Week 12

Week 12: Personal Blog

10/05/12

I cannot believe that I have just spent my last week in China.  It seems like only yesterday I was leaving Northern Ireland to begin this incredible journey.  Now I am on the other side of my three months in China I can honestly say it has been the best three months of my life.  There have been a lot of difficult and challenging times but more importantly there have been life changing moments that have changed me into a better person and I have memories that I  will keep with me for the rest of my life.

This last week in China proved to be very eventful.  After a lunch with our lecturers to say thank you for all their help and support we took a 22hour train to Beijing.  Upon arriving in Beijing I was so happy to be in the capital of China.  This trip was what we had been working towards and it had finally arrived and we were all in good spirits.

We got to see The Great Wall of China. Personally this was something I had always wanted to do and it was even more beautiful than I had expected.  We went to a secluded area of the wall away from tourists and it was absolutely beautiful.  The weather was absolutely perfect and I felt so lucky to be standing on The Great Wall of China.  We got to see more highlights of Beijing including the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square.  To the delight of us all we ended up going to see the world’s biggest stadium in Beijing that was used for the 2008 Olympics – The Bird’s Nest. I was so surprised by how much I loved seeing this building. It was a real treat at the end of our trip.

Dani and I on The Great Wall

The four of us at The Bird’s Nest Stadium in Beijing

Unfortunately we missed our original train back to Guangzhou because of a mishap with reading the wrong time on our tickets.  This meant we resulted in having to stand – yes that’s right, STAND for 22hours on the train. These were the only tickets left on another train back to Guangzhou that day. This was an experience I will never ever forget. Danielle and I quickly made our home for the next day in the smoking area of the train because this was the only space available. At first I was so worried that I couldn’t cope for longer than 5minutes on this train as the conditions were quite bad.  Sleeping on the hard floor on a newspaper did not appeal to me at all. However, the people of China surpassed all my expectation yet again.  We were met with the kindest people who shared their stools, lunch and dinner with us.  There was a real spirit of unity among the people who were just sitting on the floor who were in the same position as us.  It turned out to be the most humbling experience I’ve had and one that will stay in my heart for a long time!

One of my new friends from the train journey back to Guangzhou

We leave China in just a few days time and I am very sad to be going.  Saying goodbye to all of our friends was not easy but we have been blessed with emailing and hopefully we will be able to stay in contact. I have honestly met some incredible friends here in China.  When ever  I think of China I think of the generous, kind and wonderful people that I met here.  China now has a very large place in my heart and I really can say that this experience has changed my life.  I am so grateful for this amazing opportunity that I have had to live here for three months.  I would encourage any students at Stranmillis thinking of spending the semester abroad to do it!! You will not regret it and it will be an experience of a lifetime!!

China you have been incredible.

Thank you J