April was my first month away from Moishe House Beijing since it began last fall. I usually do my annual visit home to Philadelphia during Passover, so I planned to be in the US for most of April. As usual, going home was overwhelming, with old friends and neighbors and even my rabbi all asking about China and what I am up to. Sadly, there were also several deaths in the family while I was home, and my trip began and ended with funerals. Sounds dramatic, I know, but I look at it this way- these things would have happened whether or not I was in the States, so it's just as well that I was able to be around for the funerals and shiva, especially of my grandmother, who was a Holocaust survivor.
It was heartening to see that even while I was gone, there was a well-attended rooftop brunch at my house (summer is upon us in Beijing!) and even while BOTH Jewish residents of Moishe House were gone, my future roommate Tyler hosted an event at our house and made matzah brie for the holiday.
Finally, a quick anecdote- yesterday I met with a friend of mine who is a NYT journalist here in China. He asked where I lived, and I reminded him that he had been to my house to watch the Obama inauguration. He says, "Oh, you live in Moishe House?" He didn't register my apartment as mine, but rather as Moishe House. I was proud of the branding job we had done :)
Until next time...
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