10 THINGS I MISSED ABOUT...
The first two months here in Canada were busy and exciting, so many things to do, mysterious nooks and crannies to explore, and settling down.
The next two months proved to be lackadaisical and the main enemies were fear – insecurities, anxieties, and the reality of starting to prove yourself all over again - rolled into one giant action-packed emotional meatball.
Added to that was homesickness, not for my birth country but for the country that I spent the last four years of my life before moving to Canada. Yes, I'm referring to my life in China. With all the haste and mumbo-jumbo that we juggled the last few months of our stay there, just to make sure that we would leave and not look back, here I am moping and missing the country that I couldn't wait to get out of.
And so, to further fan the embers of loneliness, I've come up with 10 Things That I Missed the Most in China:
1.Our Sunday Family – I missed Lee's baking and Rob and Hal's gibberish (hehe). I missed the Selstaad kids because I had free baby sitters (j/k), Carol's comforting words, Rudy and Kathy's gentle ways and hugging sprees, McKenzie's enthusiasm with about everything, fellow newbies like Jason and Ruby, John who always laughed at my jokes even when I wasn't even joking, and of course Emily and little Rachel. There's Maggie's super elastic and stretchable pout, my lipstick partner, even Bernie who was among the topnotch garage sale buyers. There were also those who left ahead of us like the Moores and the Chengs and Kristyn who makes you want to just sit and listen to her wonderful voice and I'm pretty sure I left somebody out but please know that I miss you all and if I can go back, I would hug you and kiss you and say goodbye properly. I was just afraid that I would be a cry baby so I intentionally skipped and diluted the bye bye process.
2.My Filipino Family – Cristina and Jane were the first Filipino friends that I had. We went through a lot and later on we didn't see much of each other but they will always have a special spot. Rosette, Moira, and Kris (not Filipinized yet but is currently being morphed=), also Ivy, who were constant companions during our last months in China. We played wizard a lot, travelled together, fought and cried and shared stuff and they forgave my nastiness most of the time. I missed Kris, too, even if I felt like squeezing his main arteries and snuffed him cold with his extra terrestrial view of everything. Moira's antics and Rosette's Pocahontas' demeanour =) There's also Cris Claver and his family, Lou, Len, and Raymond, and of course, among the closest in our hearts, Marivic and Blake and the kids. Thank you for being such good examples which we are now trying to emulate as we walk the talk.
3.My International Family – Julie would probably one who fit this bill because she has been a valuable friend and companion from time immemorial. She saw me through my earliest struggles and we shared a lot while we were locked in the school's dorm. She kept me sane all those years. Emmanuel was also priceless and I would never forget the way he sang to Amber when she was naught but a wee bairn (Scottish twang, anyone?). And who would forget my beloved Cindy McElvaney? Well, maybe you would but I won't. She is a loving soul through and through, always thinking of other people and she was always there for my mom and my daughter when I was out working. My heart is breaking just remembering you guys and I want you to know how priceless you are in my life. There's Julianna whose indomitable spirit conquered every Chinese cab drivers and facial attendants in Qingdao, there's Garren and Erika who were also one of my earliest friends, and so many others. I also remember fondly Ross Pitcairn's friendship and our dream to read each other's published works someday. Thank you for making my life full and for being such blessings.
4.Chinese Family – Our stay wouldn't have been as easy without teh help and friendship of our Chinese family. There's Andy's mama and baba, who treated us like one of them. We spent our Chinese New Year together for two or three years. There's Hawk and Wu chi who will always be dear in our hearts, fellow Wizard addicts with Hawk's infamous slapping line, “Lucky Bird!” There's Tao Ayi, who despite having extra decibels compared to us, served and loved us with all her heart. There's the teachers at my school but I'll mention them later, and so many otehrs who helped us balanced our perspectives against the everyday citizen that made us grit our teeth in....whatever. Thank you for sharing your culture and your language and yourselves, tehreby giving us a much deeper understanding of our differences and similarities.
5.International School Family - I was treated with respect (most of the time) while working with IDTS staff and of course, Karen who was always there for me, and then Lars and my co-teachers, and my unforgettable students. I miss the food even if I complained about it many times, I miss my grade 1, 2, and 6 students. The newspaper staff. They redefined and shaped and taught me a lot, more than they'll ever know.
6.Special Events – Are you kidding me? Almost every major milestone in my life has been covered when I was there. I met my future husband, had a baby, got married, had my parents over, and so on and so forth. I grew up the most the last four years of my life. Ironically but not surprisingly, I found my Savior in China, teh last place on earth that I would expect to. Life changing indeed.
7.Lifestyle - Andy was laughing at me because I always refer to our last apartment as my house even if we just rented it. I took for granted how much stuff we can afford there, the space that we had, the fact that we can fly my parents over easily. Transportation was easy and convenient and affordable so owning a car was not really necessary.
8.Nature – Somebody named the mountain in Hai qing lu as Jorge's mountain because when I first got there, every time I see it, I would always sigh in awe and just spread my arms wide. The naming wasn't official of course, I still have to stake my claim, but it never ceased to amaze me how beautiful it is even though they started building around it to the point that you can only see it in certain spots. And the sea, oh my, you have the best of both worlds at your fingertips.
9.The Stores – Who can forget the Tai dong area? I can actually dress like Princess Di if I want to with my favourite dressmaker, then go to the Mexican restaurant for some Tacos and of course, my milk tea with pearls. Metro is another regular spot that we go to at least once a month and then there's Jusco and Carrefour and Sunshine wormed its way in my heart when they started showing English movies.
10.The Food – fried scorpion, anyone? How about sea slugs or sea cucumbers? Er, dogs? The gamut of delicacies were enough to make you run in the opposite direction (hehe). Actually, I miss a lot of the food there such as the sweet and sour pork, thinly sliced potatoes cooked in vinegar, egg and tomato dish, oh, I should just stop before I raid my cupboard at 1 in the morning. I would probably see boxes of Kraft dinner, cheerios, jars of jellybeans and jube-jubes (Andy's still the same), etc. Sigh.........
Oh well, we are where we're supposed to be right now so I should stop fretting and start living.
I miss you all.
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