Last Night At the Family, Hello Luxury Hotel!

Hey folks. So tonight’s the last night I’m spending with the family, and tomorrow I go to check into the Westin for some R&R before Doug gets here. Thought I’d post some sort of summary of what’s past and what’s next.

Thoughts on the Experience:

Well, in the end I think I found out I was a bit less flexible than I thought in my lifestyle and my ability to drop my own ideas when faced with something different. One never wants to find out you are less tolerant and open-minded than you thought, but I guess it’s a good learning experience to know where your boundaries are.

For anyone who wants a crash-course in learning a foreign language, I would definitely suggest going to the country and living with a family that doesn’t speak English. It’s amazing how much the mind can learn if it doesn’t have a choice if it wants to eat or know where it can get water!

I missed home more than I expected, but also made some great friends. All my tutors have been especially great to get to know. The badminton match (see prior post) was brutal on my muscles but lots of fun. Whether or not I actually want to return to this house, they have been more than kind and have repeatedly told me that this is my house too now and anytime I’m back in China I must come see them. I knew from prior experiences that people in China are hospitable to a fault, and now I’ve experienced it in its largest form. Don’t underestimate the persistence of the head of households in China!

What’s Next?:

Doug and I are off to Guilin, Yangshuo, Dali, and Lijiang next week. From everything I hear they are beautiful places, and I’m looking forward to seeing something new. I will likely bring the computer on the trip so will probably post from there. Doug and I wanted to go to Dali ten years ago when we were students in China but didn’t have enough time to get there by train and back. This time we’re flying, so should be a little bit shorter.

Tomorrow this time I'll be out with friends in Beijing, celebrating the fact that I've at least managed to stick it out and learn what I can in the time I allotted myself. Only time will tell if it's worth it, but at this moment I can truly say I accomplished something.