Nanjing 2018-2019, Blog Post 1

I’m sitting on a bench. Crying. Not because my legs are full of mosquito bites, not because I have to wait for my friend to finish her project and meet me, and not because I’m sweaty from hiking.

I’m sitting on a bench, crying, because I’ve realized how far I’ve come. After being abroad in Nanjing, China for ten months, I’ve gotten to meet up with one of my closest friends in high school. I was able to meet her other American classmates, talk to her roommate, and share my last year of experiences here in China.

And I’m not sad I’m leaving in a month. I’m ready to go home. Instead, I’m crying because of the growth I’ve experienced. I’ve come so far from being a seventeen year-old, ready to take on the world for a gap year before college. I’ve overcome so many obstacles, made crazy friendships, and learned incredible things about this world. All of these statements seem so broad, yet they’re all true. I’ve grown, and I’m proud of it.

So as I’m sitting on this bench, clicking through photos of friends from home, voice messaging friends back in Nanjing, and calling my mom, I’ve decided to start a blog. A blog chronicling the main difficulties I’ve experienced, the amazingness of studying abroad, and how much it means to be grounded, present- what it’s like to live in the moment, accept your surroundings, and grow.

Stay tuned, readers.