Finally, the day has come to head back to the US. We've made it! I think back over the year, and there were times it felt like summer would never come, but just like every end of the year, I'm surprised at how fast the year goes by.
These last two weeks have been long. The days seemed to drag on forever, and although we've had a blast with end of the year parties and nights at hotels, I'm ready to get on the plane and go. We ended up spending two weekends at the Intercontinental Shenzhen. It was like a Vegas hotel, decked out in a Spanish themed decor. The pool there is amazing. It has a huge pirate ship, a white sand beach, and enough space for us to carve out a corner for ourselves. We spent two Saturday nights there, checking in at noon and extending checkout until 4pm on Sunday, so really it was two full weekends soaking up the sun and playing in the enormous bathtub in the luxurious rooms.
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| EOY KTV with the Souders |
Mixed in there we had our end of the year party with all the staff at the Captain's Bar, which is ironic because that was where we had our start of the year party. It was fun to stand back and look at all the faces that were strangers less than a year ago, and in that time they've become colleagues and friends. It was a blast and I chatted with lots of people, and before I knew it, it was the end of the evening. We wrapped it up with KTV, but I was happy to head home after a few songs.
The last week of school was uneventful, I was done with instruction and grades on the Tuesday, so I filled up the last days with portfolios and Bill Nye. It was a good way to end, but made the days seem long. I was able to watch two Spurs games at school, the kids enjoyed them and it's been fun to watch them in the finals. We get to see the next game with Donnie's parents when they pick us up in Dallas in about 20 hours, hopefully they will wrap it up and win the championship. :)
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| Go Spurs Go! |
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| Last day, off to school. |
So here we are sitting in our HK hotel room (we had to travel early because the ferry doesn't service our airline), and I'm anxious to get on the road. In all of 2014, our only planned days in the US are the coming 14 days, and I want to make the most of them.
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| Done with his first year of Pre-K! |
Looking back over the past 10 months, it's been the best school year of my life. My job has really been fabulous. It's been hard at moments living in such a foreign culture, but to be able to experience it is a blessing. Seeing this side of the world was something I never really thought I would get to do, so to be able to live here is amazing. Seeing Beijing, Hong Kong, the Philippines and even just our own city of Shenzhen has been an adventure. I know the adventure will continue when we return in August.
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| We'll be missing Amy this summer! |
But for now, I'm looking forward to familiar faces, yummy food, my old running paths, the SA culture, and driving. Just have to survive the 16 hour flight to Dallas.
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| Last day in HK |
Love to all and see you soon!! xoxoxo
