Jeff!

You are my Bestfriend and I can't wait to see you in Jacksonville!
Just wanted to get that out of the Way first. Eh, this is finna be another one of those, "what's on my Mind" Type Blogs... currrazay! So, I'm back in Huangliu... blah... I get to go back to Guangzhou next Week though, hooray for me! AND, I've said it like a thousand Tymes, but in just a few Weeks I'm moving back up North! :)
I am going to miss my Students very very much though... :(

I was just thinking though, when I was growing up, my Family was DEFINITELY NOT one of the wealthier Families. I remember eating from the Woodland Acres Shelter many Tymes. Haha, I remember when I got beat for eating the last Package of RAMEN NOODLES! Thinking about it now, it sounds really sad, but back then, I knew the Situation I was in, and I should have shared it. LOL. You may think, "awwww, poor Kid..." I don't want your Pity. The Situations I went through as a Child made me so much stronger as the "growing-up" Person I am today. I don't wanna say grown up, cos I'm 20 and I'd like to think that I still have some growing up to do, :). (I wish they had a Parathesis with a strike through it for my Lipring, haha) But, yeah I was thinking about how People always tell me, I'm so lucky I get to travel. But really, I worked hard and saved up to be able to travel, and I gave up almost everything I owned. Pretty much all I owned when I came to China, was Clothes, my Computer, my Phone, and my Bible. If I said I did it alone, I'd be a Liar. I'd never be able to be where I am without the Help of my Aunt Debbie, Uncle Tommy, Jake, my Mom, my Brother, my Friend Ciara and her Family, my Friend Rory and his Family, and my Grandmother. If you think you made an Impact on my Life and I left you out, you may have, but unfourtunately these are the ones that strike me the most. :)
But what I'm trying to get at is that when I was younger and poor, I had nothing, and that made it all the easier to drop everything. And you know, when you get rid of everything, Life really is so much simpler. I just wish I didn't NEED my Car and my Phone, haha. They are a Pain in the Butt! Lol. But I think I acquired too many material Possessions between the Tyme I was poor and the Tyme I was leaving for China. I found it hard to part with Things at first. As I got rid of more and more Things, everything became easier to get rid of. Especially when I gave like 50 Shirts to the Cancer Truck. Not to brag, but man, you should try it, it's a bit hard to part with Things you've spent lots of Money on, but afterwards, the Feeling you get knowing that you gave pretty new Clothes to them is so nice. Because, I'm sure they get a lot of old Clothes. :(
Also, don't tell me I'm a great Person for what I did. I didn't do it because I wanted to give to Charity. :( I'm a little ashamed to say, I went to Plato's Closet to sell them and that Charity was a Kind of last Resort. I'm glad I did it though. I've changed so much since I came here! I feel great about myself and I feel great about other People.
When I told People about the Living Conditions here, they said, "Oh no! Are you ok, you need to come back to America"... LOL!! I'm not here to live a lavish Life, and the People here have to live like this everyday. I say "have to", but really for me, it's more like, "get to". If I lived a poor Life like this in America, People would look down on me, and THAT's really the only Thing that's sad about this. I wouldn't mind living like this for the Rest of my Life. I don't NEED much, just as long as I get some Dr Pepper... lol.
Well, it's Tyme for Church now, so I'm gonna go, but I'll probaby add to these Thoughts in another Post after Church today. :)
God Bless!
-Ryan