Firecrackers, Power Outages, and a Dream....

Well, it's Monday afternoon and class is done. Grace and Jenny are both napping, I just finished my quiet time, and decided I needed to hit the blog. I've actually been meaning to write for a few days but (insert favorite excuse here).

Lately, Wave City has been a loud place. The Chinese have this thing about firecrackers. They set them off all the time. Now, pay attention here folks- I'm not talking about fireworks. Fireworks you set off on the fourth of July and they explode in beautiful and interesting designs throughout the night sky. They have fireworks here of course, but what I'm talking about are firecrackers. Loud, obnoxious, stinky, annoying firecrackers. Night after night we cringe at the sound outside our window as it goes on and on into the wee hours. The Chinese have a special holiday in August called "Ghost Day" or something like that. Firecrackers are extremely popular at this time of year, because- as I understand it- the firecrackers are supposed to attract the attention of their departed ancestors. Many Chinese also burn fake money, cars, and various household objects during this time for their ancestors to enjoy in the afterlife- at least, this is their belief. From our apartment on the 6th floor, we can smell the smoke from their offerings day after day. It's a little disheartening, thinking about what those firecrackers and smells represent. So much cultural meaning is wrapped up in that. But, at the same time, just like cultural practices back home, lots of people just do things because that is what they have always done, not because it means something in their heart. Our teacher taught us a phrase today, "you kou wu xin" (tones omitted) which basically means to say something with your mouth that your heart doesn't mean. I know for a lot of the Chinese this is the case with this holiday and lots of other practices, but there are many who take these things very seriously. It breaks my heart. Thankfully, Gracie seems to sleep through the firecrackers most nights, no matter how much they annoy Jenny and I.

So, last night at about 4am or so the power went off. Of course, I awoke the minute it went off. It's so hot now that the prospect of no AC drives me to a panic. I lied there in bed hoping it would come back on, agonizing as I imagined getting hotter and hotter, sweat dripping out of me. I tossed and turned for awhile, then finally got up to look out the window and see if it was just us, or the whole campus. We've had power issues before at our pad, so I needed to know for sure. As I looked out over the campus and saw how dark everything was it was clear this was everybody's problem. I could hear voices outside debating something, and figured the workmen were on the case. It's funny how sound carries up here- it sounds like people are right outside our door when in reality they could be a few blocks away. So, I finally relaxed enough to start to nod off. Just as I did I heard the power come back on. I sighed deeply, cranked up the AC, pulled a blanket over my head, and went back to sleep.

I had a really vivid series of dreams last night. For anyone who knows me, I have a tendency to share my dreams on a regular basis in gratuitous detail. I'm not sure how much I remember from last night, but- I did have this thing about an airplane. This is one of my regular reoccuring dreams. Usually I am in an airport about to take off, or rushing to catch a flight, or waiting on a big delay. Sometimes I am on the plane, but rarely are we in the air or anything like that. Last night, I dreamed I was travelling with Gracie alone and we were on a flight somewhere. There was a little old lady in the seat next to me, and we came upon some bad weather. The plane pulled into a small airport in some little town somewhere. We disembarked and were sitting around in a hanger, waiting for the storm to break. I was laying on a cot with Grace covered in several layers of blankets, trying to keep her warm. The old woman was next to me talking about something- maybe the flight or...I don't know. Wherever I was going, I was desperate to get there, so I started harassing the pilots about taking off soon. The storm eventually lifted, and I convinced the pilots to take us out. This time however, they put us on a tiny twin-engine plane. I started thinking about my arrival, and pulled my passport out of my pocket, only to discover that I had Jenny's passport and not my own. I told the pilot this, worried that they would not let me back into America without it. (Where was Jenny in this dream anyway? I don't know.) We take off, and the pilots are paying very little attention to the flight- in fact, they were playing some kind of board game. The plane is bumping all around, terrifying all of the passengers. We take a huge nose dive, but the pilot gets the plane up in time to smash into a few buildings, finally we are in the air again, headed for a destination unknown to me now.

So what is that about? I have a theory, and I'd be interested if anyone else has one on this. My airport dreams always seem to occur when I am in transition, about to make some big change in life- this is why in past dreams I'm always trying to get to the flight, or waiting on a plane. This dream had several components where we were in the air, though the ride was dangerous and in perilous weather. I figure this has something to do with the stability of my surroundings right now. I am where I am supposed to be, doing something I have planned to do for a long time. Guess I made the flight at last, but clearly there will be bumps in the road. There always are. Okay so, the trash man is outside, banging his pot, calling for people to bring their trash out. My fingers are tired of typing, so I'm gonna call it a day. Love to all the friends and fam!