End of Xi'an

So, I'm in London right now, at the airport. I just got here from Beijing and I have to wait a couple hours until my flight to Paris. I wrote this entry on the plane, and - warning - it's a little emo.

This is the last entry for this semester.

I kind of wimped out last year. I couldn’t write a final entry because I was too sad, I was too…ugh, emotional. I had too much to say and nothing to say at the same time.

This time I’ll be a little tougher on myself over this, although as I write I’m on the plane and I just spent the last twenty minutes with my face to the window so no one could see I was tearing up.

I think goodbye gets harder with every time I do it. Huh.

Anyways, I haven’t updated in over a month, so there’s a lot to say. Or write, really. But I don’t really think this is a time for a recap or something like that. Just maybe, to say goodbye to Xi’an and the people there (and those that have already left).

Okay, well, my departure is a good way to start this. Well, maybe a little earlier. Graduation ceremony, of sorts. Friday night, we ate dinner at the place next to the hotel. Chris played a couple songs on his uke, accompanied by Joe on the bongos. Malcolm and Zhang did their thing. Chen Hong and Sean also joined in. It was great (see vid below...or don't - I'll get that up later). We set off a couple fireworks on the hotel’s roof. Let me tell you, that was pretty scary. I was outside for the first one (some odd feet from the fireworks) and then I stayed inside for the rest of them, even though I couldn’t really see the fireworks from inside.

We said goodbye to the teachers. I’ll miss Xia Laoshi so much – she was such an amazing teacher. She put so much energy and effort into every class, and challenged us, while still keeping class engaging. I learned so much from her!

Saturday was spent packing, packing…avoiding thinking about leaving while simultaneously getting really exciting about arriving in Paris (there’s an important difference between the two!). Ate a rou jia mou (possibly my last?). Had all you can eat hot pot for dinner. Hung out at the hotel. Said a few tearful goodbyes. Repeated those goodbyes several times throughout the night (didn’t get much sleep). Got ready to meet the taxi at 7:30 AM. Cried some.

Joe and I took the taxi to the airport. We had said goodbye to Chris, Xie Miao, Gao, and Mi Ting. Crystal and Patrick were still sleeping. Sean and Malcolm had already left. By now (aka Monday, 4:12 PM Beijing time), both of them are probably in the States. Eating burritos. Or pizzas. Or god knows what. Having a good time, hopefully. I miss them!

Chris is probably on his way to Yunnan – to visit Kunming, Lijiang, Dali, and all those fantastic places. I already miss his uke, despite how many times I threatened to destroy it. I’m thinking a stop in Maryland on the way to Massachusetts might be in order (I’m hopefully going to roadtrip it from New Orleans to Mass – depends on a few unstable factors though: namely, my sister’s driving abilities and a pending school parking permit).

Xie Miao, Gao, and Mi Ting have all promised to visit me in Sichuan over the summer. They better hold to those promises! Crystal will be in Beijing, so hopefully we’ll be able to run into each other. I need her crazy, humorous ways!

Speaking of running into people, last night I had got the chance to see Jake, from the SIT program last semester. He’s going to be working in Beijing over the summer and will hopefully swing down south to where I am in August. We got dinner together and it was great to reminisce (as well as taunt him about my Xinjiang adventures).

This morning, Joe and I headed to the airport. It was strange being in the exact same part of the airport that I had said goodbye to Aili six months ago. Joe and I had breakfast/lunch. His last meal in China for a long, long time, is my guess. We said our goodbyes. Joe teased me about my crying, with the reminder that, back in the States, Texas isn’t that far from New Orleans.

And so now I’m on my plane, on the way to Paris. There are so many foreigners on this plane. There were so many foreigners in Beijing! I miss China already.

So, this entry is all over the place and way too emotional, but it’s better than nothing. Three weeks until I come back! ☺