Wow has it been a while since I've done an update! I remember back in my freshmen year I would post frequent updates as a way to keep my blog active, but as I grew as a blogger I've come to learn that I shouldn't write about things I wouldn't want to read.
Which is exactly why I am writing this post! Because I wanted to update you all on everything I have gotten up to, and in the future I hope to look back on this and remember these times.
There's only a few more weeks left here in China, and I catch myself more often than not thinking about how strange a feeling it is to be here in China once more. In many ways I feel the same here as I do in America, but at times I do remember that I am abroad and in a completely different place in the world. This was highlighted earlier this week, when my friend Lara and I went to the English Club on Tongji's campus. I was especially excited to go, and given the fact that we haven't been given many opportunities to actually interact with Chinese students, I saw this as a great opportunity to meet some more students on campus.
The meeting lasted an hour and I can honestly say it made for the best day of my semester thus far. Meeting other Americans (I've only met one other student from America since being here-- more to come on that later!) and actually being able to converse with new people, even if it was in English, made for a really fun night. I remember when I went to China for the first time, and teaching middle school students English was my favorite part of that whole trip. Going to the English club and helping students feel more comfortable speaking English brought me right back to those memories. My only regret is not having attended earlier, although I will say the club is not well advertised. For the 100 Chinese students present, there were only 4 foreigners, myself and Lara included. I look forward to the future meetings and am excited to see the friendships that will be made throughout my time here.
Thanksgiving is this week, and the cohort from Hawaii celebrated with a nice American meal at a place called Al's Diner. Known for their classic Western food, and for me personally a good grilled cheese sandwich, we decided on this place to enjoy all of our faves. I was also invited to spend Thanksgiving with some other American's on Friday evening. I am looking forward to the good food and, needless to say, my favorite parts of my week have been when the UH Manoa cohort gets together, because we all get along and no one is left out.
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| For reference, 168 RMB is equivalent to $24 |
As far as classes go, one would expect that the last weeks abroad would be spent studying for finals. Unfortunately, this has not seemed to be the case. Finals fall on the second week in December and, as of right now, there is no talk about finals or even so much as a study guide.
I hope you enjoyed this little look into my life this week. In the spirit of thankfulness, I wanted to share my thanks to all of you for being with me on this little corner of the web. I am thankful to be where I am, and where you have been reading since Hawaii or since just last week, I am thankful for you, too.
Enjoy the turkey!
Until next time,
