Why is this a historic moment?  Well, my parents moved from Burma to Los Angeles in 1969/1970 and met and married in the US.  For over forty years, they have never traveled alone on a plane — until now.  (Well, my mom did once pre-9/11).  The only other time they have traveled out of the country was for Betty and my wedding in 2008 — to Canada!  Mind you, both of them had to get new passports for our wedding.  That time, I had specifically flown to LA to escort them across the North American border.  This time, was on their own.

As parents, they have always been providers of basic necessities.  So after opening their bags at our home in Birmingham, my mom calls me upstairs to take random gifts they brought filling over HALF their checkin weight.  Chocolates, nuts, toothpaste, toilet paper (??) – simple, but deeply thoughtful gifts.  Here’s a shot of the unloaded things on my dining table, which I affectionately call the “Last Supper” table for its length (but, of course, is stunted by the amount of things on it right now):

First time in Europe, the next two weeks will include local Birmingham attractions, a trip to London to spend time with my dad’s cousin and Paris (yes, Paris).  My parents wanted to take a day trip to Rome too – but I vetoed that.  Next time, dad.  :)

It may look like China (and, indeed, Betty and I took pictures like this in Suzhou earlier this year), but this was in fact taken in San Marino, California at the new Chinese garden exhibit at the Huntington Library.

I recently came across two very interesting news articles that highlight the question of national pride for ethnic Chinese in countries outside of China:

• LA Times article about the celebration of the founding of communist China in Southern California.
• CBC article about the Chinese government funding a Chinese language course in the Greater Vancouver area of BC, Canada.

The question that I want to pose is: is it unpatriotic to the US (which I am a citizen) if I were to be proud of China (which is where my ethnic origins are) and its latest accomplishments?  This is something that seems to come up quite a bit (esp. if you read the seemingly racist comments by some readers of the CBC article).

In discussions about postmodernity, some people have talked about how we should recognise the fact that many of us have a “hyphenated identity.”  Meaning, not only am I an American, but I am a “Chinese-American.”  Or, perhaps, since my parents were born and raised in Burma, I am a “Chinese-Burmese-American.”  There seems to be some warrant to celebrating this “fragmentation” since there are multiple stories that inform who I am (and, sometimes, also confuses who I am).

Then in religious studies, there has been an ongoing discussion about the possibility of dual or multiple religious affiliation.  Some would say that I should not consider myself as a “Christian” but as having a multiple allegiance to Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism and Daoism since all of these are part of who I am, whether I agree with it or not.

To be clear, I disagree with this second idea.  John Stackhouse has an interesting discussion on this in defining terms like “inclusivism,” but basically I believe the Bible is quite clear that God wants to have our full allegiance and does not like us mixing and matching to our liking.

So I return to the original question.  Can I be faithful to multiple nations at the same time?  I mean, China has done some pretty great things in the recent past (hey, let’s see London top the open ceremonies of the 2008 olympics!).  But there are also plenty of rotten things they have done too.  The same, of course, can be said of any nation like the US or the UK — no nation is perfect.  There’s the classic question: if the US and China were to go to war with one another, which side would you support?  Sure, there’s something to be said about a case-by-case scenario.  But blindly taking that question, I really don’t know how I would respond.

When we moved to our new home in the UK, one of the first purchases for the house was a compost bin.  Most municipalities will subsidise the cost of such an investment (which is nice), so we got one from our local water company and have been filling it since.  I tell our friends that I will gladly compost their kitchen waste, but they think I am joking (and so does Betty).  Unfortunately, the other day when I was checking our compost bin I noticed a bunch of green stuff sprouting on the bottom.  Evidently, some grass has been growing in this rich, composted soil!  That’s okay — I just cut the grass and threw it back into the compost bin.  :)

I can’t find it now, but I remember reading a few weeks ago a blog that commented about St. Francis of Assisi’s love for nature.  The post basically argued that his love for nature was an outpouring of his love for God and all that God creates and works through.  While some people think it is weird to be “eco-friendly” or concerned about your “carbon footprint,” it is often forgotten that this is perhaps one of the first commands of God (besides making babies like rabbits) in Genesis 1:28. Being green is not only about being in vogue, but it is also about loving your Creator and all that He has made.

Over the past three decades, I have lived for extended periods of time in three different countries.  Each, however, have been English speaking.  The first being my beloved U. S. of A. — my homeland and my place of birth.  The second being Canada, where I found my beloved Betty.  And now, I find myself in the third, England, where I have lost my beloved sanity in pursuit of a PhD.

Yet, as I have moved to these various places, I have learned that English is not the same in all three.  When I was in Canada, I resisted any pronunciations like “a-GAINST” instead of the American “a-genst” and “zed” instead of “zee.” As I wrote my thesis, my spelling maintained its American sensibilities.

But then coming to the UK, I have found myself needing to repeat myself a lot since I have been misunderstood so much (I thought American English was like the de facto standard!).  I have tried to resist the temptation to use British spelling (which, incidentally, is actually slightly different from Canadian spelling which is sort of a hybrid of American and British English).  But then, a few months ago I was applying for a bursary and was informed that my American spelling may be subtly seen unfavo(u)rably, though it should not really impact the results.  So, alas, I have changed my computer’s default language to British English now and am trying to get the hang of the Britishisms… <sigh>  My PhD thesis is going to have so many misspellings!

But then, when I moved to Canada in 2006, things changed.  Not only was the last Thursday of November a full day of classes, Thanksgiving in Canada was celebrated a month and a half earlier.  A few friends and I decided to still celebrate American Thanksgiving — in Canada.

The next year, of course, we did the same.  This year, I have moved again — this time with my bride and to England.  Though the number of Americans here are far fewer, we still celebrated God’s goodness!

What I think is very special for me is the fact that Thanksgiving is a time of family.  And, as I have lived away from home for many years, I appreciate the fact that God has given me surrogate families wherever I have gone.  I am truly thankful for God’s blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For me, as an American living in the UK, I am pleased with the democratic process that has chosen Barack Hussein Obama to be the next president of the United States, the first black president.  I heard on CNN a report that many Iraqis believed Barack would never be voted in since all elections were rigged — I guess they were proven wrong.  But more than a race, the voice of America has chosen a replacement of a former administration, demanding a change to the previous regime.  Whether or not the change will be substantial enough, only time will tell.  But, the people demanded and the people were satisfied.

For me, as a Californian living in the UK, I am pleased with the democratic process that has voted for Proposition 8.  Preliminary counts say the result is “Yes”, though millions of absentee ballots still need to be counted — mine included.  However, Los Angeles County has already suspended the issue of same-sex marriage licenses.  This is due to a California State Constitutional provision that says a proposed amendment “shall be submitted to the electors and if approved by a majority of votes thereon takes effect the day after the election.”*  Again, seemingly, the democratic voice has spoken.

But is this the democracy we want?

Now, to be clear, I was a bit uneasy about this proposition (nevermind the fact that the wording is quite offensive). My Christian convictions believe same-sex marriage is against the teachings of the Bible.  But my Christian convictions are also wary about legislating Christian values.  I mean, while we are at it, let’s legislate that divorce is illegal.  We should also make extra-marital sex illegal.  (That was sarcasm, in case you did not catch it.)  Why don’t we do this?  I would suspect there are at least two very good reasons why we wouldn’t legislate these things: (1) many of us know people who have been involved or hurt by divorces or adulterous relationships and (2) we do not live in a theocracy.  For the first bit, I would suspect that many people who voted “Yes” on Prop 8 do not personally know many people of a homosexual orientation (I for one do not).  This makes it very hard for me to empathize with the challenges of “those people.”  In regards to the theocracy, the United States is a pluralistic society without a consistent, moral reference point.  This is why I voted “Yes” on Prop 8.  I did so because, within a democracy, the legal system is to be a reflection of the moral compass of the people — I am one of those people.  Obama has often cited Abraham Lincoln as describing a government that should be “of the people, by the people, for the people.”  Is this truly what we believe?

What frustrates me is when people are so dissatisfied with the democratic process that they choose to circumvent it.  Already, a multitude of lawsuits have been raised against various California counties who have chosen to uphold the new proposition.  Well, you knew a proposition was going to come out, why not write your own proposition that embraces same-sex marriage?  How many millions of dollars are going to be thrown into the judicial system to try to overturn this proposition (of course, we can really afford wasting money right now)?  This reminds me of the stupid recall election of 2003.  I remember reading a report that said there were more people who voted in the election to recall Gray Davis than those who voted in the election that put him in office Gray Davis (both for and against him).  If you didn’t exercise your right to vote the first time around, why do you want to exercise your right now?  Just because you don’t like the guy now?

Honestly, I believe the governments of California and America will eventually be recognizing same-sex marriages like they do in Canada and the United Kingdom (two places that are very dear to my heart).  That is simply reflective of the trends of Western morality.  But please, let us use the means of democracy we claim to believe in.

Okay, enough ranting and back work.

We are finally here in the UK, finally here in Birmingham. It’s been a long journey, leaving Vancouver on September 1st and embarking on an 18-day journey here to Birmingham. God has been very good to Alex and myself. He has blessed us with so many wonderful memories that we will treasure forever with the friends and family with whom we met up with along the way. Of course, we remember and treasure the dear friends and family we left in Vancouver too!

So how does it feel to finally be here in Birmingham? I can only speak for myself, Alex will have to share his thoughts in his blog entry. I have already been asked many a times why I would return to such a country as England, always so wet and so dark in the winter and so gloomy here. I have been quite surprised actually by all the negative comments I hear about this island. Perhaps many people are fed up, for whatever reason. The only thing I want to say is that grass is not always greener on the other side.

It’s true that I left a country and a continent with an abundance of riches… in natural resources, in material goods, in choices of many excellent eateries and many other things. But along with all this abundance of “stuff”, I found myself yearning for more connection with people around me. Perhaps I did not use my opportunities wisely, but for example: I was physically close to my family. But I felt like I was not communicating as well with them as I can now, from afar. And though it’s only been a few days, I do feel like the skype conversations that I’ve had with my parents since arriving here have been more substantial than many conversations I had with them when I was at home. 

So upon arriving here in Birmingham, it’s been really lovely staying at my friends’ Ros and Bok’s home and re-connecting with many old friends from church and work as well as making new friends too. The thing I’ve felt most blessed by is that I feel the same welcome and sense of community from my BCEC church family here as I did from my past years.

With any place, there’s always good and bad. At present, my struggle has been about securing a job. I’m trying to get work back in the lab where I used to work at the Birmingham Women’s Hospital. Though I had been communicating via email with my old boss here in the UK, I’m still going through an interview process at present. I know that God will provide something good for me and Alex here. I just need more faith in really believing that and trusting with all my heart, without worrying too much. Easier said than done though. 

That’s all for now from me. Hopefully, I’ll have more news soon to share with everyone. Until the next time… love, betty

September 1, 2008 is the two year anniversary of my arrival in Vancouver, BC from California as a new student at Regent College.  It is also the day I leave Canada, with my bride, to another new country — England.  Though considered by many Americans as the “America’s hat” or the “51st state,” I have grown to appreciate this country for its own goodness.  As I leave, I leave with many things — the most important, being a love for a place that is not my own.  Here are the top 10 things I have learned from my pilgrimage in the True North:

10 – Very few Canadians really live in igloos.

9 – Snow is really pretty —  but it is also really cold!

8 – They truly are nice people.

7 – They LOVE hockey.  And I mean LOVE hockey.  Even girls are die-hard fans of it.

6 – Loonie and Toonie are not only words to describe the Warner Brother’s cartoon, but refer to the $1 and $2 coins.

5 – Canada has a Queen.  Go figure.

4 - Poutine!!

3 – “Garbarator” is not a comic book hero, but the Canadian word for “Garbage Disposer”.

2 – God’s creation is gorgeous up here!  Two examples are Lake Louise (pictured above) and the glaciers.  Glaciers are not mythological creatures like Sasquatch, but do exist and really do devour the land below them.  (Betty and I walked on one in our recent road trip to Banff.)

and… number one is…

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.

.

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1 – The Bible is right!! I am blessed to have such an excellent wife!

So it’s the last few weeks before we leave Vancouver now (well, a month and a half still, I suppose). I’ve never been good with transitions. Especially the times before the change, when I know the change is impending. My last physical move was about two years ago, and that was a short transition time. I secured my job in Vancouver, gave one month’s notice with my UK job and then left England. The time was so packed. It didn’t feel like I had enough time to say good-bye.

But this time, it feels different. I am now a “we”, so it’s not just myself who is going through this transition. We’ve also been saying that we’ll be moving to the UK for a long time now. Even though things were not always decided yet. Even now, with less than two months to go, things do not seem to be so decided. And me, with a small faith, often have trouble getting used to everything. It is, of course, through these times that I can recall all the moments in my past where I believe God had been so faithful to me, when I didn’t know what was to come. I do remember these times, but it’s still not so easy sometimes. 

Though now on such a day, I can look around me and remember. And know that if God can create and take care of such a beautiful natural world as I see here, then how infinitely more will He care for us!

On May 10, 2008, we entered a commitment in Christian marriage before our family and friends in Vancouver, Canada. Through the lenses of our good friends and photographers Jon Chan and Cindy Lowe, we wanted to share glimpses of that special day with others.

Thanks to our families who have loved us, our friends who have supported us, and our God Who has embraced us through it all!

Blessings!

Alex and Betty

P.S. We have yet to receive photos from our reception in LA and will post them once we get them.

 
Before the Ceremony

The Ceremony

After the Ceremony

The Photo Session

The Reception

After the Reception