Goodbye Shanghai!

I cannot believe how quickly these four months have passed.  When I boarded my flight in Boston on Labor Day, I did not know a word of Chinese, I knew no one else on the trip with me, and I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into.  Although I certainly am far from speaking Chinese well, I have learned so much of the language.  I can communicate to a cabdriver and have a little conversation with the fruit seller—it’s in these menial communication successes where I have had some of my proudest memories.  Beyond the obvious language growth, I have grown so much as a person as I have opened my eyes to and lived in a culture completely different from my own.  In the process of economic growth and globalization, China incorporated many Western elements, but it is still China and still completely foreign.  There was no relationship with the West through so much of its history; therefore, most cultural elements have absolutely no relationship with the West either.   
A few times a week I would check the stats of my blog, and people consistently read throughout the semester.  It’s definitely a lot of work consistently updating this; many times I did not feel like writing, but I knew people were reading, so I kept on writing—thank you.  It has been so rewarding to take a break to reflect on the little things that are going on around me personally.  From the front page of the New York Times to the Christmas gift at Walmart, China is everywhere in the United States, and I hope I have given you some insights into China beyond these headlines and imported products.
Until I am home and talking about my time in China, my experience will not totally sink in.   I look forward to seeing most of you over the holidays and early into next semester to catch up and talk about my life in China.  I will probably write one or two more blog posts in the coming weeks, but if not, I wanted to thank you for reading throughout the semester.

 

Zaijian!