The Maricle Family in China

You've got to feel bad for the guy in Lane 2!

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 05:08:00 +0000

Have you ever felt like you are the guy in lane 2?

This is a photo I took of the track at a preschool in Beijing.

Presently, I reading through the book of Job in the Bible. For awhile, he certainly felt the guy in lane 2. If you feel like you, too, are in lane 2, check out the last chapter of Job and see how it all turned out. Keep running!

Hello Again!

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:53:00 +0000

They (whomever "they" are) say that you shouldn't begin a post with "I'm sorry. I know it has been so long since the last time I posted," but really, it has been a year since our last post and that is far too long! So, I am terribly sorry. I know it has been so long since our last post! =) To sum up the past year, we are alive, a year older and doing so well! See, that was easy! And now for the present...

I am supposed to be lesson planning right now, but blogging seems much more exciting. And I couldn't help the urge to blog since I wanted to take the moment to point out where my wonderful little family is. I glanced out the window a bit ago and as a mommy would, my eyes scan the courtyard area outside our apartment for our two little ones. I spot our little man running and our little miss just a few feet behind him, trying with all she can to stay up with her big brother. I then look around to see where my wonderful husband is and I see him crouching behind a tree about 40 feet away. The kids get closer and closer to him and Daddy leaps up and starts running, with two little ones close behind him. Then the game of tag begins and they try with all their might to catch their fast Daddy. I giggle and remember again how truly blessed I am with my sweet little family!

Our lives are busy with ministry, teaching at universities, homeschooling and being a family, and it is a life we so very much love!

Tomorrow, we have a guest coming over for dinner. So, we have family night tonight. We get to go out to a restaurant for dinner. I'm secretly hoping for McDonalds, of course.

Josiah starts homeschooling

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 05:35:00 +0000

Josiah has finished his first full week of official studies. After talking with other families and doing some research, we've decided for Josiah to use Bob Jones' video school. So far, Josiah has done great. He loves the teachers and is already learning.

We had ordered to curriculum a several months ago, but we'd had it shipped to Korea to Mom Tatum's house. Now that we're here, Becky decided not to wait to get Josiah started.

This marks the beginning of a new and tremendous challenge for us--especially Becky. Oh, how I praise the Lord even more for providing me with a diligent wife!

Relaxing in Korea

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:12:00 +0000

During the Chinese New Year season, Beijing goes into hibernation. All the migrant workers, college students, and most other non-Beijingers return to their home towns for a month. We decided to use this time to get away ourselves. With Becky's dad and mom so close by working in Korea, it was very convenient for us to head over to Daegu to see them. It was a very fun, refreshing visit for us all. Josiah and Amelia have begun to associate going to Korea with going to a perfect place where everything is fun, joy, harmony, and Halmony (That's Korean for Grandma.).

On the ferry from Tianjin to Inchon

Sledding Day
William Sledding

Becky Sledding

Josiah Sledding

Fun in the snow

Josiah and Amelia are ready for church.

We don't have a TV at our home, so Josiah and Amelia were mesmerized when they had the chance to watch cartoons Grandpa bought them.

We celebrated Chinese New Year Korean style. Welcome to the Year of the Rat!

In Seoul, we observed the fourteenth anniversary of Great Halmony's passing with family.

Grandpa bought Josiah his first bike.

This one is just too hard to explain.

Our Christmas season

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:11:00 +0000

On the Saturday before Christmas , we invited several dozen friends to our home to celebrate the Savior's birth. Our little apartment was packed with people. We sang Christmas carols, and munched on snacks. Together with several other believers, we put on a simple but effective play recounting Christ's birth. I was a Wise Man, and Becky played the piano. Afterwards, a Chinese Christian brother shared the Gospel of the significance of Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection. Lastly, we had a "white elephant" gift exchange, which everyone enjoyed. We were the happiest sardines in Beijing.

The next day we took several of our brothers and sisters to another celebration with a couple of other groups in the banquet room of a restaurant. Once again, we sang Christmas songs and ate a delicious meal. Several brothers shared with us some thoughts from the Bible. Toward the end we played some hilarious games. The fellowship was sweet.

On Christmas day we made our annual trip to Outback Steakhouse for lunch. Every year we meet together with a group of our foreign friends on Christmas. This year Becky organized it. Everyone brought a gift for one other person. I received a much needed leather wallet. Josiah and Amelia busied themselves with the other kids sharing presents. Becky and I have enjoyed each time we have been able to enjoy Christmas with our wonderful friends. While the steak was good, the fellowship was even better.

When we got home, it was time to open our gifts. I do not know how the Lord did it again, but there under our little, fake Christmas tree was a huge pile of gifts representing the love of Papa and Nana Maricle, Grandma and Grandpa Tatum, Auntie Tricia, Auntie Bethany, Aunt Debra and Uncle Ron, and each other. Becky, being Becky, wanted to dispose of the wrapping paper each time a gift was opened. William, being William, thought it would be more fun to let the paper pile up throughout the gift opening process so as to create an exciting mess. My ever patient wife indulged me strange desires once again, and soon our living room was strewn with paper, presents, boxes, and fun. Once finished, we now had to clean our beautiful mess. Then we enjoyed a warm, cozy evening as a family putting together new toys and marveling at the blessings of God on our life.

Becky's new bike

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 09:29:00 +0000

It's red. It's zippy. It's passes everything on the road. It's Becky's new bike.

Taking two kids on an old, cheap, slow bike to school each morning and then riding to the subway station was more than any guy should ask of his wife. She has enough to deal with. After looking around for a while, we finally opted for a red electric bike. The three of them can easily ride it together. Being a better brand and new, her bike has no problem passing all the other bikes on the road. Because the traffic in our area is often at a standstill, Becky can even pass the fastest cars weaving in and out of the idling traffic.

I rode her bike to a local McDonalds about a mile away with Josiah on the back. Becky and Amelia took the bus. We left at the same time. Unfortunately for the ladies, it was rush hour. The two of us guys stopped to buy some things, got to McDonalds, ordered, sat down and waited ten more minutes for our beautiful counterparts to arrive. Point proven. A bike is still the most efficient way to make short trips in Beijing.

Now Becky can zoom and zip around all she wants. I don't even mind her flying by me as I peddle along as long as she glances back and winks at me as she goes by.

Josiah's English Class

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 04:05:00 +0000

Usually, Josiah gets picked up from his preschool before his classmates start their English class, but Friday I came to pick up the kids five minutes late. Josiah had already started his English class. Becky usually picks them up, so I wanted to enjoy my chance to see one of his classes in action. I stood at the doorway and watched.

The children sat in their chairs in a semi-circle around the teacher. The English teacher, a young Chinese lady, had placed several pictures of objects on the floor at her feet. She asked a student to come up and give her the card with bird, flower, or whatever else on it. Then she would ask another student.

This was obviously Josiah's forte--his special skill. On this activity, he knew all the answers, every time. I watched him in his seat his arm stretched up as far as it could go begging to be picked. The teacher obviously knew that this was no challenge to him. She was picking others around him who needed the class much more than him. He desperately cried out, "我! 我! 我!" (我 means me and is pronounced wa as in walk.) I was tickled to hear my son, the only white boy in the class, spitting out Chinese.

What happened next tickled me even more. While Josiah continued pleading, "我! 我! 我...", the teacher looked at him seriously. In her cute Chinese accent, she corrected him, "Me, Josiah, me." Josiah instantly switched languages straining to extend his arm even more.

How ironic! I thought. This American boy is being rebuked by his Chinese teacher for using Chinese instead of English. Josiah's is a mixed up world. But somehow four-year-olds are able to keep going, adapt, and excel.

Josiah was picked at last. He triumphantly handed her the correct card and returned to his seat. He turned around and looked up at me attempting to hold back a huge grin of satisfaction that was trying to force its way onto his lips. I didn't hesitate to show him my huge grin of satisfaction in him while throwing in a nod and a wink for good measure.

He was impressed with picking the right card. I was impressed with his Chinese.

Our Christmas Tree Goes Up

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 13:33:00 +0000

Becky unpacked the Christmas ornaments and our $20 Christmas tree. I put on some Christmas music, and Josiah and Amelia twirled in glee.

Together we assembled the tree, put the lights on, and decorated it. It might not be the most elaborate tree in the world, but for our family it is perfect.

Josiah's 4th Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 13:57:00 +0000

Josiah is now four, and it is hard to believe how fast time has gone. He had a very fun birthday.

Mom made him cupcakes to take to preschool to give to his friends. After preschool, his mother took him to a huge, newly discovered mall that had a section with many toy stores and play areas. Josiah and Amelia had a great time playing in the sand, exploring stores, and playing with toys. We then gave Josiah a choice of places to eat. In spite of his mother's hints at McDonalds, he chose KFC.

Then we headed back home to open presents and eat birthday cupcakes...

Our busy Autumn

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 12:36:00 +0000

Our autumn has been exceedingly busy. Not only have our 'classes' on the weekends commenced and our 'studies' throughout the week continued, but we also found time for some other special moments.

During the Autumn season, the foliage around Beijing is pretty. However, there is a park in the hills in the northwest corner of Beijing that blazes with fall colors. It is called Fragrant Hills. We decided to go with a group of friends on a picnic to the park. The only practical day for everyone to go was on Saturday. Unfortunately, a significant portion of Beijing's population also found that day to be the most practical. As a result the all buses going in that direction were packed with people. Once at the park, the lines to get tickets were enormously long. People were everywhere. Once inside we had a delightful picnic with food and games. On our previous visit to Fragrant Hills, Josiah had to be rushed to the hospital. This time, we escaped such disasters. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the park. Getting home was an adventure all in itself. Even after walking to a more remote bus stop, we had a very difficult time getting on a bus to go home because of all people.

The next highlight of our Fall was Mom Tatum's visit. Though she probably should have just rested, we went out on the town. One evening, we went to a Kengfu play. We ate at a variety of delicious Chinese, Korean, and Western restaurant including one that very special evening where we pulled all the stops and went all out. When her time with us was up, we hated to let Mom go. Once again, I think we sent her home with tired eyes, a full tummy, and a happy heart.

Becky's Uncle and Aunt from Korea came to Beijing for a short trip. He is a medical doctor and was attending a conference in Beijing. Though their schedule was very full, we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with them. They were a great encouragement to us.

In November, Radford Wong popped back in for a week. He is getting to be a regular in Beijing, so he didn't need my services as a guide much. Lord willing, he will be coming in the next few monthes to live in Beijing and study Mandarin.

Serving the Lord and living by faith can never be called dull. You won't be hearing the Maricle family complain of boredom anytime soon.

President Bush honors the Dalai Lama

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 15:15:00 +0000

President Bush honored the Dalai Lama this week. The bastion of freedom heralded the cause of a man who has sought for, fought for, preached for, and lived for the opportunity to go back to his country and again become its dictator. Of course, the people would welcome him back with open arms because they have no other choice. In their view, he already holds absolute power over their souls. Therefore they are obligated to restore to him absolute power over their government if the chance presents itself.

Few understand the bondage Tibetan Buddhism has created in the land it dominates. The country was located in the middle of several of the world's greatest cultures, and yet the people were among the most backward on the planet while the Dalai Lamas ruled them.

The Dalai Lama held them with something far more powerful than fire and sword. He wielded (and still does) spiritual terror as his greatest weapon. If you are not convinced, go look at the art and pictures lamas use to terrorize their victims into submission. These graphically display an afterlife as horrible as any torture chamber on earth only with the exception that death has no releasing power in the Buddhist Hell because death has already occurred.

This is just the beginning. Transmigration (sometimes called reincarnation) means that a person may come back as a new person after death. A person's future existence is decided by factors in his present life. To offend the Dalai Lama would have great repercussions in this life and those to follow. In essence, Tibetan Buddhist leadership has held the Tibetan people hostage for centuries. Now the Dalai Lama aims to reinstate total control of the Tibetan state as well as their religion. He preaches tolerance all around to world to ignorant, gullible people who know nothing of Tibet's history, but he has never renounced his goal to shackle his people politically as well as spiritually. Nor has he ever denounced the regimes that preceded him in Tibet.

Tibetan Buddhism knows nothing in its history of democracy, freedom or peace. There, fear is far deeper than that suffered in war or physical danger. Even now there are little old people prostrating themselves over and over in the dirt as they endlessly circle lamaseries. They do this out of terror of what they may face in the next life. Every true Tibetan Buddhist lives in fear. That is why they willingly waste hour after hour mindlessly spinning pray wheels while reciting mind numbing chants over and over. They must. They have nothing greater to live for. The more devout and sincere a person is, the more the fear is evident.

Welcome to the world of the Dalai Lama's people. Imagine if he once again held all power!

I support my President on most issues, but this time he is wrong. This may win him a few points with the Left, but the Left gives out points for anything but reason.

Deposed dictators are still bad men. The Dalai Lama still dictates to his people spiritually and lusts for the chance to do so again politically.

In a pitiful bid to honor courage, we rewarded craftiness.

Youtube blocked

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 14:13:00 +0000

We aren't able to upload any new videos to Youtube.com for now, because the site has been blocked in at least Beijing.

Perhaps our President's honoring of a would-be dictator (the Dalai Lama) ruffled a few feathers here. Or perhaps the 17th Communist Party Congress in Beijing is to blame.

Anyway, that is why no new videos are popping up.

Becky is teaching again.

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 12:00:00 +0000

With the kids in preschool, Becky has decided to begin teaching again. The school our kids attend doesn't currently need a foreign teacher, so Becky has begun working at a different preschool. It is a prestigious, well-run little preschool in the heart of Beijing

She teaches four mornings a week for two and half hours each time. She loves the school, her colleagues, the students, and teaching youngsters in general. Her late evenings have turned into preparation time for her classes.

The only drawback is the travel time involved in getting to and from the school. Her mornings consist of getting the kids ready, sending them to preschool, riding her bike to the subway station, riding the train for fifty minutes, catching another bus for a short ride, and walking to the the school. Coming home requires the same pattern in reverse. The amount of travel time is less than ideal, but she utilizes it wisely by reading her Bible, praying, and such like.

She has passed up many opportunities to teach fulltime and making quite a lot of money. However, she is already busy enough at home being a wife, mother, hostess... She's amazing!

Preschool

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Fri, 19 Oct 2007 11:59:00 +0000

Becky and I have felt for a while that our children's Chinese wasn't progressing as fast as we would have liked. Even though they live in China, they had never been required to lean on their Chinese to function in daily life. There has always been someone to use English when needed. As a result, we could see fluency was not happening.

Another disappointment was the children's lack of playmates their own age. After our second year in China, we had moved off our school campus into a regular apartment. Part of our reason for moving was our desire for our children to have other children to play with. However, we found that there were hardly any children over the age of one. We discovered that the majority of young children in Beijing attend preschools from morning until evening. This was why there were very few children out during the day with whom they could could interact.

We decided to try letting our children attend a preschool in our area on the weekdays for half a day. We looked at several preschools in our area. In the end we decided on a preschool near our home called 未来之星幼儿园 (Future Star Preschool).

Josiah and Amelia attend Monday through Friday starting at eight in the morning. They eat a Chinese breakfast and lunch at the preschool. They have exercise time, story time, play time, various classes, snacks, etc. Originally, we intended to pick them up after lunch, but then we learned that the students have nap time immediately after lunch. So, we decided to let our kids have their naps there. They sleep for two hours until about 3:00 at which time Becky or I are there to pick them up.

So we are trying it out. Josiah has been excited from the first day. Amelia has needed several days to get used to this new idea, but she is quickly adjusting. We have already noticed an improvement in their Chinese.

We are praying for wisdom to know how to provide our kids with the skills and training they need to equip them best for God's service.

Amelia is now two!

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 08:55:00 +0000

Sitting at a little table on our living room floor, Amelia gazed at the made-with-love cupcake before her as we sang "Happy Birthday" to her. Lacking an official birthday candle was no problem for Becky. She had lit a match and stuck it in the cupcake. Unfortunately, we sang too slowly or the match lacked resilience. Either way, the match gave out just as we were finishing the song and Amelia was preparing to blow it out. Check out Amelia's perplexed look...

Our celebration spilled over into the next day, when her Daddy had a day off. For lunch we went to one of Amelia's favorite places, "Nonalds" (That is Amelian for McDonalds). Than we took the kids to a little park where Amelia and Josiah rode some rides and had a great time.

What a joy Amelia is to our home! We love everything about her. She has grown so fast. We thank the God for how blessed we are to have her.

Dr. Chappell visits China

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 08:44:00 +0000

One of September's great highlights was the visit of Dr. Paul Chappell from Lancaster, California. He and a delegation made a quick stop in Beijing in the midst of a whirlwind Asian tour. Although they were in Beijing for less than twenty-four hours, it was a wonderful blessing to spend time with those great men.

In spite of the weariness of the trip, Dr. Chappell still radiated the joy and compassion of one whose life is being lived on purpose. It was an honor to sit with him and absorb some more of his vision and counsel. He has a way of always making me a more challenged man.

P.S. One of the men accompanying Dr. Chappell was Kim Ruppert, a sergeant in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. I took a moment to explain to him what had happened during our move to our new home. After hearing how the Beijing police handled the situation, he told me that a deputy from his department would have handled the situation in the same way.

First week back teaching

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 16:22:00 +0000

Well, I am back to work. This year I am contracted to only teach three days a week. This will provide me with time to study and do other important things.

My first week has been a little strange. It seems my department, the International College, is being phased out. The few students that were left decided to abandon ship as well. So, basically, I had no students to teach.

Soon I will be assigned new classes. Although I will miss my students, this may end up being a big help to me. In the International College, we were down to only one class, which meant I needed to prepare a new lesson for every class instead of reusing the same one over and over. Now I may only need to prepare a few lessons each week.

It seems things change often and without warning in China. I have learned the most valuable trait to have while working here is flexibility. I have to exercise it often.

A new house!

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 12:09:00 +0000

We have signed a ten month contract for an apartment in the university district of Beijing. Our new apartment is about 100 square meters and is nicely decorated. It will need quite a bit of scrubbing and painting, but we are excited. Our rent has jumped substantially from 1,500 yuan to 3,500 yuan per month, but we know God can provide.

Our new home is basically just down the road from the main Olympic venue, but we may not be living here when the Olympics come. Our owner is eager to rent it out for a steep price on a daily basis during the Games, so our contract only goes until the end of June.

We like our new area very much. We are within biking distance of some neat and lively areas. We are also in the middle of some of the best universities in China. The only downside is the time I will need to spend on the bus to work. Fortunately, I am only teaching three days a week, and I can use my time on buses to study.

Finding a new apartment

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:09:00 +0000

We have decided it is time to find a new apartment. We have lived in the Changping district of Beijing for the past two years and we love it here. But to accomplish more of the goals we have while in Beijing, we have decided to find an apartment more towards the center of the city in the Haidian district.

For the past couple of days, we have been going from rental agency to rental agency of which there are many in Beijing. Agents try to find suitable apartment for us to look at. Rent prices are much higher than in Changping. Our present apartment is quite nice, and our rent is RMB 1,500 ($200) per month. For an equivalent apartment in the area we are looking in will be around RMB 4,000 and maybe more. So we are diligently looking and praying for a great deal. When we tell agents our expectations (1. very clean; 2. two bedrooms; 3. RMB 2500-3000), some have actually laughed. We will see...

Trip West -- Chengdu

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:08:00 +0000

When I first planned our trip, I knew that the bus ride from Songpan to Chengdu would be the longest. My hope was that with recent road improvements, the ride would at least be faster than the 12 plus hours it had taken me the first time I made the trip from Chengdu to Songpan. My hopes were confirmed when I bought the tickets. The trip would take an estimated eight hours, which is still a very long time with two children. On our walk on the last evening in Songpan, we had purchased some creative toys and art tools to help keep Josiah and Amelia occupied.

Around six in the morning we boarded a comfortable, new bus. The old, cramped, bouncy buses I had to take only three years before had all been replaced by these beautiful coach buses. With the children still asleep and the sky still dark, we set off on our way. The road followed the river flowing through Songpan as it twisted through deep, narrow valleys almost all the way to Chengdu. Becky and I both knew we should get a little more sleep before the children woke up, and the motions of the bus soon induced drowsiness. But, alas, sleep was impossible because the scenery was too spectacular! Streams plunged down rugged, steep mountains covered with forests into the ever-widening river. Tiny plots of ripe corn and other crops nestled onto small terraces on the hillsides dotted the scene. Villages flew by with their picturesque wooden cottages. Villagers dressed in fabulous traditional clothes walked along the road with their flocks and herds slowing down our bus. Unfortunately, my seat on the bus was in a bad spot to get any pictures, so I had to content myself with just cataloging it all in my mind. As we drove on, the climate and the scenery gradually changed. Forests became bushes and then dessert. Then everything became tropical as we went lower and lower into the heart of Sichuan. At about three, we arrived in Chengdu.

Our hotel was called Bob's Guesthouse, and it is pretty well-known among backpackers. It cannot be called luxurious, but it was relatively clean and inexpensive. Most importantly, it is located in the center of the city. The courtyard of the hotel has a very lush garden and tea house creating an old-China feel.

On a previous visit to Chengdu, I had been introduced to a special place called Peter's, Chengdu's Mexican restaurant. I now had a chance to take Becky! The place was well decorated, and the atmosphere was very fun. We were shocked by the number of foreigners who all seemed to know each other. Our food was delicious, and Becky and I even got a few moments alone as the kids played in a little play area.

The morning we got up early to head to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. We fun morning strolling along bamboo lined paths watching the pandas. Our favorite spot was the baby panda enclosure. Josiah and Amelia were thrilled watching the one-year-olds playing, wrestling, and chasing the keepers. Josiah even pointed out that their play resembled how he and his sister like to play (and fight).

The night before I had used the internet to reserve a special hotel as a treat for Becky having endured so many nights in one and two star hotels along our journey. Anyone who knows Becky knows how much she loves cleanliness above most else. She had learned to endure and possibly enjoy our less-than-immaculate places. Now I decided to make our last night in Chengdu really fancy. So I hunted down a good four-star hotel at a good price. After lunch following our visit with the pandas, we walked over to our new hotel. We were delighted by the luxury and cleanliness of our new room, and we spent the afternoon reveling in it.

After a wonderful nap, we went out to explore downtown Chengdu. We especially enjoyed the large, lively pedestrian street lined with lots of store and restaurants. While meandering, we stumbled across a pleasant surprise. To our delight we found ourselves standing in front of a Swenson's Ice Cream restaurant! We could not pass up that kind of treat, but dinner would bust the budget. So after an inexpensive fast food dinner, we returned to our scrumptious discovery. We have saved on dinner, so we went all out for dessert. Memories of my childhood came flooding back as I stared at the Earthquake pictured on the menu. Sentiment overcame sensibility, and I ordered it. An hour and ten scoops of ice cream later (of which I ate the majority), we sluggishly and happily headed back to our hotel for a night of sound, comfortable sleep.Through mutual friends I had contacted a foreign family living in Chengdu. On Sunday morning we had an opportunity to go to their home for a time of fellowship with them and a few other foreigners. They were a blessing and encouragement to us. Although our time with them was much too short, we said goodbye after lunch to our new friends. Then we made our way to the airport.

Several day before, unable to obtain train tickets, we had no choice but to buy plane tickets. Now, late on Sunday afternoon, we experienced a smooth ride to the airport, and anticipated a smooth flight home. We had saved telling Josiah about our decision until the last minute. Now, Josiah was ecstatic. He was going to fly! We walked up the check-in counter presented our passport. The lady behind the counter began searching on the computer for our reservation. Then the smooth day came to a sudden halt. Our reservation for some unknown reason had been canceled. We been a flurry of phone calls to track down the travel agent. He profusely apologized. He had mistakenly canceled our reservation! Now, there were no tickets available until early the next day. We explained that the next evening we had an important engagement, but they insisted there was no other way. Josiah was devastated at being deprived of his flight. We were stuck in Chengdu for another night.

So we were forced to return to our hotel for another night. We used to extra time to check out a pizza restaurant that an American friend had recommended that morning. The calzone was indeed quite good, but the Hawaiian pizza was just plain excellent. In three days we eaten Mexican food, Italian pizza, and American ice cream. We had to admit it. We were spoiled!

Monday morning we made our second attempt to leave Chengdu by air. This time we were successful. Four hours later, we walked back into our pretty, comfortable, familiar home having just completely a very special trip. Almost instantly, it seemed incredible that we had done it. And almost instantly, we began looking forward to our next adventure.

Trip West -- Songpan

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:07:00 +0000

At seven in the morning, we left Longmusi. A two hour drive on a packed bus filled with curious locals brought us to the city of Zoige. Along the way we made stops in small towns, nomadic encampments, and arbitrary places along the road. At one point we passed an older man beside the road prostrating himself over and over again.

About 9:00am we arrived. Like Hezuo, Zoige was just a place to change buses. Unfortunately, I was informed upon inquiry that there were no buses going to Songpan that day. Either we could hire a car, or wait until the next morning. Adding the cost of three tickets (Josiah is too big to go free these days.), plus a night in a hotel, I decided to spend the RMB 350 ($50) for a taxi.

The driver we obtained was an interesting local man who several times tried to come up with reasons to hike up the price. In spite of that, we got along pretty good. He really took a liking to wearing my "Adidas" sunglasses, which I had purchased in Beijing for $5. Over the next five hours, we discussed him, his life, his culture, and his Buddhist religion. We discussed the contrasts in our two religions. He had never heard anything about Christianity and asked some questions, so I tried to explain the basics to him.

One fact he did clear up was that Tibetan Buddhists believe a dead person definitely comes back as another human, not as some other creature. I asked why, then, was the population of the world getting larger? The number of souls transmigrating back into bodies is not multiplying. They are just being reborn, so the number of people should remain the same instead of growing larger. He was perplexed by my question, and professed ignorance about how to answer. If you know the official Tibetan Buddhist opinion on this, I'd be glad to hear it.

As we talked, we passed through absolutely beautiful scenery. Occasionally, we were slowed by groups of nomads crossing the road with herds of yaks and sheep. Grasslands suddenly became forest-covered mountains. Streams tumbled down the mountains into the river which the road we were on was following. Around 2:00pm we arrived in Songpan.

Becky was immediately impressed with Songpan. It is a small city tucked between two mountains. A beautiful river runs through the town. It has recently been given a face lift. There are many Chinese and foreign tourists that come to visit, so the town seems to cater to them.

Having been there before, I thought I knew right where to go. We just needed to go to the far end of town to where the hotels, bus station, and horse trekking company were. Unfortunately, I failed to realize that the previous time I came to Songpan I had come from the south. This time, I was coming from the north. As a result, I got mixed up, and we had driven right past the place where I wanted to go. The driver dropped us off in the middle of town, and we proceeded to walk with our bag to the other end. As we neared the end, a sinking feeling filled me stomach. I am usually quite oriented with my surroundings, but suddenly I was faced with a city that had recently changed a lot--seemingly entirely! After wondering around a little while with my ever-straggling family in tow, I stationed them on a corner and went alone in search of my bearings as fast as I could walk. After a few dead ends, I finally headed in the direction we had come from. After a block or two, I began to get reoriented. I realized my mistake and everything fell into place.

After recollecting my patient family, we got settled into our hotel, ate a good lunch, and made reservations at the horse trekking company for the next day. Then we spent the evening exploring the town and doing a little shopping. We found a cowboy hat that fit Josiah well both in size and style. For dinner we stopped by a restaurant named Emma's, which caters to backpackers, for a delicious meal which included a burrito and a great calzone. The kids preferred regular Chinese fare of fried rice.

The next morning we were up early in anticipation of our horse trek. Actually, it can't rightly be called a trek. With our two little ones plus Becky's general apprehension at spending cold nights in a tent, we had elected to go on a one day trek, which probably should be entitled a long ride. However, because trek sounds so much more impressive, we've stuck to that.

After a hearty breakfast, we made our way to where the horses were waiting. About thirty tourists, Chinese and foreign, had gathered to go on treks of various durations. Ours had by far the most people with eighteen in all. Josiah and I were given a white horse and the girls rode a dark horse. (Fate is strangely accurate =).)

At nine in the morning we set out on our ride leaving town and climbing a steep path up into the fog-shrouded mountains. The misty atmosphere made it chilly but it also combined with the green mountainside and a gurgling stream to create an absolutely beautiful ride. Oh, what our Creator has so marvelously made! We climbed for a couple of hours until we literally had our "heads were in the clouds."

Near the top, we stopped to give the horses and our back ends a brief rest. About that time, the clouds lifted and glorious sunshine brought stunning views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. In the valleys, picturesque hamlets were surrounded by picturesque patchworks of fields.

Resuming our ride, we began our descent. Soon the mountainside got too steep, and we had to walk as a precaution against hurting ourselves or the horses. Our guides had been walking the whole time up and now down, but they hardly seemed winded. They were half goats! One of the "cowboys" (guides), took Amelia and headed down the mountain. Another held Josiah's hand and led him down. I carried Becky.

Just kidding.

By the time we came the small hamlet that we were to have lunch, Amelia was already seated on a villager's lap surrounded by caring folks. We were hot, dusty, and thirsty. We were instantly greeted in typical Chinese style: a cup of hot tea. We ate a simple and good noodle lunch at a local family's home. While there we got to watch our guides shoe some of the horses.

As we got ready to start on our final stretch into town, Josiah and I were having trouble finding a comfortable position for both of us on our horse. One of our guides noticed our predicament and offered to let Josiah ride on the back of a motorcycle. Josiah agreed to try it and I swung him down. A moment later he called my name. I turned around to see my son riding alone on a horse of his own with a huge, proud smile on his face. The guides had decided to let him ride on the horse they had been taking turns riding. While a guide held the reins and walked in front, Josiah sat up straight and tall as he rode his horse into town.

We arrived back in town tired, dusty and thrilled with what we had just done.

That evening took a walk through some of the little winding streets of Songpan until we came to to the river. After a little exploring, we discovered a pretty little stretch that was accessible to the public. That began a fun session of throwing and skipping rocks into the river. During the trip Amelia had become very fond of throwing rocks into water, so the rocky bank was a paradise for Amelia, Josiah, and me. Becky enjoyed it all as much as possible while still remaining almost paranoid about the kids falling into the chilly water and soaking the only warm clothes they had.

We then proceeded back to Emma's for a rerun of the previous night's meal. Those calzones were good! After dinner we headed to our cute hotel for quick baths, family devotions, and a much-needed early night to bed.

The next morning were up early to be on the six o'clock bus to Chengdu, our final destination. It was still dark, and the kids were still sleeping when the bus pulled out.

We said goodbye to Songpan, but we don't think it was for the last time...

Trip West -- Langmusi

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:07:00 +0000

Leaving Lanzhou at 7:00 in the morning, our bus set out into the Chinese countryside. For the next five hours, we watched the scenery transform from semi-arid, brush covered hills, to green, tree-covered mountains, and eventually into beautiful grasslands dotted with herds of sheep and yaks. Even after a few hours when our relaxed eyes began suggesting sleep, Becky and I were far too fixed on the endless string of new, interesting, strange, and fascinating sights and people. Livestock of all sorts often appeared on the road, and people from various minorities strolled along in their traditional dress.

Around noon, we arrived in Hezuo. This pretty good sized town was just a transfer point for us. It is just a dusty, quiet city with nothing much to set it apart. A local man asked us why we had come since there was nothing interesting to do. The fact that we were just passing through made perfect sense to him.

While we were waiting for our second bus, we got a bite to eat in a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant. The cleanliness of the place didn't impress Becky, but the noodles did! They were very good.

Having a one-year-daughter going through potty training and a three-year-old son still learning how to "hold it," it was imperative to find a place for them to relieve themselves before embarking on the second phase of our journey. That's where we ran into trouble. The rather large bus station had no toilets. Fortunately, we are used to that, and we are also used to it's solution. Children and men are completely free to relieve themselves practically wherever they want to in China. When Amelia cried out, "Poopoo!" Becky sprang into action and rush with her to the dirt by the side of a building along the street which according the evidence of damp soil and small piles of toilet paper had already been well-used by numerous others. Becky took off Amelia's diaper, handed it to me, and continued to assist her. I now had a new mission: dispose of the used diaper. Scouring the area, I could find nothing resembling a garbage can. I asked a couple of local men observing nearby what to do. They told me to just throw it on the ground. Now this I am NOT used to. I can honestly say that even in the farthest back-country I have never knowingly littered. Now I was being told by local folks to dump my refuse on THEIR street. I hesitated. I repeated my inquiry about how to dispose of my trash. Again, gesturing with their hands they insisted I could throw it on the ground. Having no other choice I heaved the diaper comically in the air. It landed with a thud. I couldn't help apologizing as I walked away. I am now a litterer.

A few minutes later we were rolling toward our final destination for the day. For two hours we watched as beauty around us became more and more breathe-talking until we arrived in the quaint town of Langmusi. It lies right on the border of Gansu and Sichuan. There are very few Han Chinese living there. Almost everyone is either Tibetan or Hui. The Tibetans are Buddhist and nomadic, and the Hui are Muslim and entrepreneurial. The Hui seem to own most of the shops and restaurants.

There are two major lamaseries in this small town, so the town is dominated by Tibetan monks dressed in robes. These two lamaseries are the main source of attraction for most foreign visitors. The admission fees ($2/lamasery/person) seem to be the major source of income for the Buddhists. Though I found several back streets that could have gotten us in for free, we declined to visit either lamasery while there. However, I did get to talk to a few of the monks around town.

Arriving in Langmusi was like arriving in another world or another time. The afternoon we arrived just happened to be the day of a festival at one of the lamaseries. As a result, the town was packed with Tibetans coming to celebrate. Their clothes, manners, modes of transport, language--everything was so different from what we were used to. It was better than a science fiction movie. It was real!

We made our way to the hotel and checked in at a counter behind which was a plaque proudly displaying one star. After settling in a bit, we took a walk around town to build up an appetite. The kids were objects of great attention, but everything was an object of great attention for the kids too: horses, pigs, chickens...They were having fun!

Another thing that caught us a bit by surprise was the cold. Even in August, the evenings were very chilly. Very few local kids had much skin exposed, but our family was dressed for midsummer heat. So a rare and instant shopping spree came about in this little town. Becky and Amelia got sweaters, and Josiah got a little sweat suit.

Then we made our way to the most famous place in town among foreigners: Leisha's Restaurant. They cater to backpackers from all over the world who often come through the area. They feature delicious Yak Burgers, but they also have a good selection of other western food which is all creatively made from local ingredients.

After feasting on yak burgers, we took a peaceful stroll around part of the town. The kids threw rocks in the river that flows through town, chased pigs, yelled at horses grazing on the mountain side, collected sticks, stirred up clouds of dust, and picked themselves up after falling time and again. Meanwhile Becky and I walked along exchanging smiles with the local folks, taking in the scenery, admonishing our kids to stop getting so dirty, and dusting them off when they inevitably fell down in the dirt once more. We could have stayed out there forever, but bathes and beds were calling.

The next day after breakfast, we changed hotels to a smaller, quainter, and cheaper place. There we washed out our dirty clothes and hung them up. Then we went out and bought pretty hats for the ladies to ward off the bright sunshine. Best of all, I had an excuse to get myself a genuine cowboy hat! Looking cool and feeling cool, I led the family off on a long hike into the hills. There we enjoyed a picnic lunch surrounded by all the glories nature. While on our hike, we met two very friendly young girls who chatted with us for quite awhile. They invited us to their yurt, which was too far away, and they warned us of the wolves that lived in the forest ahead of us.

That evening after another delicious dinner of yak burrito at Leisha's, we took other evening walk following the river to the end of town. How beautiful everything was! Just as we were walking back into town, an older Hui couple was bringing in their cows for evening milking. They invited us into their courtyard so the children could see the animals. Josiah and Amelia had blast! Their favorite animal of all turned out to be a kitten, which they almost straggled. We got to watch the woman milk a cow. Then their daughter, a college student on summer vacation, heated it up and served us the fresh warm milk. It was excellent--especially once they had us add a little sugar. We spent a delightful hour at their home getting to know them and their fascinating culture better. They were very kind us, and refused to take any money that we offered.

The next morning we had to be up early again to catch the bus out of town. Langmusi was special place that still felt very little affected by the outside world.

Here are a few more miscellaneous shots of our time in Langmusi...

Trip West -- Lanzhou

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:06:00 +0000

A week after returning from Korea, we started out again, but this time in the opposite direction--west! We embarked on a ten day trip from Beijing to Lanzhou in Gansu Provence and then by small jumps down to Chengdu in Sichuan Provence. On August 17th, the four of us boarded a train at the Beijing West Station.

After a fairly comfortable, twenty hour journey in our 'hard bed' car, we arrived in Lanzhou, the capitol of Gansu. It is a big city of 3.2 million people situated on the banks of the Yellow river between two mountains. While the majority is still Han Chinese, Lanzhou also has a very large population of Hui people who are mostly Muslim. As a result Buddhist temples occupy the mountainsides while Mosques are scattered throughout the city.

After settling into our hotel, we spent Saturday getting acquainted a little with the city. We made stops at Lanzhou University and the city's main square before going to a large park. At the park we climbed part of the mountain, rode rides, and observed the locals having fun. Then we rode a gondola very far up to the very top of the mountain for a panoramic view of the city.

For part of Sunday we explored the area near the Yellow River. We even took a short motorboat ride on it, and crossed it from above on another gondola. We discovered a huge water wheel still operating, and Josiah and Ameila got to grind corn the old-fashioned way.

For lunch we had a couple delicious bowls of hundun (wonton soup) and several boazi (steamed bun stuffed with meat). For dinner we ate at a Muslim restaurant. All the dishes were excellent, but our favorite was still the yang rou chuan (lamb meat on a stick). Needless to say, our stomachs were already full before we capped off the night with ice cream from Dicos, a Chinese fastfood chain.

By the time we left Lanzhou, we felt that in our short time there we had become much better acquainted with the city. A little more of our apprehension about the possibility of moving there in the future had faded away.

While aboard the train to Lanzhou, I had received a text message informing me that the return train tickets back to Beijing that I had thought had already been purchased by a friend had actually not been purchased. Now there were no more train tickets at all. Each night in Lanzhou, I went to an internet cafe to try to find train tickets back--all to no avail. By the time we left Lanzhou, it was clear that flying back was our only option. How plans (and budgets) change!

We said goodbye to Lanzhou early Monday morning heading south and further west into the great unknown. We were finally leaving the big cities...

Mom Tatum's Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:05:00 +0000

Mom's birthday found us a short holiday in Pusan, Korea. Although we missed Dad, who had just left for the visit to the States, we decided it was the right time to splurge. Becky did some snooping around and found out about a good steak restaurant. And we took the birthday girl out.

The restaurant was excellent. The ambiance was warm and romantic, the classical music was delightful, the food was good, and we had a lovely view of the ocean as we ate.

Before the food arrived, we presented Mom with a small gift of our love we had brought with us from China...

An amusing day

noreply@blogger.com (William Maricle) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:04:00 +0000

While in Korea, we enjoyed a special day at an amusement park in Taegu. We exhausted ourselves riding rides, and then we ate a fancy meal atop the Taegu tower. That evening when it was time to go home, Josiah was still ready to ride 'just one more.'

The "Militar Marine" commander needs a little help...

Out for a gallop escorting the Queen...

Super Ace Josiah and his Halmony ruthlessly chased through the sky by Two Super Beauties!

This is how Amelia found her amusement after a couple of hours...

Josiah's favorite was the log ride. This is the first of four times...

Josiah was in his element with so many vehicles...

We found a water slip down a hill that kept us busy for at least a dozen tries...

A wonderful day...