Boo hoo, must we leave?? June 26th

I dont' have much to say about leaving except that I would have been happy to stay longer! Of course, I think Catherine was eager for us to depart so she could move on to Chengdu where she has an apartment and she awaits her daughter, Grace to join her for a visit. She will also await a group of her students of Chinese from Colorado where she directs a massive Chinese language program she created and also teaches all levels of Chinese, being fluent herself. WE departed from Shanghai to Tokyo and then, to Dallas/Ft. Worth. The 2 hour layover in Tokyo was uneventful with prices of 'stuff' pretty high and therefore, of no interest. The 11.5 hour flight to the U.S. was very uncomfortable and extremely UNFRIENDLY. What a shock to have taken 2 international and 5 domestic flights in China only to be slapped with rude flight attendants on American Airlines who made our trip worthy of me filing a complaint. I think I'll avoid the details as they are upsetting to repeat and discouraging for other travelers. We agreed the U.S. could learn about customer service from the Chinese! Then, after arriving in Dallas/Ft. Worth we continued our torture by the lackadaisical system they call customs and when we all tried to reach our next gate in the B terminal from D...the shuttle train broke down with 4 of us on board and the rest of us having to walk miles to get there without the shuttle/airlink. We all barely made our connecting flight which should not have been a problem without the distaster. Welcome home?! Bottom line? Our families were all eagerly awaiting to see our sleepy, smiling faces and to lug our much additional luggage home containing treasures from a journey of a lifetime. It's unclear as to whether or not anyone here will apprreciate the intrinsic value of each and every item we returned with but WE know where we've been and brought extrinsic objects home to share and remind us of what a delicious experience we all shared. Catherine told us along our way that she brings nothing back other than what is in her head and heart. A noble thought indeed but far too tempting for a group of capitalistic educators with plans already on the drawing board of how to entice our students and families to journey to China someday to create their own unbelieveable experience. Nihao friends and family...I finally had a relatively good night's rest on Sunday, July 6th, after many awakenings each night and a round of antibiotics to quell a raging sinus infection. I would like to share a list of learnings/reflections that I may add to as I move further away from the days of my journey. I will admit that I miss China and would JUMP at the chance to return. My eye catches every article in the daily paper pertaining to China with a new angle/perspecticve on what is written and a thought as to it's verity based on my limited experience. I guess I left a little bit of my heart overseas along each roadway and mountain pass. I NEVER for one moment felt unsafe but welcomed and embaced in a uniquely ancient and enduring yet ever changing culture. Thank you from my heart to Martha Morton, director of Arkansas Global Programs and Bringing China to Arkansas and the Freeman Foundation, the insightful source of funding, for an unforgettable journey of my life.