Saturday, June 9, 2018
Busy week…Busy day…. but almost to the finish line!
Got up at the crack of dawn to finish up packing before leaving for Shanghai. Still can't believe we've spent a full month in Chengdu, and now thinking about it, I'm definitely feeling a little nostalgic…
As I finished up packing, I sat down with my host family to have our last breakfast together. Our breakfast, like any other day, consisted of some scrambled eggs (Chinese style), dumplings, and some traditional Chinese bread. My host family was incredibly hospitable, and I ended up getting to know both the Mom and Dad so well over the past week.
We were tasked with interviewing them for our oral history project, but the conversations ended up happening daily, getting deeper and deeper in meaning. The mom worked for the Peace Corps and the dad owned a small tech company, so they had incredible stories and insights. Being able to live with a family (including Grandparents) that has experienced and witnessed all walks of Modern Chinese history is not only eye-opening but also incredibly important in understanding Chinese culture, traditions, and the country as a whole. As a way to help me further understand Chinese culture and thinking, my host parents gave me two of their favorite books as parting gifts, both of which I'm excited to start reading! Their kids were also incredibly cute; I know I'm going to miss the 3-year-old laughing uncontrollably all the time.
As our chapter in Chengdu came to a close, so did our time taking Chinese language classes. Although I can't say I'll miss sitting in four-hour classes, taking quizzes, and doing Chinese homework everyday…. Learning a language in a formal setting while being fully immersed in it is the best way to improve your abilities. I started learning Chinese in high school but took a two-year break and ended up forgetting most of it. But, I can honestly say that in this last month, I learned more than I had in two years of studying Chinese back in the states. If I had the choice, I would do it again every time.
As we said our final goodbyes, and got to the airport, and were off to Shanghai!
Today was a transitional day for us. Besides traveling, we also had to finish up our weekly journal assignments along with our oral history assignment. Once we arrived in Shanghai, we also had our weekly discussion meeting. This week was a big one because it covered not only two weeks of dialogues but also our individual experiences with our host families. Today's topics consisted of "The Chinese Dream," the development of a middle class in China, the sustainability and significance of Teahouses in Chengdu, as well as the opinions of our host families on major issues in China; including but not limited to: the GaoKao, Hukuo System, Guanxi, Government, Freedom of Speech, and the Great Firewall.
Since we arrived in Shanghai a little late today, tomorrows a free day for us to self-explore the City and its sights! This is my first time here so I'm excited to explore the business capital of China and see what all the hype is about!
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