Ni Hao,

Today was my last day with my host family; I leave for Beijing tomorrow morning. I'm excited to go to Beijing; we have so much planned, and everything sounds great. At the same time though, it's sad to say goodbye to people I've been living with and sharing a life with for three weeks now. It wouldn't be as hard if I knew I'd see them again, but it is more likely that I won't, so it's a tough goodbye. I gave them the cake I got them along with the little presents I picked out, and they really liked it all. They got chopsticks for everyone in my family back home, a scarf for me, and a beautiful silk chinese shawl for my mom. I wish I could do even more for them. Well for my last day, I said goodbye to my students and they wrote me goodbye letters. The letters were so well thought-out and interesting. I loved each one so much. They wrote about how they enjoyed having me, about how they felt comfortable with me; they wrote about their home life, and they asked me questions and for advice. It's quite something how well they can write in English; they express their thoughts so well, and what they says flows almost like a poem. One child wrote, "When you smile, I fall into your eyes". Another student wrote about how their parents have been fighting a lot; they asked me for help as to what they should do. My heart went out to them, but how can I respond? After school, we had a meeting and the rest of the school day was just as usual. Now, I'm sitting in bed, hours away from Beijing, and I'm too excited to sleep. Next time you hear from me, It'll be about a whole new adventure.

TTYSoon,

Tara