Parting Words for Qingdao

And so begins my final hours in Qingdao. Sitting in my room (which must overlap with either the 3rd or 4th ring of hell) and looking out over the city, I can't help but feel a little nostalgia mixed with a tinge of sadness at leaving. But the more I think about it, the less I can actually pinpoint anything particularly extraordinary happening here that's Qingdao specific. All the good times were had because of people making them such. Yes it's a coastal city, yes it's got loads of history, and yes it's got a fairly good economy. Does that make a place enjoyable, though? We can't just expect a place to give meaning to us; we have to create it ourselves. The people that made the city what it was to me are almost all gone now. Maybe that's why the city feels like a husk of itself, maybe that's what I was feeling before? A desire for a return to normalcy of sorts? But that won't happen, so I'll take it in stride. As I prepare my bags and reflect on Qingdao and what made my 6 months here the great experience that it was, I realize it was the brightness, and quality of my friends that left an impression on the city. I hope... no, strive to create such impressions, moments and memories in my travels in the future, so people will look back and say, "You know, Xiamen is a really cool city, but I can't put my finger on why..." Bring out the best of not just the people, but the places you go, the events you attend, the work you do; there's only us stopping ourselves.