National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival

Happy Birthday middle kingdom!
China’s 60th Birthday!

Can you believe that it is October already?! For those of us in the China October brings spring festival and this year national day is especially important. October 1st was the 60th anniversary of communism (with Chinese characteristics). Yesterday the nation gathered around our televisions in the morning to watch the much awaited parade. For weeks prior to the 1st subways were shut down in preparation for the big day. No detail was deemed too small, from closing streets to keeping birds out of Tiananmen Square the past month has been filled with practices and drills. I have to say as we watched the thousands of Chinese march by I was awestruck! We could even see the planes as they went by from my porch. I had never seen any thing like that before and that was just the beginning. Later on that night we all gathered together to watch the fireworks, they were as you can imagine from the birth place of fireworks superb! They had dancer’s singers and numerous smiling children; the only singer I recognized was Jackie Chan who can sing surprisingly well! All in all October 1st was amazing it was as if I was watching history unfold China was definitely making a statement to its people and to the world.
Students oh my Students!
Students make my days full and interesting; one of my favorite things about teaching is all things my students say. Here are some of the little things that my students told me.
“Miss Q I look horrible!”-after seeing her face full of stage make up
“My eyebrows won’t wash off!”- A student trying to remove her painted on eyebrows after the performance
“I am hot to death.”- After coming in from PE to a warm classroom.
Here are a few that either came out of my mouth to my students or co workers!
“Never take mangos from small boy’s pockets.”-after a student pulled to mangos out of his pocket and gave them to me.
“No more fingers in your nose!”
“I said read not eat your English book.”
Walking Through the Hutongs.

The weather has been warm and for the most part it still feels like late summer. Katie, Brooke and I have been trying to take advantage of the great weather by exploring the hutongs (old style Chinese neighborhoods) that surround our school. One afternoon we decided to head out and explore and have a dinner of street food. As we wandered though the old streets we picked up some meat on a stick and two different types of flat bread. We carried the bread and meat to a nearby park. As we walked back I realized that I had a little friend following me, it was a small dog how looked like a cross between a large squirrel and an ewok masquerading as a dog. He followed us all the way to the park where he found other people to beg food off. While we were in the park we met a very interesting little boy his head was bandaged up but he was still playing like a Chinese Dennis the menace. As we walked past him he yelled in Chinese “Wa look at all the foreigners eating!!!” We then walked up to him and said hello in Chinese and asked him how old he was. His response was to say in Chinese “I hear you speaking Chinese foreigner” he then proceeded to smack a tree with a big stick. While we were eating he kept throwing this huge stick almost hitting people walking by and when his mother yelled at him to come back and stop throwing the stick he hit a bush and the stick bounced back and almost smacked him in the face. It made us wonder how he had gotten all bandaged up in the first place. We all watched him then I dared Katie to grab his stick and run. Believe it or not she did it and the look on his face was priceless we told in Chinese “Go get her” and just like that we made a great little friend by the end of the night we had made friends with his mother and the little boy. A simple walk in the hutongs became an adventure that made me fall in love with China a little more.
Lifting Up

Please lift up
· -Visas for Brooke (my teammate) and Kimber (a CTFer who works at our school) they need to get visas to return to China we are all covering their classes until their return.
· -Continued health as the weather begins to cool our students begin to share colds and the fear of H1N1 is rampant. This fear often leads to restrictions on our movement and a generalized fear of foreigners.
· -Our weekly study group has grown; please continue to lift up these women that he may make himself known to them. Also be lifting Katie and myself up as we plan these studies.
· -That there may be unity among brothers and sisters on our campus despite social and hierarchical divisions. We want to be able to foster community among all in groups on campus.
· -That the financial needs be met so that I can serve in China.
· -That the father continues to guide me as decisions have to be made regarding my future in China.
I miss you all and I would really love to hear from you all, my email has changed my new email is: Angelina.Quitasol@elic.org the old one will work for a bit longer however please email me at the new address I would love to hear from you! I hope that this letter brings China a bit closer to you and your family; I am so privileged to have you all in my life.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the L your G will be with you wherever you go.”
-Joshua 1:9
In His Grip of Grace, Lina Quitasol