TheBanyanTree: Alive and well in China

[Pat M]

Hello Fellow Tree Dwellers,

Just a quick note to let everyone know that I am still living in Sanya on
Hainan Island, China, and I wasn't physically impacted by the earthquake
here.  I am, however, heavy-hearted at this time for such a huge loss of
life and suffering.

Had I still been living in Lintong, I'd have felt the quake. There were
casualties in that area.  I received text messages from friends telling me
that many people slept outside on the street after the quake, fearing for
their safety.

In contrast, the past few days have been wonderful for me here in Sanya. I
attended an animal park and did some amazing things like feed baby tigers (9
months old and big) a bottle of milk and sit on an elephant's tusks as it
stood up on its hind legs. (See my new photos.)  But I could not forget
about the disaster and the ongoing suffering.

My time in China is coming to an end. (I've been here 10 months.) Sunday
evening I fly to Guilin and will then return by car to Yangshuo (one of the
most beautiful spots on earth) for five nights, then fly to Beijing on May
23 and Canada on May 24. I can't wait to see my family.

I'll have more medical tests in Canada and if my health allows it, I'll
return to China to teach later in the year.  The Chinese are good people:
kind, hospitable and generous and once a person is over the culture shock,
China is a fascinating place to live and teach.

Pat
My Chinese friends call me Sha sha
-- 
My Blog:  http://mysouldancesinchina.blogspot.com/

If you don't use Picasa, China photos can be viewed at
http://picasaweb.google.com/home?tab=mq

If you use Picasa, you must access the albums individually:
http://picasaweb.google.com/Ms.Pat.Martin/MuShuixia
http://picasaweb.google.com/Ms.Pat.Martin/ZhangRuntao
http://picasaweb.google.com/Ms.Pat.Martin/China3ZhangKang
http://picasaweb.google.com/Ms.Pat.Martin/WangYani
http://picasaweb.google.com/Ms.Pat.Martin/Sanya
http://picasaweb.google.com/Ms.Pat.Martin/January2008To
http://picasaweb.google.com/Ms.Pat.Martin/China2
http://picasaweb.google.com/Ms.Pat.Martin/China