I love LA (we love it!)

Ten points for the first person who gets the reference in the title.

I'm back in the states now, after almost three months abroad... Hearing English in public on a consistent basis is a little unsettling, but I'm sure I'll get used to it within a few days. The weather in LA has been amazing lately--sunny and in the low 80s. I guess it's true what they say: there really is no place like home.

I've had some time recently to think over my experiences this summer. I didn't realize it at the time, but I think my favorite part of learning Chinese in China was the opportunity it afforded me to speak informally with the locals, regardless of location or situation (e.g. in restaurants, at the bookstore, on the bus, etc). For one thing, I find it remarkable that I'm even able to do so now, since my Chinese was nowhere near conversational before this summer, as my language tutor can probably attest to. In addition, I found Chinese people to be extremely friendly and willing to converse about anything, from Korean celebrities to environmental issues--all without the close-minded attitude that I originally expected.

And, people aside, the city of Beijing is so obviously rich in culture and history that I feel like I could live there for the rest of my life and still not understand it all. I don't claim to know what the future holds for me, but I would not be surprised if I ended up back in China, either for further language study or for work. The country calls to me... as corny as that sounds.

So, I guess this is goodbye for now. I'll be leaving for Yale tomorrow, and after that I'll probably be busy with moving in, job training, and new classes. Hopefully though, I'll get another chance to use this China blog before long. 再见！