Wrapping it up in Shenzhen

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My blog is hideously behind, so I will do my best to catch up quickly without skipping the best bits of what’s been going on for the past two or three months.

The last couple of weeks of teaching at Li Yuan were fairly uneventful. The school had a dinner for Rosemary and I before the end of the year. They took us to a vegetarian restaurant that was very very good. I didn’t plan any big extended lessons because several of my classes were being canceled due to testing. I didn’t see my fourth graders for nearly a month! I used the time off to pack up my things and to start moving them to Kim’s apartment. We both planned to return and she didn’t have to move (and she lives on the first floor - no stairs!). The heat finally caught up with us towards the end of May. My hair was much longer and I underestimated how difficult it would be in the ungodly humidity. I vowed to get it cut as soon as I got home.

Some of the students were sad to hear that I was not returning to their school next year. And there are some students that I will genuinely miss. They were quirky enough to make my day interesting but not so quirky as to be annoying. It was always a nice surprise to find paper flowers, cards, or boats left on my desk as little presents by the little ones. I’ll be teaching adults next time and I doubt they’ll do that for me. On the flip side, I doubt I will find the need to yell, “Stop throwing paper out of the window!” or “Don’t pull her hair!”

After nearly ten months of living in China I suppose I should have a “What have you learned, Dorothy” portion of my blog, so here goes:

1) Along with humidity comes frizz and tight curl. No amount of product will save you. Use ponytails generously.
2) Giant carrots taste just as good as small ones but are very hard to slice.
3) Watch out for the buses that don’t have card scanners. You will need to tell the woman what bus stop you want and if you don’t know how to say it she will throw you off.
4) The color of my skin will always be a hindrance here, but I’ve gotten pretty good at haggling.
5) If it looks like a human turd on the sidewalk it probably is a human turd on the sidewalk. Step around it and try not to think about how it got there.

Kim, Cara, and I were planning a trip to Beijing. My excitement about returning home for the summer overshadowed the usual anticipation I feel before a trip. I really enjoy that anticipation so I tried very hard to focus on the trip to Beijing and not my homecoming. But the thought of seeing my family and friends again after so long overwhelmed me and I almost wished I could skip Beijing and just go home.

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Photos

Goodbye Betty!
Betty was one of Rosemary's third graders. She once told me that I am just as fat as Wonder Woman but more beautiful.