I spent the whole month of May in 2019 in the western part of China in the city of Chengdu on the Global May China Program. We spent the month learning about Chinese culture and making new friends along the way.
Before I went to China I had no idea what to expect or think about the country, I had never taken the time to think about what it must be like there. I came to realize that I am the same as everyone there and everyone there is the same as me. I enjoyed every moment food, friends, family, smiling, games, singing and dancing. The people there treated me amazing and truly wanted to get to know me and about my life in the United States. I learned a lot about putting myself out there and going with the flow, many times I would no idea where I was going or what I was doing, but I learned to enjoy and appreciate the moment. All in all it allowed me a chance to be surrounded by people vastly different from me and to make friendships that will last a lifetime.
The Global May China program is set up so that from the minute you arrive you are paired up with a student from the university. These relationships are built by communication, eternal excitement, and learning about cultural differences. It is such a unique experience to help someone across the world practice their English while also building a friendship. It allowed me to see into someone else’s life and revealed to me that I have this opportunity back at Ohio State and United States if I just take it. There are a vast number of students at Ohio State from all over the world and I know I am able to meet so many types of people just through my everyday classes and life.
Towards the end of my stay in China I was walking through a park and stopped to watch some people play badminton and hacky sack. After watching for a minute they noticed me and invited me to play along. I stayed and played for awhile, this was a very special moment and one that I will remember forever. The joy and excitement in the park really struck me and was a tangible feeling in the air. This experience gave me an insight into how being open to new people and sharing
Another very unique experience was my trip to a Chinese middle school for a week. During the week I spent so much time with students playing games, singing songs, dancing, teaching English and playing basketball. Practicing English with the students gave me inspiration to work hard and learn another language, it was really rewarding to teach and help someone else with something they desired and worked so hard at. I still talk with some of the kids I met there today! My favorite takeaways from this trip are the friendships I made on my journey and that I have the ability to stay in touch with people across the world and potentially visit again!
This trip helped me develop my own view on a country that we constantly have interactions with and from where many students from Ohio State come from. I also thought a lot about how to look at other sources for information that are outside of our country to see how our actions affect other people around the world. This trip will allow me in my professional career to relate to different people and add global perspectives. I also plan to continue traveling and exploring new places at home and all over the world!