3 book series I never thought I’d read

I always said I’d never read Harry Potter.  Not because of the usual conservative C mumbo-jumbo about it being witchcraft and morally off-base, but because I just don’t like that stuff.  I’m not big into fantasy or sci-fi.  Then I came to China and all of my students wanted to talk about Harry Potter.  I held out until the spring of 2008 before giving in.  I think I read all seven books in a three week time span, and if you’ve ever read them you know they aren’t small books.  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed them, and was a little sad when it was over.

Then last spring the next big craze was Twilight.  I didn’t even pretend to hold out, I just gave in and read them all.  (Note: Even so, I am no twi-hard.)

And on Wednesday I started to read The Lightning Thief, the first book of Rick Riordan’s series “Percy Jackson & The Olympians.” 

Adios USA

Zai jian, USA!  I’m on a direct flight back to Beijing right now.  I’ll land in thirteen hours, returning just in time for the new school term to start on Tuesday.  In my last semester as a teacher I’m teaching 10th grade history, the international students, and an after-school elective in business management.

It’s hard to believe how an intial 10-month commitment slipped into life in Beijing for 36 months, and it seems like I arrived just yesterday.  But as I contemplate the close of this time, there’s one thing I just can’t