This study abroad experience, as my first study abroad experience, has challenged me to think differently not only about our region or industry of study, but about myself and how I fit into the “professional” world. As a first year student, I’ve spent most of my first two semesters trying to figure out what educational…

I woke up this morning with a slightly heavy heart knowing that today would be our last day to explore Shanghai. Luckily, my excitement about visiting the Yu Garden this morning was able to overshadow the pre-departure sadness. To get to the garden itself, we walked through a bustling marketplace teeming with any sort of…

Today was a day revolving around the wonders of engineering (as every day is). We began our day with a visit to TE Connectivity, a part manufacturer for certain electrical components that in some cases are used for the manufacture of cell phones. We started off the session with a Q&A corner, then we donned…

Today we embarked on a journey to the second largest port in the world: Yangshan Port. The port itself was about two hours away from our hotel, so during our long bus ride to the site we were lucky enough to have a guest speaker on board to give us an overview of what it’s…

Today was a day of education. We visited Donghua University in Shanghai to meet with local students and learn more about the smartphone industry. We began the visit with a lecture from a Donghua professor about the current state of smartphone utilization in China. Though the heavy usage of smartphones for consumer activities had become…

We began our day with another trip on a high speed train! This time, we spent six hours gliding through the countryside from Xi’an to Shanghai. As we spent the entirety of this trip staying in large cities, these train rides allowed us to get a glimpse into the lives of the rural Chinese that…

The day I had been waiting for all trip had finally come: our visit to the Terra-Cotta Warriors. Sadly, the day got off to a not-so-great start. It was unexpectedly rainy and cold, souring the mood from the beginning. When we finally reached the enclosure with the warriors, the site of row upon row of…

We began the day with a visit to the mountains to complete a service learning experience at the Children’s Village. The village houses children of all ages whose parents are in prison and not able to take care of them. The children live in dormitories and are assigned in groups of 16 to a “mother”….

Regardless of the copious amount of sleep I had gotten the night before, the 6 am meeting time to leave Beijing was a brutal one. But, the excitement of taking a bullet train made the lethargy worth it. I was amazed by the speed, fluidity, and comfort of the train (not so much by the…

Today was a day filled with culture, culture, culture. We began the day with a visit to Tian’amen Square, where we got a good look at not only the square itself, but also the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum of China. We then proceeded into the Forbidden City, greeted by a…

Today was our first day of company visits! We began the day by visiting the Cheetah Mobile headquarters in Beijing. As we entered the grounds, I was surprised to see a lawn littered with cute, cartoon cheetah statues of all different design. When we entered the premises, it became apparent that the cute theme was…

Today we headed to the Central University of Finance and Economics (CUFE). We recieved a lecture on the current state of the smartphone industry, ate another delicious multi-course meal, toured campus, and even skipped rope with our Chinese counterparts at the university. The purpose of this specific trip was clear: observation. As college students ourselves,…

Day one of Plus3 China (well, technically day two if you count the 2 hours of sleep in Tower C and the 13 hour flight to Beijing, but let’s try our best to forget about that part)! Finally well rested and full of a comprehensive buffet-style breakfast at the Pentahotel Beijing, we began our trek…

My international experience to date is: I currently do not have much international experience. I’ve been out of the US twice: to Mexico and Bermuda. But, both of those were when I was much younger and for a very short period of time. I’m fairly up-to-date on world affairs. My current area of focus is…