The Final Act

I am no longer writing these posts from my tenth floor Beijing dormitory, but have instead made the almost fifteen-hour trip from China back to Los Angeles, where I was heartily welcomed home by family and friends. While China no doubt stands out in my mind as an incredibly unique and eye-opening experience, I had been secretly (or perhaps not so secretly) longing for fresh summer produce, my well-worn Volvo, the usual uniform of cat and dog dander, and the California sun.

My last week in Beijing, though, did provide for some last minute sight-seeing. The typical procrastinator, I had left much of the touring for the last two weeks of my stay, so that final week I made it a priority to see much of what NBC has been using as its token panoramas during the Olympic coverage as Bob Costas cues for a commercial break.

After Tiantan and Beihai Park, we visited the Beijing 798 art district. The art there shared a common red hue, which coincidentally matched the red flag of Switzerland, the Hospitality House of which was also lodged in the area. Hospitality Houses are another Olympic-related quirk that has been added to the city. It serves as almost a warehouse-sized advertisement for each country, every tourist attraction and favorable trait on display. In the Swiss house, we rode the ski lifts up the Alps, watched Lindt chocolatiers craft sugary perfection, and listened to the Yodeling-like musical acts. Take a look:

Jess and I cruising up the ski lift.

Perusing the Chinese wall art

After final exams were over and goodbyes had been said, I was lucky enough to make it to one of the Olympic events before heading back to the States. After what was an overwhelmingly impressive opening ceremony, I was revved up to cheer on...Brazil, Algeria, Cuba, and Poland as their women's indoor volleyball teams made their Olympic debuts.

At the Capital Indoor Stadium waiting for the games to start.

Poland making a comeback against the indestructible Cuban team

Topping off my last night with a final Peking duck feast, I packed my bags and readied for the trip home. Despite a two hour rain delay and a reasonable amount of customs-related anxiety, hoping that my pirated DVDs would not become confiscated property, I landed in LAX Sunday night safe and sound, with the DVDs still in my possession.

Since being home, I've been asked many times how my trip was and what I've learned. The one consistent thought with which I've responded has been simple: I've experienced what most people have never have or will never be able to in a lifetime, assimilated myself into a culture entirely different from my own, felt the thrill of communicating with people in their native language, and learned the secrets of a city as if it were my own. With that, however, with a growing fascination and appreciation for China, I have also developed a deeper gratitude and respect for all that I have back home, whether that be the love of family, the familiarity of the English language, or just the comfort of my own bed. As much as China taught me about what I had yet to learn, it has also taught me so much more about what I thought I already knew so well.

Thanks to all who have been following my travels these past few weeks. I hope my blog has offered some insight into the seemingly alternate universe that is China. I know even from my end, there is still much to learn...

Signing off,
Tess