I woke up about an hour before our bus was to depart for the airport, giving me enough time to visit the pastry shop for breakfast and take a solo walk around Shanghai, enjoying my last minutes of free-roaming about the city.  An interesting thing happened during the flight.  As we climbed into the clouds after liftoff, I looked out the window to see the very peak of the World Financial Center projecting up through the fog.  To me it seemed like China’s way of saying goodbye, imbued with a reminder of its modernization and engineering accomplishments.  Our arrival at Newark and drive back to State College were uneventful, for which I was grateful.  Despite all the amazing things we did and saw in China, the familiarity of home was one of the best feelings I’ve experienced these past weeks.

This entry should conclude the storytelling portion of my blog, although within the next few weeks I will post the reflection papers for the course that we’re required to write.  Thank you so much for taking the time to read these entries and for all the positive feedback.  If you have any other questions about the trip, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!  

Location: State College, Pennsylvania