So this is my last blog, on the last day, after walking in the back streets one last time to get to the internet cafe. As I thought of which of the four questions I was going to answer I realized how much I am going to miss China. I have never wanted to leave, but the situation hit me as I walked by the Forbidden City at midnight last night with one of my classmates. While we were both in pain due to the freezing temperatures, I realized that I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

As I prepared to come visit China, I was especially excited to visit the Tibetan region within China. This was mainly due to my interest in Tibetan Buddhism and the way it will influence the people of Tibet. However I was not expecting a warm welcome due to the usual reserved attitude towards foreigners that I had expected from the Buddhist monks. This stereotype was blown out of the water the second we arrived in the small town Tagong. When we exited the car we were surrounded by the familiar sound of Hello.

On the whole, the Chinese life seems to be very similar to our western practices. Chinese people will wake up go to work for the day, come back for dinner and then go to sleep. The youth party like the students in the states. Last night we went to a club and it might as well of been in Seattle. However there are some major differences between our country and China. It seems that people have to work so much harder to make a living here in Chengdu. The taxi drivers will work 24 hour shifts every other day. Street vendors seem to never leave their corner.

I have never been much for writing in a journal, but I figure I might as well give this a try =)……. I don’t know if anyone else in my class fells as I do right now, but I am only now starting to realize that I am going to leave the country yet again. I am sitting at my friend’s (who is taking me to the airport) house watching Moulin Rouge (which I have to admit that for a chick flick it’s a damn good movie) and I am starting to actually worry about this trip. Its not that I am scared about something happening to me, I am just scared that I am unprepared. I was lucky to get the opportunity last J-term to travel to Ecuador for a biology class, and had an amazing time.

Right now it is impossible for me to answer this question without basing my opinion on stereotypes. Until I am actually arrive in China any view that I have on their culture is only based on what I have seen in the media. However I am very excited to get the chance to travel to China and see what their society is like and how much their values mirror ours in the US.