Ten Hopes

1. I hope Russell Crowe is a good fullback.

The other night I called some basketball buddies to nibble on some noodles from the Noodle Shop (I think I'm officially a regular there - it's the restaurant three stone throws from the Cloister (our manly apartment), smiles, waves, waitresses remembering what I ordered last time - it's comforting to have an island of familiarity in a sea of anything but). I supped with Tony and Tommy, two quality gents who I met on the basketball court. After dinner we migrated up to the Cloister to watch Gladiator. We talked a little bit about God at dinner, but didn't really explore Him - so I'm hoping and praying that Russell Crowe can be a fullback for the HS. I think outreach is 100 percent relational. You have to make friends in order to tell them about their best Friend.

2. I hope I can videotape my students during "Sounds of the USA."

I thought it would be fun and enriching to start each class period (after the Good Morning / Afternoon salutes) with an American soundbite, aka: Sounds (bum, bum, bum) of the USA. This week's sounds sounded like this:

"What's up?"
"Nothing much. What's up with you."
"I'm having a good day." (or some other factoid as long as its brief)
"Sweet."

Hearing 440 students repeat have this extremely American conversation with their extra chunky (not quite smooth) English is sort of like watching Barbara Bush and Gilbert Brown do the moonwalk - it's awkward, rigid, and impossible to watch without smiling.


3. I hope I can survive my new teaching schedule.

Our teaching schedule has officially doubled in weight. We went from teaching 10 hours a week to teaching 20 hours a week. It seems as though lunch in bed will no longer be a tradition... It's only two preps a week; really this is a pretty gravy schedule. Compared to student teaching or what my brothers and sisters in the ministry are doing right now - this is like walking into Chipotle and ordering a chorizo burrito compared to slaying the swine yourself armed with nothing more than a dish towel, a dime, and a Louis L'Amour novel.


4. I hope I improve my guitar skills.

Right now I am trying to play guitar when we sing songs before studies and for the occasional hymn during worship. At this moment my guitar skills are in puberty. I'm hoping to be post-puberty in 9 months.


5. I hope to be a camel cowboy soon.

For October Festival (1st - 7th) Ted (my other roommate, Apple employee, very white, jolly and dear friend who has a Beijing driver's license) and has rented a van and we are going to make an 850 mile road trip west to Yinchuan, where we will ride camels and camp in the Gobi Desert for three days. Needless to say I’m rather pumped to be a camel cowboy.

6. I hope to share some Water with these kids.

I was blissfully wondering around our apartment on Saturday (see #7) and bumped into these kids. They were fantastic. Look at those faces. One thing I’ve learned in my travels is that kids are kids in every country, culture, burb, and hood on this planet. You don’t need to be proficient in Mandarin or English to communicate when you can smile like this. I’m hoping I can offer them a bit of Water.

7. I hope there will be more blue skies in Beijing.

After it rains here – the smog lifts for a few hours of blue-sky glory. It’s like the rain is my savior, giving me just enough blue sky and clean-ish air to momentarily quench my thirst for those wide open spaces America has nestled in her wing. There was a blue sky on Saturday. It was a good day.

8. I hope to order McDonald's delivery only twice.

Once on Super Bowl Sunday – to celebrate as the Packers battle the Jets for football immortality.

Once on February 23^rd (the birthday of Ray Croc, Jesse Metzger, and Mr. Ed).

9. I hope that this moldy cheese doesn’t mess with my colon.

I opened the fridge yesterday and was slapped with a smell that would make Rambo blush. We located the source of the stench – Buck Hill cheese. So Ted decided to eat it with crackers. I ate one cracker clothed in the rancidness that is Buck Hill; Ted may or may not have eaten more. I’m hoping that this gastronomical experiment doesn’t toy with my digest

ive system – on second thought, maybe eating rotting cheese will help me achieve my #10 hope…

10. I hope to stop urinating from the rear.

I love Chinese food – but I think the MSG is causing me a little bum-pain at the moment. Biking everywhere isn’t helping the situation. But there’s nothing wrong with a rigid waddle, it’s not like I “blend in” with a normal stride. Maybe I’ll start a trend – the Chaffed Shuffle.

- m -