Home Improvement!

I arrived safely back in China from the USA. Which, I will expound upon shortly but I promised I would share this video as promptly as I can. I was able to bring back some plumbing supplies from Chicago and have put them to use. Thank you for all those who have sympathized with me in regards to this bathroom issue and please enjoy the video.


Home Improvement-China Edition

Official July Newsletter!!!

Hello, Now that it is July I have been here ten months. They have been amazing months, filled with learning, wonder, confusion, frustration, and joy. I figure that now is a good time to share with you some of the strange things about China. Many of these things are daily sights or smells, some are just occasional, but all of them provide a moment of puzzlement or humor. Today is a story day!!

I was traveling on a bus the other day to an area of Kunming I had never been to before when suddenly the bus stopped in the middle of the road, under a bridge, where there was no bus stop sign, of any sort, and picked up at least 15 people who were apparently waiting for the bus. Who knew that this bridge was a popular bus stop?

Another bus story happened only a couple days before or after the one above. In the middle of the work week, in the middle of the busy traffic day, the bus passed a gaggle (7-12) women clustered around the middle of the road. My attempts to see what they were doing paid off when I realized they were scrubbing, using buckets of water and hand held rags, the white metal divider between the two lanes of traffic. Hello, traffic hazard? Guess not!

Motor bikes are a regular means of transportation and there are often funny things that I see happening on them. One of my favorite things to see is: two young men (twenties) riding a motorcycle together on the same bike. The other is to see a woman in high heels with her legs bent at a funny angle and her feet curved up to prevent her heels from snapping off.

This, leads me to fashion. Fashion here is also very odd. Usually, young women dress very formally, skirts, heels, and sometimes hats, however often these combinations do not match. Imagine: silver sequined slinky top with a black half jacket and black mini skirt over black leggings with sliver skulls and cross bones on them. Top that off with a plastic grey bag that could hold three Chinese children. Another example of strange fashion is the woman who is on the bus or at the market in her oversized t-shirt, sweat pants, house slippers, and hair curlers.

The most recent thing I want to share with you is more serious than humorous. Last Sunday I took my trash out and then waited by the bus stop for my ride to fellowship. As I sat there, an elderly woman came around the corner and sat in my line of sight with my bag of trash. She then proceeded to sift through it. Taking one thing or another out of my trash to put into her “take home bag.”

Here in China we throw our toilet paper into the trash and I could see her touching my filthy toilet trash in order to retrieve a couple of toilet paper tubes. I was in emotional pain as I watched her. What should I do? My offering her any type of monetary goods was not going to change how she makes a living or lives out her life. But what bothered me most was: why did watching her shake me?

I have had some time to process it and I think that the reason was because she willingly with anticipation was touching what was most ugly about me. For her she hoped to gain something from doing so. And this week as I have been wondering about it, I realize with thankfulness and wonder, that Father sees my ugliness all the time. He sees mine, He sees her’s and He loves us both despite it all. The difference is that Father wants us to gain from His work in our lives. She is why He came to earth and died. I am why He came to earth and died. You are why He came and died!! Your ugliness is seen by the Almighty Father, but He is willing to accept you and love you as long as you are willing to accept that love.

*I ask Father as I write this to open your eyes as well as mine to the work He desires to do in our lives.

*I ask You to ask Father: for my continued safety, my continual growth in Him and in learning, as well as for my travel plans in August as I come home to Chicago for my brother’s wedding. That going would be great and wonderful but that I would truly desire to come back to China.

I love you all!! Denise

Video of Chinese New Year!!

To view these exciting and somewhat scary video's of Chinese New Year that I took last Feb please click on the links below and download them. They use a VLC media player to play and may take a while to download but trust me when I say that the safety regulations in China are zilch and therefore the videos are high energy and very loud.


How We Feel About Chinese New Year Video


How We Almost Died

Chun Jie 2010

Sounds Like We Are In A War Zone

Long Lone Road.

I have this picture of the gorgeous Nebraskan plains. I didn't take it but a friend of mine took it. It is from the front seat of a car. You can see the road stretching out into the west (I imagine we are going west) and at the far end of the road you can barely make out an incline as if we are trying to go up to the mountains. But the picture clearly shows the empty golden fields of recently cut corn or grain on either side. Reminding the one looking at the picture that farming is indeed important and the center of Nebraska pride. I love this picture. I hate this picture.


I love this picture when I am in a good place. It calls me to adventure. Nudges me to do the right thing, to stay on the right path. The stark emptiness speaks freedom to my soul and draws a longing from me to see what is beyond the next corner. This long lonely road is America to me. With the deep blue sky and the bright greens of the ditch grass. The sparsely placed telephone poles and the occasional cow. Someones homestead far in the distance. This is Home. Goodness, life, joy, and wonder. It brings back road tripping memories from college and reminds me that all you need in life is for a good friend, some good wheels, and a really good mix of music to have a good day. This road evokes the vision of the windows rolled down, speeding at least 80 mph, and two voices singing at the top of their voices: "Cowboy take me away. Fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue. Set me free oh I pray closer to heaven above and closer to you. Closer to you." Hear Song.


I hate this picture when I am in a bad place. It tells me that I am alone. The mocking is so loud. There is no one who is where you are. No one understands what you are going through. It is so barren and sad. Not to mention that the cut fields suggest the coming of winter. The journey will never be over and I will never reach home. I struggle to see the next sign of human life and can only see the barest of evidence that there is any other life here. The distant cows seem to suggest a hopelessness that not even they would give me moral support. This is so monotonous and quiet. The colors' beauty is lost on me and all I can see is depressing hues. Darkness, like perhaps the storm is right around the corner. Everything about the picture is filled with loneliness. Desolation, fear, anger, friendlessness, the never ending sorrow of searching but not finding. It speaks of the heat of unshed tears, the tightness in my chest and throat when I have just said goodbye to my mom and dad for a year. It is when my heart is aching asking in it's quiet meek voice: " I don't wanna leave here, I don't wanna stay. Feels like pinching to me either way and the places I long for the most are the places where I've been. The Future seems so hard and I wanna go back." Hear Song.


Do you have something like this in your life? Something that is the best thing when you are doing well but seems to bring you down or taunt you when you are not?? What do you do with those things? Do you open a drawer and shut them inside where you cannot see them? Do you pin them up on the bulletin board so that you get as much joy as you can? For me it is collecting dust on my desk, covered by piles of other papers. Today I was reminded about it as I sat on the bus, way in the back, crying. It was the picture that came to my mind. China sometimes feels like this picture.


At times it (China) makes me so very happy, all I can see are the wonderful and hilarious parts. Other times I feel suffocated. Pressed in by all that is different, coarse, and dirty. These are the days when I say: China wins!! Today I go home put on some good music and sort my laundry. Blog and then go back out into the world to go to my language helper's for more language learning.

That is the key I think. Continuing on despite the way the world makes you feel. Doing what is right when you want to and when you don't . Choosing to be a positive citizen to those around you whether they are kind to you or not. Looking to the Only One Who Knows All when you don't know anything at all. Some days those small prayers are all you can do. One step in front of the last one is all you can focus on.

"I'm so very ordinary, nothing special on my own. Oh, I have never walked on water, and I have never calmed a storm, sometimes I'm hiding away from the madness around me like a child who's afraid of the dark but when I call on J-sus all things are possible." Hear Song.

Here I am, Plodding along here. Slowly but with the help of the One Above getting somewhere, even if I don't know where that somewhere is.

Picture by David Hutcheson.

Volunteering!!

Reattachment of left ear.

Reconstruction of the right ear.

Face and Neck grafts of a burn victim.

This is Bao Bao. He has reconstructed knees.

Knee number one.

I have been volunteering twice a week at this rehab clinic rehabing after reconstruction or surgery). I get to work with Jing Mei who is an amazing nurse and who is able to help me with my medical Chinese!!

Elsah Landing Chicken Curry Soup!!!!

The adventure began when Steven, a friend and co-worker of Whitney's, mentioned that we should combine our cooking strengths: mine being SOUP and Whitney's being CURRY. Thus, began the Chicken Curry Soup Adventure of 2010.

Elsah Landing Restaurant located in Elsah, Illinois is the creator of this delicious dish, but Whitney and I added a little Yunnan twist!!

The Original Recipe: "Chicken Curry Soup" will be in black.

Yunnan Chicken Curry Soup will be in yellow.

Ingredients: 4 cups water, 1 frying chicken cut up, 6 peppercorns, 2 stalks of celery, 1 peeled onion, 1/4 cup butter, 1 medium onion finely diced, 1 cup carrots finely diced, 2 teaspoon curry powder, 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1 cup evaporated milk, 1 apple peeled and sliced.
Ingredients:1 live chicken (killed by the chicken man) cut into pieces, enough water to cover chicken two stalks of celery and one whole onion, said celery and onion, no butter but a dash of oil, 1 onion finely diced, 3 carrots coined, 1 head of cauliflower cut into small pieces, spoon upon spoon of curry powder (not measured), cinnamon to taste, 2 table spoons cornstarch, dash of salt to taste, dash of sugar to taste, dash of pepper to taste, 1 can of evaporated milk, 1 apple peeled and sliced.

Directions: combine cut up chicken, peppercorns, celery, onion, and 4 cups water in large sauce pan. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, or until chicken and vegetables are tender. Cool. Remove chicken from skin and bones, cut into bite sized pieces and set aside. Discard skin and bones. Reserve and strain liquid for stock.

Saute diced onion and carrots in butter in medium saucepan over low heat until onion is golden but not brown. Add curry powder and saute for an additional 10 min. Add chicken stock. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat for 5 min. Stir cornstarch mixture into simmering stock. Add salt, sugar, and reserved chicken. Add milk. Heat but do not boil.

Garnish each serving with an apple slice.

Makes 4-6 servings.

Directions: Take fresh chicken home and attempt to chop into pieces. Save feet for Chinese roommate and friend. Place mangled bits of chicken into large pot with peeled onion and two stalks of celery cover with water. Simmer for an hour to an hour and a half. Cool for two hours. Remove chicken from bones and skin, discard. Place chicken and vegetables in container in fridge. Place broth in large container in fridge. Next day, saute diced onion, carrots, and cauliflower in wok with oil until onions are golden. Add spoon of curry powder and saute until all vegetables are covered. Add chicken stock. Stir and taste. Add two more spoons of curry powder and a dash of cinnamon. Heat for a while. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Add pepper, salt, sugar to taste. Add chicken and apple slices. Let simmer for a while. Add can of evaporated milk. Simmer for 30min. Accidentally boil briefly. Turn down heat. Simmer until guests arrive. Makes 5 servings because it is soooo good!!
Photo Evidence!!!

This Lucky Chicken we did not pick out for our dinner!!

This Rooster had a section of his chest feathers missing and in their place were those funny looking white protuberances.

This was the winner for being intimately involved with our curry dish!!

To see the process that occurred behind the counter of chickens by our friendly Chicken man please download the video labeled Dinner on my blog.

Now that our chicken is dead, naked, and gutted he (she, but we named her Victor) goes into this lovely plastic bag.

We are finally home and ready to begin this long process. See how happy I am??

Left handing holding bony chicken legs and right hand holding open the plastic bag, I am beginning to freak out....it felt so gross-like the legs were already broken.

Lovely!!!

Almost out of the bag!!!

VICTORY with VICTOR!!!!

So what you are looking at here is a dead chicken. This is what one looks like. The chicken breast you buy at the grocery store came off of one of these. Most people in Yunnan eat the neck and parts of the head even. The nice Chicken man even gave us Victor's heart, liver, and perhaps some other organs. We did not use Victor in an economic way like most Chinese.

We cut off Victor's neck and head and threw them away along with the organs. The feet however, we attempted to save for Jian Juan (Whitney's roommate) but sadly we forgot to refrigerate them and found them sitting on the counter in the morning. So we didn't feel safe giving them to her after a night out on the kitchen.

This picture is only here to prove that Whitney was a part of this whole adventure and that she did cut up part of this chicken.

First wing to make it into the pot!!!

This is Victor's carcus after it simmered for an hour, cooled for two hours and then Whitney and I picked all the meat off of the bones. I am sure that we missed some.

After this whole experience, both Whitney and I agree that this soup was perhaps the most delicious chicken soup we have ever eaten let alone ever made. We agree that we will make it again. However, we have some changes that we will make. 1. neither of us have good knifes and therefore, next time we will ask the Chicken man to cut the chicken into pieces for us. That will reduce the drama of breaking bones in ones own kitchen. 2. we will not attempt to make this at the end of a long work day. 3. get a bigger pot so that we can make more at one time.







I hope that this has been interesting, educational, entertaining, and mostly tasty. I encourage all of you to attempt this recipe. Perhaps don't be quite as involved like we were with Victor, but go and buy a whole chicken at the store and try it at home!! I guarantee that it will rock your socks off!!

Dinner!!

It took all of 3 mins tops to pick the chicken out, agree to it's price, poke it's airway, shove it in a bucket, then remove it, shove it into a pot of boiling water, and finally shove it into a defeatherer. When it came out it was bald. all in 3 min. so we took it home. Download it here: http://www.box.net/shared/static/dnzqmk9mse.avi