The Final Stretch

So I only have about 5 weeks until I come home. It seems like a long time, but I know it will fly by quickly. I have already been gone for over 3 months now and the time has seemed to go by very quickly.

Some days I want to go home, but most days I don't. I know I am going to miss all the people I have met here. I am going to miss all my teachers, my classmates, Taylor, MCK and Dave from Princeton, Kitty, Judy, Cici and lots of others.

Anyways, between now and then my friend Eric Stowe will be coming into town. He and I studied Chinese together at the UW and now he works for an adoption agency, so he gets to come to China every once in a while. It just so happens that I will be in Beijing this time, so we are going to go hangout together. I am excited for his arrival in Beijing.

My classmates are also going to put together some parties in the middle of December. We are going to burn cds and share music, but there is also going to be some sort of birthday / going away party for all the students only staying during the fall. I can't wait for the party, but in one sense I don't want it to come because it represents that I will be leaving.

On a better note I get to celebrate Christmas in Beijing! I hear that it is a lot like America. People hang lights and all that good stuff. I am ready to experience a Chinese Christmas. I have been thinking of ways and asking people where I can get a small Christmas tree, so that I won't miss home too much.

I think this last month is going to be a blast. I am going to try and cram as much fun into my time as I can between taking the HSK test, my midterms, my finals and the test you take when leaving IUP. I also have to throw in two presentations. If I come out of it alive I will be seeing everyone in Seattle on the 7th of January.