a wonderful last week

This has been a wonderful last week. We went and got a massage from Chinese blind men on Monday which felt so so so good. It was so incredible. Then last night we went to Joans house because she has an oven which not many Chinese people do. She has never used it before but we made cookies in it to give to people for goodbye presents. It was really fun because my Yangzhong sisters came too and we all hung out and made cookies and brownies. I like my Yangzhong sisters. J

Yesterday Sara and I went to pick up our bikes from Oranges parents house. Orange asked us to leave her keys with her mom. We got to their house and her mom pulled in right behind us. We gave her the keys and gave her a hug and she started crying. It was so sad and so unexpected. We can’t understand each other so we wanted to tell her that this wasn’t the last time we would see her because we wanted to come back and say goodbye again the next day but we couldn’t. She was crying and stroking our faces and hugging us and kissing our cheeks. We all stood in the driveway crying and hugging and saying lots of “I love you”. It was so so so sad. She walked us out the driveway and we were all crying and said one last goodbye as we drove away. I looked back and she was standing at the end of her driveway watching us drive away. I am so thankful for my China Mom. I will miss her forever.

Tonight our school threw us a fancy dinner here at the cafeteria with all of our favorite lunch foods. It was so fun to think back on the first night Sara and I got to Yangzhong and we had a fancy dinner with our school. We were so uncomfortable and everything was so awkward because we couldn’t understand each other and they did a billion toasts that we didn’t know how to do. Tonight though after all these months we actually had a fun time at this dinner! Everyone is used to the fact that we can’t understand each other so it isn’t awkward anymore. We are able to laugh and somewhat gracefully do the toasts and it was just so much fun to think back on how far we have come since that first night here. J We said goodbye to the administration and the sweet dear lunch ladies. We were put in the best school in China. I have been so blessed.

After the dinner we said goodbye to StarLing. This also broke my heart. Hopefully someday he and his mommy will be able to come to America and I will see them again. He is so adorable. I will miss his giggle and “HELLO!” every time he sees me. I will miss his kisses and hugs and sweet sweet smile. We stood there tonight for a long time kissing cheeks. I would kiss his cheek then he would kiss mine then I would kiss his and then he would kiss mine and so on. Until eventually he quit thinking it was fun. Haha I will miss him! He is so cute. When I hugged him the last time he said, “I love you!” and then kissed my cheek and pranced down the stairs holding his grandpa’s hand in his own happy way.

Goodbye’s aren’t easy that’s for sure… but life moves on and I will always be so grateful for the memories that I will be able to cherish forever of my time here in China.