Thoughts on Leaving Shanghai

2 months left of living in this beautiful city. 2 FRICKIN' MONTHS! Where has this year gone, it has flown by like a rocket! I have been ready to go home for a while now, but that doesn't mean that I won't miss Shanghai. Of course I will, Shanghai is a city full of life, culture, colour and beautiful scenes. I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity to live in such an amazing city and travel in such a diverse country. No doubt, I will be back Shanghai.

I am probably 10000 times more excited than most students here to return home because I haven't been home all year. A lot of my friends and university students took the Chinese New Year break to spend time with their family and friends back home, whereas I took it to travel around Asia. Since around March time I have been counting down the days for two things; when my sister comes to visit (she's coming in June for 3 weeks and then flying back with me!) and when I go home and they couldn't come fast enough. My sister is coming back to Shanghai (she also took a year abroad here last year) to stay with me for 3 weeks and we're planning to travel and explore around Shanghai plenty. We have a very close relationship so we're both unbelievably excited to be reunited, a year is just too long. I've already been making lists of things for us to do!

This is the longest I have spent away from home and it hasn't been the easiest of rides but I've learnt so much, about life and myself. Homesick is a b*tch but I have always managed to come out of it positively, that's the only way you really can. If it wasn't for being in a place like Shanghai, having the friends I do here and being able to FaceTime my family back home, this year would have been a massive struggle. I have made the most of my time in Shanghai; tripping to Disneyland, venturing out to a nearby Watertown, discovering the beauties in the city and much more. It is a city of wonders and wouldn't be complete without the weird yet wonderful locals, who often make me laugh by the stupid things they do, and occasionally make me feel nauseous by the disgusting things I see. This year wouldn't have been as fun or lively without the people I have met and spent time with. The first week, everyone was so down to earth, friendly and very welcoming even though they were in the same boat as you. I have definitely made some friends for life. Even though VPN or my internet often affected the connection, I am so thankful for technology to allow me to talk my family back home and keep them updated with life here. I genuinely can't wait to be reunited with them all back home, and be able to talk to them without any bad connections interrupting it.

Next step...
The next step after this is going into my final year...AH! I'm not prepared in the slightest but I have a slight idea with what to expect. It is going to be a tough year to get through but I'm positive I will stay on top of things and be able to graduate at the end of the year with a well deserved degree. For now, let's concentrate on getting to the end of this year.

2 MONTHS TIL I'M HOME, EEEEEEK!

What are you looking forward to in the next few months?

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