Did you feel the mountains tremble? I did.

Today was my first day teaching.

Imagine walking into a room only to be greeted by forty curious, shy, and surprised faces. Imagine doing that three times. Imagine doing that three times when you were only supposed to do it twice. (Wrong room numbers are the curse of the Chinese education system, and a stumbling block for foreign teachers, oh well, no worries).

Class was very simple today, only introductions and rules. I allowed each class an opportunity to ask me any questions they wanted. Here are some of the questions: Where are you from? Why did you come to Lhasa? What do you believe? Do you have a boyfriend? Will you sing for us?

I love them. I love the students who answered my questions, the students who obviously enjoyed being in class, the students who didn't follow directions, the students who spoke mostly in Chinese, the students who were attentive, the students who came late, the students who were eager, the students who wished that they were in any other place, the students who were kind, who were patient, who were bored.

Today was my first day shopping by myself.

Imagine walking exhausted back to your apartment after two two hour classes only to find out that there was hardly any food. Imagine the sudden realization that to get food one would have to go back out amongst the students and strangers to fend for oneself with only the tiniest amount of language. Imagine, despite all those odds, doing it anyway.

I went into one shop and bought yogurt, sugar, and chicken bouillon (I think). I went to the next shop and bought two onion bread rolls and a cruchy twisty bread for breakfast. I went to the next shop and bought mushrooms, corn, carrots, spinach, and a cucumber. I went to another shop and bought cookies and some milk. I ventured into a final shop and bought a thermos to replace the one which I had condemned due to the funk.

I did these things. I did them by myself, but I was not alone.

Today was my first day surviving an earthquake.

Imagine getting home, boiling water, and sitting down to write a few emails only to be shaken to pieces. Imagine not being able to figure out why the cabinets are coming open, why things are sliding around, why the building sounds like it's being slammed with a jack hammer. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is what a 6.6 earthquake 50 miles west of Lhasa feels like. As far as I can tell there was no damage within Lhasa, and as far as I've heard it's very unusual to get an earthquake here.

Earlier today I had read in Isaiah:
If only You would tear the heavens open and come down so that mountains would quake at Your presence...

hmmmm.....