Goodbye, China

China; the most populous country in the world, in which I lived in the 9th largest city, a nation with such a diverse and continuous history and landscape, and a group of people who are immense in number and endlessly entertaining. As said in Chinese, Zhongguo, China, is a country that I have had an amazing time living in and experiencing for these last six months.

It’s the last night in my apartment, and I am sitting up waiting for the last load of laundry to finish so I can head to bed. In twenty-four hours, I will be leaving China. As I think about all that has happened since I arrived in December, it seems impossible to sum up this experience in words.

I don’t think that there is one experience that would summarize all that I have learned or seen while I have been here. But, I think, walking away, I am always going to remember China by its people. A group of people that are so different than who I am, and so unique in who they are. On a typical day, I would see more people than I thought possible crowding onto a public bus, an old man walking around in pajamas for a late night run to the store, people, tons of people, out in the parks at night doing exercises, jump rope, dancing or any other activity, be invited to eat or drink with a stranger who happened to be at the restaurant I went to, or be overwhelmed by how loud the city is between people, car horns, advertisements and vendors. In the end, it is those moments and these people that I will remember most about the time I spent in China.

Although I am sad to leave the group of interns and life in Shenyang, I am excited for what lays ahead…8 days in Thailand, 2 weeks with my whole family in Portland, 10 days with amazing friends in Arizona, 10 months of home-cooked food, microwaves and dryers living with my parents in Oregon, and then another whole adventure somewhere in Africa for 27 months. The time I have spent here in Shenyang has been priceless in so many ways, and I do feel so fortunate to have come. I am sure in the next few months in Portland, I will realize all that I miss and love in Shenyang, and realize all that I have learned and the ways that I have changed after living here. It has definitely been an adventure of a lifetime.

Much love for the last time from China.

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
- - Frost