Official April Newsletter!!!

James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

Hi. The months of February and March were months of change for me. On March 15th I celebrated my sixth month anniversary of living in Asia.

The middle of February was the beginning of break from school (because of Chinese New Year) and so I got a much needed break from formal study. The city changed during Chinese New year to one that was full of people at all times to having empty streets. One day I literally counted 7 people on the street from my house to my friend’s home. Going back to school was a much needed but not wanted change of back to a routine. However, my routine was changed as well. (further questions about Chinese New Year can hopefully be answered below in a past blog post)

Because I have been here so long I needed to graduate to a higher level of schooling. The school I began to attend at the end of Feb is called Eastern Asia College of Language (EACL). My previous school was a very intimate program where I attended classes that comprised of only me and my teacher. I attended two semesters at that school and met some wonderful foreigners as well as had the joy and privilege of having the most patient, encouraging, and gentle teachers ever. Moving to EACL meant joining a classroom setting and not having the sole attention of the teacher to catch and correct you immediately, which has both pros and cons. The move to EACL was perpetuated by a number of factors.

One, I needed a student visa, my previous school is not licensed to give visas; and EACL is. Two, I want to learn to read and write characters. EACL has a curriculum that starts teaching characters from the beginning and is considered difficult; however since I have had two semesters of listening and speaking learning the characters now should be easier. My previous school only focused on being skilled in comprehension and verbal communication. Three, my previous school cost almost double the amount of EACL. So, my choice was straightforward. I needed to change schools. This one change gave rise to many other changes which have involved transportation, meal times, social obligations, and study techniques.

The weather here is changing from hazy cloudy chill every day to a brighter outlook on the day with a cool beginning and end to every day and in the middle becoming very warm. So, I pulled out all my short sleeve and skirts. I have gone shopping to add change to my wardrobe (Asianize it )and I will soon be entering a salon and changing my hair do. I had also, intended to make a change in my life that also included a pet of some sort, however this has not occurred as planned. I am contemplating if this change will occur now or if it is permanently not going to change.

The biggest change that I am experiencing is the fact that I really do belong here. I am beginning to feel like I am independent and knowledgeable about this city I live in. There is a couple in my EACL class who are from England who have only been here for a month and I have taken them under my wing and am determined to show them everything I know about Kunming.

The other big change is moving from pin ying (the Romanized pronunciation of Chinese characters) to reading characters. For instance I know how to write a little and can read some characters such as these ones: 我在学汉语。This sentence says: I am studying Chinese.

This is very exciting for me but it takes most of my brain space. So, If you could continue to talk to Father regarding my learning abilities, my rest to be good and sufficient, and that I would rely on Father’s strength rather than my own strength. Thank Him for me and for yourself that He never changes; that His faithfulness is constant unlike us and our ephemeralness.

I love you all and am thankful to Father for you, your desire to know what I am doing and the work He is doing in and through you.
Denise