My overall experience in China was very beneficial to me. I was lucky to be able to see both the face-paced lifestyles of the people in the large cities, as well as the laid-back people in the rural areas.

One of the main things that surprised me is how much China is still developing. I had heard about their thriving economy, but I expected my travel destinations to have things similar to the United States such as electricity and drinking water. This was not the case; even the nice hotels I stayed at didn't have purified drinking water, and I was lucky that my hotel in the rural part of China had electricity at night. I think that if China is truly going to succeed as an international powerhouse they are going to have to improve on some of the things that many people take for granted.

My favorite things included the wide variety of food and the culture. The camaraderie between people was really appealing to me, and it was interesting to see how Communism and capitalism can actually work together. In short, this trip was a great adventure, and I hope to visit again in the near future.

I would like to thank WRAL for the opportunity to write this blog, as well as my parents, the Dillehays and everyone that helped make China my home for the month of June.