So, I just got back from my holiday trip to Chongqing. It was much needed and my friends were beyond happy to see me. I mean, of course, we had weChat and our western social media, but it’s something simply delightful about being next to the people you care about. Here. Let me tell you about it.
Wait! Let me get this out of the way, first. I booked the worst hotel in my life. The hotel receptionist was cold and racist towards me despite me having the three documents that were needed for hotel booking, including the actual booking. You know, passport, proof of vaccination, and recent negative testing. All that razzle dazzle. But, despite all of that, I was still subject to having the cops called on me and treated with zero respect or trust. I had to do something completely out of character for me: I had to write a negative review to warn other foreigners about this level of cruelty.
Anyway, that negative moment was outweighed by the numerous loving and welcoming greetings I got from my friends. First, I went to my old employment (Owen) and meet up with my old colleagues, especially Debbie. She was the first one who let me shadow her classes and showed me around Owen while actively working with me. She was the first Chinese friend I made and she was overjoyed to see me. We spent hours reflecting on old memories while she grilled me on how I was settling into Nanchang. The other ladies there were just as happy to see me, but Debbie and I have a particular bond.
The next one was Sawyer, my old supervisor. He was a student in Canada who is a proud Papa Bear. Again, we kept up with each other on WeChat. But to sit down and talk to each other. There is no replacement for that physically emotional connection, let me tell you. Now, he’s a principal of an international school and wishes I could come back to Chongqing so we can work together again. I had to break his heart and tell him happy at Limai and he understood. We did agree to show resources, though.
Later, I got to meet up with my old boss, Hamed, a very sexy Egyptian DILF (I have called him a DILF on numerous occasions). He is one of the few people in the world that can talk about controversal topics without putting emotions into the conversation. It’s refreshing to do that. Plus, he gave me some good news about him returning to Egypt with his children so they can be among a slightly freer culture/country. Additionally, he agreed to do one more literary project with me even though he has read the literary inspiration for this project (can’t tell you which book is it, yet; I will soon). Anyway, we stayed up into the late night talking and talking.
Later on, in the week, I met up with my D&D buddies and went to a tattoo parlor that recently opened. My Russian buddy, Xander, knew the owner and he was already planning to go there to support her. We, including our friend Tom, wanted to play catch up on everything and we did just that. We talked about D&D and how our campaigns were coming along. Spoiler Alert! I haven’t found a group to play with, yet. Then, it happened. My ADHD sort of kicked in because, while we were getting drinks and exploring the place, I suddenly got hit with an idea.
I already wanted a tattoo. I already had the picture of what I wanted. And I was in the right place to do it. So, I got my seventh tattoo right then and there; it was my favorite pokemon of all time, Espeon. And, later on, I’m going to get another Pokemon tattoo of my favorite water-type Pokemon, Milotic. My students are going to flip out when they see it.
I got to meet up with Martin and Ahmed, my photography friends, where we got to catch up on life and art. Later, I got to meet up with Abercombie (youngest and cutest), Hulk (irony; he’s built but very humble), Liu Kang (he looks like him), and Tony Jaa (he knows Muay Thai and kickboxing) (nicknames I gave to my friends who worked at the gym I used to work out at) and we ended up eating out. I even got to make a new friend while visiting. Yeah…this holiday trip was very much needed and I thank God that I finally got to breathe.
Now, please, don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads) on my web page’s right side. Also, I do love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2022. My goal is to read 180 books this year and I’m already at 129. So, you’re going to see an uptick in books since I’m on holiday.
