I have to admit that this country or city never ceases to amaze and surprise me. Everyday is something new. I wake up in the mornings wondering whether it'll be a good day or a bad day. Some are good, and some are bad. The days that are good are ones I'll cherish forever. The bad ones, I'll just throw away because its taken a while to realize but this whole trip really is how you make it. My bad days are because of stupid reasons. From here on out, I plan on enjoying every single moment, adventure and challenge Chongqing throws my way. Sometimes my temper gets the best of me, but I've realized it has to stop. Chongqing, China, is a beautiful city and though their culture is so different and I get thrown off sometimes, I really do love it here. The students at CTBU have been nothing but welcoming and friendly. I've never met such warm people before in my whole entire life. Whenever I'm feeling homesick or sad, a student is right by my side to reassure me that everything is okay. Whether it's a Widener, CTBU, or other international student, they always make me feel better.
My nights are usually spent relaxing on the steps outside of my dorm with different students. It's great making friends from all over the world.
In China there are always people outside, always. In the mornings you can see tons of students on the courts playing basketball or ping pong. During the hot afternoons the pools are filled with people. Walking along the streets you can find tons of food and fruit stands with happy people. People on the streets get so excited to see us foreigners. Wow, it's weird to be calling myself a “foreigner.” Haha. Anyway, I've seen such amazing historical sites in these past two weeks I've been in China. I can't believe how much the China natives are into their culture and history. The students love tagging along with us, being our tour guides when we visit sites such as the People's Palace, the Fishing Village, and the Dazu Stone Carvings. They know so much about these sites, even if they haven't been there yet. You can hear the passion in their voices and see it in their faces whenever they speak of their country. I love that.
Yesterday was the best day I’ve had here. I spent the whole day with my Chinese family. I was so nervous going into it. I didn’t know if they would speak English, and that worried me because my Chinese isn’t that great. I really didn’t want to do it. Well, my family spoke little English so I had Katrina as my translator. My family was great. They invited me into their home and showed me what they do on a normal day. The wife spoke no English, the husband a little bit, and same with their eight year old daughter. Star, as I called their daughter, was amazing. She played the piano so good, and wrote calligraphy. Katrina told me that because of the One Child Policy families spend a lot of money and attention on their child’s talents.
I went to a semi-traditional Chinese wedding! I was nervous when the family told me that’s where we were going because I was dressed in jeans and a polo. I thought I would be out of place but when we got there, but not everyone was as dressed up as I thought they would be and I was fine. The bride and groom greeted us at the door of the hotel and they were more than welcoming. “Thank you thank you thank you!” The groom kept saying to me. “Nice to meet you!!” the bride said. The bride's dress was absolutely beautiful! Chinese weddings are different because almost always there is an MC hosting the whole thing, and that’s who marries them as well. Not a priest, like at home in America. They give toasts a lot. “Ganbei”, as we say here in China! The groom always walks out first, singing a song to his bride to be. On stage, the bride and groom bow to their parents three times; once for bringing them into their world, once for raising them, and once for allowing them to marry. Also, the groom walks his wife down the isle, not the father of the bride. Then, everyone eats! I saw so many cultural differences! Katrina’s husband took pictures of me with the bride and groom!
Next we went to Nan Shan, South Mountain to walk around. It was such a relaxing and peaceful area. Tons of luscious trees and flowers everywhere. We sat around and I sort of learned how to play a Chinese card game with the adults, then one with Star. Star kept telling her father that she wanted to communicate with me but didn't know how. I felt the same way. She really surprised me though. As were walking she said "What is your favorite sport? I like football. What is your favorite color? I like red. I like pink. What is your favorite animal? I like pandas" She did know some English! I was soo happy we could finally communicate a little bit more. I taught her words in English, and she taught me words in Chinese, such as colors, butterfly, flower, etc. It was amazinggggg. I can't even explain. For the rest of the times when we couldn't say what we wanted, we acted it out. It was so much fun! They took me to a Hot Pot restaurant for dinner. I really didn’t enjoy the food, but it was cool to experience. I wrote them a thank you note; we exchanged email addresses and said our goodbyes. I walked into my dorm and cried my eyes out! I was so sad to leave Star and the rest of the family because I had SUCH a good time. I can’t believe I didn’t even want to go and it ended up being my favorite day here in Chongqing! I'm so grateful for that experience and happy everything turned out. Star’s father said that if she ever gets to go to America, he would like her to visit me. I would love that! I plan on keeping in touch so who knows; maybe one day Star will get to meet me in my home country!
It’s almost time to go back to America, I can’t believe it. I’m happy and sad at the same time. It's going to be such a bittersweet feeling! Time to go, enjoy the pictures!
-Sarah Leone
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