China without mary

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is like lunch without four scoops of rice in every chinese person's bowl. It is like walking down the street and no one is staring at you and no child is peeing on a tree. It is like waking up to the sound of your alarm clock instead of the sounds of construction, street sweeping, or kids screaming. It's like ordering a chicken dish and not receiving the chicken head on the plate at garnish.....It's all just not right.

So here, after 11 months Mary is home with English TV and homemade cookies and I am still in China, playing tourguide to my one of my oldest friends and former roommate, Sarah.

What a year....the ups, the downs, and the in between. So much of it was shared with other people. Each memory is tied not only to the event but to those who can remember it with you.

So whether it was the motobike incident or accident (however you look at it) or the many trips to the vastness that is china, or the hours discussing other people latest actions in our program, or watching what became endless hours of nip/tuck, or helping each other answer what seemed like the never ending teaching application questions....it would have meant so much less had it not been with mary.

She taught me to care less about what others thought and to think more about what I stood for. She reminded me to that being independent and doing what you wanted was much better being dependent and following others. She taught me that i would end up where I needed to be and that each experience only makes me stronger.

sometimes i wonder what this year would have been like if mary had choose another country or another time....but i don't have to wonder. all i need to know is that i have another friend with which the laughter seems endless.....and that is good.

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Photos

Classic Mandy and Mary
Mary giving me the look.

The last night
Maggie, Mary, Me, Katie, Hanna and Amanda....not wasting a minute of our last night all together without a good laugh

The girls with our good-bye stripper
somehow there always seems to be an odd number of guys....1. Tonight, James was our honorary guy.

Boys had to pay double.
James and mary's heartfelt good-bye

Ok, everyone make a face!
Maybe that's what I said???

Comments

[Cindy]

Looks like the best part of traveling...making lifelong friends.