Sharing: The Last Two Months of the Last Semester

          I was in Hong Kong during Labor Day so I enjoyed the visit of Clarissa, one of the pastors of Free Evangelical Church of China, and attending the Mother’s Day celebration held by Serra Club www.serraclubhk.com and Association of Major Superiors of Women Religious in Hong Kong at Craigengower Cricket Club.

            My friend asked me to accompany her to attend the English Mass at St. Francis Asisi Church, so a volunteer at Cathedral led us the way including treat us for lunch before we left Cathedral.  It’s my second Sunday Mass because I attended Mandarin Mass in the morning at Cathedral and planned to attend RCIA in the afternoon.  Upon arrived the Church, the pastoral sister asked us to join the choir as there is only a few in the choir. As I remember it’s my first time to wear the choir uniform which only can be worn by parishioners. 

            My friends from Mexico, Indonesia, Equador, and China attended the first Guangzhou Diocese Youth Day on May 5.  I am helping here and there.  The story about it can be read at: http://anastasialindawatimm.blogspot.hk/2012/07/sharing.html

            I joined the school outing to Liwan Library and the Chinese Corner about Dragon Boat Festival including learned to make dumpling (粽(zòng)子(zi)). I attended the GIVEN choir concert at Shamian Church on Pentacost day.  My tutor invited me to see the traditional things in Guangzhou e.g. embroidery, martial art, and wooden furniture.  I also joined the trip to St. Francis Asisi Tomb’s Monument, the story about it can be read at: http://anastasialindawatimm.blogspot.hk/2012/06/sharing-second-birthday-in-guangzhou.html

             There were final exams on the second week of June for five days and then the graduation ceremony was on June 18, 2012.  Srs. Sue Glass and Annie Emdin came from Macau so they treated me for birthday and graduation lunch and then we attended the graduation ceremony.  One of my pictures “Sunset in Bali island” won the third place so I got RMB. 100.00. My grades in listening 84, conversation 88, intensive reading 81.975, extensive reading 81, writing 84.  As the school offered free classes in intensive reading and conversation taught by master degree students starting Jun 19, I attended the classes till the last day of my stay in dormitory, Jul 4. 

            I stayed in Hong Kong on Jul 23-26 as several sisters and I had a meeting in Maryknoll Stanley http://stanleymaryknoll.typepad.com/chinahands/2010/07/the-stanley-house-a-short-history.html

            As our days together getting to end, our class leader, an Iraqi Moslem from UK, invited us to had pot luck lunch and then he also invited us to share meal at Al-rafedain restaurant.  I enjoyed the Mexican foods to celebrate one of my classmates’ birthday.   An Yu treated me for a Chongqing meal as I would leave Guangzhou soon.      

            Irene, Johny and I visited Huiling workshop to help for a while before going to have meal at Al-rafedain restaurant.   Steaven, Li Fei, Christopher and I joined the trip arranged by Sr. Chen, the pastoral sister of Shamian Church, to attend the Mass for the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul at St. Peter and St. Paul Church Huiyang, around 2.5 hours from Guangzhou.  We sang “Sungai SukacitaMu” on the bus as the rest of the group wanted to hear Indonesian song.  Bishop Gan was the main celebrant with six conselebrants.  I met several parishioners from Guangzhou, who came in different groups.  After lunch, twenty five of us visited a leprocy center in Huizhou.  We visited every house by two or three and then had group interaction.  We sang “Sungai SukacitaMu” again, this time with action.   

            Joanna and I visited Liurong Pagoda http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/guangdong/guangzhou/six_tree.htm and Guangxiao Temple http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/guangdong/guangzhou/bright_filial.htm and then Liz, Irene, Natalia and I visited Nansha Temple http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/guangdong/guangzhou/nansha-tianhou-palace.htm

            I invited several friends to have Indonesian dessert on Jul 3.  There were 11 students from seven countries including Indonesia, who stayed till around 12.00 p.m.  An Iraqi Moslem from UK said that he likes the screensaver in my laptop “Here am I Lord” so I told him that it’s the answer of Mother Mary during Annunciation. 

            After finalizing packing my belongings and put it in Mariela’s room and Natalia’s room, I attended my last free classes.  I checked out from the dormitory around 12.00 and then had lunch with one of our teachers and two friends.

            Natalia, Joanna and Eunsun helped me to bring part of my belongings including winter clothes for a leprocy center and toys for an orphanage from several students to Shamian Church on Jul 4.  Sr. Chen prepared welcome dinner for four of us and several parishioners of Shamian Church.

                                 

Hong Kong, 24 Jul, 2012

Sr. Anastasia B. Lindawati, M.M.

Let’s do simple things with simple love to make God’s love visible