June 29 - Asia #1

Thank you everyone for your requests to G for us. We arrived safely on Friday evening and things have really gotten going since then. We all taught our first classes this morning and we’ve met most of our roommates for the summer. It’s going to be an exciting and stretching summer.

One of our first surprises when we arrived is that “communal” showers means showers without stalls. Yup. The floors are single sex and we take showers together, with no barriers. The hot water is only on for one hour of the morning so everyone pretty much has to take a shower around the same time. The first few days, while we were in temporary housing, we each took turns and took showers before the hot water came on. We’re slowly getting used to life here, though.

Another surprise is that the sun rises at 4am. It makes for very early mornings. It’s a good thing, though, because we end up making the most of our days.

It’s only been 3 days, but we are quickly getting accustomed to life here. A lot of things are different, but it’s not that hard to get used to. We still have a lot to learn, of course, but the students are very helpful.

The students we live with have enough comprehension to understand us. They are a fun bunch. We had a party last night and played games together. They’re very interested in us and in our lives and they are not shy about talking about themselves, either.

While talking with my students, I’ve seen that this school really has had an impact on them. All of them acknowledge that this university is different from others and from what their conceptions of a university were. Each student has an advisor who meets with them regularly and who even invites them over for dinner at their place. One student pointed out to me that they also learn to get along with each other and to respect each other. I hope we can continue in upholding this unique aspect of the university. This, I think, is how the professors convey C’s love.

The requests we have for G are that we would continue to rely on him, that we would grow accustomed to the way things are here and that we would really gain the students’ trust. Also that we would be faithful in teaching and in all our other duties.

Thanks for reading!