David

Dear beauty of China,

In all my other letters, I complained about you. I said that I felt unsafe crossing your streets and mosquitoes were annoying. However, I still love you.

I love your food (I could live on Coco if I need to) and your meat is more like a condiment of a balanced diet. Rice, protein and vegetables were served at every meal. I love how the meal was always in a circle and communal. Everyone got the chance to see and listen to each other.

I also love how fit everyone is. Almost everyone on the trip noticed how fit and active senior citizens (in particular) were. Tai chi and dancing in the parks were common activities if not just walking around different cities and places.

In addition to just diet and exercise, you have so many beautiful places to walk to. The Great wall is intense but well worth the experience. The various temples and places of worship are underrated in terms of beauty and calmness (the 18 foot Buddah made of gold is quite memorable). The city itself is feng xue and so precise with where and how buildings look and are located. I really appreciate that aesthetic.

I also felt at home while abroad. People and especially students were so open and unafraid. O got the sense that they wanted me to be comfortable. I’ll never forget playing hackey sack in the park based on a spontaneous decision to watch and learn. The people seemed so open and welcoming.

Of course, I want to go back and I would prefer to go with people I know (I’m an introvert like that). I also want to go back to the hutongs and the suburbs outside the big cities. I want to see the jalopies and taste street food - the side of China not exposed by the media.

All in all, I loved the trip and I want to travel to Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Tibet. Wuhan and Shanghai are also on my wish list, but I really want to see my students in Fushan. 2 weeks is not nearly enough time to experience everything, but I appreciate what I did see.

Thanks, China. You are truly my second home.

Love, David