I just got back from a walk to the closest suburb, one that we have all frequented the past three weeks. My day has been pretty tame so far. I woke up this morning really tired, I haven’t been sleeping great the past few days. Last night I did a load of laundry, and decided to air dry everything by opening up all the drawers and closet door and hanging all the clothes. The room looks a bit like a laundry mat right now. After presenting and eating a wonderful lunch, I decided to take my walk. I ended up going to the wet market again, and talking with a few storekeepers about the best tea to buy. I bought a little more than ten dollars worth of tea, of two different varieties. I then went to a nearby stall and bought two dragonfruits that I plan on eating tonight. These are my favorite, and hard to come by in the States. I then exited the market and strolled around downtown, enjoying the bustling crowd and smell of good food. I went into a medicine dispensary and bought some 感冒茶 in case I catch a cold back at Williams. It was pretty funny, these three guys about my age were working the counters. As soon as I walked into the store, one of them called a guy in back, who apparently knew how to speak english. They were pretty surprised when I rattled off some basic Cantonese, and the fourth guy could go back to what he was doing. I then went into a few more stores, looking for this snack my friend Blake asked me to find for him. I then headed back to campus while the sun was still out. I truly hope Williams continues to run this program for future students, and if I was to make a suggestion, I think a community service component or some type of volunteering would have been really interesting.
Anyway~ we went to hotpot with Yu laoshi and it was absolutely delicious. I also met up with my learning buddy after dinner to say goodbye and chat for a bit. It’s pretty early in the am right now, but my friend Henry who lives on this floor knocked on my door just now to chat for awhile, and gave me a gift with a really nice note (pic on wechat). I think it just reinforces to me why I study Chinese and truly enjoy my time in China. The people I have been lucky enough to call friends here have consistently been really thoughtful, polite, and genuinely good-hearted. Just finishing my packing now, see everyone soon!