Exchanging Gifts

Tonight was our last night in Tianjin. It was a strange feeling, because a lot of us kind of felt like we were at home during our stay here. One of our classmates, Zach, arranged and paid for our dinner at a Korean restaurant near our hotel. The last dinner did not only consist of all of the members in our group, but also our Chinese classmates. It was the last gathering for everyone participating in the program at Tianjin.

Before the trip Dr. Li told us to bring about 9 or 10 gifts to give to the students, because they usually have gifts for the American students. The gifts were supposed to represent Duluth, Minnesota, US, etc... The gifts were also supposed to be something that wasn't really available in China so it would be somewhat unique to them. For me, I immediately identify any state or region in the US with the sports teams in the area. Cheering for your favorite isn't only about "cheering for your favorite team," it's about cheering for your state. Minnesota sports are a really important and special part of my life, and I wanted the students to remember Minnesota in a way that is important to me. I decided to bring about 10 pretty big Minnesota Timberwolves stickers as my gift. I asked and talked to each student about their knowledge of the NBA, and then afterwards I would give them one of the stickers. A lot of them, if not all, knew what the NBA was and Martin actually knew a good amount about the Timberwolves. It was cool to give them gifts and receive a few gifts in return. I hope there are a couple new Timberwolves fans in Tianjin.