DIY Passport pictures

Passport pictures are so expensive! 6-10 dollars for 6 little 2x2 pictures, no thank you! I recently had to renew my passport and obviously didn't want to pay so much for my pictures, so I came up with a simple solution. (and you have so much more control over which picture is used!)

1. Take your picture. Make sure it is in a well lit area and in front of a white background. I used a pull down blind in my living room with the rest of the windows wide open. 

2. Edit your picture using the editing software of your choice, I use lightroom. Do not crop!

3. Load your picture onto the convenient website the government has provided for us! 

4. Click on start photo tool and crop your photo to the required settings. Save cropped photo

5. Open cropped photo in paint (or similar program)

6. Add approximately 1/3 white space at the bottom of the picture, save

7. Load newly cropped picture with white space to a photo printer of your choice (I used Walgreens)

8. Choose wallet sized photos (2x3)

9. Print your photos, trim the white space, and you are left with 2x2 passport pictures for a fraction of the cost!

Welcome to my hometown! Jiaxiang

At the end of every session students always say "welcome to my hometown!" and the reply is, thank you! (even though you know you most likely won't be able to go, usually not because you wouldn't like to, but because you have already been to that area or won't have enough time to get there)  I had previously tried to plan a trip to visit some students but that fell through.  This one however didn't!  So, I was off to visit one of my students, along with 2 other students from TIP in Jiaxiang, Shandong.


I sent off in plenty of time to get to the Beijing West train station because the day before 2 of the other facilitators missed their train by 1 minute. I got there in plenty of time, got McDonald's for dinner and waited in a mass of Chinese until it was time to board the train.  I easily found my bed among the hard sleepers, a middle bunk that worked out quite nicely.  I got comfortable and read for a bit before the lights went off and I slept fairly well, waking up a few times fearful I missed my stop.  Alas, I didn't and Mindy and Lucy were excidedly waiting for me as I got off the train.

Mindy was very worried that I wouldn't be comfortable enough in her home so she arranged for me to stay in a hotel for the duration of my stay.  So that was the first stop where I was forced to nap because there is no way I was able to sleep well enough on the train.  After a couple of hours Mindy and Lucy came back and we went to eat lunch, where we met another TIP student, Raleigh.  Then it was off to a primary school in a village that is one of the schools Mindy works at as the head of the English teachers.  I taught a lesson to a group of enthusiastic 5th graders that involved a lot of thinking on my feet but was a lot of fun.  Then Mindy gave a speech about TIP to the teachers and I did a question and answer session with them to help give them ideas how they can make their English classes better.  After many pictures with the adorable kids, many of whom I am told have never seen a foreigner before and realizing the school had a sign made specifically to welcome me we headed back to the hotel to hang out with Mindy and her daughters Leah and Grace for the evening.

It says welcome foreign teacher from TIP Peking University, or something like that :)

The next day, despite the rain and cold, it was off to Qufu, the city that Confucius is from.  I went with Mindy and Grace, and we had a driver for the whole day thanks to the headmasters of the school I would visit on Monday.  Even though it was really cold, and I wasn't quite prepared for that, it was interesting to see the temple built to honor Confucius, the mansion his ancestors lived in, and the cemetery he and his family is buried in, which is the oldest family cemetery in the world.  This was also interesting because it is a popular destination for Chinese tourist, but not really for foreigners, and that was actually the common denominator over the whole trip.

The next day we had the same driver and this time Mindy's husband and her older daughter Leah also joined us.  First we went to a smaller temple built for Confucius near their city.  The thing that was interesting to me here was every building had the description in front of it, but it also noted that it was destroyed during the cultural revolution and rebuilt thanks to so and so sponsor in 2003.  It never ceases to amazes me how much history and beauty was destroyed in the name of progress during such a short period.  Then we headed to a place that had stone carvings from Wu cemeteries.  This wasn't the most exciting place, but I can say I've been there.  The thing that seemed crazy to me about both of these places is when we arrived there was no one there and they had to unlock the gates for us.  Then when we left they locked them back.  I don't know if this was a deal worked out because I was there or not, it was just a little strange.

Then we went to one of the many hills/small mountains in the area that had a temple built on it.  Once again, lots of Chinese tourists and people doing double takes when they saw me.

Mindy had obligations in the afternoon so after another nap Lucy came and picked me up and we went to a public square that is in the city at the bottom of another series of hills/mountains.  Her husband and son along with Raleigh and her husband and baby daughter met us there.  While we were waiting for them several people were taking pictures of me and I was even offered to roller skate for free, which I declined since the others would be there soon.  It was a lot of fun to climb the hills with them and just enjoy the beautiful day.

The next day I went to a private primary school that Mindy used to work at and her daughter Grace attends.  I taught a 2nd grade and Grace's 6th grade class.  Once again, it was a lot of fun to teach and the kids were so excited, especially the 6th graders.  I can now say I know what it feels like to be mobbed by people wanting your autograph as they all wanted me to write my name for them.  Many of the kids who attend this school live there as their parents are forced to go to other cities to find work.  I went to lunch with the headmaster and a few of the other teachers.  We went to a super nice restaurant and enjoyed a delicious meal consisting mostly of seafood.  I think I counted somewhere between 20 and 25 dishes, and that was for 7 people.  Needless to say, there were a lot of leftovers.  In the afternoon I talked with the English teachers doing another question and answer session with them.  Then it was off to dinner again with the headmaster, but it was much more manageable :)

That night I hung out with my students and their families and then said good bye to all the kids.  Early the next morning Mindy, Lucy, and Raleigh met me to head to the bus stop.  They were originally going to get me a train ticket back, but couldn't, so they felt horrible that I had to take the bus.  It was actually pretty hilarious to see the three of them talking to the driver telling him that he must take care of me and make sure I was alright.  Because of this I was forced to sit in the front seat, which was fine with me because it had more leg room.  So, after saying goodbye to them and thanking them for everything it was back to Beijing, where I am now super busy halfway into session 48!


One more thing I have to mention is money.  Chinese people always feel like they are obligated to pay for everything, and it can be incredibly difficult to pay for anything.  On this trip, I was hoping to pay for the hotel room, but Mindy prepaid for everything so I didn't get a chance.  I already knew that I wouldn't be able to pay for any of my meals, so I let that slide.  Mindy asked me to buy some Uno cards and that is where my only victory came in, I was able to convince her not to pay me back for them.  So, the whole trip cost me a train ticket there, a few boxes of Uno cards, and snacks I bought for the train.  Thats Chinese culture for you :)

train tickets

China is all about train travel.  They have a pretty awesome system of various trains that will take you almost anywhere you need to go.  While I refuse to be on a train for over 24 hours (I'll take the couple hour flight thank you very much) traveling overnight on a train is the perfect solution.


Buying tickets...that takes a little bit of skill.  First you have to locate a place to locate tickets, and try not to be there when there are really long lines, which can be impossible.  Then, you have to wait until at least 10 days before you plan to leave, as most tickets are not available until at least then.  Luckily, there is a place to buy tickets not too far from campus that is usually not very crowded.


Early last week I decided I would travel to see some students this break.  Originally I had an adventurous plan of seeing students in multiple cities, but, since I will be by myself I scaled back and am just going to that area.  After a little research to find out which train I would take I headed to the ticket office with the train information, the city name in pinyin and characters and my phrasebook to hopefully bail me out of any communication gone wrong.


I walk up and to my surprise there is no one there!  I successfully tell the lady which city I want to travel to on the first try which automatically upped my confidence and then we were able to figure out which day I wanted to leave.  Then came the nerve-wracking part...telling her what kind of seat/sleeper I wanted.  It started ok, but then I began to crash and burn but luckily just as that was happening a man came into line who could speak English!  With his help we were able to finish and I happily left with the tickets I wanted :)


So, in a few days I am off to Jiaxiang, Shandong.  I'm pretty sure I'll see my students school and maybe teach a lesson, tour around her hometown and one day we'll go to Qufu, which is where Confucius is from.  Should be a fun time!

A trip to Hong Kong

Sometimes you just have to get away.  For whatever reason you so badly need a break from the activities of daily life before you break down.  I was feeling pretty close to this way at the end of January.  Luckily, we had a super long break at the beginning of February.  However, it is also spring festival time which means everyone in China is trying to travel to their hometowns.   This means train tickets are pretty much impossible to come by.  So, I decided to forgo the trains entirely and hop on a plane and fly to Hong Kong!  One of my students  from last summer, Echo, is going to school there so it provided the perfect host and tour guide for an amazing trip.

I arrived around noon and as Echo met me at the airport I was immediately loving the weather and the scenery.  After checking into the hotel we went to the main part of Hong Kong and rode the Star Ferry across Victoria Bay, which was one thing my dad told me I had to do because it was on the Amazing Race.  We then walked around a little bit and made our way to the tram that goes up to Victoria Peak.  After waiting for a long time we finally made it on the tram, which was pretty amazing.  It was super steep in some places and quite the engineering feat.  At the top it is pretty commercialized with a mall and other areas, so that was a little disappointing, but the view was still pretty amazing and definitely worth it. 

The next day Echo's friend Edith showed us around Hong Kong Island.  She grew up in Hong Kong so knew a lot of places that were wouldn't have seen otherwise.  We started in the central district where we walked up and down the streets and rode part of the longest escalator  in the world, which is really just a series of many smaller escalators.  One thing that I didn't realize about Hong Kong is there are so many mountains and hill and everything is just built into them.  So I got quite the workout walking around.  After a traditional Hong Kong noodle lunch in a tiny shop we got on the ding ding bus, which is the old double decker electric bus that runs on the main street in town.  We rode it to the other end of the island and saw many different areas of the city, stopping for a snack of fishballs, tea, and other Hong Kong specialties I had to try.  I loved seeing so much of the city and learning so much more than I would have if I went on my own.

My last full day Echo and I went to Stanley which is on the other side of the main island.  Here there is a little beach community complete with shops and restaurants along the water and a military cemetery used by the British where many casualties for World War II are buried.  The and water was beautiful and we enjoyed wading in the water and finding different colors of sea glass in the sand.  We even made our best attempt at skipping some stones, which Echo had never done before.  It was a great way to end the trip, even though I got slightly burnt, my chaco tans lines are back ;)

I am so thankful I was able to take this time to get away and spend with Echo in Hong Kong.   It was a great time of fellowship for us and a wonderful relaxing break for me.  I am so thankful that God has provided me amazing friendships here in China and that He also provides me with breaks when they are so desperately needed.

my computer isn't cooperating, so follow this link to see pictures!

https://picasaweb.google.com/a.b.twarek/HongKong#

Shanghai!

Each month we have a short break in between session.  Often, these breaks are used to rest and prepare mentally and physically for the next month, with a little traveling thrown in here and there.  So, when halfway through the the October session Amanda asks me if I want to go to Shanghai with her for a few days of course I am going to say yes.  I have been to Shanghai with my parents, but only for a day, so I knew there were many more sights to see and things to do, plus everyone needs to get away now and then

When we arrived in Shanghai after a 10 hour overnight train ride we went straight to our hostel and waited until we could check in, since we got there so early.  Once we got to our room, which was really nice and had an amazingly soft bed we flipped on the tv.  Much to my surprise as I was flipping channels I found Monday night football featuring the Colts!  It was a nice taste of home and actually a really big blessing!

Then we were able to meet up with Yume, who used to work on the Chinese staff and lives in Shanghai.  It was super fun to see her!  She took us to the YuYaun gardens and treated us to some delicious Shanghai specialties, plus gave us many ideas for the rest of our trip.

Then Amanda and I went in the actual garden, which was huge and absolutely beautiful!

The next day we went to Qibao, which is a really cute area that has been preserved to show Shanghais past.  We braved the crowds, strolled the streets, and enjoyed some awesome seafood.

That night was quite possibly the highlight of the trip.  As volunteers who don't make a lot of money we normally do everything the cheap way, which proves to be a lot of fun most of the time.  However, for once we decided to throw this to the wind.  We got reservations (gasp!) and dressed up to go to a fancy dinner at M on the Bund.  It is a really nice European restaurant located on the top floor of one of the buildings on the Bund, which is the beautiful riverfront.  So, we decided to go all out and went to the bar first for a glass of wine before heading upstairs for an amazing meal.  It was an amazing time and allowed us to reflect just how good God is and how blessed we are.  We about 99.9% that no one else in the restaurant was even close to our salary range, yet we were able to enjoy the meal without worrying about the price tag.  It reminded us how God knows what we needs and provides for us abundantly.  After the meal we were able to go on the balcony and enjoy the amazing view before a casual stroll along the river before walking back to the hostel.

On our last day we ventured over the river to the Pudong area where all the skyscrappers are and decided to go up the Shanghai World Financial Center, which has the tallest observation deck in the world.  It was pretty amazing being so high and we were blessed with a clear day (much clearer than when I was in Shanghai previously :) ) which allowed us to see for miles.  It was pretty spectacular!

Since we had time to kill before our train left that night we decided to go to an art museum.  Our choices were the Shanghai Art Museum and the Modern Art Musuem.  We choose the Shanghai Art Museum, but really most of the art there was pretty modern.  There was some pretty awesome things though!  They had a display inspired by Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh City which was easily my favorite part.

I am so thankful for the opportunity to spend time with Amanda.  It was a time of relaxation and rejuvination which we both needed, but even more than that it was a reminded of how good God is and how he will always provide for his children.  I am so blessed to be in China following his lead every step of the way!