Farewell

Time has flown by once again (I have found two grey hairs on my head since the last update- not sure if they were related to the move or not!) and tomorrow we are moving to China. In many ways it still not seeming real to us. Tomorrow we are getting on a plane and may not return to the U.S. for two years. I remember feeling this way when I left for the Peace Corps. It wasn't real until I was there. PM said he isn't sure it will be real until he is sitting on the visa line. That said, this move is certainly filled with much excitement. We are embarking on a great journey and a great journey together, for the first time, as husband and wife. And we couldn't be any happier to be headed to China. 

Currently we are in San Francisco. We flew out here this past Friday and had the weekend to explore. On Saturday we spent some time in Oakland around my sister's place getting a few things taken care of and eating some very delicious food. Sunday, we spent most of the day exploring Alcatraz. I hadn't been there since I was a child and PM had never been there, and both of us agreed, the audio tour really was nicely done. 

Following Alcatraz, we ventured to the Ferry Building for some wine and olive oil tasting. There isn't much that we love more than good wine and good olive oil! 

Today I woke up early to run up to Chinatown to buy us some pork buns at a Chinese bakery for breakfast. As I walked around Chinatown, I couldn't help but look around with a smile thinking, "this is what I get to see for two years." Walking into the bakery brought me back to real life as I walked into a bakery that was filled with Chinese men. As I walked in, the entire place became silent and all eyes turned towards me as the lady behind the counter asked me what I wanted in half English/half Chinese. I know I had the deer-in-the-headlights look as I tried to figure out what to say. I quickly asked for two pork buns and the lady responded with "j-something bao?" I said "yes" knowing that I would get some kind of bun as "bao" is one of the first words in Mandarin I learned. As I walked out of the bakery I thought, "well, Slim, you better get used to this". 

PM spent most of the rainy day in meetings and even got to watch several people pass their US citizenship tests. He said it was one of the coolest things he has gotten to do thus far. One gentleman had been working towards this since 1995. I can only imagine how cool that would be. PM just retold me the story and we both got gooesebumps just thinking about how much it meant to that gentleman to finally become an American citizen. 

After meetings, we celebrated our departures with two of PM's colleagues, one of whom is headed to Guangzhou with us and the other who will be nearby in Laos. I have to say it is pretty weird to say goodbye to someone with a quick hug and a, "see you in China" and "see you in Asia." One thing I learned early on, but am reminded of daily is, we really are fortunate to get to experience this wild, crazy, unconventional life with some truly wonderful people. 

For now, zai jian (goodbye) as the next message will come from China!