And I'm back

Currently I'm in the Toronto airport after having flown 12 hours from Beijing. It hasn't registered yet. My flight was delayed 6 hours so I spent them drinking and watching movies in the Beijing airport. AirCanada is a pretty good airline. When something goes wrong they take care of you. So they gave me a free pass to stay in a hotel for the night.

But I decided to nix that idea, considering it's already 3:20 am and my flight is at 9. I have three heavy bags. What's the point of lugging them to the hotel only to turn around and drag them back? So I'm hanging out in the airport until then and finally enjoying internet without any sites blocked by censorship.

Facebook was blocked just days before I left. Good timing I suppose, but I feel bad for my friends who are still there and rely on that site to keep in touch with people. It still affects me because I have several good friends who are returning to Baoding next year. I want to be able to communicate through facebook with them, it's so convenient. But alas, I suppose Skype will have to do.

The last few days in China were magical, glorious and bittersweet. I had the best birthday party ever. On Tuesday, I survived my rock star year and turned 28. Since I was leaving just two days after, I decided to invite all my friends and family in China, everyone I enjoyed being around so much during that year. And amazingly, just about everyone came! And it was people from all over the world. China, Russia, Ukraine, France, Australia, America, Malaysia... and each group of people from their country stood up and toasted to me in their languages. The Russians sang to me and it brought me to tears. Having Chali and his wife there was really special, they got me an authentic Chinese tea set that I truly adore and want to keep for the rest of my life. In fact, I couldn't pack it so I bought an extra bag just so I could bring it home. Cost me an arm and a leg but worth it. Vova, Anton, Sergei and Sasha got me two picture frames, Ilia gave me a mirror, Alex gave me her devil ears, Misha a leather nail grooming kit, Charlie Shanghai and Vivi brought me a cake, Julia, Sveta and Marsha a nail toy thingy (don't know what they're called exactly), Julie left me a delightful present on my doorstep, Luna some delicious chocolate, and Kim gave me this awesome gift--a bunch of pictures of the two of us with post-its on the back explaining each situation we were in. That and a wallet made out of ducttape. Pretty amazing. Everyone was happy and having a good time, it was exactly what I wanted. And I was able to remember everything.

I got really emotional at the end of the night. The next morning, same. Off and on all day, kept getting sad and feeling a big lump in my throat. I didn't know it was going to be this hard but it has been. Saying goodbye to Misha was one of the most difficult things. I'm amazed we managed to stay together for eight months and not knowing each other's language. He was great. A pain in the ass sometimes but a good guy. The next girl he finds is lucky.

Kim rode with me to the airport, we laughed about our year and just how amazing it had been. We hugged goodbye and I took off, only to hang out in the airport for 12 hours until my plane finally took off.

I don't mind waiting in airports, though. I have my computer, I have things to read, there's always something to do. And I like watching people. In a moment, I'm about to step outside and breathe some Toronto night air and see if it tastes any different from the air I'm used to breathing. Will I manage this transition? Of course, I can manage everything...really...but I hope I can do it with triumph and not stare aimlessly, wondering what the hell I'm doing. Once I get to Atlanta, life is not going to stop for probably a month. My mom's picking me up from the airport on the way to Lake Lanier to spend with friends.  Monday is Sonic Youth with Leigh Anne, which I can hardly wait for. It's going to be a total whirwind, but I'd rather jump right into something than sit around and get sad and miss China. And I know I will.