Actually I have been for 3 months to the day.
How could that happen? The small eternity I spent across the world has whisked by me like a speeding Chinese bus. I've already been home more than half the time I was away!
NO WAY.
No.
no.
As the stretching dates between this and my last post, you can see I've been keeping busy.
First I'll tell you what I can remember about my trip home.
The last 2 and a half days spent in Jiangxi are blurred beyond recognition in my memories... I guess that happens when time starts speeding up. I know we went the headmaster's office and received certificates for having taught there. It was the last time I remember being treated inferior for being a woman (none of the girls were spoken to directly, messages had to be relayed through Garth). I really remember packing, and re-packing and re-re-packing. I remember cleaning my room. Watching the last episode of SCRUBS (crying). Leaving notes and help for the next Americans to come to Mayflora. Then I remember showering and while I was showering getting a knock on my door.
Noelle: "Hey we're headed down"
AH! So I hurried and got out of the shower. Got dressed. Hung my wet towel and left shampoo, toothpaste, some clothes, baby oil... anythings I didn't want to take up my 50lbs weight limit. Rolled my suitcase out the door with fanny pack and dufflebag back-pack on and closed to door to the 6th floor room that had become my own. It was all kind of rushed, and though there was drama in the action, I wasn't sad to go. Then I somehow managed to get all my things downstairs. We weighed our bags in the kitchen. Loaded into a Van and left. Forever. Even if someday I go back to China the chances of me ever being at MAYFLORA again are .000001%. Which BLOWS my mind. That part of my life is a Chapter only I and my 3 Americans will ever fully read because only we were there. That's weird for me because EVERYwhere else in my life that I've been I've been with someone else, or I came after. I always followed Aunistee and Harminee in Schools, or Church classes. Both of the Jobs I have had they worked there too. Friend I make, I share. Trips or Conventions I've been to in Highschool I've had Phoebe or Zoe by my side.
But Mayflora is just mine (and my 3 Americans)
None of my family will ever meet Lory. No one I see daily will remember Tessa putting R's at the End of Panda or China (Pander-Chiner). No nose will recall the true STENCH of a Mayflorian Children's bathroom. hahaha
The "gas-station-bathroom" cleanliness of the Kitchen.
The beautiful grounds always adorned in blinking Christmas lights at night, and drying laundry on every bush, post or fence on sunny days.
The Giant square that I crossed every morning, not knowing what to expect from the kids that day.
The basketball courts tucked in wherever they fit.
Walking by the high school and feel like a million-bucks (Whitest Girl=Prettiest Girl)
Getting caught in children traffic if you walk outside at all during afternoon break. "HELLO TEACHER!"
And how whether it had POURED (which it often did) the night before or we had sun for a week straight, EVERYTHING was ALWAYS WET!
I wish I would've been more sad to leave, I was too excited to go home. I'll never see that place again.
Here are the last pictures I managed to snap before eagerly jumping in the van and driving away forever.
In some we're actually already in the Van... so... they don't count.
Tim's daughter played with all of our hair for like 2 hours... it was really nice... at first.
She was the cutest though. I mean really.
Then... we got to Fuzhou and I don't remember what we did all day but I know we ate Pizza and that Kirsten told Garth not to touch her in this photo which made us laugh like way hard
Then Tim asked for a Serious Photo
We're cool.
I also discovered something called a Dark Angel. Chocolate IceCream in Coke with whipped cream. I LOVE it. I still have it all the time.
Here it the first one I ever had:
Somewhere between this photo and the Train Station we said Goodbye to TIM
I, having lost the ANTM challenge (because the girls I picked to win went home like the next episode) I had been bet/ the payment for loosing was hugging Tim and telling him I loved him and He personally MADE my China Experience. I came through. hahaha
And then we sat and waited.
And then we got on a Train! I love Trains forever. I liked the first one we went on the Shanghai better but Ahhh well. Here are some Train Pictures. The dark one is in the middle of the night when everyone was very asleep. So asleep that they were snore. DEEP DEEP snores. Noelle and I walked the length of the train which was fun. we even found a WESTERN toilet WITH toilet paper up by first class. Ca-Ching!
Then we got to Shaghai and the rest... has no rhyme reason or order so I'll just post
Kirsten and I went to the Wax Museum to see Lee Min-Ho
We also took photos with other wax figures while we were there.
I saw these bathroom signs:
Stress on Hygiene. Wash hands usually.
usually.
a girl bathroom and a girl+boy bathroom. no solo boys
Girls put on makeup, boys try not to wet yourself.
We went to a mall and took some Pictures there. Mostly I took them in the toy store:
so much Play-dough!
Marc for Harminee
Monchihies for Mama!
We ate food:
And we just chilled in that city:
making wishes off the peer and being awkward on the tube
Cassidy visited us and told us how perfect her life and school and everything was in China. She showed us how short the stick we had drawn was. yikes! I got pretty upset about it but... then I realized I had the experience of a lifetime, so I'm over it now.
Cables around the city looking like a Giant Spidey-Trap
Look I drove in China. never gets old... don't even have that car anymore
He had made this instrument himself. It did not sound lovely... but we Loved it!
These girls were going ALL out with heels and dresses and Cameras and poses
So I did too.
The "Sight-Seeing Tunnel" was the cheesiest/lamest light-show tunnel in the history of ever.... but it made me laugh with its amateurishness and weird commentary ("meteor showers")
One time I was not paying attention and I heard LIB! as the subway doors CLOSED! I WAS LEFT ALONE IN CHINA!Everyone around me was worried about me (because they saw me run to try to catch the last one). luckily we had a prior plan ready in case this happened. I got on the next train and my posse was waiting for me at the next stop. hahahaaaa too funny though.
We made our way through the city and on the last night slept at a hotel a subway stop away from the airport. Bought Kinder products while we still could. ate our last dumplings and made a looooooooooonnnggg connecting-flight-full trip home.
So proud of Marina and her Diamonds for being on the Planes music list. I remember freshman year being the only person I knew who knew her name! I Always Loved you!
SCORE! no one was on the seat next to me... sadly this was for my 2 hour flight not the 11 hour one. D:
I have a weird thing where I take too many pictures of what I eat.
Hours later I got off the plane
And then I was home!
I cried before the first 20 or so meals I ate and sometimes just randomly while looking at my phenomenal family! (It's 3 months later and sometimes I still do) They were still here! Right where I'd left them! Everything was. It seemed like nothing had changed!
'China' was in the past.
This HUGE thing I had never thought possible to get through was now a tiny memory for me to tell stories about or cry over sometimes.
Now that's all it is; stories and photos, memories and some tears.
When I think about it sometimes, I wonder if I actually went. I know I did because the girl who came back is not the same one at the one who left. China gave me courage in myself.
China made me a tougher Lib, a Lib that's WAY more independent, a Lib who, on a whim, decided to move out on her own for the first time across the world and live in Asia for a half a year!( and DID it! )
China made me a better Lib,
a Lib who believes in herself, believes Lib can do whatever she sets her mind to,
a Lib who believes she can handle any adventure, anywhere
And a Lib ready to put all those new beliefs into action.
DEAR SISTER VALENZUELA
You are here by called to serve as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You are assigned to labor in the Paraguay Asuncion North Mission.
I told you I've been busy.
Anyway, thanks following my little adventure through China.
I can't very well write an end to the stories of my life while I'm still living it, but that sure was a crazy chapter.
XoXo
Lib
