(out for meals and walks with friends, colleagues, students – my life in Xi’an)

It is Thursday night in Xi’an, and my time in China is quickly wrapping up.  I’ve attached a few pictures at the bottom of this entry from student final presentations in my seminar.  I was absolutely blown away by their work, and their honest, candid, smart reflections on their evolving perspectives of inclusive education during this course.  But, I’m saving that for a different entry.  For now, I will get a bit sentimental about how it is almost time to leave.

It is a bittersweet time, because I am excited to return home… but Xi’an has all of a sudden become home too.  I am overwhelmed by the relationships I have formed with faculty and students in such a short time…intense, meaningful moments are the prime time for relationship building, and intense, meaningful moments were the essence of this trip.  We weren’t just tourists.  (Well, we were tourists a lot).

But, we also lived here.  And worked here.

I seem to have found an (almost) effortless rhythm in my own daily routine in Xi’an.

I have friends, colleagues, and students to call upon to join me for meals or a cup of coffee.  I have work to do.  I have memories.  I have learned things that I can share with new “foreign teachers” that I meet who have just arrived and are trying to acclimate.  I have a favorite coffee shop.  I can go to my favorite coffee shop by myself.  I run into people I know around campus and the neighborhood.

I have a life here.

(at my favorite cafe – Sculpting in Time Cafe – all by myself.  A blissful and independent moment I won’t forget.  I never would have believed I could do this during my first few days..how cute is this place)

I was so nervous about this trip – it was one of the hardest decisions of my life to make.  Should I teach a class in China this summer?!  Am I crazy?!  Will I hate it?!  I am thankful to the people in my life that pushed me to do this unbelievable thing.

Coming to China has turned out to be one of the greatest adventures of my life.  I have found a new home, all the way in Xi’an.  Because I have found family there.