I really wanted to have a fun, super social year. In reality, I had a more of a introverted experience which isn't necessarily a bad thing. There was a nice balance of alone time and social time. I hung out with the same small group of friends and had such a great time with them. I talk to most of these people to this day. Thank you WeChat! lol
The Three Musketeers! Remus, Dean, and I^^
I'll be honest, initially I was upset that I didn't have the opportunity to do a lot of activities. Dongying didn't have much to offer. We really didn't go to the movies because it was super expensive. There was no way to take any kinds of classes, not even Mandarin which I wanted to study. No martial arts, no clubs, no sports, nothing. In a lot of ways it was actually better for me to have less distractions. I really got my stuff together and made some life choices. I think I was afraid to be with alone my thoughts before that point and didn't want to think about my future. I really hoped that I would go abroad and things would click and I would stay for awhile and have it all figured out. And honestly that wasn't what happened and it made me stronger.