That isn't to say I have been waiting by the phone, hoping you'll ring me; but it would be nice to know you cared, China. If I'm going to come back in a few days, you have to show me that you'll change - buy me flowers, offer me real dark chocolate, give me a few more massages.
Do I miss China? No. But I am ready to return. I was unprepared for the culture shock and the devastation of leaving things unsettled back here; but now things are a little clearer. I've had time to stew and regroup. Now I am fit for battle. In spite of a gaggle of mixed metaphors, I'm now more aware of what this year abroad will bring me, especially after looking back at the past four months. They were a warm up.
Yes, the honeymoon is over and the real work begins. This is the part of the relationship with which many people struggle - the middle. Beginnings are new and exciting. You don't know what to expect and you are both so interested in learning. The end is either a bittersweet or just plain bitter, but an end is in sight and the relief is imminent. However, it is in the middle that we can get a little lost. Sometimes, in order to find our way back, we need a little respite, some slight reprieve or temporary amnesty to bring you together again.
China and I may have just saved our relationship. These past days have been an opportunity to gain some keen new perspective. It is often in absence that we appreciate our significant others. I see what she's done here. She's pushed me away just long enough to let me know that I have to be the one to call her. I've been playing a game of chicken without knowing it. Fine. Tomorrow I'll phone China and make plans for a reconciliation. All this for a year-long fling. Let's hope she's worth the trouble.
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