It was a bittersweet ending to the semester. I eagerly awaited our final banquet as a chance to celebrate with my friends, but I dreaded the goodbyes that followed. Chris, our program director, had announced that this would be his last semester. How would the program go on without him? Five years ago it was Chris who developed and established the program, found our Jia, and had fostered five years worth of students through their time in Shanghai. It was definitely going to be an emotional night.
The party was fun. We got all dressed up and headed to the iconic Pearl Tower for dinner. Afterwards we went to a KTV to sing and say our goodbyes to Chris and Quinn, the only student leaving us. We never got around to singing. There were too many “thank you’s” to be said. Chris was a wonderful director and the program owes him a lot. At the end of the night he announced his replacement. I was unsurprised to learn the interim director role would be filled by his ex-wife Corrie VanVelzer. She’s spent equally as much time in Shanghai as Chris, knows the program and is a Pepperdine graduate. I’m sure she’ll do a great job, but I know we’ll all still miss Chris.
After many pictures, a few tears and absolutely no singing we returned home to the Jia to pack our last few belongings and prepare for our winter break trips.
Looking back on the semester I’m still amazed at how much I accomplished. It went by so fast! It seems like just yesterday I was stepping off the plane into the bustling wonderland that is Shanghai. I still can’t fully grasp what an amazing opportunity I have been given. All I know is that our Jia has been amazingly blessed. I am looking forward to next semester and all God has in store for us. That’s all for now Zai Jian from Shanghai!
P.S. Zia Jian literally translates to “Until we meet again”. I think it’s a phrase befitting of the end of this semester. It’s too sad to say goodbye to our friends, so instead we’ll just say until we meet again!
