more benefits from abroad

sunrise:  6:39

Wei from Italy joined us yesterday, only for one night.  He is an Italian student, originally from China, with a very unusual accent in English and a very warm smile.  He took a walk around the back fields with me yesterday evening. 

Wei lived in China until he was 6, and has lived the last 12 years in Italy with his family.  He clearly carries a strong cultural connection to his Chinese heritage, but his Italian-ness is unmistakable. 

And here I am, walking around my back yard with him in a small field in mid-Maine, discussing our philosophical views of life.

He asked me what my hopes for the future are - a very nice and unusual question to come from a teenager to a middle aged mom - and I asked him the same.  He is interested in a lot of things -- computers, the outdoors (intriguing combination).  But money makes him wary.  He has been taught somewhere along the way that money as a life pursuit will not lead to happiness, so he only wants to earn just enough to be comfortable.  What is really important, he said, is to follow your dreams- and have time for things like this walk around the back yard.

Well.  Nicely put.  And perhaps there is a story there that would help explain his family's move from China to Italy.  It's too bad I won't have more time to get to know Wei and the three girls that have spent this weekend with us.  Still - the window to the world that we did get has been illuminating.

I am so grateful to all of the people who volunteer so many hours of their time to make this student exchange program happen.  I highly recommend it to anyone -- AFS.

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I finally got some pictures of our mallard pair.  The camouflage of the female is just amazing.  Very hard to spot her. 

And I got another, better shot of my mystery bird, whose identity I have guessed as tufted titmouse, female cardinal or blue jay,  or perhaps a junco.  There is unquestionably a slight crested head, though you can't see it here.  I still don't feel certain.  I'll have to keep saving my pennies for a nicer camera.