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The return date grows ever near...I'm feeling anxious in both a good and bad way about our return. Did I mention that we're going to get a dog when we return to Nanjing? We think this will help the boys feel less lonely, and help distract them from their...dissatisfaction with living in China. I want to get a Char Pei. Chris wants to get a Boxer. I had a Boxer growing up and really loved her so much, but she always was running away. I certainly don't think a Boxer is a good dog for apartment living. Petey has come to tears a couple times as he's told me how much he does not want to go back to China, and does not want to go to home school anymore. Poor guy. I try to play it up, like tell him how much fun we're going to have, etc, but he's not falling for it. I suppose I played those cards out the first time we went.

My mom told me that she's going to worry more about me going this time than she did the first time. I'm sure this is because I tended to share a lot of my negative experiences. I tried to reassure her that it wasn't quite as bad as I may have made it seem (all this as I'm sobbing while I drive away!) So, in attempt to reassure my mom, here's a story about Zou that I neglected to share when it happened.

Zou and I were at the market, doing the weekly shopping. We had just arrived and, as always, I was a bit overwhelmed by the sensory overload that accompanies the market. A bicyclist rode past me (going in the same direction as I was) and I was suddenly whacked in the butt by the rest of his bike. He was driving a bike with a large cart attached to the back and didn't seem to care who he knocked over as he went on his merry way. I laughed in embarrassment (it didn't hurt, just startled me) but Zou was mad! She yelled at the guy and hit his bike. He turned back (kept peddling, but looked back) and yelled an apology to me. See, Mom? Zou does take care of me :) She's not always bossing me around, lol!