This past week was another busy week studying and volunteering at HIT Call Center. Classes are going well, and I'm now heading into my 4th(?) week? It's bittersweet that I'm nearly 25% done with my program...I love America, fresh air, Wendy's spicy chicken sandwiches, etc. but where else in the world can you spot funny signs like this:
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| "Do not play on the train, please don't lie on the bench...no spitting...no swinging (my favorite lol), no climbing"
The fact that they have explicit signs prohibiting this kind of behavior just baffles me, hahaha!
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This past weekend I finally got to go to church. The Chinese service (albeit conducted in English) has a very different feel than an American service does. For example, there seemed to be less audience participation when we were singing songs, or reciting scripture (this makes sense though since English is not the mother tongue of the majority of the attendees). One thing that this Chinese service and the average American service both did have in common was the reciting of The Lord's Prayer and The Apostles' Creed. It was cool to see how even halfway across the world, people can say the same words and be part of one body of Christ.
It was packed...
...Yep even the balcony was full!
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Last thing to share with you was that the past week as I was walking down the street I came across two old ladies who were street vendors selling socks and toys. I stopped and talked with one of them and explained how I was a curious American who pondered about how could street vendors make enough money to support themselves? She kindly explained how she managed to get by on only $3USD per day and I was slightly taken aback. I personally spend around $4USD per day just on food alone! Here I met someone who got by on less than I have while also supporting a son attending elementary school. It was very humbling to see how income disparity still exists.
I offered her $2USD encouraging her to buy her son an extra delicious dinner and while at first she refused, eventually she accepted my offer. However, she also gave me a "free" pair of black socks to make up for the gift, even though I neither needed the socks nor asked for them. Even after refusing multiple times, I eventually gave in since I saw how it was also a matter of pride for her to not be indebted to anyone. I can definitely relate to her attitude of not being in anyone's debt since self-sufficiency is a core value in many of our hearts. I always find it fascinating how despite our different cultures and barriers, there are some values deeply instilled in the human core that we all share.
See you next week!
Best,
Sam
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I'd be interested to see how Christianity has shaped Harbin and a little bit about the history as it relates to the Russian influence on the city.Also what are Chinese people's views on Christianity and how do they differ from your own beliefs? Do they regularly go to church?
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