Magic

"There is a love in me raging,

A joyous magical feeling."

- Alegria, Cirque Du Soleil

The past couple days there have been a few moments where I have been struck with this feeling of magic. Tonight has been the strongest.

While sitting at my desk watching the flounderings of our Prime Ministorial candidates and the CBC National coverage I was reveling in how wonderfully candid our politics are. It has what the Italian would call a 'candore infantalli'. I absolutely love it. I smile, I laugh out loud, I shake my head in disbelief. What great fun!

As my online broadcast finished I pulled out my course books to prepare a lesson for tomorrow and then ... the gunshots. I immediately think firecrackers. Clearly I am Canadian. Or in this case Chinese. Fireworks are almost a daily occurrence but this weekend is the Mid Autumn Festival here in China. Fireworks are to be expected all weekend, at anytime. I leaned into the wide window sill (reminiscent of the window sill in my room as a child) and listen and look for the fireworks. They sounded close. Even better they were the beginning of the first big display that I will see here. Over the Petroleum University campus I can see flashes of light, magical sparkling colours: hong-se, lu-se, lan-se, jin-se, (Chinese pin yin for the red, green, blue and gold). The streets are still hustling with university students, vendors still selling moon-cakes (the festival speciality), and the crackle of the fireworks. The air is cool but refreshing not cold. The swallows are nestled only feet away on the ledge of the building for the night. All is good in Daqing this evening. I am content. Comfortable. Pleasantly content and comfortable. I don't feel like the crazy foreigner on display. I feel that I am part of the city breathing and beating around me. I fit. In two simple weeks I fit.

Thanksgiving is to come at home but I am feeling the thankfulness welling inside me already.

A quick couple photos of the fireworks and my spectacular waterfront in this 'nasty oil town'.