...And One Final Post About China

Cue that resounding sigh of relief, because it's obvious more to me than anyone that almost a whole month after leaving China, I'm still yammering on and on about it. Scout's honor, this will the last one until the next time I feel like braving a sixteen hour flight and whatever is the polar opposite of the term "peace and quiet."

Pan-fried radish "cakes" ... as absolutely mouthwateringly delicious as it was,

I'm still more than happy to be reunited with cupcakes and chocolate cakes and all kinds of get-me-fat cakes. I don't discriminate. 

"The Great Nanjingnese Eatery" - probably should be your first food stop if you ever visit!

Chicken curry & naan at Taj Mahal - slightly overpriced, but still eyes-rolling-back scrumptious!

Dairy Queen - China style - after seeing Fast & Furious 6.

I am so thankful, little girl, to have you in my life.

Excuse the crappy photo quality, pleaseandthankyou. 

Surviving a mob, or picking a kid up from first grade? 

Mooncakes! Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! 

The parents walking through their childhood neighborhood. 

Crowds on crowds on crowds. 

Until next time, Nanjing.

Weirdly, the transition from China to the USA this time was miraculously seamless. It's never happened like this before. I've always needed a day or two to get re-acquainted with this beautiful, red-white-and-blue striped country of mine; but this time, I suffered no jet lag, no reverse culture shock, no intense longing for mango ice. Sometime in that really long and exhausting inter-continental flight, it was like I shed a casing I had around me the entire time I was in China. And once I stepped foot back at school, it was the strangest thing - I immediately settled back into my routine, went for an obligatory In-N-Out jaunt, and chatted with all of my friends like three months had not just passed us by. 

I told my roommate, I said - "it's like I have two lives. My Stanford life, and my 'real world' life ... and every time I come back to or leave campus, it's like I press a play or pause button." 

I am so happy to be back at Stanford, my favorite place in the whole entire universe. But I'm so thankful for the time I had in China with my family, and so with that said - here's to the next great journey!