Reflections...
Looking back I have a few general observations:
1. There are two rules for a successful trip: 1) Always take a camera, even if you’re going to the grocery store 2) Never use a tour guide--going places alone can be a good thing.
2. The digital camera my mom gave me was a better graduation present than the iPod.
3. Recycling is a big deal. Four empty beer bottles equals a new beer.
4. Nobody wears seatbelts. In a taxi I was once told not to put on my seatbelt.
5. With a thriving economy, large middle class, and high standard of living, we Americans have it so much better than I ever imagined.
6. Beijing will be not be ready to host the Olympics, at least in an appropriate manner.
7. I like Chinese people. They are so willing to help in any way and extremely welcoming. It's almost scary.
8. Chinese food is so much better than American-Chinese food.
9. We have very few identifiable options which are considered true “American food”. Spaghetti came from Italy, as does pizza. Mexican food comes from, well, Mexico. Hamburgers originated from Hamburg, Germany. I guess we have chicken wings, any other kind of chicken, hotdogs, and salad. But in China, every area of China has a distinct type of food. In northern China they eat a lot of noodles, in the south, rice. And there are so many unique foods I’ve never even seen.
10. Chinese TV and humor, in my opinion, is horrible.
11. You can bargain for almost anything.
12. Bicycles and public transportation trump cars.
13. You can’t buy ice. Finding this out after I injured my foot was not exciting.
14. Deodorant and floss are extremely hard to find.
15. There really isn’t any drinking age, but you must be 18 to drive a car.
16. You’d be hard pressed to find a vending machine. Instead, they have drink vendors on the street everywhere. (Labor trumps machines.)
17. Cell phone plans are rare. Instead, you buy a SIM card from a magazine stand and pay-as-you-go.
18. There are no self-serve Laundromats. And if you do find a washing machine, you won’t find a dryer.
19. Teenagers love World of Warcraft, among many other computer games.
20. Security guards are everywhere.
21. No tipping in restaurants. If you give someone a tip, they won't know what to do with it. They'll just give it back. The service isn't quite as good, but I think the no-tipping is worth it.
22. Arm pit hair on woman seems to be okay. This was a quick find when all the women on the subway have to hold the handles up above.

With that said I also learned a lot about myself. Through helping all these students I confirmed to myself that I really enjoy helping others. I had a lot of time to think alone and I still couldn't come up with a good way to help a lot of people right now. Eventually I would like to help as many people as possible, but right now if I can just affect a few people like a did at the college, that would be great. I think I would like to follow the Bill Gates model of a having a successful business career and then giving much of my wealth back. After seeing so many untapped markets in China I am sure that this career in international business is a possibility. Therefore, I am pretty sure that I'd like to work and live in China for a few years after graduation to become completely fluent.

Beyond that, I learned that you can have a lot of fun by yourself, especially when you're exploring places you've never been, talking with people you've never met, and seeing things you've never seen. I know that I definitely want to go back, and this time get a picture with Helen's son Daniel (I didn't get one, my biggest regret).

Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has read and/or participated in this blog. It really has been a great experience for me. It has helped me keep a record of what happened as well as clarify what I felt about what I was experiencing. I think I have a much better understanding of myself, in addition to the people in the country I am very interested in.