This is the end.

Well, friends, this is the end of the blog. We're home, it's the 4th of July, and I've had enough American food to satisfy most (if not all) of my China-induced cravings. I'm sad to report that we did not go to Xi'an; we had problems with out trip getting to Yangshuo, and in the end we came home a few days early instead of traveling in China. It worked out very well, actually. My friend Brandon and his wife Jacie picked us up in L.A. and helped us get our luggage to the airport (we had a long layover) and we got some Wendy's with them. It was a short visit, but fun. They are both such nice people.

We made it back home safe and sound, grateful to get off the plane, and our grandpa picked us up at the airport. We surprised our whole family, which was a lot of fun, and we've been back for a few days now. It's been great to be back. I hope I get to see all my faithful blog-readers soon!

For a final summary, the teaching experience in China was mixed. I loved the students I taught. They were so eager, so enthusiastic, that it made the teaching wonderful. Many of them made great efforts to be our friends and that made our time very worthwhile. That part of China I wouldn't trade for anything. On the other hand, though, we had a terrible situation with our foreign affairs officer. To put it plainly, he was a real jerk, and I hope I never have to see him again. He made our time in China very difficult. I would also recommend to any prospective teachers in China that they live in a bigger city and take some Chinese classes. It's hard to pick up Chinese while you're teaching English, or at least that was my experience. If you're thinking about teaching a semester abroad, though, I say, "Do it." It was totally worth it.

And that's the end. I'm not a fan of blogging, so I'll wrap this up here and begin my life as a real person again. Hope you're all doing well, and I'll talk to you soon.

Greg