After celebrating Easter, I went to Philippines to attend Asia East World Section Meeting and then gathering of the newer members in our community who are working in Asia East World Section. Our Congregational Leadership Team Sr. Janice McLaughlin and Sr. Bitrina Kirway were being with us for both the meeting and gathering. I left Guangzhou on Apr 30 and waited at our Burgos house in Quezon city before heading to Jala-Jala. As the meeting was started on Apr 29, so I only attended the last day of the meeting on May 1. We did “Mary crowning” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_crowning after breakfast. The meeting was ended after a Filipino dinner and simplicity night. There are eight newer sisters who are working in China, Taiwan, Philippines, and Japan.
One of the Indonesian students wanted to have join activities with Chinese students so 30 Indonesians and Chinese visited Huiling Farm http://www.gzhl.org/gzhl_website/language/english/guangzhou/home/_index.html. We washed the dishes, moved the dried branches to the garbage area, had lunch, played and Communion Service with Fr. Peter who connected and sponsored us (http://anastasialindawatimm.blogspot.com/2011/07/sharing-learning-from-learning-sign.html).
I enjoyed half day visit of our Congregational Leadership Team Sr. Janice and Sr. Bitrina to Guangzhou by going around the campus, attending mass, and going to Shamian Church by boat from north gate of our campus. Later on, we had regional meeting in Hong Kong followed by a Chinese dinner. I also met Fr. Joe Veneroso, MM who was visiting Guangzhou with his friend.
Several Indonesian Catholics and I visited one of Huiling Centers on May 20 to play and work with them, including help to clean the place. We also joined Huiling Charity Walkathon 2011, it was pouring rain when we went from our campus. I kept praying that the rain would stop so they could continue the event. Thanks God, the heavy rain stopped and the sun came out for a moment so the event continued.
Several Indonesians Catholic and I usually visited patients at Fuda hospital once a week including accompanied three Indonesian families in facing the death of their family member who had a cancer treatment in Guangzhou. We sang and prayed together with the patients and their families.
My first birthday in Guangzhou was special. I attended Cantonese mass at Shamian Church, and then had lunch with my roommate, exam on reading and writing classes. Later on, my teacher asked to be a respondent of her survey about our reading book, which made me got headache. After the Indonesian prayer meeting, I received a birthday surprise. There were listening and conversation exam on the next two consecutive days. I know I never be ready for the exam so I only could pray “Lord, you know that I am not ready for the exam.” I also had exam on pronounciation, calligraphy, writing, Chinese paper cutting and knots classes. I went back to Hong Kong after the conversation exam as we would have a regional meeting on June 19.
I visited a leprosy center in Jiangmen on June 24. It took around four hours from our dormitory by subway to Guangzhou Train Station and then by bus. It was built by Maryknollers http://maryknollmagazine.org/index.php/magazines/247-roots-in-china.
On the graduation ceremony, I got the reward RMB 200 as the most diligent student in our class and RMB 100 as third winner of the writing competition. My grade for reading writing was 89, listening 93, and conversation 85. My homework in the writing class “给妈妈的一封“（=A letter for My Mother, it’s my first long writing in mandarin）and my article of writing competition “我很喜欢中大国际汉语学院“ （=I like Dr. Sun Yat Sen University School of Chinese as Second Language）were published in the school magazine. Thanks be to God.
Our school organized a trip to Guilin on Jun 24-27 for RMB 400 instead of RMB 1000 as it was subsidied by the school. The picture on the RMB 20 bill is the scenic of Guilin. We went by bus to Guangzhou Train Station and then by train to Guilin around 14 hours. Upon arriving Guilin, we had breakfast and then went to Elephant Hill Scenic Area http://www.chinatravelsavvy.com/destinations/guilin/attractions/elephant-hill/, Daxuguzheng http://www.guilinhome.com/jzjd/jd/lc/dx.htm, Li River http://www.guilin4seasons.com/lijiang-river-tour/group-li-river-cruise-01.htm, an old house in Xingping visited by Bill Clinton http://www.chinafacttours.com/guilin/attractions/xingping.html and then stayed overnight at Yangshuo. The next day, we went to Silver cave http://www.guilinchina.net/attraction/silver-cave.htm, Big Banyan Tree http://www.guilinchina.net/attraction/big-banyan-tree.htm, Guilin Botanical Garden http://www.travelguilinguide.com/sight/guilin/327.html, Seven Star Park http://www.travelchinaguide.com/attraction/guangxi/guilin/seven_star.htm. We went back to Guangzhou on June 26 evening after going around a shopping area.
Upon arriving Guangzhou, I went to Hong Kong as I wanted to send off Sr. Rose Duschesne to Maryknoll New York after being missioned in Hong Kong since 1946 http://www.mklsisters.org/index.php/index.php/missioners/13-sisters/256.
Hong Kong, Aug 2, 2011
Sr. Anastasia B. Lindawati, M.M.
Let’s do simple things with simple love to make God’s love visible
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