Reflections on China

Hello, friends. If you are reading this, then you have kept up with my blog far more faithfully than I. And for that I applaud you. I'm sorry to report that a general sense of laziness over came me in these last few weeks in China, and for that I must apologize. I started this endeavor with the intent to write daily entries, however it has been weeks since my last post. And now here I am, using my last few hours in the People's Republic of China to write a final entry. I came to China with the intent of reaching a competent fluency in Mandarin, and after three months of calling this place my home I realize that I have utterly failed in that attempt. However, that is not to say that progress was not made. Though I originally came to study the language, I stayed because of it's people. I will not remember Beijing for the grandeur of the Forbidden City nor for the architecture of the Great Wall and the Olympic Village. For me, Beijing holds something more. It is the home of two incredible people and their seven year old daughter, a particularly mischievous girl who answers to the name "Juicy." They have left me the deepest impression. My journey in China has ended, but the friendships I made have just begun. A new Great Wall has been built, but rather than separating, it has brought us together. Zai Jian, China!