Final Entry - Parting Thoughts, Perchance?

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Anyways, I’m finally back home. Any last comments, you ask?

First off, I just want to thank all of you. Maybe being away for a whole summer from you has made me sappy, but I can live with that. You have no idea how much being with a group you don't know that well/may never know that well makes you appreciate your solid friendships back home. I hope to never take any of you for granted 😊

Tay-I’m glad you have faith that I’m better than the girls at Shanghai Hooters hehe. Thanks for being there for all my internship woes, and I can't wait for all the GTs to come.
Cindy-You remember every word I blabbed at you about my spring break trip! I feel like you were giving me advice and commenting all in one go! The BK6 Welcome Party is going to be a blast.
Ren-What the hell would I do without you reminding me to find some Asian booty?
Kelsey-You might as well have gone on this trip with me. I mean, seriously, get in my luggage/pants.
Linds-My twin! Of course I’m saving up all my new ghost stories for our sleepover ☺
Steffi-We need a DANTA APARTMENT PARTY now! Can’t wait to suite it up with you!
Reena-You WOULD comment on Korea haha. Korean BBQ soon!
Susanna-We need some major neighbor gossip, pronto! Hope everything is going well up in Bizerkeley.
Clare-I miss the heck out of you! We will need to have a She’s the Man/summer catch-up soon ☺

Well, living in another country long enough to be beyond the status of a tourist is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’m not too sure it’s for everyone; especially under the conditions of not choosing the people you travel with. Personally, I’ve come to a better understanding of half of myself. I get why my Chinese grandmother (my popo) loves to walk everywhere and demand things from waitresses. A lot of walking is to be had in China, and the customer service is plain awful because tipping is illegal. I now see that Chinese business and building relationships (and drinking) are all dreadfully interconnected. An e-mail simply won’t work here.

But the most interesting of all is what I can learn about myself. I knew I could endure, but did I thrive? Questions like this force me to think back to every insecurity—every tickling, wispy one. I think I found that while I’m comfortable carrying a conversation in a crowd, I could become surprisingly introverted with a group that wasn’t my own. Whether from boredom or merely a desire to ground myself, I’m not totally sure.

In the end, traveling is about you. There’s only so many ways that you can affect a place that you visit, but it can affect you in an infinite amount of ways. Give it a shot and keep a blog while you’re at it. Send me a link, please? ☺

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Comments

[Taylor]

Thank you for the shout out. I can't wait to see you in just a matter of days! I think you handled yourself wonderfully on your trip - it really does depend on the person.