Jackie Chan's Guide to China

A couple of weeks ago, it started to sink in that my time in NB would be coming to a close. With it, a year of friends, road trips plane rides, nibs, beef jerky, dramatic exclamations, outrageous giggles, whisperings of this girl in our program we call Shrek...it would all start to wrap up with a final nod of the head. I would move away from 224 Brunswick Street, and start sleeping in a real bed again, I wouldn't have a slanted ceiling, or vivacious squirrels madly humping on my roof overhead; I would drive away and actually not return. I'm finally starting to feel comfortable closing the door on things in my life, as long as I know I can still recall the experiences whenever I want to. I suppose that is still a half in/half out mentality, but honestly, it's the I best I can do.

I am now scrambling to immerse myself in as much of this place as I can. My friend Greg, and I fell asleep on his dock one sunny afternoon this weekend, and when I woke up, I felt so elated because somehow it marked that I was here, and I made a friend, and we like sunny dock days.

I guess it matters that I was here, and when I look back, I'll think, "Yep. That was a great year."

And as I look forward into my next year, so expectant (as I was with this past one) I am incredibly nervous and entirely thrilled to step through the next door. I'm going to be a teacher in China! My blogs don't have to end! I can guarantee they will be much, MUCH more ridiculous! I've spoken to all my loved ones about this decision, and realized that I can talk myself into anything. What it comes down to, for me is, in deciding to move my life to China for a year or more, I am actually trusting that I will be given another great year. I mean, I have come this far... I moved away from my whole world when I left Calgary, and I lost things and people that held me tight, and I'm still okay. I'm better than I was before--and that is what growing up means to me.

So the way I see it, I owe it to myself and to this past year to take another scary experience and stick it in my pocket and move. I still wish I could pack my people into my luggage, but I know that some things in life are permanent, and hopefully, my home will still be there for me when I return.

So I just wanted to tell you that I'm moving to China and the blog will continue.

xox