The Final Kick

Some of my recent posts have been pretty bitter. Grandma wrote me an email, and she seemed concerned that I might leave China on a bad note, and encouraged me to avoid doing that.

Because Grandma is wise, I have been thinking about what she suggested, and here's what I've come up with.

This whole China experience is sort of like running a 10K that I haven't trained for. At the beginning, it's exciting to be in the race atmosphere with all the runners, and feel the familiar pre-race nerves.

The beginning of the race goes by quickly, as I jostle for position and have big plans for my race. I feel like I'm running fast, and the people around me look fast too, so I'm confident.

A few kilometres later I start to feel pain, and begin to get passed by many runners. My form suffers, my pace drops off, and I become frustrated. Why did I sign up for this race? Why didn't I train? Why do I even like running?

A few more kilometres down the road, I start to loathe the road engineers for building the road over the hill I'm running up. Why not blast right through the hill, keeping the road level? I begin to doubt if I'll be able to finish the race. I get frustrated at the runners who pass me. I hurt. I think of other things I could have spent the race fee on. My frame of mind is not positive.

Things start to get better in the last kilometre of the race. The finish line is attainable, and I realize the pain won't last forever. There will be free food and good social times once I'm over the line, and all I have to do is get there.

When I cross the line, I forget about all the pain and hardship I went through over the last 10K. I love running again, and enjoy the post-race chatter. I plan my next race, and am proud to be a runner. Running and I are on good terms again.

I feel China has been the same way. It was really exciting when I first got here, as things were new and exciting. China had so many interesting experiences to dole out.

Then it got really tough, as I struggled to find my way in the classroom. I began to loathe everything about China, and everything about teaching.

I got to the halfway mark, when I went home for Lunar New Year and Erik's wedding. Like an aid station on a running course, I came out of it feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the second half.

Things improved, but were still painful. China was still tough, but not as tough as before. I had many challenges, but they didn't seem as daunting as they had been before.

Now, I'm in the last 800m of the race. I can see the finish...all I have to do is put in the effort to get there. Once I'm over the line, I'll be proud that I lived for a year in China. I'll happily tell China stories, and I'll forget a lot of the pain I went through during my time here. I'll fondly remember my kids, and I'll be glad I taught full-on kindergarten for a whole year.

I won't leave China all bitter and full of regrets. I'll leave with a sense of accomplishment, and I'll leave with good memories. I might even make trips to various Chinatowns, to reminisce about the year I spent in Guangzhou.

Sports analogies...so useful, so often! Like a good backup goalie, they're always there when - never mind.