identity crisis

i am a married chinese female.

i'm kidding, of course, but lately, there have been way too many hilarious incidences for which i thought it just. might. be. easier. to live with that kind of perspective.

incident #1:

a couple of volunteers and i had the opportunity to spend the entire friday at k2 in masoyi. the kids at the day care center are so cute! sweet! and wild.

as soon as i opened the door for the toddlers' room, all of the kids ran toward me and offered me hugs, or rather, asked that i lift them up and twirl them around. after being caught up in this for a while, i got to sit down and play with them for a little bit more. many of them actually just wanted to touch my face; i think they were somewhat intrigued by my asian features, looking into my eyes as they brushed my hair away from my face. it was soon time for snacks, and all of the kids were called outside to drink their rooibos tea. i was standing against the wall after the food had been passed out, and for a brief but definitive moment, i found all of the kids -- literally, all of them -- staring at me, giggling, and shouting,

"china! china!"

at this point, the local caretakers and other volunteers were also laughing. laughing along, i tried to clarify,

"no nooo~ korea~ i'm korean~ do you know korea?"

a moment of pause.

"CHINA! CHINA!"

"okayyy, close enough."

it's so much fun when you don't take yourself seriously. really, i had a blast. :)

incident #2:

i have a ring that i regularly wear on one of my right-handed fingers. it was a gift from my campus ministry when i graduated, so i carry it around with me with no specific purpose. i guess the only problem with this is that the ring causes a lot of confusion:

"are you married?"

"oh no," i would say, as i try to explain the significance of the ring.

during our friday visit to k2, the other volunteers and i had the chance to stop by a local high school to meet some of the afterschool youth program leaders. there were a lot of students walking back home, so we were approached and greeted by many of them. it was actually quite chaotic; every step we took, we found ourselves shaking hands and introducing ourselves to the students. many of the students would jokingly ask the foriegn female volunteers, "do you have a boyfriend?" or "are you married?" these encounters would last a couple of seconds, and we would simply laugh, brush it off and continue to walk on.

at one moment, though, as one of the program leader was introducing us to his group of friends, the crowd forming around us seemed to be getting larger and larger. after a couple of seconds, i glanced past the crowd only to see the rest of my group walking ahead. the other female volunteers had managed to get past the crowd, but i found myself stuck in the middle of it. in a desperate attempt to escape, i frantically waved my arm and shouted, "lacey! lacey!" (lacey is a february-intake footprinter who coordinates much of the afterschool program; she lives with me and knows many of the students at the high school). i saw lacey running to fetch me. she quickly pulls me out of the crowd, grabs my arm, and thrusts my right hand into the middle of the crowd:

"see, see!! she's married!!"

but.. alas.

no ring.

i had taken off my ring at k2 because of all the confusion it had initially made. but it was causing even more confusion at the end.

lacey: "where's your ring?? what happened to your ring???"

haha..ha. ^^;;

"just keep the ring on" was the conclusion of that matter.

of course, the latter incident carries less levity than the former; i'm never left alone, and i will always be on my gaurd and try to be cautious of my surroundings.

but i guess from this situation and the like, i cannot help but feel a little

humored.

:)

this was a rather trivial account of the days past, and there are so many other -- perhaps more important -- things i wanted to share: my first prayer meeting in masoyi, my first sunday at salt church, my encounter with a girl named carol, and the volunteers' weekend trip to blyde river canyon.

but i figured, this is all part of the experience, and these incidences make my stay here much more memorable.

so good night until tomorrow!

i Will be posting photos soon.

***
notes to september wellspring missions team members:

i am praying for you!