There are really no words that can express how I feel about studying abroad.

It is truly an experience like no other.

I was essentially taken out of my comfort zone, placed in a new environment and was allowed to flourish.

I have met so many people, and blessed with so many opportunities to travel to places I could
have only dreamed about.

My semester at Zhejiang University, has truly been an experience.

It, in a nutshell, taught me many things about myself.

I was able to meet and talk with people from around the globe, literally, and in that I could understand how everyone’s cultures are not only different but also the commonalities we all share as human beings.

Although
this time was short, I have made good friends that I will stay in contact with, long after I leave China.

I did not have the opportunity to go to every place I wanted to, but the experiences and the people I met there will no doubt be apart of me for the rest of my life.

Thank You China

During Thanksgiving weekend, my group and I was able to visit Shanghai. A city I had not seen since 2010, when I first came to China, Shanghai was a place that I was excited to see. Like a long awaited reunion, when our train from HangZhou arrived in the ShangHai terminal, I was anxious to see what had changed and what had remained the same.

Rest assured, everything was exactly how I had remembered, if not better. A city on a scale of that comparable to New York, Shanghai is a place that never fails to amaze me. With so much history that surrounds the city, it is easy to get lost and find yourself in the English concession, walk into the financial center or even find yourself at the top of the Bund, one of the largest skyscrapers in the world.

Our time in Shang Hai was extremely short but in those three days we were able to do and see so much. What I loved about Shanghai is how unique everyone and everything is. It is a city full of young motivated people trying to make a name for themselves with westerners there doing all types of work from working in industries to teaching children English. Shang Hai is a big city that has anything and everything a person could ever want or need regardless of why they are there and it was assuring to know that as long as you had a subway card and $.50 you could go anywhere and everywhere in the city and trust me, we did.

Thanksgiving was definitely different this year. Usually around this time, I would be on my way back to Valpo after spending the holiday with my family and quickly preparing for finals and more importantly winter break. This year, however was completely different. Mostly due to the fact that I was 3,000+ miles away from everything that I was used to. This year I could not help prepare Thanksgiving dinner with my grandmother nor was I able to eat sweet potato pie or watch the annual Thanksgiving day parade and football game.

It was bittersweet to be able to spend Thanksgiving in China because although I am blessed to have the opportunity to spend my Thanksgiving in here, at the same time, during this season one starts to miss their family. But I guess you can say I still had the chance to spend Thanksgiving with my family, well my new one.

My group members and I have been together for  over 3 months now and during that time we have definitely formed a bond. We all had our good days and our bad days, but  it is safe to say that we have not only survived China but can call it home at least until next week, when we go back to the states. Along with this holiday I am grateful to have spent it this year with: Ryan, Sadie, Logan, Nick, Simon and Prof Xia. Thank You all for being with me during this journey it is almost over but I am glad to have spent it with you all.

A place with unimaginable beauty.

Two words. LiJiang. Who knew a city I had never heard of prior to coming to China, would leave one of the biggest impressions on me during my stay here. This city is encased by a natural beauty that one cannot see while living in the city. 4hrs away by plane, LiJiang was a city that surpassed my imagination. It was a place where the NaXi people (an ethnic Chinese minority) thrived. I was essentially taken to another world where I questioned, whether or not what I was seeing with my eyes was actually real. So wait how did I get here?

In amidst of finding a place to travel to for a short trip, LiJiang was a city that kept coming up, whenever I would ask my Chinese friends of a good destination to go to. My first reaction was, why? What made LiJiang such a special place that I MUST travel to during my stay in China? Well, for one, it has Jade-snow dragon mountain and two, it has Old Town, a place that was older than the discovery of America itself. 

Although my trip to LiJiang was extremely short, I was able to travel to a place that took me out of the city bustle. I was able to see some of the bluest waters in the world and visit a well that people had been using since the early 12th century. During my get-away I was able to reflect and realize that we as humans are just a small part of the every growing and diversifying universe. The beauty I saw in Lijiang was something that I am not able to experience in the states and is something I will never forget.

” Hey Bree, you want to go to a music festival?” Sure, but where, we’re in China!”

2 weeks later, there I was, at MIDI music festival. At first, I was reluctant to go because I thought, a music festival in China could not possibly be a real thing however, I decided to give it a try. So there I was with my friend Nick, as well as some of my friends from England, embarking on trip that would definitely be exciting to say the least. MIDI festival, located in Suzhou, a city about 3 hrs from our school was known for its unmatched beauty but who
would have known that it would also be known for its night life as well. That morning at 8 am, I woke up, got my suitcase that I had packed the previous night and began a trip that would no doubt change my perception of China and its young people.

Fours hours later, thanks to traffic, there I was in Suzhou, China about to enter a music festival. I honestly did not know what to expect. The two words themselves, China and music festival, just did not seem to go together, because in the states, music festivals are known for being free where any type of music could be played where as in China, considering everything is monitored to a certain degree, I thought it was going to be really uniform.

Nonetheless my expectations were completely shattered. There were DJ’s from all over the world who played a variety of different music over the 3 days I was there. The young people at the festival were so open to all types of music from rock to EDM. MIDI was a huge party that everyone was invited to.

During those three days I did not know what day or time it was and honestly did not care. It was fun to just relax with friends and listen to good music with good people. At first I was reluctant to go to a music festival  in China but after going to MIDI, I can definitely say I’m glad I went.

As I started to reflect on my past month in China, I started to realize how quickly time flies here. It was both nostalgic and relieving to know that I had “made it.” I was able to survive in China for a month already. Through all the language barriers and cultural differences I am still facing, I feel as though I have somewhat conquered it. Although I still have another 2 1/2 months to go, my confidence has grown while in China. Now, I am
not that ashamed  to speak Chinese to people, afraid that they will hear my American accent.  This short trip, thus far, has taught me that it is okay to mess up. It is okay to pronounce words incorrectly, order the wrong dishes in Chinese and only realize your mistake when the plate of duck head is sitting before you, and it is also okay to tell someone in Chinese “I don’t understand” when you blatantly do not understand. Why? Because that is ultimately how you learn.

This month in China has taught me a lot thus far and I have done so much already. I visited Xian, China’s old ancient capital and was able to bike ride along one of the oldest city walls in China, and visit some really famous warriors as well as travel to Beijing and not only see the notorious Tianmen square but also climb the Great Wall of China, something I had only knew of through elementary school text books. At Zhejiang University, where I currently reside, I have have met alot of people, those of which I would only have had the opportunity to meet, while abroad.  I have met people from all over the world including Mexico, Africa, South Korea, and Europe. Some of which I call friends. 

This short period of time here has really put into perspective what it is like to be an international student in a foreign country. Thus, only increasing my respect for international students on Valpo’s campus, where students do not just stay for one semester, as I am doing here, but for all four years, seemingly away from friends, family and their culture. It did take a while to adjust but when I did everything fell into place. I’m in a country I love, with people I like and going places I could only dream of, all of which I am truly grateful for.

With that being said, I guess I can say “happy one month anniversary” to me and every other student studying abroad. Congratulations we made it!