Wednesday, January 14, 2009

It’s Wednesday night; we only have one more day at New Day before leaving on Friday morning and embarking on our next adventure. We’re all starting to worry a little. Tomorrow we’re going to be saying goodbye to the English students we’ve become friends with and the children we’ve provided care. And on Friday morning, through the bus window, we’re going to watch as we pass through Qingyundian—the place we’ve called home for the last ten days.

This morning, I braved the cold and went to the Lunar Market, which was about a fifteen minute walk. Looking down the path of the market, it appeared symmetrical. Bare skelatal-like trees line both sides and vendors have set up wooden tables between these trees, which they use to display their products. Some sell aged mushrooms; some sell fresh oranges; some blankets and clothes; others sugar-coated fruit. All of these people have one thing in common: they seem to be fascinated with simple conversation. Same vendors; same spots everyday; and same friends—their nearby vendor-friends and consistent customers. As a foreigner, this market is a lot like the village: as you walk, passersby stop and stare curiously; freshly slaughtered animals line wooden market tables for purchase; and all traffic is obviously influenced by your presence.

Tomorrow we will serve for our last day at New Day and walk through the village for our last time. And tomorrow night, we will have an English song-singing contest with our students before exchanging email addresses and saying our goodbyes. Although we all know we’ll probably never see one another again, it is the long lasting impact of these relationships that is essentially most important—we will remember these people forever.

Respectfully submitted by Jake Stortini