A view of Chicago from above
After spending an additional four weeks in Guangzhou, I felt ready to return to Chicago (you should have seen the big grin I had upon seeing the beautiful skyline on the plane; I’m sure I scared the passenger next to me). I was eager to go back and missed the familiarity and comfort we all associate with home. But, reflecting on my trip, China never really felt foreign to me. When I first arrived in Beijing, I experienced that similar sense of familiarity associated with home. Maybe it was the humidity in the air or the hot weather or the crowded sidewalks, but something about being in Beijing (and Guangzhou) felt “right.” I want to say that what I felt was due to my experience with Chinese culture from family and my knowledge of the language, but I know that doesn’t fully explain the warm mix of nostalgia and home that I felt.
It’s strange to think that just three weeks ago I was still in China. Coming to home to Chicago and then starting school again at Northwestern, it feels like I never left. But the souvenirs and pictures (too many of food) are reminders of a fulfilling summer abroad. And an even better reminder is seeing and catching up with people from the program on campus.
A family style meal. I’ll be craving the food from China for a long time.
Being back in the states, one of the things I’d like to do is to continue learning Chinese. Although schedule conflicts prevent me from taking any more Chinese classes, I am motivated to learn on my own. Fluency is still the goal! And, of course, I’d love to travel back to China again to visit the cities I’ve still not yet been (next stop, Shanghai and Shenzhen?) and to explore the sites I wasn’t able to in Beijing. It’s great to be back in Chicago and Evanston, but I’ve already started to think about my next trip back to China, since I really do miss the food, especially beef noodles.