To date I have had one study abroad experience. During the summer going into my senior year of high school, I got the opportunity to travel to Romania with my close friends. I traveled with Olympic, a wrestling club from New Jersey, to Bucharest, Romania where we stayed for ten days. In Romania we explored the countryside, swam in the black sea and wrestled with the Romanian Junior National team.
There are many reasons that I want to travel to China. First, this would be my first experience going to an Asian country. I’m very eager to learn how things operate halfway around the globe. I’m excited to indulge in the Chinese cuisine, to see the “concrete jungles”, and to have an overall good abroad experience with the students we meet there and with my Pitt classmates.
I think I will experience many professional work differences on this trip. Although I haven’t had much experience in a professional workplace here, I do understand how things normally operate. In China I expect there to be a very focused workforce that works more as strong individuals. I expect things to be done in a very productive manner and there to be a smaller social picture in the workplace.
I’m fully expecting this trip will be full of culture shocks. From the first meal, to interacting with citizens, to riding public transportation, most of this trip will entail normal everyday things, but it will be very different. I’m anticipating seeing a lot of things that I don’t really see here in the States.
I very much expect there to be a very different political picture in China. For over the past year I feel like I have not gone a single day without hearing the name Trump. While overseas, I don’t expect the people of China to be any less passionate about their country and the people who run it, but I do expect the country to be more unified and trustworthy of the people running it.
I think the students we meet in China will be very interesting. Hopefully they have a good sense of English because my Chinese is far from conversational. I expect to learn a lot from them about everyday life in China. I’m eager to know what they do to pass the time, what they learn in school, and just to make new friends.
I think the difference in living conditions will not be too different. It is too my knowledge that we will be staying in hotels for the duration of the trip, which gives me peace of mind when thinking about comfortability. Living in a dorm for the past six months has given me insight on how to make the best of a not so ideal living situation. I’m positive that wherever we stay, i’ll be comfortable regardless of better or worse conditions than I’m use to.
I expect the most enjoyable part of this trip for me to be is the trip to the Great Wall. Although I’m a big fan of city life, I always find myself in awe when I travel to the more rural parts of countries. I love leaving the noise of the city for a relaxed atmosphere, especially to see something I’ve been learning about since the 5th grade. I’m looking forward to standing on one of the world’s most famous pieces of history.
