Title: Rolly's recipies and More Goodbyes

Today was time with the team to reflect on the events of the last month. Since we've all been doing different things, we hadn't heard all of the stories. It was fun to go over some of the new ones. Mom and I were both happy to hear that one of the trainees in the adult class was extatic to get to take the Christmas tree home. We left the lights and the kids decorations on it and she apparently ran around the room like "Rocky" after winning a fight. I don't know if she wanted to use it in her class or take it home, but whatever she had in mind-she was SO happy! How awesome it that!

We also went through some of the natural feelings we might have when going back home. As you can imagine, we are all excited to see loved ones. I can't wait to hug Brian, Alex, Jake, and Jinmei. I miss them so much! But we have been on a "high" for a month with BIG things happening almost daily. It might take a couple days or a week to get back into a rythym of normalcy. The organization we came with has done a good job in preparing us for those feelings and given us some ways to make it easier. I imagine that someone who has done this for more long term would probably really need that re-entry counseling more than we will having only been gone a month.

In keeping with the saying goodbye theme, mom decided to have her hair washed. We pass about 4 salons everyday as we walk back and forth from the center. We always make a point to wave and they all come to the window and wave back. Sometimes they will be playing an American hit and of course mom has to stop and dance in the window. The salon boys laugh at that. So Mom decided she wanted to let them wash her hair to "say goodbye". They got a real kick out of us coming in. They all got tons of pictures and spoke Chinese with me. It turns out they are all between 16-18 years old. So young! I included a picture of that today!

We were treated to a big lunch today by two of the adult trainees. Fanny and Sunny took us to Fanny's favorite restaurant. They ordered 11 different things and we had a ton of food on the table. They wanted to treat us as a "thank you". Fanny also said that she had a secret suprise for us. She opened a bag and came over and gave me an ornament with jade on it since she knew I liked jade. Then she gave each of us special embroidered ornaments that she ordered from Beijing. It was so thoughtful! We said goodbye to them and shared email addresses.

We had promised Rolly and Judy (the two 14 year old girls we taught on Saturday evenings) that we would meet them to say goodbye at 5pm. By 5:30 I began to wonder if they weren't going to make it. Judy called and said her goodbyes over the phone, she had come earlier in the day and we were out. Rolly came in at 5:45 and said "What a pity! I have such regrets! I wanted to print out the pictures but I ran out of time" She had taken the time to translate 4 Chinese recipes into English for us. We read through them and she asked if they were "acceptable". I thought that was so nice of her! What 14 year old would do that? She then had a very sad look in her eyes and wanted to know when we would come back. Even though I have a feeling it will not happen for us to come back to Jiangmen, I told her that I would like to again someday. She really looked like she was going to cry. I gave her a hug and I told her I would email her. Another very sad goodbye. Mom and I left and commented to each other that we only met with those girls twice for 2 hours each time, and yet she felt such strong feelings.

I can't remember if I mentioned the balloon story. We had put a little note in about a dozen balloons last Saturday. They were on the floor of the classroom and during the break, Rolly and Judy were pushing the balloons together and getting photos with them. We then told them the game was to pop each balloon without using their hands. When Rolly heard that she said "Oh no! They are so beautiful! Do we have to pop them? Can't we take them home?" That kind of stopped me in my tracks. I never thought of a balloon as being anything special and yet to them it was. Just a little balloon. That is all it took to make some one's day. Just a balloon. We sent them home with a handful each!

This evening we said our goodbyes to the team. Another hard goodbye. It is amazing how we are all so different with different gifts and yet we came together as strangers and we leave as friends-forever bonded by this time together.

I had an unexpected phone call from my new friend Suphie when we got home. She had taken me for a foot massage last night and I thought that was our goodbye. I gave her my American T-shirt and a special coin with a neat message on it. I went down to the lobby and she had her arms full with gifts for me to take back to the family. I thought that was so kind of her. I really hope to keep in touch with her. So yet another hard goodbye.

Todays pictures: Mom getting her hair washed, The foot massage with Suphie, Lunch with Fanny and Sunny, ornaments from Fanny