Zach's Battle Scars

Zach rarely falls to the pitch, so when I saw my husband collapse to the ground holding his head I knew something was amiss.

It is tournament time on campus as competitions outnumber classes at this point in the semester. Yesterday was game one for Zach's team in the group stage. Brian and I were having a great time cheering and supporting the boys in orange when Zach jumped to attempt a goal via header. It was a beautiful shot. Unfortunately, a defender jumped as well, with the top of his head connecting squarely with Zach's chin. The keeper saved and Zach crumbled.

Those closest to him ran to his side. I leaned forward, watching. Zach rolled over. More teammates ran to his side. Eyes and faces expressed their terror. I stood up as the screams of "AMANDA!" carried across the field. I ran.

By the time I reached him, Zach had stood up and walked to the edge of the field as blood gushed over his jersey and his arms.

"My chin! I broke a tooth!" Zach babbled as I mopped blood with tissues trying to find the source.

"Calm down." I said.

"I think I broke a tooth! Damn!"

"It's OK, Zach. Let me look."

"Tape me up, I have to get back in."

"OK," I said while scrounging through the meager first aid box. A tissue and a lot of crappy medical tape frantically wrapped around a bearded face stalled the bleeding and allowed the game to resume.

Zach was pissed with the injury. Then, the opponents scored thanks to a defensive disaster, which added fuel to the fire. At kickoff, Tony kicked the ball to Zach, who proceeded to shoot from midfield and score.

One of the guys on the sideline looked at me and exclaimed, "Your husband just scored from midfield!?"

I shook my head and replied, "He is mad. He vents his frustration this way."

"I will remember that," said the boy.

At halftime, Zach sprawled on the sideline so I could assess the damage. He was in better spirits until I poured peroxide on the wound. Apparently, peroxide, sweat and blood are a painful combination. Closer inspection revealed a very nice, deep hole under his chin. We agreed to reassess after the game, but it had to be bandaged again for it was time for the second half.

With the final whistle, the orange team had won three to one. The second half had not been kinder than the first, as the opposing team was one of bruisers. By the match's end, the injury list included a bloody chin, a mild concussion, a black eye, bruised ribs and one destroyed pair of boots. The boys in orange had survived one hell of a brutal match.

Post-game reassessment of Zach's chin led us to believe that stitches could be a possibility. After a quick conference, we made the trek to the campus hospital. In four years, this was our first time to walk through the doors. Fifteen minutes later we walked out, sans stitches because they were adamant that Zach should go to Xiashan to the beauty hospital. Their reasons included lack of expertise to it would leave a scar. We agreed that if they were not in a hurry to sew, then stitches were not that necessary.

Returning home, Zach showered, shaved and let me practice my first aid skills with butterfly closures and antibiotic ointment. All while, Brian heckled and we proclaimed that it was a fantastic day for him to visit - a trip to the hospital, a walk around campus and a chance to see Zach's battle scars in the making.

Post Holiday Shenanigans

The weeks post holiday are detrimental to blogging. It is the purgatory of storytelling. While words and sentences swirl in my head of tales to be told, I am thrilled to be in my own kitchen, snuggling my body pillow, and hugging the washing machine every time I walk on the balcony. Then, the semester begins and the time to write and revel in the memory of such a grand adventure is diminished thanks to classes, grading and the hundreds of other things I love doing.

While the stories of our finals days in Cambodia will be penned (which include a shady tuk tuk driver and a bus ride from hell), I wanted to take an evening to give the broad synopsis of what has happened in the two months since our return. Needless to say, it has been busy and so good.

LANTERN FESTIVAL | NIANLI

Once again, we walked onto our campus under the cloak of darkness surrounded by silence. I have found these returns and the walk to our hutong to be a reverent time; a quiet moment of gratitude that we survived another journey, as well as a moment to recognize that something new is about to begin. 

Jubilation erupted upon entering the hutong and realizing that a mass purge of mold was not necessary, but only a good deep cleaning which we were thrilled to do after seven weeks of no housework. 

We timed our return to China in order to enjoy the Lantern Festival. Last year, we learned that while the Spring Festival is quite boring, the fifteen days after are a riot of color and noises as each village celebrates its own version of Lantern Festival. The day after our return, we headed to Xiashan to grab household essentials, but became distracted by the abundance of parades and nianlis. We jumped off the bus early to chase a parade. Thanks to traffic, we became part of the parade with numerous photos taken alongside parade participants and attendees. 

That evening, on our way back to campus, the village bus was stopped for another village's festivities. The overabundance of fireworks and firecrackers gave the street a war zone appearance. The driver and bus money lady had a wonderful time detailing the local custom to me while I snapped photos. However, they would not let me get off the bus for fear of being smoted by so many flying projectiles. I appreciated their concern. Nonetheless, I was sad that it was one of the last buses of the evening, for Zach and I were highly tempted to bail and chase even if we had been stranded for the night at the mercy of pyromaniacs dressed in silk.

A few days later, we met up with Roger for another nianli. Last year, we spent an amazing morning with a few of our expat friends watching one of the biggest villages in Chikan celebrate. Their party is renowned, as it is one that continues to observe the piaosi (children dressed up in traditional garb) and self mutilation (spears through the cheeks.) While last year it was one child to one trolley, this year's task was to fit as many kids as possible into an acrobatic formation, with children soaring to great heights in amazing costumes. It was simultaneously spectacular and terrifying.

STARBUCKS

We leave for seven weeks and our village of seven million opened its first Starbucks. While we have suspicions that it is not an authentic one, we cannot deny that the smell and ambiance gives us a taste of home. We have been twice; once to meet Roger before going to the Chikan nianli and the other to spend a day working. However, that second trip felt more like we were the monkeys in a zoo rather than teachers in a coffee shop. Apparently, the idea of foreigners in a western store is amazing to the locals. 

BIRTHDAY MONTH

March was a fantastic month for birthday celebrations. My students spoiled me with no less than fifty mangoes, a pile of strawberries, a few oranges, pictures, notes of well wishes, and two birthday cakes. Another friend, Dora, gave me henna tattoos. A boss of a local restaurant made a special birthday dish of long life noodles to commemorate my day. It was a fun month and I am so grateful for another year. 

WEDDING

A couple weeks after returning, we met up with some fellow expats for dinner. During the meal, Mark announced that he was getting married. We thought it was a joke, as we were not even aware that he was dating someone. After a few minutes of heckling and teasing about such a crazy joke, he vehemently stated that it was no joke and he was getting married. The red double-happiness invitations he passed out made it official.

At the end of March, Zach celebrated the nuptials of the couple at the Haibin Hotel. 

CAMERA WOES

It seems taking nearly two thousand photos over seven weeks can be detrimental to a camera. I had to make a couple of runs to Chikan at the beginning of April in hopes of getting my camera fixed. While the boss claims the battery is the reason for button functions freezing and bad focusing, I feel this one is not going to last the four years like its predecessor.

Upon returning home after picking up the camera, I found these photos on my SD card - Chikan street life and the inside of a Chinese camera shop with a very nice boss. 

A CHINESE MIRACLE

I sent this picture to my sister last week. After submitting a lot of paperwork and waiting for six weeks, the administration granted their permission for me to attend my sister's wedding. I really did not think it would happen since Zach and I missed two weeks last semester for my brother's wedding. Perhaps my boasting that this was an auspicious year for my siblings to get married, as well as the decision to leave Zach behind as collateral for all paperwork to be turned in was enough to sway their minds.

With this verdict, I will leave Zhanjiang on June 17 bound for Jacksonville, Florida and a wedding, while Zach remains in China to put all grades in the computer and handover all the brown bags filled with exams and paperwork. We will meet in Vancouver, Canada on July 2 for the Women's World Cup final game. Afterwards, we spend a few weeks enjoying our beloved Portland and all things football in the Rose City.