Moving out

So, I really shouldn't be blogging right now, but I wanted to quickly get down some thoughts before I leave behind my stable Internet connection.

6 days to America, baby! I am so looking forward to coming home, and the summer ahead. Not to say that it won't be an intense ride, though...I have about 4 weeks after I return before I'm supposed to head to DC to start my first year of law school.

Well, time has escaped me. Xiao Yang is here to check out my apartment, and the driver is on his way. I have an appalling amount of stuff that I've somehow dreamed I can transport back to the States with me. Thank goodness the school agreed to send me in a school car instead of making me take the city bus...THAT would have been a nightmare.

At this moment, I'm not sure what I feel. Mostly, I just feel the pressure that moving brings, a kind of harried energy to make sure I get everything done, don't forget anything crucial. I said goodbye to my best teacher friend, Xiang Bing, this morning, and while I'm sad to say farewell to this place, I feel as if I've already experienced my moment of sadness and have now mentally moved on to what comes next.

Yesterday I played one last round of tennis with Dr. Zhou. I was very slow to warm up, and when I threw up my hands in frustration after one particularly abysmal backhand, he tried to console me by saying "You are here, but your heart and mind are in America." I guess he is probably right. Perhaps that will make the transition home easier, though I don't want to skip the emotional process of bidding adieu to my life in China. This has been such a formative experience, heavily salted with tears but yet one I will look back on very fondly. I remember thinking early on in my time here that I'd never grow accustomed to the place. Now, in my leave taking, I realize just how much I've acclimated myself to the country and its customs. China, in all its frenetic and ancient madness, has somehow lodged itself in my heart.

Better get going. My last word is one of thanks, to all of you at home and elsewhere who have supported me in so many ways during my two year Peace Corps adventure. I look forward to reuniting with you and sharing our stories soon. Signing off for the final time in Luzhou...