Last Day

Our last full day in Shanghai was Sunday and it blew by. The majority of my time was spent in the hotel working on my last individual project. Ariel and I worked on a video by combining our footage from the various destinations we visited throughout the trip. The idea I had was to put random Chinese activities to a track by Daft Punk. The part we got done was pretty good but I'll have to finish it for the final exhibition. We all met at 4pm in a conference room at the hotel to go over our projects. The meeting lasted until 7pm but it was really nice to see what everyone had accomplished during our three weeks in China. We headed out to a vegetarian restaurant where we had a delicious final dinner. After we got back to the hotel I convinced Ariel to help me find another bag for my souvenirs. We wandered for a bit until we found a massage parlor and Ariel twisted my arm to check it out. Surprisingly we found Steven was already there getting a body massage from a little Chinese lady who was standing on his back. We decided foot massages would be enough and for only 25 yuan it was a steal. We were a little skeptical when two guys showed up with hot water. We put our feet in the water and it was scalding. We got a back massage while our feet soaked.  At times Ariel and I were both wincing in pain but it was all worth it. Three weeks of heavy walking quickly melted away and my back, legs and feet felt like new. It was the perfect way to relax before the 16 hour flight home. We flew out at noon-thirty the next day but left the hotel by 9am. The flight was long but there were a few movies including Kung-Fu Panda, which was appropriate for the trip and made it go a little faster. We made it back to Eugene at 12 noon the same day, 30 minutes before we left. Time travel is exhausting. It's good to be back in the USA but I'll miss China  and my new friends at SUAD. We will have an art exhibit at the University of Oregon in late October and it will be nice to see everyone again from the trip. I'm really glad I got to know everyone we travelled with and had the opportunity to participate in this invaluable experience. Thanks Ying and Edwin for all of your hard work and persistence to ensure our amazing journey in China.