Friday' s events and thoughts

Schedule for Friday...last tutoring session with Vicky, during which we learned no Chinese but shed a few tears (still seeing her on Sunday for dinner)..shop, lunch with classmate who I got to cut class to go shopping...we had the Xiamen version of spring rolls off a no frills lunch counter (see above). These lunch counters are the Chinese equivalent to the diner, usually a one woman operation (but the food sits out so a good idea to eat early, as we did!)
Afternoon -- pack and sort through 8000 tiny slips of paper in every drawer of the apartment -- did we really only live here 1 year?!?! Congratulate the kids on their last day of school (check back to the graduation post -- I posted Helen's "cap and gown" photo...

Dinner with Vivian, Helen's tutor, and her parents. Her mother is the principal of the Kindergarten where the girls attended. (Note to my readers in Philadelphia and Illinois -- I told her to expect some more American kids! Her reply "Good...do their mothers want to teach the kids some English?!?!") Vivian's father is a professor in the Education department.

They showered the kids with presents and brought Huan Huan a birthday cake.

It was a very pleasant way to send the evening...but a Chinese banquet every night for a week!...anyone here can relate to how tiring that is! And the food is so tempting, hard not to overdo it! Finally some good byes, until Vivian decided that the dress she gave Sophia was too small and she would have to exchange it and come over tomorrow afternoon!


Vivian's friendship has been very significant for Helen, hard to put into words...I like that she got to know such a smart and enthusiastic young woman on her own terms, and learned some Chinese in the bargain, although they did more playing than studying!

So we are now at the 48 hours to departure point. I am constantly thinking about things I would like to blog about, but too busy to sit and write them! I am working on finding some things to look forward to in the US..little things such as Mexican food, knowing what everything says, having a yard I can send the kids out to on their own, etc. Of course looking forward to seeing my friends and family, especially my mom...

Also looking forward to some other things, such as a free press (which I will never take for granted again!) and atmosphere of openness and even the argumentative nature of Americans..I am longing for it! The focus in the public sphere in China is social harmony by whatever means necessary...and while we get irritated in the US with polarization in the political sphere, I am really looking forward to hearing more than one point of view on the nightly news. The fact that Americans political figures can vehemently disagree with each other, but everyone assumes that power will be wielded peacefully -- this is a very, very big deal. I really get that now. Which is good since the presidential campaign is in full swing and you all are probably sick of it already.

One thing about leaving China, even though we are hoping to return, is that China changes so fast that we might not recognize it by the time we come back! It will be so interesting to watch and see what the effect of the development of the Chinese economy will have on the daily lives and political life of the country and the people I have come to know. As I have portrayed quite consistently in the blog, I am awed by energetic and hard-working nature of the Chinese people, and by the amazing transformation of China in the past 20 years....so curious about where it will lead....I guess we will just have to come back...

OK -- back to packing and Saturday's social agenda, which includes a birthday party for 6 little girls and another farewell dinner in addition to MORE PACKING (is it all going to fit...hmmmmm?)