Asian Invasion: Day 9 - People, People, and More People

Good morning from East Asia! Tonight, I experienced a flash of homesickness as the residue of Fall Retreat began to leak onto facebook photo albums. My emotions began to swell as I looked back across the Atlantic to see all of my friends returning from such an awesome and rewarding trip. I have talked to our Father in the hope that Fall Retreat would be a great renewal of passions, and the little that I have heard confirms that He was listening. You all mean so much to me; I wish I could’ve been there with you. But, on another note, here I am across the world in East Asia, today setting off to see the sights. This morning we finally slept-in relatively late, at least later than the past two days of 5am wake-ups. First, we met with a local driver who was to take us around during the day, and we set off for Tian Fuguan Chang Square, a local attraction. The square held two uniquely designed spiral fountains, and a giant statue of Mao, the former leader.

The one feature that was most apparent in the city was the incredible amount of people. No where in the world have I ever seen such consistently large masses of Asians pervading an area of city. As you can see the in the above picture (click to enlarge), people filled the squares and moved throughout the city, going about their daily routine. Incredible. Also, taxi cabs in this city are an exciting exercise in adrenaline. It seems that all inhabitants of the city have created a mental block to all cohesive and orderly methods of driving. The streets are essentially a free-for-all, generally divided to the right and left sides (not necessarily always), with pedestrians constantly in the mix. When one must cross the street, he takes no heed to the color of the light, or to the position of traffic, he just goes. It really is a startling process at first. If nothing else, my invisible brake got some serious playing time today.

After lunch, we drove to a near-by Buddhist temple to see local beliefs in action. The structure and grounds of this establishment were impressive. The place was enormous; we walked through row after row of walkways and courtyards. Though its history goes back many years, the appearance was well-maintained. Especially the gardens, trees, and pathways are beautifully designed and maintained, and are filled with exotic plant life. Also, deep inside, the Buddhist priests had set up an area of incense and candles for anyone to use. It was so sad to see many young individuals come and try to speak to their divine one, but they were missing their Father, who loves them. Their devotion and respect were inspiring, as many Americans don’t experience that kind of passion for their Father. Also, I would love to have Westover come to observe the setting. Forget the new building; we need a temple like this.

Following our temple excursion, the driver took us to meet the family of one my Grandpa’s co-workers. The family consists of one daughter and three sons, one of whom cannot walk. By interacting with this individual, by helping him out of the car, by seeing his joy regardless of hard circumstances, I was humbled. I thank our Father that I have the use of my legs, and I can’t imagine what that boy must go through; I hurt for him. His happiness and laughter, however, were an inspiration to me and I’m so happy that I was able to spend time with him. Tonight was so much fun; to be a friend to younger ones who adore me as if I were their own brother. Giving piggy-back rides, getting pinched and tickled, and answering a thousand questions were small sacrifices for the reward of their love and admiration. Little kids are so much fun. Until tomorrow…


More pictures at picasaweb.google.com/nate.tilley/Asiatrip

nate.