The Arrival

Getting back into the swing of things is never an easy task. When coming back to Door County, I had to get use to taking the hectic pancake orders at Al’s while trying to squeeze in valuable sunshine time at Pebble Beach. Once my schedule of juggling three jobs and managing to meet with friends at Leroys was set, then summer felt like a breeze. A fast breeze at that. The fall has already crept up on all of us and we are wondering where our precious summer days went. Yet, instead of wishing those summer days were still with us, we have to get back into the swing of things of a slower pace. For all of you proud Door County locals, the fall belongs to us, where we can finally take a deep breath, sleep in, stretch, and possibly go on needed vacations. As you are enjoying the change in colors of the leaves, I am enjoying the change in scenery and perspective since I have recently moved back to China. Getting back into the swing of things is never an easy task, but I feel as though there is always a new perspective to see and a newfound comfort to enjoy.

Try envisioning a clothes horse trying to fit her life for the next eight months into two suitcases that can only weigh 44 lbs each. It was not an easy task for this girl, and yes, there were tears and sweat in the process of trying to pack for my journey. Luckily, everything has arrived safe and sound to China, including myself. I cannot even find the right adjectives to describe our 14-hour flight from Chicago to Shanghai. Long, draining, and buzz-worthy. Luckily, my music mixes from home kept me company when I tried to sleep and soon enough, we landed smoothly in the metropolis city of Shanghai. The first night was somewhat of a blur, which included eating soup noodles (something I had missed for the last 5 months) and Jeanee telling me to stay awake while I was already passed out and drooling on my latest edition of Glamour.

The second day in Shanghai was anything but ordinary. We took the subway to the main event of the decade, the Shanghai World Expo. If you haven’t check out the World Expo online, please do it now. Just like my flight over to China, there are no adjectives to truly describe the magnificent enormity of the area. While we were buying tickets, I already had to use my elbows to stop a man from reaching in front of us and try to buy his tickets at the same time. (Thanks to my basketball years of being a ruthless forward, I’m really good at boxing out and using my elbows when people try to cut in front of me!) Many countries built extravagant buildings to represent their motto or theme. The United States pavilion was in the shape of a steel eagle, which wrapped its wings around the people, who were waiting for longer than 3 hours to tour the building. Spain was created out of 8,000 wicker weavings, while the United Kingdom was represented by a building that looked like an enormous dandelion seed to represent the birth of new ideas and the future. The World Expo stretches for miles and of course, we went when 350,000 other people were visiting. By the end of the day, my feet had gained six blisters, but a huge smile was stretched across my face. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity filled me with extreme excitement and anticipation for what I may experience throughout the next eight months.

Before I lived in China, I never realized how expansive the country is. Roadtrips throughout the country would take days, even months. Even when traveling to The Linden Centre, it takes a couple of days to arrive at our final destination. As I’m writing to you, I’m sitting in a friends living room in Kunming, which is a three hour flight from Shanghai and another five hour drive to The Linden Centre. Soon enough, we will all be settled into the village life in Xizhou and getting back into the swing of things.

Til next time.

Peace Love and Happiness