Don’t you just hate it when you open your closet and realize out of all the clothes you own, none of them match or go together? I do! I am not sure the Chinese ever have that feeling. I have come to the conclusion that Chinese don’t even turn on the light, they grab some pants….grab a shirt….and they have an outfit.
My first two months, the “pretty + pretty = pretty” concept was so strange. They find a pretty shirt + pretty pants = a pretty outfit. However, just this past week I realized I didn’t bring any good winter shoes and that my feet were going to freeze on the scooter. Solution: Wear some warm socks that don’t match with my open foot shoes….in America I would have been mocked and laughed at. Here… fit right in.
This got me thinking. I wonder how much of what I wear is because of what other people will think of me rather than me wearing it because I like it? I get more stares here in a day than I have my entire life ,yet I never feel as if I am being judged. I never feel like I have to be something I am not. I think this is because I don’t have to fit in ( I can’t), I can’t understand what they are saying, and they have no idea what to expect of me.
It is an amazing feeling! Relieving to be honest! I feel like wearing cowboy boots …I wear them. I want to wear PJ’s to dinner…go for it!
I think this concept goes deeper then clothes. I am beginning to see that here in China, with no other influences, no pressures of culture or trying to live the “ideal” life, I have begun to re-figure out Who I am, what I think, and what I like to do. It is not a selfish thing, but an exciting time to figure out what my purpose is and what strengths the Father has given me. It’s the adventurous journey to discovering Me!
Surrounded by sounds of horns, buses, and loud Chinese while walking down a crowded street can seem so foreign and a somewhat out of body experience. As we were walking down a shopping street trying to find our way, to my utter disbelief, I heard Backstreet Boys! Yes, I did stay and listen to the whole song, and it was wonderful! It is funny the things that remind you of home, the thing’s that make your heart smile when you live here. I would never think that hearing “Baby, baby ..ooohhh” by Justin Bieber would be a heart warming experience, but sadly because he speaks English and is totally American, I now have bieber fever! I have really enjoyed hearing some older, not so popular, pop songs and was not expecting to hear what I heard one day shopping for rugs. It was as if the Father was talking directly to me. It was a praise song in English! They had no clue what it was, but to me it was a reminder that He is with me…. anywhere I go! I was praising Him in English in a rug store! ...
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