an ode to you

DEAR CHINA,

oh, how i love you. i love your culture. i love your history. i LOVE your people. i love how willing everyone is to help each other. i love the smells. i love the lack of dialogue i have with the chinese people i've grown fond of; the need for physical touch and hugs as way of communication brings people closer than words. i love "chinglish", the strange english translations (a zoo sign that says "tiger dissapate into the atmosphere zone" and a shirt that says "i want to show you enaything." what?) i love the way my kids hug me and yell "i love you, teacha miss giesel!" my name is virtually un-pronounceable in china. but china, there are some things i do not love so much about you. i did not love that one time i had to scoop my poo out of the toilet with a ladle because there is no such thing as plumbing or plungers in china. i do not love eating squid everyday at lunch, but i am beginning to not love it less and less, which may soon turn into me not remembering what it was like to not eat squid every day, which will inevitably turn into liking it. but i love you so much more than not. i (along with my fellow americans) love looking at the gym teacher, charlie, aka "asian brad pitt" or the one teacher dubbed the "asian next door" for lack of known given name. HOT. i love learning about your mannerisms and etiquette. i love everything about you! you've further confirmed the travel bug in me. as much as i love school, i would be perfectly content spending the rest of my life seeing the world. doing yoga in india, climbing ruins in south america, cage shark diving in africa.
so, china, here's to you! thanks for further opening my eyes to the world and for making me truly appreciate a good old american toilet.

love,
rachael