Day 13:

Well this was it, the final day in China.  I tried to fit in everything that I could today.  We started with a guided tour of the Yu Garden.  This was a private garden in Shanghai that was built by a rich family and has since been turned into a tourist attraction.  Markets have since sprouted up around it too.  The garden itself was beautiful.  It was really large for one family.  We learned about why some of the things are designed how they are too.  For example, the bridges are always zigzagged because evil spirits cannot tell the bridge is curved so they fall off and into the water.  The gardens are ridden with ponds and limestone rocks.  The owner of the house also had a room dedicated strictly for the use of opium.  Apparently rich people back then had a huge drug problem.

After the garden tour we had some free time to explore the surrounding markets.  These markets were a little bit nicer than the Muslim Quarter market, but they were also more expensive.  I bought a few last-minute souvenirs, not spending too much money, and then made my way back to the hotel.  Most people just sat around for the afternoon, but I wanted to explore the city more.  My roommate Alec and I decided to hop on the subway and go downtown to the financial district of Shanghai.  We wanted to look at the skyscrapers and see how big they actually were.  These buildings were even more insane standing right under them.  The Shanghai tower was by far my favorite of the buildings and the most famous.  It is the second tallest building in the world.  The basement is 5 stories tall in itself.  I never ate lunch, so I had my first American meal of the trip when Alec and I went to Carls Jr and had chicken Sandwich. We walked around downtown for about 45 minutes just enjoying the architecture.  I am glad that we used all our free time wisely and actually did things.

Following the downtown tour, we presented our business projects to the entire class.  All of the presentations were good, and I would give everyone an A if I were Dr. Li.  The class seemed to put a lot of effort into them.  It was then time for the last of the planned things on the trip.  The farewell dinner was very tasty but had a bitter sweet ending.  Everyone did a rehash of the trip and shared emotions of how they felt.  The speeches from the Asian Institute people were the most touching because we are probably never going to see them again.  I feel like everyone on this trip made some new close friends, and I really hope I can stay in touch with them in the fall.  After the series of speeches, we all got smoothies on the tab of the Asia Institute.  To cap the night, we went home and packed.  Then we had one final hangout with all the kids on the trip.