Arrivals, departures and promises of future phases of fulfillment

Gansu has actually a very diverse topography... there are areas that are green and lush, there are deserts and there are many places that are somewhere in between. many mountainous areas as well.

Lanzhou itself is quite a dynamic city on the banks of the yellow river and surrounded by mountains. However, when you fly into Lanzhou for the first time it can be quite a disconcerting experience especially if you have a window seat. you begin to wonder what kind of a desolate place you have managed to get yourself into. dear Ruth was telling me how she had managed to get a job in Lanzhou without knowing anything about it or about Gansu and she almost burst into tears as she flew into the airport because all she could see from the plane were miles and miles of barren dusty hills. The airport is over an hour's drive away from Lanzhou itself and so it makes for an expensive taxi ride.

Here is the view from the taxi to the airport on my way home to the U.S. The taxi driver was listening to the radio program he listens to every night at 7:30. It was a narration and dramatization of the classic book "the Three Kingdoms". He was telling me how drawn into the story he was that every night he really just had to listen to it. Unfortunately on this night i was taking him so far out of the city that half way to the airport he lost the reception.

On the flight from Beijing to JFK I saw the most spectacular moon scene. The photo cannot capture the serenity and beauty of the moment nor the hugeness of the moon. I think it is my time in China that has taught me to love the moon so dearly. There is so much symbolism in Chinese legend, Chinese folk songs, poetry, festivals that is related to the moon and so seeing a full moon now always seems to me to be a special event. The experience always reminds me of all the many ways in which my life is so full or during times of tests seeing a full moon fills me with hope and trust in the inevitability of future phases of fulfillment. It was such a special way to end my trip in China and begin the next phase of my life at home. Every trip to China is of course a life altering experience and so returning home is always like starting on a new page.