My friend Eartha (Hui-lan Hsu) just left my office. She&#039s flying back to Taiwan Monday. I can&#039t believe she&#039s actually going so far away. She and I have been friends pretty much since her first semester here a year ago. After graduation, she traveled with another friend for a while and just got back yesterday. She came up here to see me before she left campus for good. We had been talking all semester about getting together for dinner so she could cook me some real Taiwanese food, but we never seemed to have coinciding schedules. So she brought me some sweet and sour pork and chicken. She also brought some more green teas made with flowers, leaves and berries to try like the jasmine tea she had given me during the semester. She finally got to see my snail who woke up just long enough to wave at her. This was the first time she had ever seen my office, so I showed her everything although it&#039s not a lot. I wish I had more souvenirs to give her. I gave her a lot of coins (Susan B. Anthony dollars, Wheat pennies, one of each Canadian quarters, Bicentennial quarters, etc.) for graduation in a red envelope, but it just doesn&#039t feel like I&#039ve given her enough. She has taught me a lot about Taiwan, Mandarin, and her customs and traditions, and I feel like I could have done more for her while she was here. I don&#039t know. I do know that I&#039m going to miss her a lot. I&#039m going to miss her stories, her laughter, and her smile. I really hope that things go well for her in Taiwan and that she gets to teach English to children like she plans. The next time it snows (which, I know, will be a while) I&#039m going to take pictures of all of it to send to her. Maybe one day I&#039ll even get to visit Taiwan. At least I know I&#039ll have a place to stay. Goodbye, Hui-lan. I&#039ll miss you.