May 31 - Summer Palace

Today was our last day in China. We spent nearly all afternoon at the Summer Palace (a getaway home for the ancient emperors), and man – was it packed! We were able to see the entire palace and even some of the areas around the enormous lake that sits below. Today begins the Dragon Boat festival, and we were actually able to ride one! Tonight, we got caught in a freak-storm that hit the streets of Beijing while three of us went to the bank. Wind caused a lot of damage (and scared quite a few people as well), but luckily no one was too badly injured. What a weird experience!

Overall, today was a great end to an experience of a lifetime. I will never be able to recreate the feelings and events that I went through on this trip, and will miss the people we met. After the first few days, it felt like I had known that group my whole life – it almost felt like family, and China felt like a home away from home. There were good times and some not so good times, but all of the time spent brought us closer as a group and made for a trip we will never forget. I can only hope and wish that someday I can be back in the amazing country of China.

May 28 - Fly to Beijing

We didn’t do as much today, due to a flight back to Beijing – our first, and now last, stop of this amazing trip. We listened to a few of the professors who have accompanied us give a brief talk on their school programs and research, and rested easy in the Xijiao Hotel.

May 25 - Fujian Agricultural and Forestry University; Panda Zoo

A large portion of our day was spent at the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University and at a panda zoo. We began at the University, where we were able to speak with students there (one heck of an experience!). To be honest, the two days that we spent talking to students were my favorite – I loved getting the opportunity to really connect with people my age that live on the other side of the world. I realized just how similar we are at heart, and just how much our extremely different living environments have shaped and molded us. It was truly an amazing thing to see; it was something I’ll never forget.

Afterwards, we visited a panda zoo. This was a really cool experience as well. I’ve never seen pandas in person before, so I was really excited for the chance to see them. They are beautiful animals! We were able to fit the entire zoo into our packed schedule today, even though it started raining on our way out. Unfortunately, we got caught in the downpour…

May 22 - Danyang Mushroom Factory; Jurong Tea Orchard

Today was pretty extraordinary. Our first trip was to a mushroom factory in Danyang. This was one of the best stops of the trip, if not only for the success story it has become. The factory started many, many years ago in the home of the owner. She began growing mushrooms when she was 18 years old, and has now turned her home business into a multi-million dollar operation. The tour itself was one of a kind – something I’ll probably never get to see again. The differences between the ways the two mushroom varieties were grown was really cool to witness first hand.

Afterwards, we traveled to the tea orchard was an eye opener on just how much training and work goes into preparing different teas in China. We began with a nice lunch, which had a lot of cool things to try, such as chicken head and feet. We had a sample of tea to go along with the meal as well. We then strolled through the campus to the tea teaching building, where we were lucky enough to have a demonstration on tea making. The entire complex was incredibly relaxing, and I was even able to play a classic Chinese instrument. It was a great day overall!