Goodbye Qingdao No. 58!
Today was our last full day in the Qingdao school. The past two weeks have flown by. No one can really believe that we're actually leaving tomorrow! We spent the morning relaxing around the school, and in the afternoon we had a performance, which was a little hectic because we weren't given many details about what kind of performance we were supposed to be giving. The Chinese students put on a few dance routines and sang. It amazes me how talented the students at this school are. On our side, I recited a Chinese poem, Connor played a song on the piano, and Breana gave a farewell speech. We also sang "Rhythm of the Rain" and "You've got a Friend in Me" as a group. Afterwards, we had time to chat with the students and take pictures. At first I was confused by why so many people suddenly wanted to take photos with me, but then it sunk in that today was our last opportunity to make connections with the Qingdao students. We've had such an amazing time at Qingdao No. 58 that today we had very mixed emotions; on the one hand, we are excited for the rest of our trip, but on the other we don't want to leave Qingdao. Tonight's farewell banquet was especially bittersweet. We've come to know our host students, their classmates, and their families so well that it's hard to imagine that we won't be able to see them again for some time. For me, this experience has been invaluable. Living with a host family has given me the opportunity to see China in a way I would never get to experience otherwise. It's allowed me to understand what life in China is really like, rather than seeing it through the lens of a tourist's eye. I definitely won't forget a single moment of my stay in Qingdao: the delicious food my host family made for me, playing sports and doing karaoke with the students, creating traditional Chinese art during class, visiting the city's landmarks and markets, seeing the excited and friendly looks on the students' faces when we talked to them. Leaving Qingdao is sad, but I've made so many memories here that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Now I am looking forward to continuing our adventure in China when we travel to Beijing and Xi'an to see some of China's most famous and historical sights!
-Hanna