In early February 2010, our time in China came to a close. The last few months were quite strange as Charles left for the Philippines in November and I stayed in China for two more months. It felt like we had one foot in China and one foot in the Philippines. During this transition period, I frequently had déjà vu moments as the imminent departure from Chengdu reminded me so much of the departure from Samoa in 1996. I was ready to leave and start the next chapter in our lives, but at the same time I was not ready to say goodbye – goodbye not only to the wonderful people we met in Chengdu, but also goodbye to the experience in general.
The farewells to the Peace Corps staff and our friends in Chengdu were very touching. With help from my tutor, I prepared a farewell speech to the staff in Chinese. Someone was impressed that I only used characters for my notes during the speech. I couldn’t imagine only saying goodbye to them in English after all of their patience in helping me use Chinese day in and day out.
There were also last meals with the two families who I got to know due to their interest to practice English and to get to know a foreigner. At the same time, these families helped me practice Chinese, learn more about Sichuan cooking and gain insights into the daily lives of these folks.
My good friend from grad school, Begoña, came to Chengdu for a weekend in the middle of January during a work trip to China. Her visit was great timing in helping me to appreciate once again some of the things that I had perhaps taken for granted, e.g., the amazing Sichuan cuisine. She and I had the chance to visit some friends who had recently moved into their new apartment. It was wonderful to share a meal in their new home together and then go out for a few drinks. Moments like that evening were the focus of my last few weeks in Chengdu – spending quality time with folks and appreciating the friendships that had developed since 2007.
While I won’t miss the overcast weather and polluted air of Chengdu, I will greatly miss the people… the people who made me laugh all the time and made going to work a lot of fun, and the people who were as interested in learning about Americans as we were about Chinese. Along with the amazing places we visited and the great food that we enjoyed, the people we got to know made our 2+ years in China so memorable and worthwhile. From this point forward, when I hear a story about China in the news…whether it’s about Google leaving due to censorship and hacking, or about not cooperating with the international community or accusations of human rights violations, I will remind myself that the people of China are not its governments’ actions/words nor are they the media’s interpretations of these actions/words.
Before coming to China, I hardly knew anything about its people, language, history and culture. In leaving, I feel I’ve learned so much and gained incredible insights into this country. That said, this knowledge is still just the surface. I hope to continue learning about China in bits and pieces going forward. Now from the outside, it will be fascinating to watch how China meets the challenges it faces this century in terms of its environment, economy and peace within its borders as well as with the rest of the world.
I wish China shun li (顺利)… smooth sailing amidst these challenges and as it struggles to define itself as a ‘harmonious society’. My other wish for the country is that its leaders focus on the well-known Communist expression, wei renmin fuwu (为人民服务). ‘Serve the people’ in terms of what’s best for their health and overall well-being.
Congrats on a fantastic journey in China, guys. What a great blog. I hope your next adventure is as rewarding as this. And remember Casey Kasem's wise words: "Keep your feet on the ground and reach for the sky."
Posted by: Johnny C | March 30, 2010 at 06:06 AM