Haining is Our Home

I had been having a pristine pregnancy. I was the epitome of health， exercising， eating nutritious， wholesome food， and devouring every parenting book I could find. I had been living in China for nearly two years， was deeply in love with my husband， passionate about my work， and ready to become a mother. The baby was measuring small， and I had every confidence in the power of my body， and was shockingly calm about the impending delivery. The calmness came crashing down on the morning of July 18th. The baby wasn’t moving， so my husband took me to the hospital， just for a little check. We expected the doctor to chuckle at our obvious first time nerves， assure us the baby was just resting， and send us on our way. However， the doctor’s， steady but urgent words yanked the security out from under us. “The baby is in trouble. His umbilical cord is wrapped twice tightly around his neck， and his heart rate is quickly decelerating. We need to get him out right now.”

Her words set off a flurry of activity. It seemed time for me stood still as everyone was running around me. I was whisked away and prepped for emergency surgery. I don’t even really recall saying good bye to my husband. I had retreated into my own mind. It seemed the next instant I was on the operating table， and as the doctor gently edged my four pound baby out from my womb， everyone in the room held their breath. The sound of the scissors cutting his cord pierced the air. My son shattered the silence with his sudden shrill of a cry. The doctor had saved his life. We all exhaled and cried together with him. This was the start of my amazing journey of raising my children in Zhejiang Province ….

Two years after the birth of my first son， I gave birth again to another son， and together my two children， husband and I call the city of Haining， in Zhejiang Province， our home. Every fall I welcome many representatives of American high schools and Universities to come to visit our school， as well as hosting foreign students to come here to learn Chinese. More often than not they can’t find the city on a map. They all know Zhejiang Province， but can’t locate Haining city. “Haining is about one hour by car from Hangzhou， a district of Jiaxing” I must explain to them. At last they can usually identify Jiaxing， and find information about Haining’s thriving leather industry. However Haining is so much more than a collection of leather factories. Haining is tight knit community， a community that allows me to take an integral role in the education of its citizens and a community which plays an integral role in the development of my children.

In English there is a popular adage， “It takes a village to raise a child.” For me， these words couldn’t be more accurate. Haining is that village. This morning we went to the supermarket to pick up a few groceries. At least ten different employees stopped to say hello to my sons – yes they even knew their names. The same supermarket has adjusted their inventory and prepares more ground beef and boneless chicken breasts teasing us that we eat so much meat. On any given day， I am driving our car， stopped at a traffic light and the car that pulls up to me is someone we know. We both roll down our windows and enjoy catching up. When we walk into our family’s favorite Chinese restaurant， the waitresses don’t even inquire what we would like. They have memorized our order. The grandmothers who play with their grandbabies outside of our apartment always hold my sons， play with them and offer useful tidbits of advice such as how to better keep my children healthy in the blistering winter weather. During the holidays， when we are missing the company of our relatives back home， we have no shortage of gracious invitations to celebrate the holidays with our Chinese friends. My sons have a nanny， at least 6 Chinese ‘grandparents’ and dozens of others whom they call auntie， uncle， brother and sister. Yes， Haining is my home.

Just last week， my husband and I were taking our sons out for a walk. The time was late， past ten pm， and we were walking in a largely deserted， dimly lit park. The shadows from the decorative lighting danced across the grass， and my sons were having a blast chasing each other then diving onto the ground. My maternal instincts were on high alert， as the shadows and trees would also make a suitable hiding spot for someone wishing to do us harm. My husband instinctively knowing my thoughts gently embraced me and said， “ Relax， this is Haining.” He was absolutely right. In the home where I grew up it would be foolish to walk at night， in a dimly lit area at all， downright unthinkable with children in tow. What a wonderful gift Haining gives us; a sense of security and safety to raise our children. Yes， Haining is our home.

As an ambitious woman in today’s society， I have the passion to fulfill many different kinds of roles. In one day I am a mother， a teacher， a wife， a mentor， a businesswoman， a boss， a friend. Haining is the only place in the world I can imagine being able to seamlessly transition through these roles. The economic prosperity in Zhejiang Province makes business and financial development possible， while at the same time， being a small close knit community makes Haining the ideal place to raise a family. Yes， Haining is our home.

Although I have lived in Zhejiang Province for many years， call China my home， speak Chinese， love local food， embrace Chinese culture， study Chinese medicine， eat rice and drink tea three times a day， my family and I will always carry the label of ‘foreigner.’ Our white complexions and light hair instantly set us apart in our community. However， the people of Haining have given us the opportunity to show ourselves beyond the title of a label. Our neighbors appreciate that we don’t want to be treated like unapproachable outsiders; we want to be embraced as productive society members. Although on the street we are sometimes a bit embarrassed with strangers’ excitement， people whispering， children staring， cameras snapping， heads turning， and small crowds gathering， but the majority of the community also knows our ambitions， principles， concerns， hopes， motivations， and dreams. Outside of Haining， to many people， I am merely a laowai， but in Haining， I am also Traci. People take the time to see my soul， hear my thoughts， and know the person that just happens to have white skin and blue eyes. They see me as a real being， a true friend， a genuine neighbor. They have given me the chance to be so much more than a label of ‘foreigner’. Yes， Haining is my home.

It’s an amazing feeling to realize the warmth which connects my family to Haining. At our school we work with hundreds of people， young and old， to develop their communication skills， and increase their confidence and self worth. My husband and I take our knowledge， culture， and life experiences and influence our students， while at the same time， hundreds of people in Haining take their knowledge， culture， and life experiences and influence my family and I. This full circle is this most gratifying way to belong to a community. We give what we can of our ourselves， and take advantage of the opportunities we are given， and use the lessons we learn， and the gains we make to continue offering more. Yes， Haining is our home.

Last Christmas my mother made T shirts for my sons. They are white with a simple design on the front. The design is of a clothing tag – the same kind of label that is on most products in the USA. In big words is the text， “Made in China.” Ironically， just like most things in the United States， my children were also made in China. This year my mother asked me what she should get the boys for Christmas. Now that the old T shirts are torn and stained with juice， I asked my mother to design new T shirts for them this year， with one additional word， “Proudly made in China.” I am proud to call Haining my home.

Thank you to the wonderful people of Haining who have embraced my children， my husband and I. Your trust and confidence in us has touched us in a deep and dramatic way. I hope we can continue to make wonderful contributions to Haining， Jiaxing， and Zhejiang Province and can hopefully return as much as we have gained from being a part of this wonderful community. Yes， Haining is， and I hope always will be， our home. □