My unique person by Casey Ellzey

 

Hello, I am Casey Ellzey. I’m an American teacher, and I specialize in Asian history and early childhood education. I have been in China nearly three years now.

My story isn’t an unlikely one, but it is one I never thought I would find myself in. My goal when I came to China was to serve one year teaching here before I left for my master’s degree. I arrived in Shanghai in August of 2019. I was only 23 at the time and very nervous to be in a country boasting thousands of years of history. I ended up missing my connecting flight to Shenzhen the day I landed due to security issues, so I booked a free flight the next day thanks to a lovely woman at the airport in Shanghai. She also got me situated in a nice hotel where I could stay the night. I landed in my new home city for the next year at 10:00 A.M. on August 28th. Tired, emotionally confused, and quickly running out of cash a taxi man took pity on me and accepted less money than what it cost to drive me from the airport.

 

Our red book photo

I spent the next few months figuring out China when I met this person online and we had a small connection. His name is Anji. A simple hair stylist from Heyuan, Guangdong. We met in November and had been talking for about two months when we decided that I should come in for a hair appointment to meet each other. That was in December of 2019. We scheduled the time for January 15th, but an outbreak would see that we wouldn’t meet. We texted back and forth for the two months we were on lock down. We got to know each other more and seemed to like each other. Though neither one of us would admit it to the other.

In late February I got really sick and ended up in the hospital with an autoimmune disorder. He would send me words of encouragement. Cheering me on from the outside while I was being nursed back to health. I was released from hospital on March 11, 2020. That day we made an appointment to have me come in to do my hair that was now in horrible shape. We met on March 31, 2020 at 4:30 P.M. I can still remember everything we wore that day. It wasn’t hot or cold but comfortable. He asked me to eat dinner with him that night and I said yes on a gut feeling.

For the next few days we would see each other daily. On April 3rd we agreed that we liked each other and wanted a relationship. This man who doesn’t speak English wanted to commit to me. We were together about 4 months when we found out that we would be expecting a child. By then we had discussed a possible marriage in the future. We were scared and nervous, but willing to welcome this new life into ours. On our seven-month anniversary he proposed.

It was November 13th. I had been at work all day and I was really tired, but he said he wanted me to meet him at one of our favorite spots. He wanted to go out for dinner. This isn’t unusual of him, so instead of going home I went to the mall to meet him. He told me his work friends wanted to celebrate, so I said okay. Everything was normal, I had started to get really tired.

Visiting baba at work

I was seven months pregnant at this point and I had worked all day. He then gave me a random letter. I noticed it was in English so I started reading. He had spent all day translating what he wanted to say. “…I feel like our spirits have known each other for many lifetimes, and they have found each other again. Will you make my spirit happy and marry me?” This line I will forever remember. I didn’t process at first, but after a while I turn and he is there on one knee. This man that didn’t speak English, pouring out his heart on paper to me and asking me to be his beloved for life. I said yes through tears, all the while a friend caught it on camera. This one video would start our story online. Many would watch our love story unfold, our daughter being born, and our rise to a little popularity on the famous app Douyin.

An excited new father

This man has helped me out of a dark area in my life, and is my rock. If it hadn’t been for Shenzhen I wouldn’t have met him. My daughter was born in Shenzhen, my family was started here. This city has so many deep memories for me, and I am so thankful for all that it has given me. It gave me a husband, a child, and a family. But more importantly it gave me hope. From walking on the paths near Shenzhen Bay to an amazing medical team helping me with the birth of my first born, this city has blessed me in so many different ways.

 

I am originally from Ellisville, Mississippi. I grew up in a single parent household. We were quiet people and never really went out much. I am from a smaller town so the shock of a big city like Shenzhen was a bit overwhelming. I spent 22 years in Mississippi and China was my first time leaving home. I am thankful for the lessons I learned in Mississippi that made me tough enough to take on a big city like Shenzhen. My story is unique and I hope it makes someone smile.

You can follow them on Douyin (Chinese Tik-Tok). Account name: 安集哥哥呀!

 

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