The Final Days In Shaoyuan

Our final days in Shaoyuan have been bittersweet, excited for the study trip, sad to leave behind life as usual, stressed to the maximum, but still having a blast.

This finals week has been the most stressful of my college career. After having to turn in little work this semester, having tons of massive papers concentrated at the end of the semester was rough. I wrote over 100 pages, composing three different papers, and still had time to spend with friends and have fun. I also had a Chinese final to study for.

On Tuesday night, Wang Qian came over so that we could make jiaozi, or dumplings, together. I think everyone in the program living together had some hand in make dinner. We spent hours chopping different ingredients and folding and rolling the jiaozi dough into the perfect shapes. Three hours, two kitchens, 400 jiaozi, and a mess later, we were all full! I think everyone played a part in eating too!

We made pork dumplings and vegetable dumplings. Both were delicious. Wang Qian trusted Gill and I to cook the vegetable dumplings on our own upstairs, while she cooked the pork dumplings downstairs. I think we did a great job because the dumplings were all gone by the end of the night!

For dessert, Wang Qian made us a hot rice wine drink, which was really good, yet ironic that it was the night before our Chinese final, not to mention the baijiu she brought us to go along with dinner!

After cooking and cleaning up, Wang Qian came and hung out in mine and Marie’s room for a bit. It’s so nice to have a teacher who is such a close friend. Wang Qian has, since finishing her thesis, become one of my girlfriends in China. I’m going to miss her a lot when I leave China, but she has promised to visit me in New York, possibly for Thanksgiving, and make jiaozi for my entire family!

I’m glad finals are over, but packing to leave for the study trip has been stressful. Our room was chosen as a storage room for the study break, so I technically don’t have to pack, but it’s probably a good idea because everyone will be moving all of their stuff into my room. Based on my preliminary packing, I’m sure I will not have a problem getting everything back to America, but I might be a tad heavy!

I’m excited for the study trip! It will be a ton of traveling, but worth it I’m sure!