.... annndd we're back!

 

It’s been a full week since we have been back in the Kong and I thought I’d let our faithful readers in on what’s been going on since leaving Newark with my last post. We flew from Newark to Beijing then on to Hong Kong—but the worst blizzards Beijing has seen in sixty years was waiting to greet us. In fact, the visibility was so poor the pilot continued circling above the airport until we could safely land. After I went through security towards the Hong Kong flight and Tripp went to the counter to get a boarding pass. We planned on meeting at the gate, but did not plan on all flights in the entire airport being cancelled. Thus, he couldn’t print his ticket, I didn’t know where he was, no phones working in mainland China, Visa was not everywhere I wanted to be, I speak no Mandarin….. long story short, Beijing airport is huge with three terminals connected by light rail or a shuttle bus. It was absolute chaos in the airport with thousands of stranded travellers, and we both were panicked for several hours until Tripp and a policeman found me waiting in the AirChina line. The policeman saw my orange sweater and started running and jumping up and down, he was so excited! Instead of reliving that nightmare here, I will focus on my own guardian angel!

I met a Chinese man who I noticed was carrying a US Passport. He helped me communicate with a staff member while I was desperately trying to dial out to the US to let my parents know I was ok (which actually didn’t happen for many many hours, sorry Mom and Dad, and thanks to all who prayed for us!) We got to talking and guess what….. He’s from South Carolina! Then he pulls out a business card… a CLEMSON business card! That’s right, he’s a professor at my alma mater, lives in Pendleton, pulls for the Tigers, hates China Wok (I had to ask him!) His office is next door to my Spanish professors! I can’t imagine how many times I sat outside his office waiting to talk to my teachers. Doesn’t God have a great sense of humor?! I have been e-mailing with him since and am hoping to join him this summer in Xi’an when he brings a group of Clemson students to the mainland for a summer course.

Amid flights to Hong Kong being cancelled left and right the next day, we were miraculously able to fly via Cathay Pacific in an exit row! We got back a full day later than planned, but were so relived just to be safe and together! Last week we jumped right back into the swing of things with no time to think about jetlag…. Forming young minds at work, pizza with friends, playgroups and tutoring, Tripp’s late basketball games, finding a Ruby Tuesday (!) and getting a free dessert from the manager, welcoming a new teacher to our company, Liza’s birthday, renting bikes on an outlying island to explore the Silvermine Bay waterfalls and caves, and attending the Hong Kong Tennis Classic to see Venus Williams play! If this week was any indication, it’s going to be a fantastic semester!