I had been told that I was either going to have to embrace China or leave it and perhaps I've started embracing it....there are still days I'd rather punch it in the face than give it a big ol' hug, but everyone feels that way now and again, no matter where you live. My good friend from New Zealand who is moving back in May (booooooooo!), kept lamenting that they couldn't stay in Beijing longer (they'd been here 2 years). I couldn't believe she wasn't thrilled to be going back "home". She repeatedly told me, "You will get there.", meaning to a place where I enjoyed my life in Beijing. Wouldn't you know it? She was right!
Perhaps some of it has to do with the fact that Spring has sprung and the wind has picked up, which takes all the pollution away. Makes a BIG difference. The one complaint I have about the spring is that the Beijing government cuts off the heat about March 15th (remember, Communist government), and it is still FREEZING, especially at night. A friend of mine told me this morning that Spring in Beijing is like camping, which totally made me laugh. I could break down and get some heaters, but I have so many contraptions already (air filters, humidifiers), that I just can't see plugging in something else in. Besides, it looks like it is going to warm up by the end of the week.
Sooo, my last thought is about the absolute best thing about living in China. Travelling in Asia! We just got back from Indonesia and already are planning trips for Japan and Thailand. Seeing these places is just amazing and we want to see a lot before moving back to the States. I'll leave you with my favorite pic of Oleg in Indonesia. He was on the beach playing tug of war:
