Final Post

So it’s over! Many of the students headed back to the States today, with a few taking the opportunity to explore the country more. It’s been a very hectic intense six weeks. Guess it will take the students, and me, a while to recover. The Dialogue is certainly challenging physically, with long days, short nights, and occasional jogging in between. The program is also tough intellectually. Besides cramming one-semester worth of language courses into four weeks, the students are constantly challenged to observe, reflect and examine themes, ideas or problems from a different perspective. They are confronted to answer many hard questions as complex as China is.  The end of the program is emotionally draining too, as many of us have formed strong bonding with each other, the host family, the language partner, the internship mentor, the random people we talk to on the street, and the country itself. But I’m sure many of us will find our way back soon, by which time many familiar faces will already be waiting for us.
Zaijian!

-Hua Dong