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Published: July 28th 2012
Nanhu, Changchun
The rainbow bridge...I'm taking a break from packing my bag. I need to get the next year of my life, in clothing and nessecities, into a backpack that seemed a hell of a lot bigger before i accumulated a year of shit in an apartment. The sacrifices :warm clothes will be left, a cat (becasue they die in backpacks) as well as a 3D MAO picture which i dont want to give up but is to big.
I finished my contract yesterday and had a farewell party with a whole wack of people i've met over the year. I didn't even realise how many people i had met till we got to the bar (or that i could remember that many names). I think the recovery ain't helping my motivation to pack. In the next day I'll be leaving from changchun to beijing. Soon after that, to shanghai. Within two weeks i should be in south africa and then on to vietnam. A year here went so fast, it feels strange to be leaving but good to be moving on.
The last few weeks I have done very little work. I have thrown "going away" parties for myself with all my kids classes (which means we watch english movies they dont understand) and, in my adult classes, i mentaly shut off and did writing excercises or just talked about me leaving. Most ask me if i'll miss changchun. I usually answer with muttered words or really long fast sentences with serious head nods (esl students greatest weaknesses) or simply say no. This place is no vacation. The winter is long and the summer is short. At times you wonder why even chinese people live here and, at times, i think they do too. There is not alot going on here. Most forms of entertainment depend on how much alcohol you can drink and where. That or shopping. I hate shopping. I doubt I'll see this place again, but who knows. There are pluses though. People are friendly and helpful. I know I'll miss some folk I've met. You can survive on five dollars a day here if you have to (not including accomodation) and low quality cheaps goods abound.
It's good to be free from work for a while.
I'll try to update this over the next month or so.
Josh
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Linda MacKinnon
non-member comment
Good Luck Josh
I hope you get to read this sometime Josh. Sounds like you are going to have a great time travelling around the east, but remember we all miss you back here in Langley BC!!! Have a safe and memorable trip to South Africa, then Thailand. Love from Linda