I came to China with one pair of shoes. 

Now, I’m leaving china with 20 pair…
This to say that I gained a lot. Not only in amount of clothes, bags, shoes and earrings, but also in life…

This year abroad made me realize that if you want to do something, then stop talking and dreaming about it and just do it. Wishes, hopes and dreams will only become reality if we take action. There are so many opportunities for us if we just open our eyes and actually ‘see’ what’s there.

I’ve been back in Belgium for a little over two weeks now and I have to admit that coming back is harder than going away. When I left Belgium, I knew I would see my family and friends again in a year. But leaving China gave me no certainty of whether or not I would see some people again. And this makes me sad, because these are the people I experienced something extraordinary with. We all shared the same feelings, the same longings and hopes for our future. We all want to travel, enjoy life and make something out of it. Some of us still have a few more years of studying ahead, some are going to work, but wherever we are, I know China will always be in our hearts. It was an unforgettable experience, a beautiful memory of a time where we had so much fun and experienced so many different things.

Off course, life in China wasn’t always a bed of roses. I came to love China, Chinese food, Chinese prices and the, in our eyes, crazy habits of the Chinese people. But on occasions these crazy habits I love so much also made me dislike China. Being back in Belgium though, I realiz I’m missing so much already:

–          Crazy clothing styles (imagine a girl wearing a zebra-patterned shirt with furry heels and a glitter skirt)

–          Bizarre jokes I will probably never understand

–          The ‘hello’s and the stares (which can be so annoying but come on, to be honest, it did make us feel special, right?)

–          Men carrying purses

–          The crazy traffic rules and feeling victorious after crossing a major intersection.

–          Weird hairstyles and hair colors

–          Stores are open every day from 8am to 10pm

–          Evening markets and haggling

–          The availability of almost everything (broken bike? Broken shoe? There’s a repair-booth on every corner)

–          Street food and barbeque

–          Yelling ‘FUWUYUAN’ (‘waiter’) in a restaurant

–          Dropping your napkins and leftovers on the floor

–          Chinese people eating and playing on their cell phones at the same time

–          Eating with chopsticks (rice with fork? Bizarre!)

–          People walking around in their pajamas

–          Dogs on scooters

–          People carrying live chickens/ducks etc…

–          People sleeping on the most crazy places in the most bizarre positions

–          People watching TV during work hours

And so much more…

Thanks to all the people who supported me, came to visit me, who sent me postcards and letters, who read my blog and left comments! You guys have made this blog much more special to me and I truly hope you all enjoyed it!

– Maggie