GRIP, Internships Abroad My Last Night in Guangzhou

Urun Big Data Services - Guangzhou, China

The last weeks of my internship went by so quick that, looking back, it appears as one large blur. In the moment, I had difficulty appreciating the limited days I had left. Ultimately, it wasn't until my last night in Guangzhou that I realized I would be flying out of Hong Kong back to San Francisco the very next day. 
That night after dinner, I took a moment to ponder about how I would spend my last night in Guangzhou. Should I go back to one of my favorite dessert shops? This city's delicious treats were hard to find back in the States. Should I visit Beijing Road one last time? The historically royal street, lined with busy shops of all kinds, was always fun to stroll down. I finally settled on walking along the north bank of the Pearl River (Zhujiang), from my apartment to the downtown area of Zhujiang New Town. It was the perfect night, especially for Southern China standards. The sky was raining just a little bit, cooling the atmosphere and creating a thin reflective coating on all the streets and sidewalks.

When I arrived at the downtown plaza, I tried to recreate my first-time experience of seeing all the lights and buildings: the chaos of bright panels in the plaza, the crisscrosses on the West Tower, the snowfall of lights on the East Tower, and the rainbow torch of the Canton Tower. The wet, glistening walkways of the plaza subtlety reflected these lights, creating a mirror effect. I sat down on the side of the river and watched neon boats drift by while listening to the soft waves of water. For over an hour, it was just me, the lights, and the river as I reminisced upon my eight weeks of highlights from Guangzhou; it was pure content. 
Finally, since it was time to head back, I stood up, and I walked past the whole downtown area one last time, watching groups of tourists taking pictures, children playing, and locals enjoying the night. Once I arrived at the subway station to return to my apartment, I took a deep breath, admired my surroundings one last time, and headed underground. 

And just like that, as instantaneous as the journey began, I felt this amazing chapter of my life come to a close.