As our time in Nanjing comes to a close and we look back on the experience, we see all that we have achieved.

At the beginning of our time in Nanjing, our hosts Yangzi High School provided an opening ceremony where they welcomed us into their school community for the next three weeks.

During our last week in Beijing, we have been participating in further cultural and language activities.

Early in the week, we went to the Forbidden City where we were able to experience what living in Ancient China was like and see the collection of rooms that have been preserved from the Ming and Qing dynasties.

While there were some tears and anxiety as we set off from Mater Christi at the beginning of our trip, we were ready to take on the adventure ahead of us. The atmosphere on the bus, on the way to the airport, was reflective of how we were all feeling - scared, tired, anxious, but mostly excited!

As we waited to depart from Melbourne (Tullamarine) Airport, we were joined by students from the other schools involved: Auburn, Phoenix and Traralgon College.