Big final party and day in Guilin

 

Today was the longest day we've had on the trip so far. We started off our early morning at 7 am with our meeting, and grabbed breakfast in the hotel before meeting with some students to come with us to the river ride. We invited along some friends we made on this trip, and they brought along a new student for us to become friends with as well.

 

The river ride started at 10, and lasted about three hours. We were able to get up close to so many of Guilin's beautiful limestone mountains, and see caves along the way. We admired the culture of families fishing on bamboo rafts, and water buffalo roaming in the river as well. The sights were incredible, and pictures that we took will never fully capture the beauty of this country. At the end of the river ride, we ended up at Yangshuo, a popular tourist area.

 

We were able to shop for gifts and souvenirs, and walk around the town. Nathan took David Price and two Chinese students on a bike ride. They biked on the country side, and saw orchards, lakes, and other farms. The scenery of this country is absolutely amazing. I wish all of you back home could see it here!

 

After walking around Yangshuo, we drove over to the campus to eat dinner in a coffee shop. I'm proud to say all of our chopstick skills have improved significantly too!!  After dinner, we attended the Night of Friendship, a party/talent show that the students prepared for us. The Chinese students performed hip hop dances, and original songs, while our team brought dance moves and magic tricks to the show. This party showed all of us how close we actually got to these students, and made our unity even more special.

 

After our party, we had to say goodbye to some of our closest friends. Friends we met two years ago, and friends we met this week; it was hard to leave so many friendly faces. Because this trip is so relational, driving away from our friends in the bus was the hardest part of these weeks so far.

 

Our time in Guilin is coming to a close, but we are all excited to be going up to Li Jiang to spend time with Nathan and Jessica and family, and also to enjoy some cooler weather. We're loving our time here in China, but of course missing you all back at home too! Thank you for all of your thoughts and support, we love you!

 

Katie