Final Post, Final Thoughts

So here we are, 42 posts later, and I've been across the world and back again. I've seen the Pacific from my airplane window as the sun has both set and risen, watched children from both nations run and laugh as their parents chase after them with both glee and frustration, and observed the many differences between our two cultures and also our similarities. So now, I feel I must make some final statement concerning both myself and the experience overall.

I want to first focus on the idea of the "experience". Upon arriving home, I had someone almost instantly tell me that I "should realize what an amazing experience" I had. This, oddly enough, made me a bit mad, and for a couple of reasons. The first is the expectation that I should appreciate the experience and its "amazing-ness". I personally hate expectations like that. What if I didn't have a great experience? What if, instead, I had a really crappy one, or just a mediocre one? Truth be told, overall, the experience *does* feel rather mediocre; at least, for me. And I always have to look at things from my perspective. No, not because of some self-righteous thing. Really, even if I'm looking at somebody else's experience or situation, I'm still evaluating it in comparison to mine. That's how I learn about the world. It's not that my way is the right way or the only way, but it is MY way, and if I am to be me, I have to hold onto that. If you are offended by that, I apologize, but there's no changing that. I just hate that people have these expectations of me and studying in a foreign country.

Which brings me to my second point: really, why is being in a foreign country such an "amazing experience"? I do not say this belittling the idea of going abroad; really, I don't. I feel that studying abroad WAS a great experience. Rather, my point is, why can't EVERY experience be an amazing experience? Why does it have to be the ones that are the most elusive and difficult to obtain? I live my life like everyday is its own. I try not to live it in comparison to the rest because if I do that, then I never fully appreciate what there is to have currently. And there's a lot to be thankful for in the everyday life: friends, family, the city you live in, the people you work with, the job you do, the hobbies you enjoy, and the time you spend just thinking or not thinking. Every moment is precious, and even if you spend it playing video games or lying on the bed, it's *that* moment; you'll never get it back. Doesn't that just make it amazing?

Okay, done ranting about the idea of experience. Now onto what I believe is the most important aspect of "experience": the changes it produces, mainly in oneself.

Here's some things I've noticed about myself since I've been back:
-My hair is longer...and I really like it that way. So do the people who are my best friends. I think I'll keep it like this. :) Still have to dye it, work on my wardrobe now, and so on.
-I'm more forward than before. You have to be in China to survive, and I guess that's crossed over. Not a bad thing at all, just something a bit unusual for the meek David that left.
-If you meet me in the next few weeks, please forgive me if I'm a bit more vulgar than usual. I will try not to be, but after being in China for so long with only students my age who could understand me and didn't care what I said, I've gotten a bit freer with curses and the like. Again, I will try to reign it in, but it's gonna take a little, "Wait, they can understand me again!" to really sink it in.
-I feel more certain about what I want from life and where I am at in it. I suppose that's what I wanted out of the trip all along, but I don't think I really got that part until I got home.
-I'm much more willing to change things now. First thing I did when I got home was rearrange my room completely. I like it a lot better now. :) This applies also to food; if you ask me to eat our somewhere strange, I will most likely be not only willing but wanting to go. (Though I still refuse to eat fish...and I just found out that my dislike of fish might also be genetic! How about that?!)
-I don't think I need as much anymore. I'm looking around my room at all the things I have, and even though I do want more, it's more like I want to replace certain things rather than just keep accumulating more. I can survive on a lot less now, which is a good thing if I ever want to travel again.

I think that's about it. At least, that's all I've noticed. If anyone else has observations, I'd be glad to hear them...or not. :)

Onto observations about America!
-WE'RE FAT! Seriously folks, I'm not saying this to be mean or anything, but I've seen so many more big people here in the last few days than I ever saw in China, I can't not mention it. I don't know that this is entirely a bad thing (unless it is risking your health) because overall, I feel like we're healthier than the Chinese in a lot of aspects; we have more balanced meals, we have healthier teeth, and some other aspects I'm forgetting at the moment. Really, the difference here is EXERCISE. For us, it's not necessary with cars and other technological advances. But for the majority of China, they don't have cars, and even if they want to take the public transportation, they have to walk quite far to/from it to get to there final destination. Therefore, they exercise a lot more naturally and are thinner because of it. Well, that, and eating smaller/less fatty meals. Though oddly enough, I think I gained weight while abroad....
-Public Transportation: Dear America, FIX THIS. Ours sucks. China's beats ours by great margins, even between cities. Make it more affordable, more accessible, and more available at odd times. We wouldn't be so tied to our cars then, and maybe we'd be better for it. Thank you, David.
-Chinese people are so nice. I don't know whether this is just because I was a foreigner, but I felt like they were so much nicer to me in stores and so on than American clerks. I've said nice things about the clerks here in the last few days, and all I've gotten was disdain. C'mon, people, other people aren't so bad. (I say this knowing in a few weeks, I'll be complaining about the idiots at IMAX again...do as I say, not as I do)
-Where is everyone!? So many less people in the US than in China...I can actually BREATH again.
-I'm not afraid of dying in the street everyday in the US now that I've seen the INSANE Chinese traffic. Well, maybe these days I am, thanks to the large amounts of snow...but that's temporary!

I might add more to this list later, but for now, let's call it good.

Okay folks, I think that finally wraps up Du Kai's Journal. Thank you all for being here with me and letting me share with you everything I did. Again, I doubt that I'll post here again, but you can always catch me at The Daily Acts of Jack Ex Machina (there's a link right there! You can click it! Clicky!) and at my various Facebook and email addresses.

Maybe this'll come back if I go to China again...but you'll probably know that before I do, haha.

A final Zaijian and good wishes,
Du Kai