"I'll tell ya what I like about Chinese people... as long as we're on the subject. They're hanging in there with those chopsticks... still using chopsticks. You know they've seen the fork. Oh, they're well aware that we have the fork... and the spoon. I don't know how they missed it - Chinese farmer gettin' up and working in the field with a shovel all day... HELLO! Shovel. There it is! You're not plowing forty acres with a couple of pool cues."
Our boat driver took this exact same picture of us with his camera and these guys paid him for a copy of it! We are just that cool.
About to "drag an umbrella." Apparently, the Chinese people don't know that we already have the word "parasailing," so they use this phrase instead.
It was so fun! I only was a little scared when I dropped to the water at one point and my feet went in to almost my knees. I wasn't sure if that was supposed to happen.
Cute street vendors
Non-highlights:
The supposed 12 hour sleeper bus ride that turned into a 25 hour journey.
It was a little claustrophobic.
Looking happy during a bathroom break.
Waking up to a Chinese man sleeping in his underwear in the hostel bed across the room from me.
Chinese men in speedos.
These creepos even asked to take a picture with us. But I guess I'm creepy too because I had them take a picture with my camera also.
Today we were able to travel to Guangzhou for the annual Beijing China International District Conference. It was so neat to be able to meet with members from all over Southern China and the world and to be able to learn more about the Church's standing in China and throughout Asia.
Elder Stanley Wan, an Area Seventy, and Elder Anthony Perkins, 1st Counselor of the Asia Area Presidency, were there. After Conference, they had a luncheon and a Q&A Session for the Young Single Adults, which was incredible!
The Southest Asia Mission was formed under my great-grandpa, G. Carlos Smith, in 1969. Upon returning home he said,
"The Lord's church and the priesthood are now in Southeast Asia. As the people heed the message of the gospel, this vast area of the world will grow and prosper in goodness and truth. The blessings of heaven will be evident, and the kingdom of God will roll forward. I commend our wonderful brethren and sisters in Southeast Asia and join hands with them in a humble prayer of gratitude and thanksgiving for the Lord's goodness to us all."
I am so grateful that I am able to see and experience a part of the fruit of the work that my grandpa and grandma started so many years ago.
Okay, not really. It's normal to hear Chinese people raise their voices when talking, but this was a little out of the norm. The argument had started about 5 minutes before I started sneakily filming. Jeanette didn't hear the first part of the argument but by the time she tuned in, she said that they were arguing about which one had bad manners and about who had started cussing first. My favorite is at about second 25. And the special video bonus is the attractive security guard that walks by before I zoom in on the argument.
I love our school's vegetables. Maybe it's because they are drenched in oil and garlic or maybe it's because they are so very fresh. Here they are, growing in the school's garden.
We aren't quite sure how our chef cleans these vegetables. On more than one occasion, we have found bugs on our plate. This Friday, it was a caterpillar. This Friday, I also discovered that Debbie worked at Cold Stone in high school. So this Friday, after our unsatisfying caterpillar veggie meal, we indulged ourselves and spent our whole 30 minute walk from our school to the bus stop asking Debbie about her favorite flavor combinations she made while working at Cold Stone. Yes, it was a 30 minute conversation, interrupted only by the snake-looking worm on the side of the street. I don't know why I enjoy this video so much but I do.
This Friday, I also decided that I would eat a caterpillar for a bowl of Cold Stone ice cream, if given the opportunity. I would maybe even eat the snake-looking worm. And if Debbie and Kristy weren't willing to eat their caterpillars, I would eat Debbie and Kristy's caterpillars too so that I could eat their bowls of Cold Stone ice cream. With these three caterpillars, I could get three bowls of ice cream! One with half chocolate ice cream and half mint ice cream with brownies and Reeses. And I could get one with cheesecake ice cream with graham cracker pie crust, strawberries and almonds. And I could get one with chocolate ice cream with carmel, coconut, brownies and pecans. Speaking of pecans, I want Pecan Praline Aggie Ice Cream. And speaking of Aggie Ice Cream, I want Lemon Custard Aggie Ice Cream. And on that note, I am now going to go eat some rice.
"I'll tell ya what I like about Chinese people... as long as we're on the subject. They're hanging in there with those chopsticks... still using chopsticks. You know they've seen the fork. Oh, they're well aware that we have the fork... and the spoon. I don't know how they missed it - Chinese farmer gettin' up and working in the field with a shovel all day... HELLO! Shovel. There it is! You're not plowing forty acres with a couple of pool cues."
