Time to say “Goodbye” (Me and my mom in the Marshall 1st UMC office)

It’s hard to believe but the time has come to say farewell to the Midwest and head back to China.

During my time in the States, I’ve kept up on weather reports from my area of Sichuan and those have been surprisingly frigid. Luzhou is considered sub-tropical, with our lowest winter temperatures hitting around 40, but this year I read several days in a row had dipped into the 20’s at night with a high of 36 during the day. Remember reading about my less-than-frugal use of electricity in my new apartment, with me spending a Chinese family’s month- worth of electricity in only a week? Sure am glad I wasn’t paying for electricity in China a few weeks ago or I’d have really racked up a high bill.

My upcoming travel plans have me leaving from the States for Shanghai on Feb. 6 (Saturday) and arriving on Feb. 7, Sunday, which is Chinese New Year’s Eve. I have never before traveled during Spring Festival Eve, which is considered the busiest, most hectic, and the absolute craziest time of the year to travel in China. Millions upon millions are packed into train and bus stations, not to mention airports, trying desperately to return home in time to start up the Chinese holidays with family on Feb. 8, Chinese New Year Day.  Hotels are booked solid as well, especially while people spend the night before continuing onward on their journeys home.  I’ve booked a Shanghai airport hotel online, one that I often stay at, but who knows if that booking will be honored or not.  I’m arriving late at the airport and it might very well be my room will be given out to the whoever gets there first despite  me already having room reservations.

This should be a very interesting traveling experience, one which I hope I survive with minimal headache.

I will do my best to report more once back in China but I will say that after the move, I was been having difficulty logging onto my website using the new WiFi Net services the school arranged for me. If you don’t hear from me for awhile, that’s the problem.

Until next time, here’s wishing you Ping An (Peace) for your weekend!