Sheng Dan Jie Kuai Le 2007

After my last blog entry discussing Christmas, I realized that, most likely, I was preaching to the choir when it came to understanding the real meaning of the Holyday. Even so, the week leading up to 25 December continued to fill my mind with the utterly international and strange nature of Christmas here in Kunming. Yesterday, as I road my mountain bike into the Western Hills, a military vehicle passed me and two soldiers hanging out the back encouraged me with "jia you" (come one; you can do it) before one of them shouted "Shengdan jie kuai le!" A member of the Chinese military wished me a Merry Christmas. He most likely did not understand the whole meaning of what he said, but I was once again struck by the irony of hearing that greeting from him in this place, when in the States his wishes might have been grounds for a law suit. I waved with a smile and pedaled harder up the hill. The following are more pictures of what Christmas is like here for me.Members of a local Scandanavian theater visited our school and shared the costumes, customs, and music of Santa Lucia. Their choir paraded through our campus, singing as they climbed to the fifth floor before heading back down to the second floor to perform for the entire student body. Saffron buns were served, along with wassail (spiced cider). They sang "Santa Lucia" and other traditional Scandanavian carols. Their members came from Danmark, Sverige, and Norge (Denmark, Sweden, and Norway).
Because Christmas is the time when the most KIA graduates return to Kunming (to see family), this is when we hold our "homecoming" festivities. This year the school began what we hope will be a homecoming tradition: the annual homecoming bowling tournament. Teams represented the four classes currently enrolled at KIA, the alumni, and the staff. Pictured above is "Team 300," the juniors. In the back we have "How Hot Am I" Zinn, "Seoul Power" Yoon, "Int'l Hunk of Power" Lim, "The Bionic Arm" Jeng, and "The Singaporean Slinger" Shum. The middle consists of "Better Than You" Yang, "Twinkle Toes" Cheeley, and "I Like Monsters" Kim. In front are "Hyperbowla" Lim, and "Thai Strike" Givanon. While our team did not win, we did get into it with homemade tee-shirts. We also spent the night before the event baking goodies, which we sold to all the competitors. The seniors won the tournament, but everyone enjoyed Christmas homecoming.
In Whitefish, MT, the traditional Christmas event is to go skiing before coming home to turkey dinner. However, in Kunming, I go mountain biking. While I will be going to Zhong Dian, where there are mountains, snow, and skiing, the day after Christmas, the days leading up to the 25th have been filled with rugged, dirt trails. In the above photo, I pick my way down a rocky, dirty, brushy footpath, while one of my students takes a picture. Many of the trails are still a bit too technical for my students, but they are getting better with their brakes and downhill techniques.
Here, Ryan, makes his way through a rocky section. Ryan is fearless and posesses good balance. When he perfects his braking skills, I can see him riding down anything I go down. Ryan's first sport is basketball, but he isn't too shabby at soccer either. I look forward to coaching him in the latter, as well as continuing to mountain bike with him.
I conclude my visions of Christmas with one of the beautifully ironic realities of my Holyday here in Kunming. Abid (10th) and Afiqah (12th), pictured here to the left and right (respectively) of their mother, are two of my Malaysian students. Their father is the Malaysian Consulate in Kunming, and their family is Moslem. They invited me, along with many other KIA staff members, to the consulate's Eid Al Murbarak and New Year celebration. According to Afiqah, this holiday celebrates when Abraham found the ram in the thicket, saving Issac from sacrifice. However, the truly ironic moment came when the father welcomed the room of 100-150 guests and said, "To all our Christian friends we wish a Merry Christmas." I was stunned. In China, a Moslem man wished me a Merry Christmas. We may be abdicating our rights to believe as we see fit in the United States, but His gift cannot be hidden; 'shepherds' still see fit to run out and spread the word of what they have experienced. As long as that continues to happen, The Birth will always have meaning.

Good News

I find trusting the "news" rather difficult. I rarely take time to read the news; I always find it rather depressing. Because we all live the news in our own lives, I figure that what happens to each of us on a daily basis is truly more noteworthy than anything I could read online. Plus, with all the rumor floating around on the World Wide Web, I never know who to believe.



A week or so ago, the KIA teaching staff was informed that a large, hardware chain-store in the States felt that it should no longer sell Christmas trees. Well, that is not the whole truth. What we were told is that this large corporation felt that it should continue selling the trees, but that it should change the names to "family trees" instead, steering clear of any religious names. Then we found out from online sources that Santa Clauses in the States are no longer allowed to say "Ho! Ho! Ho!" While the true reason for this has been lost amongst a number of theories, at least one theory states, once again, that the reason lies in an attempt to avoid any religious connotations.



I am not one to "muckrake," but I am glad that I reside in a country where I can still say "Sheng Dan Jie kuai le" to anyone, and not worry whether or not he or she believes as I do, fearing that I might hurt his or her feelings. I thank Him for whom this Holiday Season is named that I can still refer to a "Sheng Dan Shu" when I place my ornaments, lights, and star on an evergreen. In some ways, I feel like I have greater freedom of speech here than many of you have elsewhere. And to that I say, "Glory Hallelujah!"

This "Sheng Dan Shu" stands in the entry of the hotel where our school performed its annual Christmas concert. The Santa Claus standing to the right of the tree sings, dances, and says, "Ho! Ho! Ho!" On the two nights of our concert, we performed traditional Christmas carols, and showed the Luke account of the first Christmas, all with government officials present.
During the concert, children from all around the globe gathered clothed in dress from their native lands and sang of the Nativity. The explained the implications of the wreath, the candy cane, and the Gift for all who wanted to hear.
Here, Nathan, a senior at KIA, and Victor, a graduate of KIA (2006), glorify the One for whom the season is named with what small gift they can: a guitar, a drum, and a voice.
On the large screen at the front of the auditorium, grade school students told why they enjoy Christmas: Presents, cookies, the tree. However, they also explained the most important reason for celebrating Christmas; it lies in the name: Christ-mass.
A troupe of high school students even depicted how The Blood triumphs over evil, performing a "human video" to Toby Mac's "One World." All of this infront of anyone willing to listen.



I do not know what knews you have heard, but if you have not heard the Good News, you have been reading the wrong literature. Far be it from me to tell anyone what to believe; all I ask is that anyone who wants be allowed to listen.



Arise! Shine! A Light has come! People living in darkness have seen a Great Light!



Merry Christmas to everyone.

Hoops in the Land of Yao Ming

In my hometown of Whitefish, MT, schools compete in basketball during the frigid winter months from December to March. This makes sense in an environment where being outside for extended periods of time could lead to hypothermia. However, here in Kunming, The Spring City, our winter temperatures resemble those more like a Montana autumn. However, we do not receive all the moisture Montana faces during the Fall. Add this type of weather to the fact that most schools do not have comfortable, indoor gymnasiums, and one might understand why basketball is more of a Fall/Winter activity here in China.

Recently, the KIA girls' and boys' basketball teams competed in an all-city tournament. It took place during the Thanksgiving weekend and the week that followed. While neither team fared all that well, both teams put up some valiant efforts, the boys team losing one game on a last-second free throw and another in overtime. As I watched, it reminded me of my coaching days, standing on the sideline, watching for glimmers of brilliance rather than worrying about the scoreline. The athletes always care more about the final outcome, and I do not want anyone to think that I did not care, but when I saw that epiphany of understanding, when something clicked, that moment makes coaching worth every ounce of sweat poured out.
Above, Louisa, a freshman, finds herself surrounded by athletes from the host school, Kunming Number 10 Middle School. "Zhong Xue," or Middle School is the term given to schools we would refer to as Senior High. With "Da Xue," or Big School, refering to college/university, middle best represents the heirarchy of ages within the Chinese education system. Our girls dropped this game. However, as is the case in most tournaments in the States, a school will not usually host a tournament unless they stand a fairly good chance of winning it. Number 10 Middle School outclassed much of the competition at this event, including our undermanned girls squad.
Audrey, one of only two seniors on the team, actually prefers running (track and cross-country). However, being a fairly gifted athlete, she uses basketball to stay in shape and to break up the monotany of the school day. Audrey comes from Texas and will be graduating from KIA this Spring. I call her the Texas Princess, and while I can tell she does not particularly care for the term, like true royalty, she takes the moniker with a smile and does not let it affect her warm personality.
Calling Chile (and the States, sort of) home, Stephanie represents the junior class on the girls' team. Her first sport, being from South America, is soccer. However, like Audrey, Stephanie uses basketball to stay in shape and to provide a social outlet during the busy academic day. Here, Stephanie drives down the left side of the lane toward the hoop versus Number 10 Middle School. While Stephanie and her sisters (Michelle, who graduated last year, and Camilla, who is in 8th grade) would be considered small, they all compete very large, almost as if no one told them that they should not be able to push around their larger opponents. Quick with a soft smile, Stephanie hides her fierceness behind a little smirk.

While our girls played some nice games, our boys were certainly more competitive. With the schools new Athletic Director, Dave Ericson, as coach, the Knights (our schools mascot) forced everyone of their opponents to respect our ethnic diversity. After spending a week in Thailand with parathyphoid, Mr. Ericson molded these boys into a cohesive unit that competed with everyone. Above, Merwin "The Malyasian Wonder" steals a defensive rebound. Our team was physically shorter than all their opponents, but they made up for it with tenacity and quick hands.

Alex and Josh, two of three seniors on the team hustle back on defense. Alex has many nicknames, most refering to some video game, but I call him Sonic the Hedge Hog. Much like the video game character of the same name, Alex performs everything on the court in fast-forward. While he does have a tendancy toward ankle injuries, he also competes with a strong heart, allowing him to play through large amounts of pain. Josh, who began the year as the team manager, actually prefers tennis. However, his competitive nature cannot keep him off the court. Along with his athletic abilities, Josh was a finalist in KIA's Science Fair as well.

While sports here look much the same as in the States, the administrative end is much different. As the only international school in Kunming, we do not have close affiliations with any of the Chinese schools. Therefore, scheduling games can be a bit tricky. Add this to the fact that high school is the most difficult time in the educational lives of Chinese students and sometimes it is a wonder that our school can find games at all. However, watching these student athletes brought me back to my joy of athletics, and while I personally did not coach, the games reminded me of what I miss. Hopefully, we can start a true soccer program this Spring.