Moses in China?!?

It has begun! With only four days left till I board that China-bound plane (actually, its San Francisco first, then Hong Kong), I have begun the packing and final preparations! Below is my suitcase, with ribbons and tags left over from previous trips. It may look a bit messy, but I can always spot it at the baggage pick-up area. Spilling forth from my oh-so-spacious valise (that's French for suitcase) are two lovely skirts, borrowed from a lovely young lady. I will be teaching in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in a city that has seen very few foreigners. It is an ultra conservative area, and their exposure to western culture has mainly been through the media. So, it is mine and my teammates' jobs to salvage our already tarnished reputations as westerners by dressing conservatively and modestly. Thus, I am borrowing two ankle/floor length skirts.


Construction paper is apparently a luxury item in Chinese schools. We will go through quite a bit of it during the month, so my teammates and I were each asked to bring some. Who doesn't love Shoprite brand construction paper?

While there, we will also be doing some cultural presentations, explaining various aspects of North America culture. As you have probably guessed, I am supplying some things for weddings. I would like to point out that I made that bouquet. I'm a little impressed with it.

And I'm sure you're wondering why this post is titled "Moses in China." Well, we will be having several "visitors" at our school during the month, including Moses. Yes, the guy from the Bible. Baby in the basket, Red Sea, promised land... sound familiar? And of course Moses needs a beard. I was torn between the dark brown and the off-white, but decided on the off-white because it displays his venerable age and wisdom, which is highly respected in Chinese culture. Below, I am modeling the Moses beard.

Since this will most likely be my last post until my return (early August), I bid you all farewell. If you are interested in receiving email updates from me while in China, please let me know.

If you want to know some more about Ningxia, here are some fabulous videos from China Central Television on rural life in Ningxia and the Hui Muslim culture of Ningxia.

Thanks for reading!