Today marked the last day in our Mandarin courses! We took our final exam, which made me so nervous; I forgot what presentations felt like and how college makes me feel. In all honesty, I don’t know what I earned on that test, and whatever I got will not keep me up at night because at the end of the day, I’ve learned SO much on this trip! I interact with the citizens of Beijing and they actually understand what I’m saying and vise versa. Today at the market I even bartered in Mandarin! I’m so thankful for our laoshi and how he took the time this morning to practice with us individually.
We also visited the The Temple of Heaven! I’m still in awe of the Chinese architecture!! We got to see trees whose roots go back 500 years! One of the temples was built back in 1420…people were building it years before America was even discovered…like, what?
Later on that day we went back to my spot…the Ling Ling Pearl Market! I . Love . that. place. I bartered like my life actually depended on it; I purchased a suitcase, two bags, and a robe, all under 300 RNB. I felt accomplished to say the least, honestly I felt like I was on a mission.