I am writing this entry into my blog from the airport in Incheon after almost a month in China and Korea. I miss Dottie, our children and grandchildren tremendously and can’t wait to see them, but at the same time I am not ready to leave Seoul any more than I was ready to leave China two weeks ago. Let me explain.When I began this journal I thought the "amazing" part of my travels in Asia would be about the eight different cities I would visit, new cultural experiences and historic places; however, I got surprised. The most “amazing” thing about my trip to China and Korea was the warm welcome and generous hospitality families and students extended to me during every moment of my visit. I came away with many friendships with families with whom I visited, which I cherish deeply. More than one family has said, “You and Miss Dottie are a part of our family for always”…and I truly believe they have meant it. Dottie and I feel the same and are humbled by the kindness of students and families. Many of these students have been in our home or our apartment in the dorm, shared meals with us, knocked on our bedroom door at 1:00 a.m., traveled with us to see our grandchildren, celebrated birthdays together, or sat for hours being tutored by Dottie while others have simply gone out of their way to be gracious to Dottie and I throughout the year. In all of this they have become more than students. This bond extends to parents and has lasted through the years even after students have graduated.
I was reminded of this the other night when Dottie, who hadn’t seen Soon Hee (Hae Jin’s mom) for two years, talked to her on Skype and when they saw each other faces they got as excited as two young school girls who were reunited. It certainly brought tears to my eyes as I was reminded once again of how blessed Dottie and I are in having the opportunity to know so many wonderful students and families from around the world. While I visited many historic places, tasted hundreds of different foods and experienced many new cultural customs, students and families were the "amazing adventure" of my trip to Asia. It is they who I will miss and why I wish I could stay longer.
I will return to my home in Dover shortly, but I do know I am leaving a part of my heart in China and Korea where we have life-long friends who we cherish and miss deeply, but who we will see again.
