Pondering My Wanderings. Part Uno.

Once upon a time I was flying home from Nashville last summer (2008) from visiting my China girls. I was seated in the exit seat. row. thing. This kid comes a long and sits down. The steward comes, moves him and tells him he's too young to sit there. He was 15. I say, "Excuse me kind sir, I'm not even 15." He doesn't believe me. Finally he moves me next to an elderly Chinese man who's name was Jelly. Or that's what he said. Turns out it wasn't Jelly. It was Jerry. Anyway.

He was an extremely darling little old man and I decided to practice my 12 things I know how to say in Mandarin on him. I started out with a friendly "Ni Hao!" and asked him what his name was...he was super excited. He said.."OHH!! You speak vellllllly good chai-neeee!!!" We carried on a little conversation until I came down to my last three phrases which were.."Can I have a kiss?", "Merry Christmas!" and "Can I hold the baby?"

So. Needless to say. Our conversation ended.

Meanwhile, there was a friendly man behind us who was apparently listening and he says to me..."WOW! ARE YOU IN THE OLYMPICS?!"

Yes sir, I'm so good at saying hello in Chinese they sent me to the Olympics for it. it was that or tell him I'm a gymnast... I'm tiny, it could work.... till he asks me to do a handspring. not gonna happen. ;) He was extremely nice though and it turns out his son was on the Olympic committee and was living in China. The guy ended up being a Christian and our conversation was worth the crick i got in my neck from turning around for an hour and a half.

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So, I was thinking the other day about the fact that I have fallen in a bush in three countries and I think its becoming apparent that I no longer need prayer for "A hedge of protection" More like "Protection from hedges" please. Thanks so much. ................................

Once in Africa, I got asked why I wasn't married. I tried to explain that I was really not old enough to be married in America and the baby I was holding wasn't mine. Sadly, charades wasn't taking the conversation anywhere. (You try explaining that in charades.)

I ran away before he could propose.

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This one time, in China, I was on an overnight train and there was a bug in my bed. I was on the top bunk of a three bed, bunk bed. I almost dove off to my death. It was dark. People heard me shriek from terror and then pant from fear of falling. They laughed at me.

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I was eating pistachios in the back of our bus in China when i found a rotten one. I did the sensible thing and chucked it out the window. Our driver was a very fast walker. He wasn't there and then he was. It hit him on accident and he jumped 5 feet in the air. He then drove like a maniac...

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In Guatemala...I fell out of a tree while getting down. Why were we in a tree? Who knows. It seemed like a good idea.

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Also in Guatemala, I was wearing shoes. and then i wasn't. I still don't know what happened to them. hopefully someone is using them. Shoes. I almost left for the Great Wall of China without shoes on. I was in the bus and we were about to pull out when someone realized they forgot something. I offered to run into the orphanage and get it. I ran through the lobby, out to our yurt and ran back to see three pairs of my shoes in the lobby. "Thats strange" i thought. "I only brought three pairs with me." I keep walking like a doofus and then look down at my feet. Oh thank you sweet Jesus. I wish I could say I have learned my lesson on remembering to wear shoes. But that would be a lie. I left my house without shoes again somewhat recently and it was 45 minutes before i realized i didn't have any on. It was kind of...really, recently actually.

kind of like....today.

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I got stung by a bee on that Oh So Very Great, Wall of the China Place. A freaky bee.

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More to come.

P.S. Click here. My mom is going back to Ethiopia to visit Solomon in TWO WEEKS!!! I'm sooo excited.