Things I Will Miss

I wanted to take the time to write about the thing I will miss most here in Shijiazhuang.

I will miss the team here. They’ve been positively fantastic. Honestly, I wish I could stay. Perhaps I’ll just have to come back.

I taught for a month, and I know I’ll miss that. I miss some of the friends I made during that time. I’ll miss the dynamic here. It’s a vacation time, so things are laid back. Varied.

No, the thing I’ll miss most is this little girl who lives in my building.

In Dong Wu Li where I live there are approximately 17 buildings, 6 floors high. There are three doors, each with two or three apartments on each floor. Each apartment usually has a large family inside. Most of them don’t have AC, so they spend time outside, where it is slightly cooler. The children play, the adults talk or run errands.

Outside my building there are around 5 or 6 kids who play. I can often hear them playing when I am cooking. Luckily my kitchen window looks down onto the street they play in. They know me by now, and they’re not too shy given that one of our team couples lived in that building for a while. One of them taught them how to say Hello and Bye-bye. I’ve taught them to give me a high-five, as well as continuing the pounding the fist that Dale taught them.

Most the time, they’ll be playing, see me and shout, “Hello!” and run up to me wanting a high five or something.

But this little girl, who is also close to Dale’s heart, could melt a heart of ice. I could be having the worst day of my entire life, and if I saw her, the day would become better. She has the best little voice, and uses it well, as each time she sees me she shouts, “HELLO!” With a cute little smile she runs up and wants several high-fives. One time she ran all the way down the length of the building to see me. Another, I was just standing there outside the complex and heard a loud, “HELLO!” and she was next to me, out for a treat with grandma.

Yesterday, she ran up close to me and I squatted down. She stared at me, and I stared back. The Chinese are not used to facial hair, so pretty soon she was playing with my facial hair. Totally innocent. Totally cute.

Each time I arrive on my bike or by foot, and she doesn’t see me, her grandma will get her attention. She’s a shy little girl, in fact, grandma had to help me get these photos, but we have some good times.

I will miss that little voice, that “Hello!” each time I go out. That sweet little smile that warms the hardest of hearts.

So, little girl who’s name I never have learned, I will miss you.

(NOTE: The pictures are links to larger photo)