Laying restless in my bed back in the states, I can’t help but think how quickly my time in China passed and how I can’t believe I’m really home. Unfortunately, I did not update my journal once during my four months in Beijing—due partly to my overburdening school load and partly to my lack of discipline. However, my time in Beijing was truly spectacular, filled with incredible people, unreal experiences, and day to day good times.
My studies at Peking University were tough. I had 16 hours of Chinese a week and 3 hours of Chinese philosophy. However, the instructors—especially An Laoshi—were fantastic. Jessie, Cameron, Max, Amanda, Julia, Liz, Xiao, Catherine, Aileen, Caitlin, and many more CIEE students helped make it the time of my life. JinWen, my tutor (or fudao) was truly amazing and taught me so much. There’s the French students, notably Cyrielle and Pierre Henri, my classmates, Wilson, and so many others who added so much to my trip and who I am truly thankful to know.
Beijing Brainstorm –
WuDaoKo- The party area near campus – Propaganda, Lush, Lion King KTV, Korean BBQ
SanLiTun- Beijing’s biggest party sector – Alfa, Vics, Pure Girl, Shooters, and we must not forget Destination!
Forbidden City, Lama Temple, Temple of Heaven, Dirt Market, WuDaoKo Market, Factory 798, Tiananmen
Food: JiaoZi, JiaoZi, JiaoZi, Jian Bing, Korean BBQ, Peking Duck, Hotpot, Fried noodle place down the street
The House of Zhou- my host family
You Liao – My hotel
Travel – Xin Jiang, Henan, Nanjing, Great Wall (MuTianYu, JinShanLing, Simatai, Huanghua), Chuandixia, Shanghai, Seoul (South Korea)
In Conclusion-
It’s incredibly difficult single out single memories of my experiences in China. My first night in Shanghai, meeting Bernie at JunDu, all the nights hanging out with Jim, Grace & Penny, Hong Kong, Xin Jiang, going out with the CIEE kids, it all runs together somehow. All of my experiences and all the people I met along the way bleed into this gigantic and spectacular watercolor that is, up to now, the most significant portion of my life. I’ve grown. Oh how I’ve grown. I’ve learned, lived, loved, and soldiered through many challenges. China truly became a home for me, and that’s only natural. What is a home? A place with people you love, a place of security, a place where at the end of the day, you want to return to. And I do. It took returning to the states to realize just how much China means to me. All of the mundane things that you fail to recognize in your average day in China are what make China truly spectacular. Most of all, it’s the Chinese people—yes, even over the food—that make China what it is to me. Today people around the world are watching China with acute scrutiny, some fearfully and some enthusiastically. Will China be the next super power in the world? Can China pull off a successful Olympics? Is China worth all the hype currently invested? It’s all too easy to see China as an object, a race horse, on which everyone has their bets. However, now I see the people. I see Li Jun, Li Zi Xi, Jin Wen and so many others. And I’m rooting for China. Not for my sake. I’m hoping that China develops exactly as the Chinese want it to and exactly at a rate they’re comfortable with. I’m on team China.
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