10 Weeks Later...

...we're heading back to the U.S. I can't believe how fast this summer has gone! This whole experience has definitely been the most incredible summer of my life! At times I wanted to give up, a lot of times I wanted to come home, but honestly I wouldn't go back and change anything. OK except maybe the rash I had for two weeks. But aside from that, I loved this whole program and I'm actually sad to be leaving it.

I will miss all of my friends. We've bonded so much: through our similarities and common passions, and also through all we've experienced together this summer. We have so many funny and fun memories I know I will never forget. We plan to have reunions to see each other, and I really hope we do because I really love these girls. Without them this summer would have been dull and I'm thankful for the way the Lord provided such good friendships for me.

I will miss speaking and learning Chinese all of the time. We did take a lot of breaks in English, but even with those breaks I was speaking Chinese for a majority of the time. I love Chinese! I will really miss learning it every day and having people around me to explain new words and grammar patterns and Chinese idioms. I need to find some Chinese friends in Lynchburg ASAP to practice with regularly.

I will miss being in a stimulating learning environment. I really love learning, and besides learning Chinese all the time, I've learned a lot from all of the people I've spent this summer with. Everyone is so smart! Even though I am SO glad to be done with college (yay!), I will miss academia because learning is just so fun!

I will miss living in a city. Suzhou is crowded and polluted but I like the convenience of cabs and buses and walking most everywhere we need to go. Lynchburg is so small and I'm kind of nervous about living there for the next four months with not really any kind of established life there. I'm sure it will be fine, I just need to get used to not being super busy in life.

I will miss China. Sometimes China and I don't get along, and sometimes a lot of things about China bother me, but I really do love China. Mainly I love the people. I will miss my teachers and my roommate and our assistant directors. They are all so fun to talk to and we've become good friends whom I love interacting with.

Time to finish getting my stuff together and lug it down four flights of steps. I will be traveling for the next 25 hours! That is not very appealing but I am so excited to be coming home!