There are a number of different people reading this blog. Most of you have met me in person. We are friends from high school, or college. We are family, or friends of family. You may even possibly be a former professor.
Those of you who spoke to me last year, around this time, might have heard me talk about making a decision about where to go. I was torn between coming to Kaifeng, and going to Shenzhen, another city in China. While Kaifeng is nearly two thousand years old, it is considered 'off the beaten path.' There are few foreigners or tourists. It is one of the poorer cities. Shenzhen on the other hand was a small village until 1979, and has since sprouted into the fourth richest city in China. Between trade, and its close proximity to Hong Kong, there are no lack of foreigners. When seeking advice as to which city to live in, I kept hearing both cities are incredibly different, but I would gain a valuable experience in both places.
After vacation, I felt I needed to plan what I will do for the next few years. I will spend one more year in China. Then I will go to graduate school in International Relations. Last semester I told many people, including some people back home, that I intended to spend next year in Kaifeng. But I have applied to the same program in Shenzhen, the one I chose not to do last year, and they have accepted me. I have not made a final decision yet. But I find myself getting more and more excited with the idea of going to Shenzhen.
There is one thing that holds me back.
I will miss my students. Today I taught reading for four hours, and in a few minutes I will teach it for two more hours. I teach Minsheng, which I have described before. And it is truly a pleasure to teach them. I will miss this kind of relationship with students, where we are more like peers. I really enjoy teaching these classes. I may find a joy in teaching younger students, but that is still somewhere in the future. It is unknown. And this is familiar, and precious. Some students I have become close to, and consider friends. I know I will keep in contact with them, even if I do leave. But I will not be able to stand in front of the class and explain Brave New World and Playdough in the same lesson, with several jokes and questions in between.
I have a little more time before I have to decide. There are many things I believe Shenzhen can offer. One of them being that it is so different from Kaifeng, I may be able to use that experience to further my grad school education. I will have seen different parts of China, and will be able to compare them. And frankly, as you may have noticed whenever I bring up Japan, I love comparing things.
Unlike Robert Frost, I would be backtracking down the road less traveled by in order to see the road, just as fair, but slightly more traveled by. I wouldn't be able to set down further roots where I am, which would be a shame. But I would be able to come back and visit friends and colleagues I wish to keep in touch with. And so I will take the other road, and see where it takes me.
*This post I had meant to put up for some time. I have since decided to go to Shenzhen next year. I still would like to share this piece.
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