Homesickness and Blue Hearts

I have to admit, I've been a little homesick the past week or so. Don't get me wrong, it's been fun, adventuresome, challenging even, to be here in ZhengZhou, but there's just something about your own bed and pillow, or maybe it's the walking into a grocery store and knowing where everything is... you know... familiarity. It's hard to come by over here.

I haven't been feeling very well lately, either. So that doesn't help anything. I've got this weird thing going on with my esophagus where it feels like anything I eat--it doesn't matter if it's food or water--is as large as a walnut and I can feel it going down the whole way. It only hurts when I eat. I've never experienced this before, but I googled it and found a doctor describing the condition and saying that if it doesn't clear up within a week to go get an endoscopy. I'm pretty sure that means they stick a rubber tube down your throat and take pictures while they go down.... yeehaw. So if anyone has a rather short prayer list, you can stick me and my malfunctioning esophagus on it. Thanks.

Ready for a good story? Two days ago, I had this esophagus thing and a pretty good sized headache going on. I was sitting in my listening and speaking class, supposed to be TA-ing for the regular teacher but I was having a really hard time concentrating on anything. He tends to teach in, um, rather loud tones, and my head was unappreciative of the noise. I must say... that this was my favorite class to teach. I got along really well with the students in that class and I had a lot of fun teaching it. During the class, I noticed that one of the normally enthusiastic girls was looking about how I felt... slouched against the corner with her hand on her head. I slipped out of the classroom and got her a little present... not much, but enough to cheer her up a bit. After the class, I was handing out homework that I had marked, and I gave her the present. She looked at it, then her face lit up and said... OH OH! We have something for you!!! Turn around! So I turned around and hid my eyes and they counted... One... TWo... THREE! and I turned around and there were four of them each holding out a large marshmallow heart on a stick. It was like a little bouquet of hearts! I was so surprised! It totally made my day.

Well, that's not all there was to it. The NEXT day, I was walking home with Justin and I had in my hand one of the marshmallow hearts. We were walking along and talking about the day, when we noticed a little old man coming toward us, holding out his hand for money. I didn't have any money, so I said "mayo" (however you spell that), but I DID have a blue marshmallow heart! So with a slight bow, I gave him the heart on a stick, and his whole face changed when he looked at it. He smiled a sort of sentimental smile, like he had known love before but he couldn't believe that anyone (much less a little white girl) could give anything that sweet to an old man like him. Justin and I kept walking along, and every now and then we would look back and find the old man still staring in awe at his blue heart, his face so happy and content.

I am pretty sure that that marshmallow heart will never get eaten.

Next installment.... Shauli Temple.