Home.

My mom called me from the grocery store the day before I moved back to China.
"Do you need anything from the store?"
"Buckeyes," I responded. I wasn't looking forward to moving back here and knew I needed something that would remind me of home.

Buckeyes are chocolaty treats made in my hometown. They are delicious. My mom used to mail them to me when I was away in college. I'd hide them in my desk so that none of my room mates would find them. They were mine and mine only.

I have one buckeye left.

Originally, I ate one every Sunday while watching Ohio State replays on the internet. It was my way of feeling connected to home.

Then, as the weeks started to roll by, I started rationing them. I saved one for the OSU/Michigan game. I ate one after an especially rough day of teaching. I saved another for Thanksgiving.

I noticed my bag was getting quite light, so I decided to eat one every Thursday until I went home. And now, I have one left. It is going in my backpack. I will eat it at 30,000 feet tomorrow afternoon on my way home.

It is hard for me to believe that I'm going home tomorrow.
However, I am extremely sad to say goodbye to my friends. I have grown so amazingly close to these people. Tonight is the winter solstice. I will meet my friends at the local dumpling restaurant for one last meal together. After that, we will hold a Kongmin lantern, make a wish, and light it on fire. As it burns, it rises high into the sky - taking your dreams with it.
There are many things that I won't miss about China, but I will miss all of the amazing traditions. American traditions are boring.

If anything, living in China has taught me how to survive. I feel like I have grown up more in 11 months than I have in 25 years. I feel wise. And old. I also feel pretty invincible. I lived in a foreign country without any understanding of the language, customs, or practices and survived. I think that's pretty awesome.