Short reflection I had:
Earlier this year I applied for a bunch of contract jobs in Afghanistan. I never got any replies, but I'm very thankful for several reasons. Firstly, because Ryan and I have been looking at education opportunities in China that could provide a decent income - and this is more fun and innocent income. Secondly, my older brother got back to his base after an R&R trip he had, to discover his base had been hit by a massive semi-truck bomb. Luckily the bomb didn't get placed where Al-qaeda wanted it, otherwise it would have destroyed the whole base and killed hundreds if not more - as it ended up, two men died. My brother found the door to his lodging bashed in just from the repercussion of the bomb and the roof fell in at the building he worked at. Life is to short as it is, so I am looking towards just running a business and staying out of war zones.
I moved in with a Chinese family recently. They own a large plastics company here in Guangzhou. Nice family. They have a couple young children that I sort of tutor, but in a much more relaxed way. Tomorrow I'll be starting some Chinese classes. I can have a very simple conversation with people, as long as I get to guide it. I'm looking forward to learning a lot more! It is very fortunate that I will get to travel to Europe for three weeks this summer. The family I'm staying with asked me to come along with them - so it is a subsidized trip and may not be the kind I would plan, but I have absolutely no regrets.
My grandmother passed away about a month ago. She was 92 years old. I knew her time was running out, but you just never know when. I was thinking about going to the states this summer to see both of my grandmothers, but it would have been to late anyhow. A cousin got married and my younger brother and his wife are going to have a baby (boy). There were a handful of graduations in my family, 8th grade, high school, and college. My sister just got back to the USA and moved into her new home. My parents seem to be doing fine.
And life goes on. I have enjoyed my time in Asia and I look forward to many more years in this part of the world. At the right time I look forward to meeting a nice girl. Delayed gratification is the name of the game. Speaking of that, as of a couple months ago I am officially debt free. I didn't expect to get to that point that quickly, but I'm so happy I did. And my savings is already at a healthy level. I just feel blessed...on such a skimpy salary, great things can happen...of course it helps that I'm living in China, land of cheap everything.
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