The time has come...

The last week of school is now approaching and I am not sure if I should be happy or sad. The halls of BISS are filled with teachers who have looks of exhaustion written all over them and the students either have the same look or are completely stir crazy and wound up. However, I am happy that I still have energy, although my lesson plans are pretty much nonexistent at this point. One thing is for certain, I have loved teaching this year. Despite the craziness of some of the events that have occurred in my classroom, I can honestly say that I have really enjoyed this past year. My students are awesome and keep me laughing and on my toes. Never in my life plans did I ever think that I would be teaching 4 and 5 year olds, but here I am. Their innocence and joy for life is truly contagious and has taught me so much.

As my last week of school approached so does my last month of living in China. Once again, I am not sure if I should be happy or sad. The reality is that I have really enjoyed the experience of living in China. Sure I have had those "I hate China" moments where the spitting and peeing in streets and cutting in line and everything else becomes overwhelming and I just want to get the heck out of here, but soon those moments fade and I really like it again. One thing is for certain, I have had an amazing two years and words cannot give justice to all that I have experienced and learned. Never would I have thought that two of my years would be spent living in China, but I am glad that they have. I think that everyone should live abroad, at least for awhile. The people that I have met and the things I have experienced have broaden my perspective on the world.

Living in the States made me a bit sheltered to the world around me and I never realized how much event in America affect everyone else. Sure I had heard it before and people talk about how much of an influence the US has, but until these past two years I never really believed it. It has been interesting to see how much Europeans care about the 2008 Election and how many people who are not American know so much about Obama, Clinton, and McCain. Seeing how much they care about the Election really has made me want to know more too.

It has also been a very interesting and exciting time to be living in China. This past year so many events have occurred (the Free Tibet movement, the Olympics, the Sichuan Earthquake...) and having to view these events within China has been eye-opening. I am curious to see how the rest of the world is viewing China right and how the news portrays these events. I am also starting to see many positive changes in China that are making more optimistic about its future. China has just started a policy in which at the grocery stores you have to buy your own plastic bags in order to encourage people to recycle them and/or buy reusable bags. This will create a huge positive change and reduce the amount of plastic waste in China. There are also small changes that are occurring in the people; at crosswalks cars are now starting to stop for pedestrians, people are not pushing as much in lines, there are more "common courtesy" signs up to encourage people not to spit and throw trash. While these are all small steps, they are a start to a bettering of China.

On July 27th I will be leaving Shanghai. I do not know if it will be for good or if I will return, but I will not be in China for the Olympics. Beijing has undergone a lot of preparation for the Olympics and I just hope that all their work will pay off. Part of me is not sure the world is quite ready for China, but all will be determined during the Olympics. Sure Beijing is not like the rest of "Real China" (and Shanghai is not either) but it is a glimpse into what China can be like. I know that it will be cool to watch it all from TV and know the places they are talking about and to see how things are viewed from abroad.

And so I embark on the last month of my time in China. Half of it will be spent here in Shanghai and the other half will be spent exploring Yunnan with my cousin. I do know for certain that I will miss China and that I can honestly say that I am glad I came.