July 23, 2007

The food bug finally caught up to me. After 3 previous trips to China and the last two weeks with no ill effects, I finally met my match in a seemingly harmless joo pai (pork chop) and a bad case of indigestion. Yes, I knew that I’d have to be careful especially when it comes to foods like pork. Unfortunately my ironwill doesn’t come with an ironstomach. I knew I wanted to rest but I didn’t think it would mean laying in my hotel bed for two days watching tv, reading a bit and sleeping. Not necessarily bad things at all, but I wish I could have been at least a little more comfortable. My last real meal was that pork chop lunch on Saturday (it’s late monday night now). That same afternoon I took the bus back into SZ where I met up for dinner with Lily and Naomi (both Wall Street directors in SZ that Joyce introduced me to). I was already feeling a bit funky on the way to the restaurant but once we sat down I wasn’t feeling too hot. Then the food was brought out to the table and it was an oh-so delicious looking bonafide Cantonese meal. The worst part was that I couldn’t have any of it! I explained to my new friends that this was torture in that usually I’m chowing down on all kinds of food, even more so when it looked this good. All I had was a few spoonfuls of the soup… eventually I couldn’t even stay for the whole meal and just excused myself and took a taxi home to sleep my stomach pains off.  

I came back to GZ today and I’m safely in the confines of C & Q’s house. It’s always an adventure when I travel on my own since half the excitement is just getting to my final destination. First I had to figure out how to buy a train ticket. I waited in a line with others who were buying tickets but when I got to the front of the line, the lady told me that I was in the wrong line and pointed me in the right direction. Turns out I was in the “long distance” train area and there was a special GZ bound area in the train station. Then I started paying more attention to the Chinese characters and I remembered the ones for GZ East and found the right line.  I learn something new everyday. Then I had to take a local No. 122 bus from the train station to a bus stop where Q said she’d meet me. She said to get off at the first stop after the long bridge… I sat in the first seat next to the driver so I wouldn’t miss the stop. The driver didn’t look too friendly so I didn’t even bother to use the little Chinese I know to ask him where I needed to get off.

Fortunately, all worked out like it was supposed to and Q was there to meet me. Mission accomplished! =))) Later they went out and bought me some chinese medicine which seems to be helping. I also learned how to say Sprite in chinese… “szway bi.” That also is good to soothe my gastronomically challenged tummy.

Q and I took a walk after dinner at the local store and we looked at electronic chinese-english dictionaries. The store clerk looked a little puzzled and asked why a chinese guy didn’t already know how to speak chinese. I get that a lot here… Judy and I were in a taxi in the backseat speaking English to each other and Esther was in the front seat talking to the driver in her perfect local mandarin. He asked why we were speaking English when we looked Chinese and she told him that we were studying english and we just wanted to practice… =))).

At the same store, outside on the basketball court where guys were playing basketball when we went into the store was now turned into a neighborhood ballroom dance floor when we came out. There were loud speakers set up blaring some latin music and there were about 50+ people dancing and many more watching. That was kind of interesting since the Chinese love their singing and dancing.  What a perfect way to spend a hot summer night in a very local neighborhood. I wish I had my video camera…. I’m sure they do this every night so maybe if I’m around tomorrow I’ll go back.

Also today I spoke to Joyce in Beijing, she said that I missed one of the Chinese National basketball team members come into Wall Street. I think it was Yin Jianlian who was drafted by the NBA team Milwaukee Bucks. She said he was so tall that his head nearly hit the ceiling. I wish I could have been there to get a picture! It turns out that he was near the center doing a promotion and needed to make copy of an ID and he came into the center.  Oh well, maybe next time. Joyce also told me to eat more yogurt since it is good for me and it helps ward off the food illnesses better. I heard that before but now I know better…

These are just some of the things that I learned recently… I’m sure there will be lots more to come and I’ll be happy to share them here…

On the 3 hour plane ride to Guangzhou, I had time to think about everything I had to do to get here. Somehow I know that there is some good to come out of it… the China way is definitely an art that takes a lifetime to master. It takes foreigners living here, years to figure out sometimes and for some reason I experienced it within my first week. My friend says I was on the crash course for advanced students and that I definitely am called to be here. If anybody ever loses a passport in BJ, I’m the guy to call now! Maybe that’s a good thing and can save somebody some time and heartache in the future. Either way I appreciated the character refining moments that brought me to where I am in the present.

Physically I’m sitting in an internet cafe at almost 2am in Guangzhou which is just outside of Hong Kong on the mainland China side. I’m here with about 50 other people probably half my age who are watching movies, chatting or playing video games. I got to GZ on Monday night and joined up with some NewSong people who also came out from LA, they got here on Sunday and of course, I couldn’t be here to greet them. I finally caught up with them though just in time for the good stuff. They had to adjust to the culture shock, extreme weather and time change anyways…

Tuesday morning we left bright and early since we had an appointment to tour a toy factory just outside the city. We drove for an hour or so through the City which by itself is transitioning itself from the historical port city of Canton to the present day vibrant city of Guangzhou. There are three main cities which are called gateways into China. Beijing and Shanghai are two and GZ is the other and called the Gateway to Southern China. It’s a city with skyscrapers being built as far as the eye can see with a growing population of 10-15 million people rivaling any major city in the world. It definitely is a bit more countryish than it’s big brothers BJ and SH. But it’s a city on the move because of it’s proximity to HK (only an hour or so) and it’s bustling production and export trades.

So Tuesday morning, we went out to a toy factory where I’ll do my best to explain what we saw. I’m having trouble uploading pictures so come back to see what I’m talking about. All things considered, GZ is lucky to have some freedoms not allowed in other parts of China. For one, Ch-tianity is relatively open here to my surprise. A good example that really opened my eyes was this particular toy factory. I’ll start my observations with a contrasting experience that my friend just had. He is travelling on his own personal journey in Eastern Europe and just went to Auschwitz, the notorious and horrific concentration camp of WWII. He stood on the same grounds and saw the personal belongings of children and adults who were senselessly killed by the thousand in the gas chambers. He explained that he couldn’t imagine how one person or a group of people could inhumanely murder so many within such a short period of time. And how to this day those horrors still bring a person to their knees, as well they should. My experience yesterday at the toy factory was not one of death, despair and loss, but one of abundant life, hope and promise.

Our van pulled up and we walked to the front gate of the security check in gate amazed by the sheer size of the massive toy factory compound. On the way in, we passed 6 story dormitories and ordinary looking office buildings and warehouses. From the outside it looked like any other business that looked like they were successful and doing something right. The company called ICX (of course not the real name) is one of the largest toy factories in the world with over 30,000 employees spread across China and is even listed on the NYSE. We visited the main factory today which has 10,000 employees and a sprawling compound.

The CEO and founder originally was based in Hong Kong where all the other toy factories were located but he made the move to China 11 years ago. He was an Australian-Chinese and more importantly a Chr-tian. He was in HK living out the the freedom of his faith and he brought those same values to his new factory on the mainland. In his mid-forties, he quit his full-time job to go to seminary school and became a pastr in HK. He remains as a board member I think and still has a lot of influence within the company. His son now runs the company though but his initial work still remains.

We met and were led on a tour by one of the senior factory managers. His name was James (not his real name, LOL!)  and he was the Director of HR. He is a C-tian also and he says the factory also employs about 1,000 other like minded people. He greeted us is a massive conference room and we were briefed on the history of the company and then we got a chance to pry with him before he led us around.  We weren’t allowed access to the assembly lines for trade secrecy protection, now that would have been cool to see. =(

Anyways, this factory has contracts with all the major toy brands and we got to see the factory showroom. I couldn’t believe all the famous toys that were on display. There was everything that every little kid (and adults) play with all around the world. Some names that stood out were toys by Hasbro, Leap Frog, Mattell, Fisher Price and others I took pictures of but can’t remember now. There were Star Wars toys, barbie dolls, cars, robots, action figures and everything else. Apparently they do EVERYTHING! The cheap “Made in China” toys are left to one of the smaller 4,000 toy factories in the area. What sets this factory apart is how they treat their workers and the values that the company was founded on. Of course, their migrant workers come from small villages throughout China and are the mostly uneducated, skilless and jobless young people in search of a good salary to live on and also to send back home. Sadly the monthly salary is around the 700RMB range which is about $100 USD a month. And that’s working full-time. Since it still is a business they are limited to the salary that they can pay which is somewhat standard in the industry but the factory offers so much more.

We visited a dancing hall where they give dance lessons and allow young people to have exercise classes and social hangout times. Most of the workers are in their late teens or early 20’s and sometimes even into their 30’s. There is also a fully stocked library with magazines, newspapers and books with lots of clean tables and sitting areas. There were also computer rooms and classrooms where they have english lessons and night classes. A counseling hotline was set-up for people who just needed to talk to someone about work or personal issues. There was a medical clinic onsite too with a nurse. The company even has an emergency loan program just in case somebody needs quick cash for medical emergencies for their families back home since it’s hard to have substantial savings readily available. They even helped establish a youth center in town which I also went to see and am touring with the center’s founders and staff. (I’ll save that incredible story for next time.) This was everything but what I had envisioned for the typical sweatshop factory that I hear so much of. Believe me they still exist but at least not here. The toy factory didn’t have to provide all of these extra services but they did thanks to the founder and to a vision. 

 The factory deals with its own issues of a high turnover rate (about 6,000 people a year) though more related to the industry they’re in. All the major factories struggle with a high turnover since they don’t let people work overtime even at the employees request. Often people want to work 15 hours a day so they can earn more money quickly but the company has to abide by strict International Labor laws an US practices since it has a number of high-profile customers. Workers often go to other companies where they can work more or to other industries where the pay is better (like the auto industry). So the factory becomes a landing ground for many who work and then move on thinking that life is better somewhere else. Maybe they leave and realized how good they had it here.

Ch-tian values and principles are visibly evident throughout the facility. What stuck me the most was that the dormitory buildings are each named for one of the fruits of the spirit. In big Chinese letters on each building are the characters for “Peace, Love, Hope, Joy, etc….” The local gov people don’t have a clue why they are named what they are, but we know… =)

Also on the nicer building where the management lives are the characters for all to see… “reconciliation, abundance, truth.” In the main worker’s cafeteria are the words for “integrity and confidence.”  The founder believed that you can still have high morals and ethics and still be successful and not have to cut corners or treat your employees without dignity and respect. Although new employees may not stay, the seed has been planted and they have been exposed to other believers and will take that to their next job and who knows what can happen next. In that way alone, the factory is doing it’s part.

The factory is leading an organization called TCF (Toys C-tian Fellowsip) which started with 9 factories 4 years ago and now includes about 100 factories as members. There is no secret that it has grown so fast as His hand is evidently upon them. I was overwhelmed to personally see the difference one man can make in the lives of so many through the abundant love for His people. So the next time you see a toy Made in China, maybe it came from this special factory where individuals are celebrated and lives are changed. Look for the pictures of the toys that I’ll post and tell me if you have one… =))).

Last night exhausted after looking for my passport and writing to you for prayer, Michael and I went out to dinner. He was supposed to go out earlier with somebody but had a change of plans so we went out to a local Chinese place. We ordered some tasty dishes and some beers and just hung out talking till the restaurant closed on us. We really got a chance to talk about a lot of stuff and bond in a way that made me glad that I wasn’t able to leave. Michael is not a Christian so I think my staying with him is not an accident either. I shared more about why I am in BJ and what my life was like back in the States and the friends that I had. We talked about typical guy stuff like work and of course, women. The conclusion we came to was that women are the same all around the world. Women, don’t take offense, that’s not a bad thing. =)

This morning I woke up, spent some time with God and then looked through my stuff again with fresh eyes to see if I somehow overlooked my passport. No luck. I kept thinking why couldn’t I have been more careful, why didn’t I put it somewhere else, I messed up. I let the team down.  

I went back to some places where I was at on Saturday just to make sure nobody turned it in… I went back to Grandma’s Kitchen where Joyce, Mona, Michael and I had breakfast. They serve American breakfasts so I recommended Michael try the chicken fried steak since he never had it before. Of course, he loved it and gained a few pounds in the process.  I had the pancakes which were so-so, the maple syrup was watery and not too sweet and I began to miss Dupar’s… next time I’ll try the omlettes or Chicken Fried steak which were a lot better.

I also went back to Schlotzky’s where I had lunch… yes, it’s the same sandwich place as in the US! Tastes the same too!  No luck there either. So for those of you who can’t eat Chinese food 24/7, no worries they got all kinds of options in Beijing now. =)

There was nothing else I could do so I went to BICF (BJ International Christian Fellowship) to spend some time in worship. I heard about BICF before but I hadn’t been there yet, till today. It’s the largest church for expats. Joyce and I took a taxi to BICF. We pulled up to the front and I immediately saw all kinds of people from all nationalities and ages, young and old, walking to and from. Children were waiting with their parents and others were just hanging around. The next thing I saw were signs that said that you need to have a foreign ID to enter. I flashed my CA DL as I was greeted and received a program.

Once inside the lobby, I spent some time checkin out all the different types of people and Joyce introduced me to someone. I then went to the welcome table where I was kindly greeted by a Chinese woman who spoke with a Hong Kong or Singaporean/ Malaysian accent.

The sanctuary was huge with stadium style seating and it looked like any large church in the US. The difference was that this was truly a multi-cultural church like no other. The congregation truly represented the World and His love for all of His people. There were people from everywhere! Nigeria, Kenya, Australia, Phillipines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea and that’s just the people sitting around me. The moderator struck a chord with me when he said that we’re all in Beijing for a specific purpose that God intended for us to follow and that we were not there by accident. Out of all of the places on the planet to be, we were all sitting in Beijing worshipping Him. Yes, I believed so.

The opening worship songs were all familiar to me and the contemporary style band was awesome… the coolest part was that there was a “worship art” woman sketching/ painting on big sheets of white paper during the songs. She sketched out various Christian images like a dove or person bowing while the band played. That was totally cool.

I went to service not knowing what to expect other than to spend some time before him,  pray and receive some direction as what to do next. The first song was the upbeat “Oh Happy Day, Happy Day… it’s a glorious day in your presence”. It made me feel good to be at church. It lifted my spirits giving me some security and hope… The worship leader who was from England would pray in between songs that God’s hands would rest on us as we come before him out of our desperation.  That sounds like me…

He said that some of us may have experienced tough things this week, but that in the hardest of circumstances we would see his hand at work and his presence felt. Then he sang “I Have a Maker.” The lyrics rang in my heart… “I have a maker, he knows my name, he knows my every thought, he sees each tear that falls and hears me when I call.”

I prayed, I questioned, I shouted to God, I felt lost, I felt weak, I felt helpless. I stuggled to remain strong. I literally felt like I lost my identity when I lost my passport. I can’t get on a plane. I can’t even check into a hotel. I’m not free. I can’t hide behind my blue shield that made me special anymore. I looked around and saw the nations in worship and I just lost it… and completely broke down in tears.

The sermon topic was The Search for Significance. The pastor spoke about Adam and Eve and how he covered himself up and hid in the presence of God. He went on to talk about all the ways how we cover ourselves up today. We search for significance and use our physical appearance, clothes, education, career, money, possessions, etc for cover. We cover our weaknesses so as not to be rejected by others and to cover up the sins in our lives. We just want people to like us so we base our sense of worth by getting their approval and try to be just like them.

This last week this all played out to the max… being in a foreign country magnifies everything about me for all to see and to be judged. I’ve been trying to fit in, gain people’s acceptance, and most of all be liked. I’ve led out of my strengths playing games, leading programs, making new friends, impressing people and just being the center of attention at times. All to much praise and well intentioned comments.

The pastor went on to say that if I base my value on people to say I’m ok, it’s just borrowed and only good for today. All these things ultimately fall away. My acceptance from God should be enough for me since he accepts me for who I am. The church of JC is a place where I can come with my fears, anxieties, weaknesses, faults and mistakes and find a path that leads to God. Significance should come from God which never fades. I can rest and not have to fight for it.

I can rest in the presence of God.

I can rejoice in the presence of God.

I can find life in the presence of God.

So today I looked for God in Beijing and I found him.

Joyce met me at the airport to welcome me to Beijing. My flight arrived at 4:30am! I slept for the first 7 hours and then kind was in and out of sleep for the next 4-5 hours. It was a pretty uneventful flight so overall it was a good trip and I was excited to be in Beijing. As we were in the taxi cab heading into the city, I still couldn’t believe that I was actually here. It was still early in the morning around 5:30am so the city was not quite in full swing of the hustle and bustle of big city life.

We first dropped off my luggage at the Wall Street English Center where Joyce is the Director and then she treated me to an incredible breakfast at the China World Hotel. The hotel is one of the few 6 star hotels in the City and is in the same building as Wall Street. We talked about how quickly Beijing is changing even since I was there 7 months ago. Since today was my first day here as a “resident”, she wanted to splurge and treat me to a nice place to commemmorate the occasion. There will be plenty of days to come where I’ll get the traditional do-jan (soy bean milk) and dumplings for 50cents.

After breakfast, we went back to the center where we met up with a group that was visiting from Knoxville, Tennessee. They already had been in BJ for a few days sightseeing. The group was really nice and I told them that I literally arrived a few hours ago… together we were going to be guests of a special Service Olympic English competition that Wall Street was invited to partner with. The event was created to promote hospitality, service and being good will ambassadors to the world for the upcoming Olympics. There were 8 service groups of three people each represented from various hotels, restaurants and businesses in the Central Business District (CBD) area where Wall Street is. I was helping Joyce and the organizers put together the actual programming from back home in the “States.”  Joyce thought that I would be a natural MC since I told her about all my Quad, NLC and Frontline  experiences. So 4 hours off the plane… I had a microphone in hand in front of the crowd, welcoming people, talking about the importance of great hospitality and then doing my thing.  Of course, the t-shirt (Size L) that they gave me to wear was about 3 sizes too small! Seems like I’m an XXL size in a land of MUCH skinnier people. There was no way to cover up the burger, rib, steaks, and ice creams that I’ve been feasting on for the last month. LOL!

I led the role play situations where I asked the different team to respond to typical questions they might here from visitors next year. Like “where can I get a traditional BJ meal?”, “Where is the 1st place I should visit since I’m new to BJ?”, etc.. Then I led a group competition game which was more of a fun, wacky game that everybody got involved in for laughs… I had such a great time MC-ing, leading the games, and meeting people. This is exactly what I was made to do! It’s good to know that my experiences back at home have a place here in BJ. A cool bonus was that the local BJ news station and newspaper were there to cover the story.  =)

Later that afternoon, I was still tired from the flight so I went to get a 2 hour foot and body massage at a nearby spa. What a way to spend an afternoon and it only cost 170 RMB (about $22).