How am I supposed to write a blog?

I've been trying to write a post for almost two hours. After dinner was over and the dishes were washed, I planned to sit down for a good session of computer time. But two little people had very different ideas.

Even as I was working with Becky in the kitchen, there were incessant pleas from Josiah to come and play with him. At almost three years old, he really doesn't care what we play as long as it is play and we're playing it together. Knowing these precious days of him wanting my company are fragile and possibly few, I quickly gave in. We ended up on the living room couch with Amelia (13 months old) on my lap and Josiah snuggled at my side. Each of them had drug out a children's book from their bookshelf for me to read to them. Thirty minutes later, we had finished up both books, so I stood up and inform the pair that I was heading into my room to work on the computer. Having just spent more than a half an hour with them, I figured they could very well play quietly for the rest of the evening.

Then the provoking began. Two little creatures wearing footie pajamas began continually charging into my room roaring at me and then running out of my room again with nervous giggles. They were trying to tempt the mighty lion out of his den to chase them down and eat them up. Time after time, bolder and bolder they got until the beast at the computer could resist no more. Roaring his most ferocious roar, the lion lept from his computer chair and on all fours chased down those foolish children who decided to mess with the lion. With wild glee the two offenders fled as fast as their little legs could take them. All efforts to evade capture were in vain. First, Amelia was nabbed with the lions left paw. Then in one mighty swoop, Josiah was in the grasp of the hungry creature. Then the mighty lion proceeded to taste and nibble on tummies, armpits, necks and thighs. The two poor victims writhed and squeeled and laughed until they could take no more. Having learned their lesson about bothering the busy beast working on his blog, they were set free.

I then went back to my computer for another try at being productive. Moments later, two creatures wearing footie pajamas charged into the room. The whole cycle had begun again. Over and over those relentless youngsters tormented the lion. And over and over again, the lion succumed to the temptation and lunged.

Long after the novelty should have worn off for the night, those two kept up their attacks until Daddy was finally playing official hide-and-go-seek. After a half dozen rounds of hiding and seeking (Josiah counts way too fast skipping 2-6 on his way to 10), I sternly informed the whole family that I was making my way to the computer to work.

This ceasefire lasted a few minutes while teeth were brushed and vitamins eaten. There were a couple of minutes of relative silence. Then, Mom let me know that there were two little bodies strangely lying on the livingroom floor, the casualties of some misfortune. I never discovered what tragedy had befallen them, but their mother's "worries" compelled me to action. I headed to the scene. I found my two little ones lying very still. Amelia was staring up at me trying to figure out what she was supposed to be doing, but her brother had his eyes closed and was trying very hard to keep his grimace from forming into a grin. After making that quick accessment, I raced into the kids' room where I donned a makeshift fireman's hat and picked up a box of toys to be my firstaid tools. I raced back to the livingroom while making my best imitation of an ambulance siren.

By the time I reached the scene Amelia had given up the game and had fully 'recovered'. She stood next me and stared while I worked on her brother. It took five minutes of first aid including shock treaments with puzzle pieces to bring him around, but in the end he made a full recovery. Without charging my grateful patient a cent, I headed back to the...computer.

Josiah was informed that he had five minutes before going to bed. Having just watched Dr. Dad in action, he was eager to have his turn at being the surgeon. So as his final act before confinement to bed, he wanted to do surgery on me. With exactly one minute before bedtime, he came to my desk to ask me to be his patient. I told him one minute was not long enough, so we appealed to Mom. She gave him an extension of five minutes, and the operation began.

First of course, we needed a reason for me to be operated on. So I walked into the living room and suddenly collapsed quite conveniently on our soft rug. Josiah instantly went to work saving my life. For the most part, his methods were painless except for the pokes in the eyes. When the time limit had been reached, Josiah's mom and sister brought me fully back to life with a pair of powerful kisses.

So you can see what a quiet evening is like at the Maricle home. An hour after the kids have been prayed with and tucked into bed, I am finally finishing up the post I set out to write so long ago. Needless to say, the topic of this post turned out very different from what I intended to write about. Perhaps tomorrow, I can overcome the urges to tackle the little ones, and maybe then I will try again to type the intended post.

On the bus

Almost very morning, you can find me waiting for an orange bus 21. I look as far down the street as possible in search of the orange bus. It's agonizing to see that the bus has just passed and I'll have to wait another ten, fifteen or more minutes for the next one. If I can see the bus coming very soon, I'll turn left and go the bus stop in front of the middle school. Otherwise, I'll walk down the street to the bus stop before. The little longer walk slightly increases my chances of getting a seat on the bus because I board the bus one stop sooner. Often, you can see me in a full sprint, long legs and all, to catch a bus that could mean the difference between arriving at my destination on time or late.

Our decision to use public transport

When we first arrived in Beijing, we had no choice. We had to take taxis to almost everywhere we went. Sure, there were buses. But to take a bus, we had to figure out what bus to take. Then we had to be able to tell a ticket lady where we were going, which meant knowing the name of the bus stop (often different from the name of the place you were going to) and how to say that name in Chinese in such a way that the ticket lady would understand. Finally, taking a bus meant recognizing which stop to get off at which meant being fimiliar with the area we were going to. This made taking buses unfeasible. Honestly, taking a bus was an inimidating thought and a little terrifying. As a result we took taxis.

However, two years ago, we made a transition. Since then have been using mass transit almost exclusively. There were two reasons why we switched over..

Becky and I had been living in Beijing for over a year. We were trying to steward over our money better, so we started tracking exactly where each yuan (dollar) was going. We were shocked by the huge amount we were spending on taxis. At the same time, I was becoming more familiar with Beijing and speaking a little Chinese. We decided to take more buses. Soon we realized we could take buses to almost anywhere at a fraction of the cost of taxis without giving up too much convenience. Taxis are two (or more) times faster than buses, and ten (or more) times more expensive.

There was a second reason. When we came to China, my vision was to be able to identify with the Chinese people on their level. I wanted to understand as much of their lives as I could. With the economic reality in China, that meant limiting our lifestyle in many areas. While Beijing is rapidly modernizing at an amazing pace, the majority of the people still do not own a car and cannot afford to use taxis often. With the thousands of private cars and taxis, the 'common guy' still usually rides the bus. We have even met a woman riding on a bus with her elderly mother who had just had surgery at the hospital. They were going home.

By riding on buses, we have a chance to mingle with the Chinese people on a normal day by day basis. We experience the everyday battles with our impatience waiting for buses to come and the longings for seats to become available so we can sit and rest our weary legs. Sometimes we get very, very close to people in a very literal way when twenty or more people are packed into an aisle that could comfortably hold eight. It may seem strange, but I want to experience these and other things that may help me to become more like them. Perhaps, it may give me credibility to try to help them, and surely it gives me a better understanding of their daily lives.

Strategies

Over the past two years, I have become somewhat of an expert on taking buses. I spend a minimum of an hour and a half a day on buses, and sometimes much more. Four days a week, I ride the 21 bus to and from my school. Also, we take two buses each way to and from church twice a week. Whenever we go downtown, we take the bus at least as far as the subway line. Overtime, I have developed a few strategies for having a good bus-taking experience.

Strategizing begins before even getting on the bus. In Beijing, forming an organized line at a bus stop is a skill that hasn't been quite learned yet. When a bus arrives, it is "every man for himself". If there is a crowd waiting for a bus, people vie for the best position by guessing where the door will be when the bus stops, planting himself in that spot, and then running along beside the bus after it passes him. American football looks pretty tame after seeing some of the blocks put on people to clear them out of the way of someone trying to get to the door before all the seats are gone.

Once on the bus, there is a melee for whatever seats are not already occupied. Once every seat has been filled the game switches. Those who failed to get a seat instantly begin looking like they did not really care in the first place while those who managed to get a seat try to show indifference at having been able to win the race for seats.

There are buses that I take often. So, I know which door (front or back) usually offers the best chance of providing a seat. If I fail to get a seat, I usually position myself in front of the likeliest candidate to get off soon. For example, if I know we will be soon be passing a college, I try to stand close to the seat occupied by a college-aged person. It is amazing how disappointing it is to stop at that college and watch many other people get off while the person I am standing next to is still dosing in his seat.

My mobile office

Once I get a seat, the bus becomes my moblie office. Before using a Palm PDA, I would often take a book to read, but this was impractical at night. The Palm has revolutionized my life. I have several books to read on the Palm including the Bible in English and Chinese. With the Chinese dictionary on the Palm, I'm able to review flashcards and look up new words. I can even write e-mails or plan my schedule. Darkness is never a problem because of the brightly lit screen. With my MP3 player, I listen to Chinese lessons, sermons, and music. With my cell, of course, I can get in touch with anyone I need to. The hours spent alone on the bus is actually some of my most productive time. It is a big blessing that I don't get motion sickness.

While standing, I usually manage to hold on with one hand while holding my Palm with the other. The palm is nice for reading books with one hand because I don't need to flip the pages. I can just push a button with the same hand I'm using to hold it. Even though I'm not as comfortable, standing on the bus can also be very productive time.

Bus Etiquette

There are times when an elderly person or someone with a small child gets on the bus. In China, people will usually relinquish their seat for that person. Being a Christian, I try to be the first one up even though I must admit that my heart sinks when I see an elderly person boarding. Some folks who are already sitting will even feign sleep to avoid having to get up. By the Lord's grace, I haven't tried that yet.

The kindness of giving up a seat for those in need has already been a great blessing to our family. With two children under the age of three, riding for very long without seats is almost impossible. Fortunately, someone always kindly gives up a seat for us. Knowing how that person feels about giving up the seat he or she may long have waited for, we can't help but feel bad as we accept it thankfully.

Whether alone or with the family, buses are a fact of life. Perhaps someday we will own a car in China, but for now we are quite content to walk out of our apartment down to the bus stop and get on bus 21.

More adventure than we bargained for

Tuesday, I suggested to my wife that we take a family trip to Xiang Shan, Fragrant Hills. This beautiful spot on the western edge of Beijing is famous for its leaves in the Fall. Lately, we have been too busy for much in the way of family outings. We debated the wisdom of using the little free time we have in such a way. But the day was beautiful and the season is beginning to get colder. We finally elected to go.

While Becky was in her college classes, I did some studying and then went shopping. I got all the necessities for a good lunch. Then we came home, packed the lunch, dressed the kids, and headed out the door. The whole trip required taking four buses over two hours and then a fifteen minute walk to reach the main gate of the park. During the ride, we ate our lunch of delicious meat and cheese sandwiches (along with lettuce, tomato, and onion!), chips, cookies, and tea. Then the kids slept on us while we talked, changed buses, found seats, talked, changed buses, found seats...You get the point.

After getting off the last bus and taking a brisk walk up a hill through some winding streets filled with tourists, we arrived at the park. It was beautiful. We strolled up and down the paths, and then found a place to sit and relax. After a few snacks, Josiah went off a little ways to play. I joined him at playing swords with sticks as well as a few rounds of hide-and-go-seek; Mom sat guard over our stuff. Amelia, Josiah, and I discovered lots of neat little places and flowers. Setting off with Mom again, we tried to find the little paths to explore. We took some pictures and posed for even more pictures for people thrilled to be photographed with foreign children. We were having a great little adventure.

About ten minutes 'til five, we decided it was time to get going. So we headed back toward the front gate. As I was walking holding Amelia, Josiah and his mother were playfully having a little sword fight while leisurely going toward the front gate. Amelia had her own stick sword, so I took her up behind Josiah. She playfully 'stabbed' Josiah in the shoulder. Laughing, Josiah turned from his mother to glance at his new adversary. While his face was turned back toward Amelia and me, he kept walking forward. As he turned his head back to the front again, he tripped over a small curb and ran right into the short fence lining the pathway. Had he hit that fence in any other way, it probably would have been nothing. But the top of that fence, where the post stuck out a little, met Josiah just above the right eye. Josiah instantly cried and covered his face. As Becky knelt to comfort him, the full extent of the damage became apparent when we saw blood gushing out from between his fingers. Josiah panicked. In seconds his face was covered in blood and so was his mother.

I quickly picked him up and we went running towards the front gate. As we ran, I thought we must have looked like a scene in Iraq just after a bombing: father running with bloody-faced boy. It occurred to me that with all the fear and the urgency we felt, this still did not compare to the terror inflicted by the Islamic bombings that occur so regularly in so many parts of the world. But at that moment I realized a little of the panic and indecisiveness that must threaten the hearts of victims at those times.

We came across a police substation, and they immediately drove us to the nearest hospital. There the doctor kindly looked at our son. He offered to stitch it up, but he advised us to go a better hospital where they would have access to smaller, less scaring stitches. The policeman, who had treated us with much kindness, took us to a taxi and explained to the driver where to take us. Meanwhile, Josiah had calmed down and just wanted to sleep. Twenty minutes later, we were walking into our second hospital.

There was no delay in helping us. The doctor was very kind and professional. He knew a few of the English terms which made it easier. Josiah was not about to let anyone hurt him anymore. Basically, the word cooperative was not coming to mind to describe my boy at that point. My initial plan was to just hold him down while the doctor stitched him up, but the doctor and nurse would not stand for that. They decided to sedate him somehow. However, Josiah had recently eaten some snacks at the park, so they said we must wait until 10:00pm to give him the medicine. I would not stand for that. I began gently talking to Josiah trying to help him understand the importance of letting them give him the stitches. Then I prayed with him for a few minutes. I asked the doctor to try. My brave boy cried some, screamed some, and wiggled some. But basically he just laid there asking me how much longer while his lower lip quivered. Six stitches later it was all over.



A friend from Chang Ping, who is a taxi driver, came and picked us. We tried to ease Josiah's pain by getting KFC for dinner on the way home. We arrived home before nine o'clock, but to Becky and me it felt more like midnight. By that time, Josiah was feeling a little better and even wanted to play with his cars.

What was supposed to be a fun, inexpensive, little adventure turned into a bigger, far more expensive adventure than we bargained for. At the rate Josiah has been racking up scars and bruising his teeth, he is beginning to look like a town bully who keeps meeting a bigger bully. However, he is just his same happy self, ready to get up and try again--at full speed.

Please keep him and us in your prayers.

Thank you, Mrs. Nasett!

This morning when I left home my home, it still smelled like I was leaving the world's greatest pizza parlor. The aroma filling the house was incredible. This scent wafting through the house was the leftovers of last night's dinner, homemade pizza! Becky surprised us all with this first-time treat.

A couple of weeks ago, we went to spend a couple of days with the Nasetts in Sha Cheng, a couple hours away. While there, Mrs. Nasett taught Becky her well-practiced art of making pizzas from scratch.

Last night Becky put her new skills to the test. While a young man and I studied together, my wonderful wife occupied the kids, baked the meal, and tantalized our senses with the smells coming from the kitchen. Then we devoured her delicious creation. All too quickly we were too full to enjoy one more bite.

Becky practices Chinese cooking twice a week with our neighbor, and she is getting better and better. With her ever-increasing skills in Chinese and Western cooking, I am enjoying the best of both worlds.

Four wonderful years togethers!

Wednesday the 11th will be our fourth anniversary! We are enjoying each other more now than ever before.

Being extra busy on that day, we decided to celebrate on Monday and Tuesday. So on Monday morning while Becky was at college taking a test (She did very well!), I took our two little ones to the Laterza's home. Pastor and Mrs. Laterza graciously watched our children overnight.

After saying goodbyes to Josiah and Amelia, I made a quick stop at the store for cashews and candy bars before heading to my rendezvous with my Beloved. Becky had taken a fast bus to Beijing after finishing her classes, so she beat me there. As I walked out of the subway exit, a gorgeous young woman called out my name. That meeting began our romantic twenty-four hours together.

I had gone a week earlier and planned out an itinerary to keep us busy. From the subway stop, it was a quick walk to our hotel, which was situated on a little lake tucked inside the middle of Beijing. This lake connects to two other small lakes, and these make a very refreshing place to stroll and explore. Many fashionable and popular restaurants are situated along much of the tree-lined shore. The lakes are still surrounded by many neighborhoods of the fast disappearing but ever interesting hutongs, the ancient style Beijing residences.

During my pre-date explorations, I had discovered and reserved a room in a little backpacker type hotel. It was simple, clean, cheap, and secluded. The first thing Becky and I did was to walk about ten minutes to the hotel and check in.

We rented two bikes from the hotel and rode around a beautiful lake in search of a place to eat lunch.

We found a little cafe advertising sandwiches, so we decided this might make a great lunch. Sitting outside and talking to my lovely wife without the normal distractions of two young children made up for all that those sandwiches turned out not to be. At least we now had the energy to continue our exploration.

We rode our bikes around a lake and then through an exciting, narrow shopping street filled with the typical amazingly talented craftsmen that seem so common in China. These men can take common things from bamboo, to playdough, to sugar and create extraordinary little works of art.

Unfortunately, my bike peddle began to malfunction. And after a late night of pre-test study, Becky was a little worn-out too. So we made our way back to the hotel for a mid afternoon nap. Very refreshing!

When we emerged, we set off to track down the best place to have dinner. We rode our bikes around the lakes taking in the last few rays of sunlight.

We scoured the lakefront streets of Hou Hai and Lotus Lane looking for a restaurant with that right feel to make our evening sublime. It was fun ranking the different restaurants, categorizing the ones we liked best.

Our ultimate choice was...Buffalo Club. We don't know why they chose that name, but the Chinese version must sound romantic to a Chinese person. The restaurant was beautifully decorated and ambience was very nice. Becky even like the ladies' restroom. =)

We sat inside the restaurant right on the edge of the sidewalk where we could watch as people strolled by. The evening was lovely and so was the view of the lake from our table.

As we enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner, a violinist and pianist gave us live classical music. Surrounded by candles, serenaded by the music, looking into Becky's eyes, what an evening!

After dinner we enjoyed a walk along the shore hand-in-hand. Getting a little chilly, we moseyed into a Starbucks for our second time in China (we went all out!). Becky ordered a small steamed-milk while I got a grande hot chocolate with raspberry. Then we strolled along feeling very blessed to have the means for such luxury.

We rode our bikes through dark hutong alleyways back to our hotel. Once we were ready for bed we had a good talk and prayed together. Becky read a portion of a book to me. Then we enjoyed nine hours of much needed sleep.

Tuesday morning brought a beautiful day to Beijing. We leisurely got ready and were out the door by 8:30. After a quick bite of breakfast, we settled down in a park to read our Bibles amongst birds singing and China's elderly doing Tai Qi exercises.

After devotions, we explored around the old hutong neighborhoods. It was interesting to see how little has changed in those narrow streets while the rest of Beijing has modernized so much. We had planned to eat lunch at the Hutong Pizza Company, but along with most other restaurants they still hadn't opened. So we were once again forced to go to my wife's favorite establishment, McDonalds. The food and the company were both good, but the company was better.

It was a wonderful anniversary. We had had so much fun together. We normally try not to eat so much Western food, but anniversaries are different. We splurged a little, but the whole thing, including a pair of shoes for Becky, cost less than $85US. Of course, Becky deserves so much more.

Finally, we set off to reclaim our much-missed offspring. Being alone with Becky for twenty-four hours was certainly a marvelous treat, but squeezing our two little ones in our arms made celebrating our first four years together seem complete.