Back in the 'jing!

Christmas 2016, I went to Siem Reap, Cambodia, to visit
the temples with this beautiful soul from Jacksonville, FL.
As I said at the conclusion of our trip, we had some amazing
'God' moments, or 'Buddha' moments, or what ever higher
power you choose to believe. The fabric of our two lives
were most certainly woven together then, and we became
more than work colleagues. Elena and I are friends for life.

When I had the crazy idea this fall, to make a surprise
 visit to Beijing this winter, she was my 'go to woman'
to call upon for help and to keep my visit a secret.
First I had to secure a Visa to travel to China since
I am no longer working there, and that required a
Letter of Invitation from someone living there.
Elena was the obvious choice, and she was more
than willing to let me stay with her a few days.
She truly is the bestest. <3

With the fall semester a mere 48 hours in my
rear view mirror, I was wearing the new comfy
slippers Emily bought me for the long hop over.

The moment I landed at PEK, it was strangely familiar. Of
course, I only left China six months ago, but it had been my
home away from home for three years.  Just as before, I
 snapped a photo of the Olympic's Bird Nest as I did in all
 of my travels to and from the airport. It marked the halfway
point of my cab ride, and I still marvel at its construction.

I couldn't believe that the large market place, with what I called
"Home Depot alley", our dry cleaners, the bakery, my two
go-to restaurants, the donkey burger guy...all of it is GONE.
In the last two months, tens of thousands of the 3-5 million
migrant workers have been evicted from their homes in a mass
movement to remove dangerous or unsafe structures in the
city. It is heartbreaking to me, as these people were relocated
by the government from the country side to build a bigger
and better, more modern Beijing. They have worked tirelessly
in the last ten years, and now the government has decided
their services are no longer needed. This is travesty-
even more so that they have been given 24 hours to leave
with what they can carry, yet they have no where to go.
Worst of all??? It is the dead of freakin' winter and
Beijing is so unbelievably cold! It literally hurts my heart.
In my opinion, BJ is cutting her own throat, as these
are the people who sort the garbage, clean the streets,
man the bus stops. deliver goods on tuk tuks and clean
the homes of the rising middle class. They are still very
much needed for the city to run. It is truly maddening :(
For more, click here: Migrants are savagely forced from Beijing

The more things change, the more they remain
the same...every person on the subway has
their nose in a phone. Geesh.

I will say Beijing has worked to improve it's air quality. Every
day I was there the AQI was under 100, and the mountain views
were spectacular. My colleagues say the air has been especially
good so far this whole school year. I was told they contracted
with Russia for natural gas and have closed many of the
coal factories. Sadly, for the poor folks who have no heat in
their homes and still use coal for cooking and heating,
they, too, are freezing in the dead of winter as burning coal
anywhere in the city limits is now met with stiff penalties :(
The plus side is Elena has a beautiful mountain view from her apt.!

I quickly dropped my bags after my arrival, and
we hopped on the subway to Wanshoulu to get
some Thai food. We ran in to Steven on the subway
and he joined us for dinner.  It was good to catch
up with him as he is headed off to Bali for
his next teaching contract- well done, Steven!

We had a delicious, spicy chicken curry, vegetables, rice,
and this sea bass. It was so tasty. We topped it off with the
best dessert ever- sticky mango rice and cream- YUM.

The next morning I went to Dr. Dong who set me up with
my medicine until my insurance begins in January.  It was so
good to see her again, she really became a close friend.
After a bit of quick Christmas shopping, I went to BNDS
in the afternoon for my surprise visit!  It was so good to
see my Chinese babies, like this sweet girl, Beatrice :)

After school, students came up to the 7th floor cafe for a visit.
At one point I had ALL of my AS Psychology students and
most of my AP students. Unfortunately I didn't capture them
all in the group photo before they had to go to dinner.
They currently are all sitting on pins and needles, as in the
 next 36 hours they will be hearing from the universities
for which they applied under Early Decision. They
are anxious to receive their acceptance letters; and
I am excited to learn where they will land in my
part of the world. Maybe some will come to Florida?

Elena made reservations at my favorite restaurant
for Peking Duck Dinner. I was so surprised to
see my friend Kathy who retired (for the second time)
after our second year of working together.  Her husband,
Ray, is still teaching PE at BNDS until his retirement.
It was so good to catch up; it made my heart happy :)

Private dining in China is pure
opulence, complete with your own
private Western bathroom and a
staff of servers. And the best part?
(besides the Peking Duck, of course)
No tipping in China!

Unfortunately I did not get everyone in the group photo as
some folks needed to make a quick exit- it was a school
night, after all. This group of people are some of the
most talented and finest educators I have ever encountered.

The next day, I returned to BNDS to catch up with some more
folks, like my fellow mid-Westerner, Douglas.

Carlos! You're a legend!  I found this gem on
a bookshelf in the faculty lounge on the 3rd floor!

All of the faculty lounges on each floor have been redecorated in
traditional Chinese furnishings and student artworks. It is so
beautiful! It made me want to grab a cup o' joe and start grading papers:)

One of my former students, Jenny, is a brilliant
student and artist.  Her entire 20 piece portfolio for
AP Art was a series depicting various mental
illnesses. Many are now displayed throughout the
school.  As you can easily guess, this is bipolar disorder.
She is now in the US, double majoring in Psychology
and Art; she wants to be an art therapist.  I am so proud <3

I stopped in on Mr. Sax's chorus and they serenaded me with
Christmas carols.  These kids are so good, so talented, in
everything they choose to endeavor.  It is very admirable.

2018 is the year of the Dog; but my birth year is the Rabbit.
I found this rabbit in a display on the third floor faculty lounge.
Betty, the head mistresses, invited me in for a cup of coffee
and we spent a good hour catching up.  She was so relaxed,
giggling like a school girls. She typically is 'all business.'
When I photographed the rabbit and told her it was my
birth sign, she replied, "That's it! No wonder you have the
energy and youthfulness of a young person. You are a rabbit!"

We had a good laugh about that, and she once again
called my her American sister-friend, and gave me the
warmest hug...a rarity for a Chinese person.
It gave me a happy heart once again :)

I don't think I would ever live in Beijing
again, but BNDS is expanding to several
other cities in China. If they end up in
South China, where the air is warmer and
cleaner, I would give it serious consideration.
Until then, I am so happy for the experience
and friendship that Betty has given to me.

I had so much fun surprising my Chinese friends,
like Wing and Lin Yan, and even the cleaning
lady from my 6th floor classroom- there were
hugs and laughter all around <3

But of all my students, colleagues and friends,
THIS girl, is my heart. She IS my Chinese baby.
I have seen Rachel blossom and grow in confidence
and maturity.  She overcame a childhood stutter
 in this last year, and even wrote her college admissions
essay about it (also a rarity for a Chinese person to
be so self-disclosing- 'saving face' and all'). As a
junior she scored a 5 on the AP Exam, with my
encouragement she was accepted and attended a
Neuroscience summer course at the University of
Chicago this past summer, and she, too, is now
anxiously awaiting on her acceptance letters from
the US. It broke my heart to tell her I was leaving
BNDS, and we both cried and held each other.
She was to have been my TA this school year.
She discovered her voice, and a passion for
psychology, and she plans to pursue it as her
major this next school year. To say I am proud
of Rachel is an understatement, for sure. <3

At the end of the school day, I hastily went back to Elena's
apartment to pack up my suitcases and return to BNDS for
a student Holiday concert.  Such talented kids!

Miss Sylvia is a rockin' bass player, who also
plans to study Psychology in the USA.  If I
accomplished anything in my time at China,
it was to open their eyes, ears, and hearts to
the world of mental illness and to teach
them empathy and understanding for those
who suffer.  I also taught them about all the
treatments available for mental illness, beyond
Traditional Chinese Medicine and practices.
China is most definitely a developing nation,
in so many, many ways, and recognizing,
understanding and offering successful treatments
for mental illness is one of them.  The job market
will be wide open when my students return to
China with their degrees in hand- and China will
desperately need their servant's hearts <3 <3 <3

After the concert, my friend Rob and I headed to the east side to have dinner at the Engler's home.  I am so sorry I do not have a photo from that evening.  (I was so incredibly jet lagged; and the adrenaline rush of the last two days had finally worn off!) Their home was decorated in American Christmas splendor, and Scott made the most incredible shepherd's pie for dinner.  It was the perfect comfort food on a cold winter's night in Beijing.

While the cobwebs filled my head, I tried desperately
to stay awake on Zach's bed for some 'girl talk' with my
good friend, Deanna. As I began to doze off,  I was
reminded of all the memories I have with her and
 her family in the two short years I have known them.
...like that time we went to Lamma Island, Hong Kong together. 

I was flooded with snippets of how our lives have intertwined
the last two years... school trips like to Stone Forest Gorge where
we 'hung out' on the glass platform over the canyon. Trips to
Tianjin, the Hanging Temples of Datong, or exploring our
own fare city, Beijing, like the Zoo with my grandkids, Badachu
for the 'sliding ride', or TSquare with a Dunkin Donuts date
afterwards. We understood each other's pain as I lost my
mother, then she, her father, just a few months later.

I think that living abroad, in a career that has people constantly moving
 in and out of your life, tends to speed up and solidify those which are
genuine friendships. I am sure Deanna would say that I took her and her family
 under my wing to ease their transition to China. But the truth for me is that
 they took me in as 'family', in the absence of my own. Leaving home and my
 children was always the most difficult part of choosing a life abroad. It was
only fitting that the last adventure trip of China (before my permanent return
 home in July), was when my daughters visited me in June. With the Englers,
we planned an extended weekend in Chengdu, China, where we got to visit
 the Panda Bear Reserve. Having one of my last travel photos taken with
 the Englers and my girls together makes me so happy :) 
Next to my own children, I love me some Englers <3

With these precious memories swirling in my head, I was soon fast asleep.  The night was short, as I had a taxi picking me up at 5:00am the next morning to fly to Okinawa, Japan.  I was going to see my Ellie Bug and her new husband at Kadena Air Base for the Christmas holiday.  Let the adventuring continue, Japan is another country to scratch off the list!

G'nite, y'all!