"Reuniting after a little time apart surpasses being married for the first time."
So goes a traditional Chinese proverb. In the 1990s, Australian teacher and educator Tony Gallagher found himself in a bit of a midlife crisis: away from Australia and his family while teaching at the prestigious Peking University in China for three years. While there, eight Chinese women, all with unique backgrounds and life experiences, welcomed him into their professional and private domains, their feelings, families and relationships. It became a life changing experience.
"A Little Time Apart" is Gallagher’s remarkable and candid memoir about his unforgettable years and experiences as a teacher and educator in China. Very quickly, the temperaments, destinies, and daily lives of his eight female friends affected his own life in profound ways, because deep inside each of them was a precious legacy of personal values, tried and true, and as old as their culture itself. It was a legacy so unlike his own.
Tony’s drive to tell this story begins with his yearning to explain how his friends’ Chinese heritage both inspired and touched his own. Discovering their approaches to living revealed much more than originally intended. This is a rare and candid work which touches on the realms of personal growth and professional development and is an inspiration to those involved in cross-cultural education and interpersonal communication.
Tony Gallagher is the author of In their Own Words: Profiles of Today’s Chinese Students.
