In the summer of 2009, I went back to China. A friend who I worked with at the game studio moved there to teach. Additionally, an old friend from high school moved to Taiwan to teach. I visited both in a sweeping journey that took me through Taipei, Hong Kong, Beijing, Pingquan, Qingdao, Shanghai, and Guilin. I was in Shanghai for a total solar eclipse. Hindsight being 20/20 I should have gone to Chongqing for a cloud free view, but you can't really plan these things.
While in Beijing I met up with Very and Spy. Very was still teaching, but now at a Montessori school instead of the grinding English teaching gig from before. More importantly, she was engaged to marry a nice American fellow LDS member. They've since married and moved to Southern California. Spy and the Husband To Be behaved like children but whatever. HTB likely felt a bit strange about his fiance's ex visiting. Very was, as ever, a gracious hostess.
From Beijing I headed to Pingquan to see my friend 崔国华. I stayed up there for a few days helping him with his school and visiting with people I knew in town. My Chinese skills served me much better and I was able to have better conversations with non-English speaking acquaintances.
After Pingquan I headed back through Beijing and on to Qingdao, Shanghai, and finally Guilin. Cookie was living in Guilin and working on some business of her own. She was a bit busy, so I only got to see her for a short afternoon. I also met her brother while I was there, so that was nice.
After Guilin I was sick of Mainland China again, so I beat a fast retreat to Hong Kong and touristed my way around for about 4 days. I really want to go back there one day. Taiwan too. The mainland, not so much.
Slozo and YJ are parents now. Neat! 恭喜恭喜! 祝贺
| < Food Diary | Morning world > |
