Last Days of the Program

I had been to Shanghai before this trip, so I decided that I would just write one post for the remaining days we spent there. We were lucky enough to stay in a very nice hotel with a lot of things to do, so Merrick and I took advantage of that and went to the sauna/jacuzzi twice. It was a great way to relax after a long day of exhausting walking. Over the next days, we visited the Oriental Pearl Tower to give us a view of Shanghai, the famous Bund, which is the promenade along the water across from Pudong, and Sun Yat Sen's house. We also went to a few museums and got some time to wander freely on Nanjing road and along the Bund, where a few of us found a nice air-conditioned coffee shop to relax in. We went to the Jade Buddha Temple to see the original Jade Buddha statue as well as the beautiful buildings spread around the temple grounds. We had a tour guide while we were in Shanghai named Iris. She was super funny and was passionate about traveling. On the last day, we spent the morning in the hotel to go around and everyone got a chance to share some thoughts on the program and person growth aspects. We then finished our packing and left for the airport.
Once we arrived in Newark, we said our goodbyes which we made last for almost an hour, and then those who had connecting flights went to recheck bags. I was in this group, until I found out that my flight back to the bay was delayed until 1:30 AM. This was definitely not going to be a practical option, so I went to the airport hotel with a few others who were staying over night and took a flight early the next morning. It was actually nice to go to the hotel because it gave me closure - the first few nights of the program were spent there for the Pre-Departure Orientation. At 4:30 in the morning, Liu Lu Laoshi took me to the airport and sent me through security to return home.
I know that home will be a very different concept for me and I am nervous for the culture shock going back home. At the Newark airport, I said "xie xie" to a cashier while ordering some breakfast. I miss China very much and the friends that I made there. I have an even further heightened admiration for the society that they have built and know that I certainly intend to develop an even closer relationship with the Chinese nation, people, and culture. I want to thank Dr. Chen for creating such an incredible experience, Liu Laoshi for being an incredible Chinese teacher who inspired me everyday to work even harder to get to fluency, Liu Lu Laoshi for pushing me to perform even better on my OPI tests, Cai Laoshi and Wan Laoshi for being two incredible friends who are role models for a happy and productive life, the State Department for funding this incredible program and accepting me, and of course all of the friends on the trip who I will never forget.