From the afternoon that I met her in the hallway of the
California hotel where we were to complete our pre-China training, I knew I
wanted to be her friend.
And now, five years and fifty thousand memories later, I
consider myself rich. She became my friend.
Confidant. Ally. Counselor. Sidekick. Sometimes my
leader, sometimes my follower. Teammate—in every sense of the word. My number
one sounding board. Travel buddy. Greatest encourager. True soul sister.
In this crazy life of living in a place where you don’t
belong, a friend like this is rare, invaluable, precious. Living no more than twenty feet away
from each other the whole five years, we have bonded through shared purpose,
deep joy, and confusing pain. The lattice of our friendship has been woven
through a million moments…
Riding on the back of her electric scooter, ignoring
traffic lights just like the locals
Five consecutive Christmas mornings of making our own
traditions…complete with the precious box of CheezIts shipped in from America
Countless hangout time with students in our apartments
Rescuing each other from the crowds at English corner (Is it
8:30 yet??)
Experiencing the loss of one of our dearest Chinese friends
Nanchang Train Station at 2 am---“the not-good, the bad, and the ugly”
Me blissfully texting her in those moments when my love for
the students threatens to explode my heart
#hashtagtexts
Meals together around the world (Thailand, China, Malaysia,
Vietnam, USA)
Boat rides in three countries
Hotel horror stories (the filthy common squatty/shoilet and
the mold in the bottom of the glasses!)
Being greeted with exploding firecrackers upon our arrival
at a student’s countryside home
Dealing with the horrors of Chinese bathroom
facilities---especially the time when I was showed to the restaurant’s bathroom
which also functioned as the storage room of the establishment’s noodle supply
(buckets of noodles sitting on the edge of the squatty potty)
Sleeping in foreign airports (Thailand, Vietnam)
Long, adventurous train rides throughout China
Fourteen hours on a "hard seat" train trip (once in a lifetime is enough!)
Inside jokes (“I only hate really stupid people”)
Bonding with the workers in the cafeteria, the copy shops,
the milk tea shops…
Comforting a weeping student
Being stared at, everywhere—even by a bus driver who
rubbernecked as he drove past us
Communicating in a foreign language
Christmas parties---hundreds of students, hundreds of
cookies, hundreds of pictures
Cultural stress
Visiting graduated students in other cities, and reuniting
with them in Nanchang
Lesson planning/ Teaching
The days when we used to shop at the busiest Wal-Mart in the
world, on the busiest day
Watching movies/shows online (much more accessible over here
but sometimes the subtitles go wacko!)
Talking to our Father together
Our birthday parties with students
KTV awesomeness
Talking about anything and everything, all the time
For five years, together we have chosen to love this place, these
students. The Chang has broken into our souls and we have returned again and
again. And now, we are saying goodbye to this place, this life, and to each other.
This Nanchang life has had its grimy, exhausting moments as
well as its exhilarating, hilarious, and heartwarming ones.
I wouldn’t have wanted to experience the heartache and the
wonder of this place with anyone else.
Frodo said it best:
"What about Sam? I want to hear more about him.
Frodo wouldn't have gotten far without Sam."
Lovely. Touching. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeletebeautiful.
ReplyDeleteL O V E
ReplyDeleteLove both of you! And we all will miss you deeply.
ReplyDelete