I'm writing this on Friday night as I sit at home while The Man is
performing. I have the documentary
Wild China playing on Netflix. Even though it's talking about nature and the more remote parts of China, it's making me nostalgic. I lived in northern China for a year, from June 2002 to May of 2003 and yes, I was there during SARS. There are days that I think about it and I have a hard time realizing that it was almost 10 years ago. That just blows my mind. Where have the past 10 years gone? When I think back to where I was 10 years ago (finishing up my junior year of college and already thinking about what I would do when I graduated) I am amazed to see where my life has gone. If you had told me 10 years ago that I would be a stay at home Navy wife with a home based business I probably would have laughed at you.
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| The Great Wall |
The time I spent in China (plus the two years in Viet Nam) really do seem like a different life. I was younger and single, just out of college and ready to take on the world. It was an adventure. It was an amazing time in my life and I am so thankful I had the experiences I did. They helped shape me into who I am today. There is absolutely no way I would have been able to handle the crazy schedule of the Navy if I hadn't had to deal with the schedule craziness in China (& Nam).
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| Chinese Friends |
I also had an amazing team of women that I worked and lived with in China. They taught me so much about living in community...they made such an impact that I still think about those things 9 years later. The nice thing is that I'm still in touch with them (thank you Facebook for making it easy!) I am very much looking forward to catching up with them when we all arrive in heaven. I'm also looking forward to seeing which of my students will be there as well. God brings some of my students to mind from time to time and I am burdened to pray for them. After all this time I am still their teacher. I know that God will continue to work in their lives and I pray that any seeds I was able to plant are being watered and are growing. I'm also looking forward to seeing the teachers I worked with. They were (an are) some amazing people and I miss them.
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| The teachers I worked with |
I'd love to go back someday. There are still many places within China that I would love to visit, like Xi'an and Kunming. There are still times when I have a hard time believing that I've been to the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Tienanmen Square, The Temple of Heaven and spent several weeks in Shanghai. I'd love to visit them all again. I'd love to gorge myself of real, authentic, delicious Chinese food too. What they eat there is so much better than the fake Chinese food we get here! If I didn't have the pictures and memories as proof, I would think that I dreamed I lived overseas. It just seems so far away...
What were you doing ten years ago?
Are you where you expected to be?
Okay, wait, whoa, why were you in China? I need to hear more!
ReplyDelete10 years ago I was still in High School-- how wierd to say that. I know what you mean about being a different person now. I'm a wife and mother... not a high stress, busy, always social young woman. I'd also love to visit Asia. There was so much I wanted to see and didn't.
ReplyDeleteTen years ago, I was getting ready to graduate college and had plans to move in with my now-hubby after graduation. I wasn't at the time, but I knew I'd be a military wife and was ready for it. My life is just about exactly where I thought it would be, and I'm happy about that!
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine is from Shanghai and lives in NYC now. She recently took a trip back to China to visit some relatives, and I've been in awe of her pictures. What a different place from the US! I'd love to see Asia someday. (PS- if you guys are ever stationed in Hawaii, I know of a dim sum place that she said is very close to real, authentic chinese food!)
10 years ago, I was finishing my junior year of high school. I pretty much knew where I'd be going to college, but I never really made any post-college plans. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get married or have kids. I thought I'd be a career woman like my mom was until settling down in my 30's. Well, I'm 26 now, married and settled, and don't have a career, and somehow a Navy man fit into all this. I guess I'm pretty happy though.
ReplyDeleteWow! China!!!! I need to hear more about this! 10 years ago..hm....I was 15, having the time of my life with cheerleading and dance competitions. Holy moly, it feels like just yesterday - where has time gone? I am not where I thought I would be 10 years go, but I am glad where I ended up!
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool and great to have facebook to stay connected. Our daughter went to China with the McConnell program back when she was in undergrad. She loved the experience and it truly was an amazing time.
ReplyDeleteBlessings & Aloha!
I am hoping to get my post together earlier for this week's Mil Spouse Weekly Roundup. Yikes! I have never done a linky before. I know that you are busy, but if you have any time, I would love to know how you did yours with the everyone's profile/images. We are going out of town this Friday, but I hope to have my post ready so that I can just publish it first thing on Friday morning before we leave. Thank you sooo much! :o)
Wow! Sounds like you've lived quite an exciting life!!! I'm jealous :P ... and thinking that my own life adventures have yet to begin.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, 10 years do fly by extremely quick! Just as you would have never though that you'd be a stay-at-home Navy wife with a home business, I never thought I would still be living with my parents, working at the same job and single.
May the next 10 years bring wonderful, blessing-filled adventures for the both of us.