Departure

24 hours until departure!

Today marks the end of my journey in China. It’s a bittersweet moment. I miss home, but I also know I’ll miss it here when I leave too. China was a great experience. I was able to live in a country halfway across the world, interact and meet new people, and grow as a person. This was my first time being so far away from home especially for an extended period of time. China pushed me out of my comfort zone (in a good way) I was able to fully immerse myself in a new culture. The people here are so kind and welcoming they are quick to help you with any questions you may have.

As a group trip, we all went to the Tianjin Great Wall. It was a HIKE; I didn’t expect it to be so much of a workout lol. Definitely wear shorts and bring water (it took about two hours). It was really cool though when you get towards the top you can see the difference between the original Great Wall and the rebuilt version they had to do over the years. We also had a tour guide who was able to inform us of all the history that took part during construction.

Also, I was able to go to the Beijing Zoo it was one of the places on my list to visit. It was super cheap with our student cards (student discounts are everywhere), and they had a ridiculous amount of animals not just from China but all over the world. I mainly went to see the pandas. It was the highlight of my trip. After the zoo, we went to go to the Pearl Market, a place where you can get anything from electronics to souvenirs; bargaining with the sellers can get you some really good prices for stuff. I was able to get a load of things for my family and finish off my gift list.