Trip to Shanghai

A couple weeks ago I took a short trip to Shanghai to visit my host family.  The last time we saw each other had been over a year ago.  It was a wonderful trip and felt just like old times- big group meals, playing with my little sister when she was supposed to be studying, lots of family pictures.

There was one thing that was different and that was our ability to communicate with each other.  The last time I saw my host family, my Mandarin skills were still rather basic.  Thanks to living in Beijing for a year and IES' intensive Chinese classes, my Chinese has improved and that opened a whole new door of communication with my Chinese family.  What a fun discovery, it was like we were getting to know each all over again.  I learned more about my family's history (my host mother lived in Yunnan, one of my favorite provinces in China, for over 10 years!) and I was able to tell them more about my life in Hunan.  We've never been closer.  I'm not sure when I will see them again, and that made saying goodbye very difficult, but I'm so grateful for this time we could spend together.

Below are some pictures from a little trip I took with my host mother and little sister to a huge flower garden in Shanghai...