LI SHIGONG

My brand new bicycle had been stolen! Disbelief. Anger! Disappointment… I had been riding it for only a day, and was as excited as a, well, a boy with a new bike. Even though I only paid what would be the equivalent of half a tank of gas for my truck back home, I was still sorely put out. From what I have seen and heard about Beijing, as populated a city as this is, I did not feel I was taking a big risk by leaving it in front of the gym, the cable lock coiled around the back tire. Whoever took it had to either cut the lock cord or carry the bike away, and it was 8:00 in the morning! Otherwise know as broad daylight! Thief! Scoundrel!

After being here only a week in what will become a one-year residency teaching English at Chinese Agricultural University, I love being here. My students greeted me with a wonderful welcome dinner. Their smiles, humor and patience with me could not have made for a more perfect first evening. I am honored to be their teacher. And now, a week later, my opinion of them and where I am continues to grow exponentially.

My walks around campus and to the gym nearby make for sensory overload. Flowers in bloom are everywhere at the school, the acacia trees are strategically placed and the broomers keep the campus tidy with their diligence to duty. Grandparents walk with and entertain their small grandchildren, young co-eds hold hands and lean into each other for secret whispers, and people walk, run, play soccer, ride their bikes, laugh and hurry along to appointments or leisurely strolls. As I pass people, my smiles and greetings are happily returned with sincerity. I've learned to cross the wide streets with the crowd, and have become adept at dodging bikes, buses and BMW.

After six days at the gym, I now recognize the man at the gate, and we wave to each other. He knows no English, and my Chinese is minimal at best, but we have developed rapport. He is a good man. The receptionist at the gym couldn't be any sweeter. Like my students, she is engaging and represents Beijingers in the best possible light. We trade languages and, thanks to her, my Chinese gets a little better each day. I am excited to begin my days with her conversation as well as the pump of the workout.

Whether it is buying bananas, or beer, and yes, the bike, too, the perpetual highlights of my days are the interactions I have with the people. As an expat, I do not feel scorned or resented, but welcomed and appreciated, even quickly liked. A co-teacher, at first meeting, has already offered an invitation to a cooked homemade meal. Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken I believe will prove true to me as my chosen road to China will make "all the difference….ages and ages hence".

So why on Earth would someone steal my bicycle? That one heinous act had the potential of ruining such a glorious and fun beginning, like a bug in a punchbowl. But then, like a hammer to the head, and in only a matter of long seconds, I became certain of what had happened. I looked toward the gate shed, and there, sitting right up front where my guard friend could keep a better eye on it, sat my two-wheel transport. With a sigh of relief and a giggle, I meandered over, patted his shoulder, shook his hand, thanked him most heartily, and told him I would see him tomorrow. I mounted and rode, my faith in Beijingers and this city restored to overflowing.

I love being here.

The author is an American teaching in Beijing