At 4:30, Jessica got up, and everything started from there. We all maneuvered our stuff out of the apartment, did a last check of the apartment, which was surreal in a way, and headed downstairs.
The van was already outside waiting for us. We tried to put our luggage into the van, and we were having a few issues, so we had to set some stuff by our legs and in our laps. Even then, though, we were stuck in the driveway while the driver tried to situate the van. There were five of us (Sean, myself, Dom, Nick, and Jessica), but none of us spoke Chinese, and we weren't able to communicate with the driver about it. However, since the driver kept slamming the back shut, we figured out that the latch on the back wasn't latching correctly, and we sat there for about 15 more minutes with him trying to rearrange the luggage until it eventually locked.
We pulled out of the apartment complex, and we chatted a bit, but I had to remember that this was maybe the last time I would see it in a while, if not forever. We got to the Chong Qing airport a bit early, and we tried to check our baggage.
Nick and Jessica had their checked bags double checked due to questionable stuff inside (a toy gun in Nick's case), and I was told to take one of my checked bags on board because the other one was overweight. We went through security, with Jessica and I in the females only line, and since I had forgotten that I had my scissors in my backpack, I had them confiscated. The only thing that really annoyed me is that they went through my carry on bag full of gifts several times, completely screwing up my organization, and not finding any issues despite wasting my time.
I walked toward the gate with the others, but realized in all the hubbub, I had forgotten my other suitcase, so I had to run back to get it. Grabbing it on the end of the security line, I ran back towards the gate, catching up with Sean, and riding the shuttle to the plane with him. I boarded, finding my seat was next to Jessica, and took a few pictures of the rainy atmosphere outside.
Jessica and I chatted for a bit, and paid attention to Dom and Sean's conversation with another passenger for a while, since our seatmate kept moving around. The air above Beijing was gorgeous, but I settled into a nap until eating and then fell back asleep exhausted.
In Beijing, we had a layover for a few hours, and we wandered around for a while, trying to find a place to eat and relax. There was a shop where there were a few different things for sale including very tempting dark chocolate, and a kiosk where you could scan your passport in to get wifi that didn't work, unfortunately.
only in China......
I decided to sit down and try to figure out the wifi situation while the others left their stuff with me and looked for food (and I didn't have success). One of the guys who was going on the same flight came up to me and told me the gate, which I appreciated. The others came back, and we went to a sandwich place. I bought a sandwich so I could ask for the wifi password and send a quick message to my ride in Cincinnati.
We sat there for a bit, with me getting water that was all too hot before seeing the cool water dispenser somewhere else, and then migrated to the gate to wait.
Jessica started talking to an older couple, and it turned out that they had been visiting their daughter, who had married a Chinese man, in their hometown for a month. They told us all about their own adventures, and asked about ours. It turned out that they were in a city with no pollution, and beautiful sunsets, and the woman talked about her clothes dying classes that she enjoyed very very much as well. We chatted until it was time to board and we wished them well on their future adventures.
We had to go through another security check, and although I was pretty nervous, everything was completely fine, except for the fact that I had to pour my water bottle out. We boarded, and I was next to Dom, with Nick and Jessica in front of us, and Sean a few rows back. During the 14 hour flight, I watched 3 movies (Dr Strange, the new Studio Ghibli movie called Your Name, and a movie called Chong Qing Hot Pot just for the heck of it), had several conversations, a few meals, played group games with the others, tried (and failed) to sleep a bit, finished typing up my final philosophy paper (which earned me teasing from Sean) and admired the view over China, Alaska, and the continental US. A flight attendant took a liking to us as well, and we unofficially "adopted" her. (At customs, when she was walking through, she even gave us all painted flower bookmarks as a thank you.)
Going through customs wasn't nearly as hard as I thought. I just had to confirm my reason for being abroad, confirm I had no living things, take my shoes off, get my bags checked again, and go through a body scanner. The only hiccups were the electronic part, where I had to get help from a lady in order to scan my passport, and the lady in charge of the body scanner asked me if I was over 12 to my frustration. (I mean, yes, I look younger than most people my age, but still......)
Getting on the plane to Detroit, it felt too good to be true. We were almost home! After so long, I couldn't believe it! I had to keep pinching myself. Although I missed China, I was longing for the warm familiarity of home and for those that I loved.
On the plane, the sun was about to set over the waves of clouds, and I took a break from finishing my book (Gone Girl, if you were curious) to admire the view for a while. After finishing the book, I played a few games on my Nook, too excited to start a new book.
We touched down, and we were all jumping with excitement. Sean had to wait extra long for his bags, and although Jessica and I waited for a bit, we ended up leaving with Nick and Dom. I messaged my ride home (which was my loving boyfriend) that I was here, and his excitement pumped me up even more.
We got on the trolley towards the baggage claim and meet up point with all of our loved ones. We were standing up, which was good in a way, because I was feeling too excited to sit at that point. We made our way through the airport, commenting on the museum exhibits that were there temporarily, but my mind was elsewhere.
As we got closer, I saw the meetup point, and my boyfriend looking through the window trying to find me. I gave up on all dignity, and went on a full out run towards him as he ran out trying to get me. I jumped into his arms, enjoying the moment fully, not caring about the people around us. When I finally let him go, I saw the rest of my welcoming party. To my surprise, he had invited 5 more of my closest friends to meet me at the airport!
I was over the moon with excitement (and admittably a bit delirious from the flight), and I hugged everyone, thanking them for coming to welcome me back. I started alternating between talking non-stop and complete silence, just taking it all in, and overwhelmed by emotions. We went to get my checked baggage, and I gave Nick's mom a hug, told Sean and Nick about my welcoming party, and headed out, slightly euphoric.
We headed to the rental car that he had gotten, and I called my mom again. I decided to hang out with them for a while, and all but one of us ended up going to Skyline, since all the parks were closed, and I talked to them about what had really changed me this past semester, before getting some ice cream at UDF, and finally getting some rest, in disbelief at the fact that the last semester had just happened. It was a great start to my time back in Cincy, and a great bookend on this chapter of my life. (It was already, in a way, starting to feel like a dream, albeit an amazing one.)
To my readers, thank you for following this blog. My time abroad has been a real adventure with lots of ups and downs (but mostly ups) , and I'm glad you enjoyed reading my story as I enjoyed living it.
Please stay tuned for one final post about my thoughts on the experience overall, as well as some comparisons on China vs the US.
-Zoe
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