So tomorrow I leave for China for another 10 months. Lets just hope this is the last time I will have to spend my school year there. Although if I have to stay I guess its not that bad since I can be free. I guess since I haven't really talked about my time in China I will do it now.

August 6th 2014 my life changed forever. I moved. But not just to another state, to another country. China was a big leap for someone coming from a small town. A big city, Shanghai, it was a scary thought. I stepped onto that plane in Toronto(not where I'm from) knowing that when I would step off my new life started. Sitting in that first class seat let me think about my life. Sure I didn't want to leave my friends behind but I knew forgetting about those feelings for some time would help.

You see, that 13 hour flight over the Earth was probably the easiest part. I remember setting foot in China and said, "Man is it hot here." Stupid yes but in the summer its hot and humid. Its not my fault for thinking that, I love the cold. I remember that so clearly. On that same day I almost got ran over while we were walking to the hotel. I didn't cry, I didn't even think about crying. I guess I knew everything would turn out great. We got to the hotel and only stayed there one night before my sisters and I begged to go to the house. So the next day our driver took us to the house and I chose my room. My dad went with the driver to go get our stuff from the hotel to take to the house so it was just my mom, sisters and I. That day was a little hazy but when school started I knew everything would be fine.

I made like five friends just on new student orientation. Then on the first day of school I met someone who frankly, I could not live without. That first week of school I made many friends. One of which has moved away from Shanghai after 13 years of living there. We talked everyday this summer and I don't regret it one bit. Skip to December 5th when I had to sit next to a boy in math class. He and I laughed so much that day that I cried. Soon enough we became the worlds greatest friends. We did everything together. It even came to the point that people were convinced we were dating. Now that surprised me because in America I was always alone. No one really knew who I was, then I come here and everything in the grade knew me.

I made a close group of friends and we were a family. Weekly parties in my basement eating pizza, playing Smash Bros, watching horror movies, creepypasta(Russian Sleep Experiment started that one), going outside in the middle of the compound and just being kids. We couldn't live without each other. That lasted the second half of the year. Come the last month of school I was devastated. My 'family' was leaving. All except that boy from math class. Every night I would cry because I didn't want them to leave. Why would mask my sadness with happiness like I've done my entire life. I didn't want them to leave. The other girl in that group always called me mom, she was my daughter.

The day before I left for the summer her and I were at my house and we made a feast of junk food. We watched Parks and Rec on Netflix and I cherished every moment I had with her. She left and 'forgot' the pizza sauce. So I messaged her on Skype that I would stop by her place in the morning to drop it off. I left at 7 and we stayed with each other till 10:30. At around 9 we went from her compound to mine and we sat in the fountain. The fountain doesn't work so we climbed into the bowl part and just talked. We talked about our year and how much everyone meant to us. When it was time for me to leave she walked me to my street entrance and we had this convo:

Her: I'm going to cry on my way home

Me: Yeah same. But I'll stay strong just like Travis told me.

We smiled and continued.

Her: When I go back to America I'm just going to cry a lot.

Me: Won't we all

Her: *laughs* Yeah I suppose

Me: *pulls her in for a hug* Until next time right?

Her: Until next time

We had put our hands together and as each of us walked away our hands slowly pulled apart. On my way home I was crying. I tried to be strong but I just couldn't.

So that's my story if anyone wanted to know. Just saying I couldn't keep dry eyes through this... Anyway. I don't really care what you do about this part.

Shadenight

Waterdapple

This is for you two because I feel as if I did a sucky job telling you in person. Since I can;t attempt to know this what I could think of.

-Frostleaf/Nikkerson