Shanghai Finale...

Or so we thought.

I've said it a million times, and I'll say it again. Shanghai is my favorite place in the entire world. I'm not sure exactly what it is that I love so much. The beauty of the city, the vibe, the bustling markets on every side street, the kind people, the breathtaking architecture- it could be any and all of it. All I know, is that I feel like I'm on Cloud 9 when I'm there. There's always something to do, something to see.

Megan and Kate and I stayed there for our last four day vacation. We just got home last night around 11 p.m. We thought that it was our last time in Shanghai.

Guess what we did before we left the hostel yesterday?

Yup. We booked it for this weekend as well. You know you've stayed in the same hostel a few times when one of the workers goes out with you at night and then stays in your hostel room with you. It seems kind of ridiculous, huh?

Well, I don't think so. We love it there, and realistically, we'll not be able to go back for years. Why not take advantage of the opportunity? All we'll do this weekend if we don't go is laze around- and let me tell you, that's not how I intend to spend my very last weekend in the great country of China.

While we were there, I finished my shopping! I'm not buying one single other thing. I have purchased gifts for more people than I care to count over again. I love buying things for people but it can be very stressful. I can add Finland, Russia, and Czech Republic to the places that we've met people from.

The weekend started out on a good note. We thought we would save some money and take a bus to the train station instead of a cab. That plan bit us in the arse. We didn't know where to get off so we missed our train. No big deal. We bought tickets for the next one, but we didn't have seats. There were only standing tickets left. Ugh. Three hours, standing, on a Godforsaken K train. We all know how much I enjoy those.

As soon as the Chinese people surrounding us realized that we had standing tickets, they wasted no time jumping up and absolutely insisted that we take their seats. It was so sweet. People in China are often times extensively generous like this. They were fascinated with us. They knew about four words of English and we know very little Chinese, but we had full conversations with them for three hours. The majority of communication is body language, seriously. They started asking if we had any American money. It so happens that Megan did. She pulls out two ten dollar bills and one one dollar bill. Snatching them out of her hands, they pull out their wallets and start asking how much money they're worth. Megan left that train 126 kuai richer! It wasn't long before a crowd had gathered, all wanting American money. I'm sure it's not exactly  legal to be exchanging currency on trains in China, but who's keeping track? These guys told us we were fat and gave us a thumbs up. Oh, China. One of them also plucked one of my hairs off my jacket and wrapped it around his neck before sticking it in his pocket.

We arrived at our hostel and got all gussied up to go out. Dancing the night away, that's our specialty. On Sunday we went to the major underground market and finished our shopping. Monday we checked out of the hostel, booked it for this upcoming weekend, and headed to the train station. There's a McDonald's across from the train station that is our renowned hang out for when we're waiting on trains. While sitting there, we get accosted by some Chinese man wanting money, claiming to be deaf. He gets rather aggressive about the matter and he starts to shake her arm. She springs out of her chair and he starts to laugh. "See?! He's not deaf! He's laughing!" Really, Megan? I laughed until I cried. Story of our lives when we're together.

I can't wait to do it all again this weekend. Life is short, my time left in China is ever-shrinking, and all I know is that I'm going to enjoy it as much as possible!

The countdown is getting serious. I'm leaving China in 10 days and I will be back in the United States in 15. I'm really starting to get excited about coming home. I can't wait to see Lucas and kiss his adorable face that I've gone nearly four months without seeing. I can't wait to hug my mom and my sisters. I can't wait to see Lucas' parents. I can't wait for Christmas and the day after so that I can finally see my wonderful family down there. I can't wait to see my boys!- who whined about the fact I put Easy Mac in front of them on my "Giving Thanks" post. I can't wait to go back to work.

Maybe life in Ohio won't be so bad after all.

My BFFs <3

We met fellow Ohioans on Nanjing Road!

Nanjing Road

Beautifulll!

Megan, me, Kate, and the Italian Pirate

Bathroom shot! This is my model pose in case you couldn't tell.