... i'm gonna be sick.

not too many things freak me out. i used to be able to watch just about any gory thrasher movie and barely flinch. i could handle any amount of blood that i saw. never have i ever felt nauseous from the sight of something, or the smell of something, or the sound of something. apparently, something has changed.

allow me to share with you two recent scarring events that occurred within my first three weeks back to china.

1.) acupuncture. it sounded like a good experience: chinese medicine in china. 'when in rome, do as the romans do,' right?! wrong. i went with a friend, a friend who gets acupuncture every other day. i figured that if she could do, i could do it. again, wrong. the first part was fine ... putting in the needles, no problem. that part was actually quite entertaining. if you're wondering if it hurt, the answer is 'yes, just a little.' then, came the wait. waiting about half an hour in small hallway ... with about 50 other people with needles in their faces ... with the horrid smell of burning mugwort ... looking down at the needles stuck deep in my face ... feeling the pressure from the several needles pressing millimeters from my skull ... i started to feel dizzy. that 30 minute wait felt like hours. all of my insides were leaping for joy when the doctor called me in to take out the needles. he started with the needles in my face; those came out fine. i hardly flinched. then, came the few in my skull. in order to get them out, he pushed them in harder to free them. i felt the prick of each those needles as a pain that surged through my entire body. the combination of the pain and the thought of needles near my skull made me feel queasy. he dabbed the back of my head with gauze ... and that's when i saw all the blood. instantly, i sank back into my chair completely numb. my eyes were open, but my body was completely shut down. it was too much for me. since the doctor had a line of people in that room, he had to physically pull me out of the chair. when the people saw that i was struggling, each and every one of them rushed to me to hold onto me. i was wobbly on my feet, but didn't necessarily need help. everyone had pulled out candy from their bags and was shoving it towards my face. little did they know, i was fighting back from throwing up. (luckily, i didn't do that.) i told them that i needed the bathroom so they let me through. one lady followed me out and gently offered me a crunchy, sugary meat wrap. i accepted it, even though it would not have been my first choice of things to eat after nearly fainting. i sat down for about a minute in the smelly, crowded hallway. when i couldn't handle it anymore, i slowly walked myself to another american friend's apartment ... while carrying the needles that were sent home with me (in case i ever want acupuncture again). when i finally reached that apartment, i plopped on the couch ... my head was throbbing, i was feeling nauseous at the thought of the needles, and my body was tingly. since my friends did not have the same morning experience as i did, they were bouncy and bubbly and ready for lunch. i went with them ... almost fainting again in the elevator. i figured it would be best if i just ate a small lunch ... so, an asian pear sufficed. with that, it took only a matter of minutes before i was feeling better.

... and that's the story of my acupuncture. now, for story #2, which is not nearly as long ...

2.) frogs. just yesterday, i was walking with a friend, aaron. we walked to a back alley market to buy fruit. and that's where we saw ... a lady skinning live frogs with her bare hands. i kid you not, she was probably doing this at a rate of 50 frogs/minute. just a quick dig fingernails in, rip, snap, and put living frog in bowl. we saw this, cringed, and continued to the fruit shop to recover. just when i was starting to forget it ... we walked out of the fruit shop to go home ... we had to pass her again. but, this time, she was holding up a living frog (with skin still on it) ... only the frog's head was between the blades of a scissors. i quickly turned around to shield my eyes, but the sound of the slice ... again, instant nauseousness. i froze, my body locked up in cringe-position. that's when aaron looked down at me and said, 'let's get outta here.' ... yes, please.

... so, now you're up to date on those two stories ... i promise to put others up soon ... better ones.

may he continue to be with and bless you. soli deo gloria.