It's been about month since I've left Beijing and reintegrating into North American life has been alarmingly easy. Between scarfing bagels and cream cheese, running in fresh air, and drinking Tim Hortons coffee, it feels like I never left home at all.

As I click through my pictures and reread old blog entries, it dawns on me that last year has genuinely been a fantastic adventure. Two weeks ago, I idly listened to a chinese radio talk show -- my mom listens to the Cantonese programming -- going on about "doing unto others as you would have them do unto you" (yes it an early Sunday morning). It took 5 minutes before I suddenly noticed that the program wasn't even in Cantonese but in Mandarin. This time last year, I'd couldn't even dream that I'd ever understand a sermon in 汉语.

Sure there has been plenty to complain about -- suffocating smog, crowds of sweaty (smelly) people packed into subways, and the neverending frustration of trying to understand/ be understood -- but if that's the price to pay for the things I've seen, and for the friends I made, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat.

As Chris says (in what I imagine to be Humphrey Bogart fashion), 我永远记得北京 - I'll always remember Beijing. I came out of the year with more skill and confidence in Mandarin, living and travel experience in China, and a boyfriend no less. And a small but prominent scar that's disfiguring my left shin -- but at least I have a good story about how I got it! Not bad for one year.

This is my last post on Cat in China; I've decided to keep these past entries as a stand-alone record of my entire experience this past year and relocated the entire blog to cat-in-china.blogspot.com.

If you want to read about my year from from the start, you can click here to begin.

My personal blog will remain at the original address, kitkatcathy.blogspot.com.

Thanks for reading! Cathy