The Thoughts that Plagued me on the Plane

Or,

What Homecoming Should Have Been

My return to China was nothing like I envisioned. Debbie and I stayed up all night in New York, talking and laughing (more on that later). That put me in a fine state to sleep on the plane. It also served to muddle my thinking completely.

Please note that I am jumping the gun here. I have not finished describing my adventures across America yet, and now I’m writing about being back in China. This entry and the last one (the Rat one) only serve chronology. I fully intend to backtrack and tell you more about my adventures across America.

While I was on the plane and now, while I write about being back in China, I wonder what direction this blog will take. I’ve written over 200 entries since starting this vagabond adventure and most of them describe ‘firsts’. First impressions, first glimpses of Chinese life and culture, first experiences as a new teacher, first time celebrating Chinese New Year in China. Yes, I’m sure I will have more firsts, but to reiterate the fanfare of the freshman’s arrival on campus seems a bit passé, doesn’t it? It was only a new experience for us once, wasn’t it? The lack of orientation on campus and as a new teacher only mattered the first time. Now I know how things work in this school and I have a syllabus prepared for each of my classes. And my first time jumping on a train or a long distance bus by myself and heading off to parts unknown and unexplored… well, that’s been done too, hasn’t it?

What am I going to spend this year writing about?

Yes, there are surely things I didn’t report on last year. Like my first day-camp, Chinese style. That was exciting, and I’ll tell you all about it soon. Or, how about that time I visited with Panda’s student, that handicapped little boy? He certainly deserves mention. I’ll get to that when I talk about visiting with him again. And what about guest lecturing at different universities around town? I didn’t tell you much about that, did I?

So I do have things to write about. Some that happened last year, and some that will be a continuation of last year’s events. Some things will be brand new, like what my new apartment will look like, how I will decorate it and whether I will finally be rid of The World’s Ugliest Couch.

There will be new firsts. I am convinced of it. Not everything is passé, as I’ve indicated. This is just to notify you that I won’t bore you with rehashes of the same events as last year. This is a new year, with new feelings and new eyes to see things with. Maybe I can go more in depth about culture and stuff. What do you think?

And, I have a new travel plan. Now that I’m more comfortable with daily life in Wuhan, I can be the vagabond writer I’ve always seen myself as. Stay tuned for that one; it is an exciting and new idea!

For now though, let’s focus on expectations.

I envisioned my return to China completely differently. Sam had told me that I had to pack up my entire apartment just days before jumping on a plane, America-bound. I anticipated returning to China and coming home to my brand spanking new apartment. Matter of fact, the running gag while visiting friends and family was: “I’m not exactly homeless, I just don’t know where I live!” While riding the Greyhound to one destination or the other I even daydreamed about what I would buy for my new home. Drapes? New kitchen stuff? Maybe even an area rug and an office chair instead of this hateful wooden kitchen chair that tortures my back? Who knows? If the school makes good on my contract being open-ended, I just might stay in Wuhan forever! That means I can add personal touches and make this new apartment my home!

Shows you where my mind was at, even though my body was in America.

As I traveled across the States I depleted the contents of my suitcase by doling out the gifts I had bought for all of my loved ones that I visited along the way. After reaching the Eastern Seaboard it came time to start filling the suitcase up again, this time with things I would need in China like new clothes and shoes. Also I wanted to treat each of my Chinese friends to a small gift from America.

I had three criteria for those gifts: they had to be small and lightweight, because I had to meet airline baggage regulations. They had to be inexpensive. Not that I wanted to be cheap or miserly, but I was buying a lot of gifts: for my students, for my fellow teachers, for the school’s administrators and for my friends. Lastly and most importantly, they were all to be made in America. Fully conscious that most trinkets and souvenirs to be found in America are made in China, I could not endorse the irony of gifting my Chinese friends something made in their own country.

I found the most delightful supply of gifts at the Cracker Barrel. Old fashioned stick candy, slinkies, jacks, a commemorative tin of crayons, a checker set with a woven mat for a board, and more. They met all 3 criteria. At WalMart I found animal crackers and music, perfect for the children on the list and the more formal relationships I have, such as with the school’s administrators. I also found a Ray Charles CD for Victor. What is more American than Ray Charles?

I envisioned my gift-giving extravaganza to be a series of joyful – maybe even tearful reunions. I missed Ms. B terribly. I imagined her tinkling laughter as she and I tried to play Jacks together. Thoughts of Chris and Julia danced in my head as I bought them a double deck of Bicycle playing cards. Last time I was at their house they had introduced me to Chinese style poker, using a worn deck of cardboard cards. These laminated finish, air cushion cards I bought them would surely please them, right? And Daisy, that music buff was sure to like the Patsy Cline CD I bought for her while nearby, her dear roommate Mouse munched on saltwater taffy, a classic American treat.

In my mind, my gift giving and regaling would consist of meeting people with a smile on my face, ready to tell tales of that far away land most Chinese dream of visiting, showing pictures of my chubby-faced granddaughter and my handsome grandson and the friends I visited along the way.

That’s not what happened.

Because of The Great Rat Incursion I met with Dean Tu and Shasha while sleep-deprived and nearly hysterical. I did present them their gifts – a Johnny Cash CD and a pack of cigarettes for Dean and a Memphis coin purse for Shasha, as well as a box of Barnum and Bailey Animal Crackers for her little boy, explaining that I had wanted our reunion to be much happier. They were so appreciative of these little things I had brought them and they said I was much too kind to them. I daresay they are going overboard to accommodate me, considering they are moving mountains to do everything to alleviate my fears and concerns, even amidst the panic of freshman arrivals, the many building projects and the start of the academic year. It is I who is in their debt, not the other way around.

I did not get to see Ms. B or any of the other teachers I have gifts prepared for, but I did see Chris. I did not give him his and Julia’s gift yet. I will visit their home to collect my plant that they have been caring for all summer, and gift them their playing cards then. Maybe we can even get another poker game going. That will be fun! I did give Sam his slinky, as well as the clothing my daughter had sent along for little Baby Erica and a hip pack for his wife, Penny. Oh, and Baby Erica got a box of animal crackers too.

Sam did tell me all of the teachers are eager to resume our Wednesday meetings. What a great time to pass out gifts, then! Berry will get a box of animal crackers for her little boy, as well as a coin purse that my friend Lisa helped me pick out in Memphis. Helen’s little boy will also get animal crackers, and Helen will get some saltwater taffy in a decorative mug. Hellen will get some stick candy; maybe it will help sweeten her disposition a little? My friends at the noodle stall will get stick candy as well, and a pack of cigarettes for Dad. I will give Ozgur a checkers set that I found at the Cracker Barrel. That way she can play checkers with her little daughter.

So maybe my gift-giving daydreams are not as far off from reality as I anticipated. But my homecoming sure was!