The other
day as I checked Facebook for any updates on the snow days in SC, I came across
a name linked to Mark’s brother’s page. I don’t normally do this, but I
messaged him saying “I realize you don't know me but I
saw your name connected with my brother-in-law John … and his sons …. You have
an unusual last name, [B]. I know some [B]’s here in Beijing China. I wonder if
you would know them? Just wondering. ” He wrote, “Hey! I kinda just met John
last night. My uncle mark and aunt charity [work] there!” We know and love Mark
& Charity and their family. We have had a few meals in their home and their
daughter Anna is one of my chemistry students. Funny – our friends in Beijing from
California have a nephew in our town in SC who is friends with our extended
family.
Last fall the B family hosted a lunch when Ruth &
Elizabeth visited us. During that time, we met a couple in their 60s who have
been in Beijing quite a while. They told us about their grown children and
where they live, etc. One of their sons, Jeremy, is an artist who has a studio in
Greenville’s RiverPlace Art District. Apparently his studio is the first one on
artist’s row. I am sure that we have stopped in his studio during Artisphere or
during casual walks through the district. Now I’m anxious to go back and visit
him and his studio and say we met his parents in Beijing.
On Chinese New Year’s Eve we went to the grocery store
to stock up on food before it potentially closed for the holiday (Chinese New
Year). I had gone to find something and came back to find Mark near the Dove
chocolate display. Of course, I should have known! While there he hears someone
say in English, “I found the chocolate.” Naturally we strike up a conversation.
Not many foreigners live in our area so it’s always interesting to find a
foreigner in the grocery store. We ask the natural questions of where are you
from, how long have you been here, etc. Imagine our surprise when a young lady
named Rachel said she is from South Carolina, from a town on the outskirts of
Charleston. She came Jan. 3 to teach English in a nearby school. As we talked,
our friends Rodney & Glenna came by. So we had a little English gathering
right there in the Chinese grocery. I’m sure we were quite a spectacle.
That's so funny about the B family relative. A few weeks ago I saw on Facebook that Maria Conner is fb friends with someone with the same B last name who went to the Evangelical Institute in Greenville, so I checked out their profile to see if they were related. The person was fb friends with the 3 B daughters we met in Beijing, so I assume they are related. Might be the same person you found!
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