I received a pleasant surprise email from a professor back home who helped me revise my Fulbright application asking me to do lunch today. Some of you may know the academic power couple Bunck and Fowler. They and their 4 kids are aboard the Semester at Sea program, and their ship just docked in Hong Kong, so they were here for a visit today. How cool! We were supposed to do lunch, but because of the difficulties with ferries, customs lines, and Macau's lunch time traffic, they arrived late. I had to teach a class early in the afternoon, so I only got to talk to them for about 20 minutes without grabbing lunch, but it was so absolutely FABULOUS to have someone here on my new turf from my home turf....and they're such a fantastic couple anyway. I am so amazed that they just pack up their 4 kids and take them all over the world with them as they teach. Bunck and Fowler have lived in Australia, Mexico, Canada, and Japan (just that I know of). They are the essence of brilliance, enthusiasm, and balance, and meeting with them was worth the 50 minutes I stood in the sun past our scheduled time of meeting. The bad thing about traveling internationally is the expense of an international phone--so most people just travel without one and struggle to call ahead when they are running late. Oh, the little luxuries of life, right?
What was most interesting about our meeting was that Professor Fowler told me when he was reading my Fulbright essay and talking to me about going to Macau over a year ago (about September last year), he pictured us in Senado Square in the same exact spot that we stood today. It's so amazing to see where God has brought me. It's things like this--the evidence of His hand in my life--that helps me get through the many uncertainties I face in my future. I praise God for sending visitors and for all the amazing hands that have been placed in my life to put me right here, right now. I know it's been somewhat difficult of a transition for some of my family, but I wouldn't change this. This is where I need to be, and I feel so blessed to have this opportunity.
After I met briefly with Bunck, Fowler, and their adorable kids, I ran to work to guest lecture a business workshop along with Ray. We worked on thesis statements and then critiqued the students' introduction presentations for their senior project. It's amazing to me that these university students are doing their final presentations completely in English--with big business specific terminology. It makes America feel like it's falling so far behind. Pretty much every country in the world is at least bilingual. English is the lingua franca, and it's made us lazy (myself included).
We went to an interesting art opening tonight. I won't lie, I wasn't super impressed by it. It was a photography exhibit with the theme of loving whoever you happen to love--and 4 girls' different love stories. Here's the cover of the booklet that came with the exhibit opening. This is one of the 4 main themes of photographs that were on display. This is from the set of about 6 pictures of the same girl in different positions on the public exercise equipment of Macau. Out of the 4 series, this was the one I liked most. I'm sure the story behind what made the artists do these photographs at this place is much more interesting, but the artist was pretty flocked and only spoke Chinese, so we passed on talking to her. From this series with exercise equipment, Ray, Lauren, and I deduced it meant "love is a workout."...oh that is so true. Love will stretch your muscles of patience, understanding, and forgiveness that's for sure.
After the art exhibit, we weren't full. I ate this neat little snack of like coconut gelatin with banana inside all wrapped in a banana leaf and it was delicious...but there wasn't nearly the spread at the exhibit opening to get full this time as there was last time. We ventured back to a Shanghai style restaurant on the way home and found a delicious affordable surprise! We ate wontons stuffed with meat, vegetable dumplings (with the flavor of strong wild green onion that reminded me of my Pa), rice and sweet and sour pork ribs. Mmm. $5USD. What's even better is that this restaurant's info explains how the chef has not expanded his restaurant to a chain because he wants to manage the ingredients and cooking and make sure their only the freshest. A lot of places use chicken seasoning/salt/something to flavor their foods, but he is committed to only using chicken soup and no MSG....and all kinds of other frilly healthy stuff. Clean, cheap, healthy--it has my vote!
Now...I'm going to chillax. You should do the same, but not if you're driving. But, heck, you shouldn't be reading my blog if you're driving anyway!
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