Welp, the China team members I have been working closely with seemed surp rised that I am getting pulled off to do something else (this is probably tempo rary anyhow but I don't want to confuse and upset them further by saying that too clearly. Though, frankly, I had expected they would know it. I am not s ure in how far they understand that the plan has always been for them to replace us).
Someone came here for a week from China and carried with him more gifts f rom my team members. I couldn't believe it! I got a silver bracelet with turqu oise, and a handbag with beaded decorations on it. (I don't carry purses but i t is really pretty so not sure what to do with it. I don't wear jewelry much either (duh) but actually the bracelet is so much to my tastes that I might star t wearing it!)
For unknown reasons another group of China developers got gifts for a bun ch of us. There is a ...not sure what they are called, but I think traditional ly women would wear them hanging from the sides of their hats. I already ha d one as an earlier gift from one of my team members, which looked like it was (fake) carved ivory, hung on fancily knotted red and rainbow-colored string. Th e one I got today looks like a huge cloisonné bead, with fancy knotted string a bove and dangling below. They also gave us each an envelope with inked paper-cut outs.
These are very beautiful but extremely thin, so we are not sure what to d o with them. Mine are dragons. Others got peacocks or bunnies. Anyone with interesting info on what these are for?
Soo... gotta go get gifts for my team members again (we've gone through s everal back and forth's now... I'm a bit concerned about the gift inflation. La st time I sent them Chicago calendars. But *gulp* before they have always sent t ouristy kind of gifts...what they sent me this time seemed more special (and more
expensive!))
I feel so bad about this situation overall. I felt so bad that they were upset that I was "leaving" the team and that they apparently expected me to sta y on longer. We asked them how long they thought they need me to stay on an d they said at least a month. They sounded so sad. I don't want to leave them in the lurch. I really like these guys. I argued with my former boss today and we went around and around on it, a nd it was decided I could stay on until I go on vacation March 5th. Well, that 's a week and a half more.
Sorry, babbling again!
If I get around to it I will take pictures of my various gifts.
marisa2