Happy Easter and Merry Spring Break!
I've been back in Michigan this week, revisiting my "previous life" and stepping back into good old Spring Arbor. It has been a blessing to be back in a place that was home for 4 years, with so many memories and friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime.
Flying is always a bit of a strange phenomenon, don't you think? You start on the ground in one place, surrounded by the [vaguely] familiar, spend multiple hours on a plane, and land somewhere completely different. That completely different place may be a familiar place, but often it is somewhere new and exciting, with a bit of anxiousness mixed in no matter how recognizable that place might be. An article in a favorite online magazine of mine put it best...you should read it (The Enigma of Arrival).
Being back at this former "home" of mine has been fantastic, though. Seeing friends that I honestly haven't had a lot of time to keep in touch with over the past few years and getting back up to speed on what is happening in their lives, as well as catching them up on what is going on in mine. It's amazing what a shock this whole China idea is to most of them. After the shock wears off, though, it is the seemingly never-ending process of explaining that "Yes, I am moving to China," and "No, I am not going to teaching English," although I suppose English is a part of what will I be covering in my classroom with my students.
I am braving into an unknown universe, it seems; one where few of the people that I know have a concept of footprints off of the well-worn path. So on I tread. I hope my flip flops will be able to hold up!
I've been back in Michigan this week, revisiting my "previous life" and stepping back into good old Spring Arbor. It has been a blessing to be back in a place that was home for 4 years, with so many memories and friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime.
Flying is always a bit of a strange phenomenon, don't you think? You start on the ground in one place, surrounded by the [vaguely] familiar, spend multiple hours on a plane, and land somewhere completely different. That completely different place may be a familiar place, but often it is somewhere new and exciting, with a bit of anxiousness mixed in no matter how recognizable that place might be. An article in a favorite online magazine of mine put it best...you should read it (The Enigma of Arrival).
Being back at this former "home" of mine has been fantastic, though. Seeing friends that I honestly haven't had a lot of time to keep in touch with over the past few years and getting back up to speed on what is happening in their lives, as well as catching them up on what is going on in mine. It's amazing what a shock this whole China idea is to most of them. After the shock wears off, though, it is the seemingly never-ending process of explaining that "Yes, I am moving to China," and "No, I am not going to teaching English," although I suppose English is a part of what will I be covering in my classroom with my students.
I am braving into an unknown universe, it seems; one where few of the people that I know have a concept of footprints off of the well-worn path. So on I tread. I hope my flip flops will be able to hold up!
Location: Spring Arbor, MI
Local Time (EST -- GMT-4): 5:30 p.m. (4/13/2012)
Auburn Time (PST -- GMT-7): 2:30 p.m. (4/13/2012)
Chengdu Time (CST -- GMT+8): 5:30 a.m. (4/14/2012)
No comments:
Post a Comment