Living in China

August 24, 2016

Living in China

     China! What an adventure filled with scenic train rides, breathtaking mountains, adorable children, weird food and interesting experiences. This next post isn't about a new temple but about how we lived in a foreign country. The next few blogs will be that way since there was quite the gap between the next new temple.

      Just over a year ago, on August 24, Ivy and I set out on a new adventure that was unlike anything we’ve done. We had signed up for ILP, International Language Program, a few months before and went to Changzhou China. Never had we imagined we would go to China even to visit, but now we were headed there to live for four months. Ivy's friend and my sister-in-law had both gone to China with ILP and that was what got us interested. We never could have guessed it would be such a fun experience!

     We went to Changzhou, a city of three million people, which, for China, is a small city. It was there that we lived and taught English to little Chinese children. We thought it would be a little difficult but it ended up being surprisingly fun teaching these children. 

     Ivy and I both taught kindergarten students which were adorable, and I also taught fourth graders. For the Kindergarteners it was their first year of school and so they knew not a word of English. We first started off by teaching them “hello,” and their names. Their Chinese names are too hard to pronounce and remember and so all Chinese students receive an English name. We were fortunate to give them their names. We both named them after family and then added some other names we liked. 

     We traveled a few times while living in China but every time we returned we were excited to see our students again and to teach them. We would line up outside and wait for them and they would come running yelling “Teacha Ivy!” Or “Teacha Ja!” (They never pronounced my name very well).  

     Our apartments were at the school, and during the week the children lived there too. We were even able to tuck them into bed a few times which was fun. It was fun to see how they got ready for bed. To bathe they all shared a bowl of water and scrubbed their feet and bums in it real quick, it was hilarious. We also ate at the school for all our meals, but that was terrible to be honest. Our meals were mostly rice, boney fish, chicken feet and some gooey greens, but sometimes we would get some delicious.

      Church was quite different in China. We were lucky enough to go to church at least, where most members have to Skype in to an online ward. The Branch President had contacted us before we arrived and had let us know when and where church was and how to get there which made us feel more comfortable about going to China. 

     We woke up at about 5:00 Sunday morning and headed to church in Suzhou. We took a bus for an hour and a half to the train station and then took a train to Suzhou and then took the subway to a stop near the church where we met the branch president's wife who walked with us for the fifteen minute walk to a house where church was, which used to be a members home but was bought by the Church once they moved. 

     It took us nearly four and a half hours to get to church that day but it was completely worth it. We had been around Chinese people for a few days and felt completely out of place. But when we walked into the church and heard them singing the opening hymn we instantly felt the spirit and knew we were in the right place. We felt like we were home even though we were in a random person's home in China. 

      Church was fantastic and everyone was so friendly. We also learned how to get to church quicker and it ended up only taking about two to three hours from then on, which was nice. We went fairly often, especially when they had activities after church or any type of food. Many members, even most members, were from America and so would cook American food which was extremely delicious compared to the Chinese food we would get tired of eating. 

     It was an English speaking ward, and in China there arent allowed to be any Chinese in the church, nor were we able to talk to the Chinese at all about church or the gospel. This made it kind of difficult for us but we learned to adapt and not mention the church to any Chinese people. 

     Church was great but the distance was hard, so later we were given permission from the branch president to hold church in our apartment with other teachers who were in ILP. This made it easier for us and we also had some great spiritual moments and sacrament meetings. A girl in our group played the violin she had brought and she beautifully played our hymns every meeting we had in our apartment building. 

     In China we weren't able to go to the temple at all, which for Ivy and I was kind of hard since we tried to go once a week back home. We had a single-entry visa which meant if we left China we couldn't get back and so we never left for four months. This was still worth it though and made us explore China. 

     We had amazing experiences and saw incredible places that we never thought we would see. It was hard not going to the temple for four months but we had a few spiritual experiences that we will never forget, such as when Ivy and I fasted one Sunday but then hiked and walked nearly thirty miles without food or whatever and still had energy. It also made us more appreciative of the temple, especially after watching the members save up time and money to travel to Hong Kong to go to the temple.

     So no matter where you are make the best of it and enjoy it! Go to the temple often because we are so blessed in the States to have temples so close to us no matter where we are, especially in Utah. Still try and go to church even if it takes you four hours or more. It's always worth it to do these things and makes for good stories, great experiences and spiritual growth!