Celebrating my roommate...

My roommate, Antonella, celebrates her birthday today. This brought
to mind one of my concerns of being so far away from home during
special holidays...

We had tea from China, Korean cake with a French name, and I cooked
Cinese food for dinner.

Nothing replaces those who earn our heart and trust over the years, or
our precious and dear family, and yet - still, as relative strangers,
we can come together for each other - supportive and aware. When we
are far from home we recreate our world.

I feel very fortunate to have such a warm and kind roommate here in
Beijing. I am not accustomed to sharing my living space with others
and, in fact, I cherish both my private time and personal space.

Those that know me well might have bets out on how long I will last in
the dorms...well, we shall see, but thus far it is a wonderful
learning experience in so many ways.

My roommate showed me how to properly hand-wash clothes, my Indonesian
hall-mates taught me how to work the stove in the kitchen, a floormate
from Sudan shared food from his country and study survival skills, a
local Chinese police-official set me up with a language partner, and
the list continues...