Sitting in my sixth floor room, overlooking the south gate of our campus, I marvel at two small golden gingko leaves I keep in a plastic bag taped to the wall over my desk. These are reminders of places visited in China. One was collected from a pathway in Kunming near the university. Another came from our campus at Yilong in rural Sichuan, I remember, from a tree under which little children laughed and joyfully played in the fallen leaves one autumn morning in 2012. Once brilliant green on branches of stately trees, the precious golden leaves hold generations of history in their now dried veins.
That was autumn a year ago. Here we are in winter, the year 2014, and in Shandong Province. My first semester has finished at the university. The students have moved on to homes afar for their reunions with family and celebrations of the lunar New Year festival.
I've stayed back for a week post-finals, so I can walk the beach along icy waters nearly alone.
Soon I, too, will leave for some travel and visits with friends in Viet Nam and then in America.......but not before posting gingkos to my blog and rejoicing in another great year on the road!
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