Four Weeks and No End in Sight

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Girl flying a kite at the beach.

It has been four weeks since the shut down began here in Xiamen, and we are healthy and doing well though we are in the dark as much as ever. We are still encouraged to stay at home, cannot have visitors into the compound, and need to wear a mask whenever we go out and will be in close contact with people. However, businesses are slowly re-opening and some restaurants and coffee/tea shops are allowing people to sit together (although even then they prefer people to sit in pairs at most). Schools in our area still have no projected start date. Here is a recent article that shows China’s current plan for re-opening schools. At this rate, I’m guessing our schools at the earliest will open in mid-April. 

Sandy flying a kite.
With the closing of all public meetings, people have been using alternatives to maintain contact. Our foreign fellowship has been posting weekly messages and songs so that people still can have connection. Sandy, Emily, and I are a part of various small groups; during this time, some of the groups have held meetings via video chat, one has begun meeting in person, and one has been meeting both in person and via video chat. The in-person meetings have made the restaurant staff nervous because officials check on the businesses to make sure they are not allowing group meetings. I had gotten together with four men and we were sitting at a table of four; the manager insisted on adding a two-person table to our table and seating two people at it so that everyone was separated by one chair.


A view of Xiamen from the countryside
The people here are still scared, but I would say that the government crackdown and it's messages has added to the fear. To be honest, there is definitely a need for more attention to personal hygiene, and the government has had an impact on that. We still are able to get out and have been getting out at least once a day. Last Saturday, we had an outing to the beach (a 15 minute drive) and we regularly go to local parks, which have now been officially reopened (which is nice because the bathrooms are now open).

Yesterday, a friend of mine took me on a short motorcycle excursion, and I got to experience the countryside near Xiamen for the first time. It really isn’t far, but our electric scooters just don’t have the range to get that far out. It was nice to find a place out in nature that was quiet and peaceful. Hope you enjoy the photos.

Thank you for remembering us and China. There are still more questions than answers, but we are blessed and at peace.


A view of the reservoir



A view of the reservoir
Abandoned home


Village boy who followed us
Village home
Fir trees in the wild
Feels a bit like home
Unusual needles on these trees



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