Title: Top 10 minor things to be thankful for


Our time in Jiangmen is winding down. Today is our final day of teaching and tomorrow begins a time for reflection, observations, and personal decompression as we get ready to re-enter our lives back home.

I will begin that in a more serious manner tomorrow, but on this last day of teaching, I thought I would offer a little list of some of the minor things that I have been thankful for.

1. The super-sized, strong umbrellas that the hotel has let us use. (The monsoon started yesterday)

2. That the monsoon only started yesterday

3. My Chaco sandals (if you’ve been following all along-I went with that brand and have been very happy, they have a thicker sole so my feet aren’t always submerged in puddles)

4. The internet, email, and skype (being able to talk to the family has made life so much better!)

5. Napkins. They are not readily available at restaurants, but thankfully, we have always had someone at the table who thought to snag some.

6. Hand Sanitizer

7. Bottled water

8. My pocket Chinese language guide. (For some reason, people don’t always understand me when I am clearly speaking their language. I am thankful that I’ve been able to whip open the little book and point to the character and then the light bulb goes on and they repeat what I am sure that I’ve been saying all along.)

9. The washer and dryer at the center. Once a week I haul a big bag of laundry to the center where we teach. The washing machine only soaks and spins without an agitator and the dryer takes 5 times to get the load dry. But by the end of the day, I have clean and dry clothes and it didn’t cost me a dime. I am very grateful they have thought to provide that for us.

10. Lai Huang Bao. (translation yellow milk buns) Those little guys are so delicious. I really don’t know how I ever lived without them? Oh, Lai Huang Bao…Where have you been all my life? Mom and I grab one from the street vendor and eat one almost every day. They will be missed.