30 | Summer 2018 Greensboro Day School Upper School presents Leaving the beautiful city of Shanghai was hard, but we knew that Beijing would leave us wonderstruck as well. We met Jean, Crystal’s mother at the airport. Crystal told us that she was nervous because of her limited English. However, Jean later revealed to Crystal, “When I met your host mom and sister at Beijing airport, their bright smiles left me a strong first impression. It felt like that I had already known them for a long time.” Jean carried on the tradition started by her brother in Nanjing of feeding us and showing us the highlights of the city. Of course one of our first stops in Beijing was the Great Wall of China. We hiked over the five miles of the most preserved and visited section, the Badaling. It would have been a more pleasant walk if the temperature had not been 101 degrees and the UV index a ten! Thank goodness we could take a cable car back down. Other highlights of Beijing included visits to The Forbidden City, Olympic Park, and the Laoshe Tea House. Then, it was time to say goodbye to Crystal and her mother after our time in Beijing. Jean recalls that her daughter grew from being rather shy to not caring about other people’s judgments. “Yujing’s growth and admission to Amherst College are inseparable from the school and her host family. From our first meeting to getting to know each other, two distinct cultures clash and mingle. We appreciate Yujing’s experience at Greensboro Day School and with the Baldwin family. Crystal adds to her mother’s remarks. “Amid the hustle and bustle of a busy street in China, dream and reality intertwine. I still couldn’t believe that four years ago, a decision that took me 20 minutes to make forever changed my life. I just spent four years of my life abroad. And fortunately enough, I finished my journey at GDS with the Baldwin family.” And we, the Baldwin family, are happy that she did.