Last stop - India.
My last breakfast in China was, coincidentally, at the same place I'd had breakfast the first day in China. We had, literally, come full circle.
People asked me why I wanted to go to China to study Chinese, and my answer was always - When else in my life will I get a chance to do something like this? And it was true, looking into the future, I can't imagine a stretch of time where I'll be able to divorce reality long enough to camp out in China, supposedly studying, mostly just hanging out and eating good food for six weeks. My six weeks in China were good, interesting and fun. I think I want to keep at the studies; I really enjoyed the small victories that came with understanding (a few) conversations, ordering food and buying stuff.
I'll definitely go back to China, but I'll definitely avoid Beijing in summer.
As for my last day in India, its been very low-key and mellow. I've satisfied the craving for Indian food by eating non-stop since I've been here. Tonight, I plan to head to a bookstore to figure out where to go vacation for about a week - Madras is fun for about a week, and then I run out of things to do, and get very bored. I'd originally intended to spend a week beaching in Goa, but the monsoon has struck with a vengence, and being on the beach when its raining doesn't sound that much fun. Tomorrow, I've designated family visiting day.
The plan is also to try to come back a week early, so September 1st, instead of September 7th. However, Thai Airways is not cooperating so far - flights seem to be sold out. The agent adviced persistance - its a virtue that I singularly lack, but I'm giving it my best shot.
finally,your blog is active!keep it up!
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