Day 15 (January 14, My last day in China)
Even though my journey in China was fast approaching an end, I still had one more jam packed day in Shanghai. First, I was able to visit the Yu Gardens. The Yu Gardens were built by an emperor long ago for his mother. (This makes me laugh since the emperor lived on the other side of the country in Beijing.) Nevertheless, the gardens were an extravagant combination of ingenious architecture and the beautiful sights of nature. They also provided the perfect setting to take pictures. After the Yu Gardens, the rest of the day was full of shopping opportunities. We were able to shop both at the bazaar and on Nanjing Road. Bargaining and negotiating prices were so much fun! If you like chaos and talking, you would love bargaining for things. At times it was intense, but the language barrier was never a set-back in purchasing many items for very low prices. I definitely bought more than I should have because the challenge of seeing how cheap you could get things was irresistible. While negotiating, it was important to stay in groups because some of the backrooms could be dangerous. Thankfully, FFA is full of chivalrous boys and they kept an eye on us. To wrap up our incredible time in China, we had a farewell dinner followed by a Chinese acrobat show. The acrobats were both graceful and talented. Their stellar performance provided the perfect end to what had been a memorable, exciting, educating, and unforgettable trip to a land most people only read about in books.
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