The beginning of the end

Woke up this morning-felt like any other Friday here at SMBS. 

Until I stepped into my first class.

It was class 2, and the poor babies had no idea of the news I brought with me.

We opened class with the traditional 3 rules of class, reviewing the alphabet, and singing our class songs. 

Then, I told them. 

“Meesa Lindsay is going home to America.”

I told them about my house, my family, why I’m going back to America. And they still didn’t quite get it.

Then I said the dreaded words, “You will have a new foreign teacher next year.”

Only one of the kids understood what I said, and translated it for the rest of the class.

Jeff started shouting, “Bu yao! Bu yao!” (I don’t want! I don’t want!)

That’s when the tears began flowing. First one kid, then another, then another, then another. 

Then Meesa Lindsay started crying. And the whole class lost it. 

I tried to tell them that they would have one more class with me, but it did nothing to console them.

I soon found myself surrounded by the class, all sobbing and clinging to me, telling me not to go back to America. To stay in China. Telling me “I love you Meesa Lindsay!”

I just kept hugging them, wiping tears off their precious faces, telling them I love them. But nothing would stop the tears. 

And then poor Derek got a nose-bleed. So there was a mad scramble to find more tissue to stop his nose-bleed. Never a dull moment with class 2. 

The kids wouldn’t stop crying, even after I left the class, I heard the sobs from the hallway. Their poor Chinese teacher was left to deal with the fall-out of my class. 

After I left the classroom, I went back into the office, tears still streaming down my face. I sat down, laid my head on the desk, and sobbed. Thank Father Anna was there or I think I wouldn't have been able to go to my next classes. 

How am I supposed to deal with this? How can I say good-bye to every class, breaking their little hearts in the process? How in the world am I going to leave these beautiful, precious, naughty, hilarious, loving children that have their little fingers around my heart?

My heart is breaking. Seeing those tears, today, so many little arms wrapped around my neck, so many kisses, so many “I love you’s.” I don’t know how I can say good-bye.

And today was only the beginning of the end.