Good bye, China

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Yes, it's not really good bye. I have more blogs to write about China. I owe you Dun Huang, one of the best "scenic spots" in the country. Thousands of Buddhist paintings, a great center for several religions, another stop in the Silk Road, etc. You'll get it when I get back to a fast internet connection and can upload lots of photos.

Today the blog date is the real date, June 30, 2007. Tomorrow morning, July 1, I catch an early train to Shanghai, a shuttle to the Pudong airport, an international flight over the north pole to Chicago, go through customs in the US and then catch a small (only three hours) flight to Atlanta, Georgia.

I appreciate my friends and family. Several people are helping me on this trip. Ya will ride the train with me; her mother-in-law's cousin will help me load my huge suitcase on the train; her sister will meet us in Shanghai and help us catch the shuttle bus; my son, Joey, will help me, and visit with me, as I traverse the huge O'Hara airport; my friend, Linda and maybe my God daughter, Mei-Jing, and her sister, Yi-Shan, will meet me in Atlanta, give me the new keys to my old house and take me home.

ONE DIVIDES INTO TWO--I heard that saying over and over this year from the students, especially when they want to give a different opinion from the one under discussion. That phrase is a segway to a contradiction. How can you be both happy and sad at the same time? But One Divides into Two and I'm happy to be going home again and sad to leave. It's simple.

I'm sad to leave my friends; I can't say when I'll be back. I'm sad to leave my home here, albeit temporary. I'm sad to leave a challenging nation--my cultural beliefs have been challenged; my eating habits have been challenged; my world view has been challenged. Maybe I'd better explain some of those statements.

Cultural challenges: why don't we wash our feet before we go to bed? After all, we've been out on the dirty streets. Why do we shake hands, when we know that other people's hands (and our own) are pretty, doggone dirty. Why don't we clear the pollution from our throats and spit? Won't it keep us healthier? We could put out spittoons.

Eating challenges: chop sticks are very versatile. I now need several tools to decently eat a meal: chop sticks, soup spoon, fork, knife, and tea spoon. The meat along the bones of the chicken, pig, cow, etc. is the tastiest. Is it fair that somebody else gets the whole leg bone and all you get is boneless breast meat? Taste vs. blah! Of course, if you cut the chicken so that everyone gets some good bone and marrow, you need to allow people to spit out bones. I could go on a lot longer about eating challenges.

World view challenges: I came here with an old view of China based on my trip here in 1978. China was a third-world country then. That's no longer true. What is the balance of power in the world? Do we need a BALANCE, which implies a see-saw. If one side is up, the other is down. Our media in the US is plying us with negative messages about China--bad food imports; bad drinking water; bad pet food imports; bad medicines and drug imports. All those small stories may lead us to distrust Chinese imports and not want to visit China. Well, that's the wrong conclusion. The Chinese people want to visit other countries and want to know the people. Westerners in Nanjing do not lack companionship. The people here want to understand what is happening in the rest of the world. They have lived under restrictions for generations and now have the freedom to travel. Is China growing so strong that it's a threat? No. The market economy here is finally giving people rewards--enough good food; a modern place to live; a bank account; a car; job flexibility, although the censorship is still active. My challenge: am I a pessimist or an optimist about the relationship between the US and the PRC?

I'm leaving, so I'm sentimental. I have come to love many people here. I have invited everyone to come visit me and I have promised to come back for a visit. We have exchanged many presents and good wishes. I have eaten many good lunches and dinners because of my departure.

I'm going now to the last dinner and probably the saddest. Good bye, Nanjing.

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Photos

Coral and Jane cook lunch
Two wonderful students came with all the ingredients and cooked a banquet. I watched and wrote notes.

Confucius and Coral
After eating the feast, we went to the old campus and took photos--many photos.

Half of class
One day I took several shots of my students. This is half of one of my freshmen oral English classes.

older students
There's a huge change between freshman and junior years. These are three mature students who win national speaking and debating awards. Great students.

singing friends
Doreen and Michael sang for another of our parties. They are good friends. I'll need to get to Canada to see them.

Ya and Mei
These two women have traveled internationally and know the world. Great friends.

more students
These students and I had technical problems with this classroom--but we managed. They gave very interesting panel discussions.

dragon boat festival
When we were invited to the Dragon Boat Festival, we thought we would see boats, but no. It was a cultural event with much singing, dancing, drumming, etc. and very international.

my view at sunset
I'm often on my balcony as the sun sets. I like looking at the city--at least this small part.

lady doing laundry
I guess I'm a peeping tom watching her do laundry and learning from her. She is on the roof below my balcony.

Comments

[Gailey]

Parting is sweet sorrow... I look forward to our visit soon!! Love, G

[Peggy]

So sad....so glad...
So sad you are leaving because you obviously have learned much, and had such a great time.....but glad to have you come back home....

[Fang Mei]

Hope you got home safe and sound
Hi, Susan. I hope that you have arrived at your home safe and sound after a long journey from the east to the west. It must have been very excited to see your family again. Thank you for attaching the photo of Ya and me to your writing. Also thank you for your books and other useful things you passed on to me. I promised to pass on your kindness to other people around me. I will miss you and come to your blog often. Enjoy your life which is free from work totally . Mei.

[Ji Liu]

Glad to meet you
Hi, Susan~so glad to meet you at Montreat, NC. I feel soooooo glad that you love China and wrote so many blogs about China and the days you spent there... Hope to meet you again in Atlanta.