FAN Friend's News from China

  23 January 2014

Da Jia Hao! 澶у濂斤紒 hello everyone. I still think of you all and FAN often and feel the spirit of friendship here in china very much. I moved to. Chengdu in Sichuan Province in October 2009 to learn Chinese, learn about community building and work with a drama based NGO called Hua Dan (www.huadan.org)doing theatre and education projects with children, parents and teachers in post earthquake areas of Sichuan. I had a year sabbatical from the Sherman but after a year I realised there was still so much to do and more language to learn. So... I stayed, on and off in China. It has all been about learning new ways and really I appreciate the patience and love of Chinese friends who accompany me in my life here. After 3 years here a british Bahai friend in Beijing encouraged me to be a in touch with another Bahai man who was studying in China. She was what they call in Chinese our 'Hong Niang', our matchmaker. Within 3 months of our first email exchange Dicky Fusco and I married in his family cottage in rural Dumfriesshire. I came all the way to China to meet my wonderful Scottish ( half Italian) husband and now we have a second month old son called 蹇犱箟 Zhong Yi ,John Yi in English, in Chinese Zhong means loyal and trustworthy and Yi means justice. Spiritual qualities we hope he will have in his life.He is so happy in chengdu and our neighbourhood is very local, very old chengdu, with leafy streets and little shops lots of vegetables and fruits, and our local friends absolutely adore Zhong Yi and I am grateful to have them as my surrogate family. Wherever we are in the world we need friends and these friends are like family. And then we see the world really is one country and mankind Jess, Dicky and Zhong Yi

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