Bethany Well

Happy New Year! Or as commonly used here in China, Happy Niu Year! (niu = cow or Ox)

I’m writing you from my room. Firecrackers are still going off, except they’re not so faint and distant anymore. They are booming, sometimes right outside my building. They peaked as midnight approached on 1/25 (New Year’s Eve), but every day since then they’ve persisted… sometimes as early as 6am in the morning! You can generally hear random explosions during the day, but every night from about 6pm-11pm you can expect a pretty steady pattern of fireworks go off.

The fireworks are the type we’re used to seeing in the States – the ones that go into the air and light up the dark evening sky. But in China, as some of you may know, they also have a long string of firecrackers that spurt of small sparks that say close to the ground. This is a custom that emerged as a way of repelling monsters or evil spirits before the Chinese ushered in a new year. I can appreciate the cultural aspect behind in, but I have to come loathe them. Unlike the traditional fireworks that generally go off a little farther away from residential areas and which bring with it some aesthetic value, these strands of small firecrackers are just obnoxiously loud, an unwelcome assault to the ears. They go off on the sidewalk outside my apartment building or in our parking lot so frequently that in the evening the air is smoky and in the morning the pavement is strewn with red confetti-like squares of paper (the remains of the firecrackers).

I have never seen Beijing so empty. It’s like a ghost town…comparatively at least. The congested streets have cleared out and the commuter’s traffic that generally wakes me at 7am every day has been silenced. Some stores, restaurants, and most banks are closed for the week. Everything in the city has slowed down and most people, natives and foreigners, are taking advantage of this week-long national holiday to leave the city to visit family or to travel…which is why my trip to the ER was particularly untimely.

Yes, I went to the ER on Friday. I am fine. Basically, I electrocuted myself. I was unplugging my water cooler/heater with my left hand. I wasn’t really looking at the outlet as I tried to jiggle the plug out and I guess my fingers had some residual water that seems through my hot mug. I got zapped, but I think I was able to release the plug rather quickly because I don’t have any burns from the electric shock. It all happened so fast I wasn’t entirely sure what had hit me, but my left arm was numb and tingly and I was experiencing some tightness in my chest. I had no idea what to make of it, and as I resorted to my computer to do some research, my internet started to go wild on me. Fortunately during the few intermittent minutes it was working, I texted Alan (via Skype, I love Skype) describing some of my symptoms. I did that more for peace of mind, hoping he’d respond by saying something along the lines of, “Take it easy. Get some rest. Drink some water” but instead he called me back and told me I had to go to the ER immediately. I resisted at first because I had no idea what to do, where to go, or what the medical standards were like here, but after he, his resident, and his attending firmly insisted I go as a precaution, I acquiesced. Most of the people I knew were out of town, but after making a few calls to get someone’s number a sister in my small group who lives nearby kindly accompanied me to the international hospital in Beijing.

Everything turned out fine. My EKG came out normal and exactly as the doctor predicted, the discomfort subsided after 2 days. I didn’t think it was necessary at the time, but I’m glad I went to the ER because I was still experiencing considerable soreness in my arms and legs through Sunday, and I might have freaked out if I didn’t have the doctor’s assurance that I would be okay.

I’m still sort of amused that THIS is what brought me to the ER in CHINA, but I suppose it’s not really something I should be laughing about it. I’m grateful it wasn’t more serious and I’m thankful for the assistance I got in navigating my way to a hospital and the medical attention I was able to receive both here and through the telephone lines from RWJ Hospital in NJ.

While most activity has come to a halt, my small group continued to meet. Small group so far has been really wonderful. Romans is such a dense text that it’s nice to have a group of people (and Tim Keller’s leader’s guide) earnestly trying to learn more from His word. And on a more personal note, it’s been really nice to have that sense of community. Every Tuesday we have dinner together and then start our study, and as time allows, we pray for one another.

I had dinner with one of my old students who is a believer and meeting her in this new context allowed me to learn a little more about her personal story. She is part of a HC network that has 2000+ attendees. They break up into groups of about 50-75 at a given location. She said her P has been taken away by the police many times, but he is not scared. She used to travel 1.5 hours one-way to get to her location each Sunday. But after a year of prayer, her parents were able to move to Beijing and she was able to move in with her parents to a place just 10 minutes from where they meet. However, that blessing brought its own challenges. When she shared with her parents what she believed, she was forbidden to go to her HC for 3 months. But she persisted and now, she and her HC family are inviting her parents to join them, even if just for meals right now. I see faith in action every time I talk to this student and I am reminded of just how precious each and everyone of the 1B+ people in this nation are to our God. I am humbled by her faith and her generosity – she treated me to dinner and had also bought me an English book to read.

It’s only been 3 weeks, but I’m already missing some things back home:

1) Peanut Butter (You can get PB here but I’m avoiding it to be safe)

2) Kettle Corn

3) ABC’s Brothers & Sisters

4) Cereal w/ milk (You can get American cereal here but I don’t like the milk here)

It’s 11:40pm my time and the firecrackers are still going…

Oh and good news! It’s been uncharacteristically warm in Beijing. It’s supposed to be 50 degrees tomorrow!