see you again
- Sofia Bliek
- Aug 17, 2019
- 2 min read
On August 10th, we took our last test, were freed of the language pledge, and enjoyed speeches from our classmates at our closing ceremony. Weirdly enough, it wasn't until a few days after leaving Beijing that the feeling of "ending" really hit me. It was all kind of a blur. On our last evening, we treated our teachers to dinner. We convinced the restaurant staff to let us push together a bunch of tables to create one massive one, and the thirty of us crowded around it. After having our fill of hot pot, Jumeokbap, and fried chicken, we made our way over to a KTV place. We stayed out until about 1 AM singing dozens of songs in English, Chinese, and even Cantonese (also all of our teachers were weirdly talented and good at singing??), finally ending the night with “See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa.
The teachers were initially just going to walk us back to campus, but they ended up coming with us all the way to the West gate, then through the gate, and finally all the to the entrance of our building, where they could no enter no further. We were all hesitant to part ways, most of us knowing, despite our last song, that even in the age of modern technology it would be difficult to maintain the relationships we’d spent the last two months building. We spoke hurriedly, using our last precious moments to spill nine weeks worth of thank yous and memories, not wanting to leave anything unsaid. There were a lot of puffy eyes and heartfelt embraces.
I am immensely grateful for the HBA-- for the friends it has brought me, the new understanding I have of China, it’s language, and it’s culture, and for the questions it has forced me to think about in regards to my own heritage and identity. I’m going to miss the driver of the sketchy taxi who’d wait outside South Gate to take us to 三里屯，the tomato and egg fried noodles from the dining hall, the chats about dating norms in 单班课。Even though the oral tests were a pain to prepare for, I'm going to miss our over-the-top gameshows and heated debates about what we'd do if we discovered an alien egg on Earth. I’ll never forget how welcomed I felt by everyone, from the Ayis in the residences on the first day to my teachers to the strangers I danced with in Houhai. The fact that I’m not certain about when I’ll be able to come back scares me, but I do know for sure there will be a next time.
I hope this blog has been helpful, shout-out to anyone who made it to the end here! I would highly recommend HBA to the potential applicants out there. As always, feel free to reach out with questions!
It's been real,
Sofia
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