Twilight in China

Our extraction from China is in full swing -- we never thought we'd make it this far, but it has arrived! We came to China a little over 2 years ago, wanting to see the world, to help people (broad definition), and to learn a little more about ourselves. I can see now that we have fully accomplished all of those goals.

We've seen so many parts of China, from west to east, north to south. We've traveled by bus, train, plane, 3-wheeled moto-pedicab, boat, bicycle, waveboard, rickshaw, and innertube. China's a big place. We've seen ethnic majorities and minorities, the privileged and the oppressed, the drunk and the sober, the young and the old. We've seen ancient craftsmanship and modern atrocity, and vice versa. We've seen the US and the Western world through Chinese eyes.

We've helped people. We've taught English to about 500 Chinese students. We've made friends with many, and given them all a few smiles to remember (our efforts and their own worthiness). We've carried bags for people, and given them gifts. We've addressed each person as best we can, telling them that they are special, even in a country of over a billion. We've tried to break up violence and encourage critical thinking. We've told our students that we believe in their success.

We've also learned much about ourselves. How we can live inside a culture that seems to choke us and free us at the same time. How 'friendship' can be redefined (and 'marriage' for that matter). We have learned that helping others doesn't mean losing yourself, or even changing the other. We have learned that we can make it through, even when failure seems imminent. I may have even learned how to keep a blog (sporadic though it is).

We leave our teaching site on July 14th to head down to the Peace Corps office in Chengdu to outprocess. Then we go to a wedding and have dinner with a friend. After that, it's on to Italy, France, and then back to the US, where we will of course experience a world of reverse culture shock. We'll have to sift through the layers of China that have accumulated to feel at home again, in our home. And then eventually all the layers will mesh together, and we'll feel at home not just in the US or China, but in the world, in our own skins.

Thank you to all of those who have made contact with us over these 2 years; we have not taken it for granted, and we will not forget it! Thank you to all those who have sent materials for our library; the students see it as a community place, and they will continue to take ownership of it. Thank you for all the phone calls, greeting cards, visits, letters, e-mails, and other messages. They have sustained us!

We will surely blog again from the US, about the next chapter of our lives: finding employment, places to live, friends, family, and our future, whatever it might be.

At this point, I have way too many pictures to post here. Please follow the links below to our photos. Au revoir!

Site 1: June 2007 - January 2009
Site 2: January 2009 - present