friends

October 31

As you can tell from our blog, Barb and I have a great deal of love and respect for our families. The support, love, and attention, grounded in common heritage, supports us in our daily pursuits.

Tuesday evening, and again on Wednesday, Barb and I returned to family. However, this segment of our family does not share any of our DNA. Both times that Barb and I have been posted overseas, we have connected with other couples who became “like family”. The two years in China, however fulfilling, were two of the most difficult of our lives. Our daily activities centered on our immediate family, the school, and the expat community. Close friendships occurred as you consoled and supported each other through and around difficult obstacles. Through recreation and dialogue we progressed. The friendship connections remain as the time together lapses and the years pass. Several families still fit into that category. We were fortunate to visit two.

Steve and Imoi live in Germantown, MD. Steve was the #2 person in the U.S. Consulate at Guangzhou and was president of the school board. His China roots are deep as his mother was born to missionary parents in China. He has since retired from the State Department and does consulting, much of it related to national security. Their daughter was Kari’s best friend in Guangzhou. Ben and I spent many evenings with Steve as members of the Guangzhou Cleavers, the expatriate basketball team. Imoi is a gourmet cook and we again delighted in some of her Asian dishes. Since we had only seen each other twice since China, the evening was filled with recollection, dreams, and, of course, political discussion.

Jeff and Richelle, probably more than any other couple, aided in our transition into the Guangzhou community. Richelle, in her second year of teaching, was the 2nd-3rd grade teacher and one of the only staff members who had served the school before we arrived. They adopted our kids, helped us fit into the Consulate community, and greatly aided me in understanding the role of the school in the community. Richelle was Nathan's third grade teacher. I am so proud of Richelle as today she is the Director of Silver Springs Day School, a private preschool of over a hundred students. Jeff was a young Junior Officer working in the visa section of the consulate. A master of languages (he wrote his Dartmouth thesis in French), Jeff was one of the few who was fluent in the local Chinese language, Cantonese. We enjoyed traveling around Guangzhou with him as Jeff appeared to relish, as I do, in the local stories and traditions of the common people. Jeff has served in many capacities of service at the Federal level and is now working for a private nonprofit. Jeff took us to lunch near his office. As humble and selfless as he is, I was able to pry out of him that he had spent the morning orchestrating resources for the recovery from the devastation in Haiti from tropical storm Noel.

We toured Richelle’s school. Barb and I were delighted to see the children immersed in art and engaged in cooperative activities with significant parent involvement. It was Halloween Day and the celebratory day was filled with what I call “growth opportunities”. We had not seen Richelle in 18 years and it was very fulfilling for Barb and I to see the elements of education that we so believe in, exhibited in Richelle’s programs. Oh, I do not interpret this as legacy. She, as we were in China, is freed from state confinements and doctrines, and is able to create programs that are enriching to children. We spent Halloween eve at Jeff and Richelle’s home with their daughter Meredith and about a hundred or so trick or treaters.

It was two days of friendships rekindled and pleasant times shared.