot of Foster's Market in Chapel Hill. The food was really good, and afterwards we went to see a movie called "The Visitor." Becky and Josh had seen it at the Sundance Film Festival, and now it was in the theater. It was really good--about this lonely college professor whose life is reinvigorated when he meets this illegal immigrant couple and begins trying to help them. I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the movie, but it was really engaging and held my attention the whole way through! We finished the fun evening off with some frozen yogurt, and lots of laughter together with my family. For this and so much more, I am truly thankful!

Goodbye Asia . . . for now

Well, our semester is over (although school here technically doesn't end till mid-July!) and David and I are headed home to the U.S. to see our friends and families--some for the first time in 2 years! Needless to say, we are excited. The last few days have been a whirlwind of business, but the Lord has been good in the midst to give us sweet time and conversations with good friends here--chances both to be a blessing to others, and be blessed in return! Anyway, this is a short post because we need to head to bed, get up and get on a plane tomorrow! I'll post again soon about our adventures in good ol' America! Till then . . .