A Trip Half Way Around the World: Completion

  1. Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project.

This summer I traveled 7,000 miles from home to participate in OSU’s study abroad program based in Suzhou, China. For 8 weeks I took part in an intensive study of the Chinese language, met local Chinese persons and discovered Chinese culture first hand.

  1. What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project?

I am a natural worrier. I worry about all types of things; from people to plans. You name it, I have probably worried about it. There were many fears that I had when it came to prepare to travel abroad to China. I was so over prepared and over packed that when I finally got on the last plane before landing in Shanghai I was mentally and physically exhausted. But there was still an underlying worry about how I would react to living on my own, 7,000 miles away from my support system. I was also insanely curious about how I would adapt to the daily life of China. Many people I had talked to told me about how different Chinese life is compared to how we live in America. After visiting I can attest to this with much experience

Surprisingly I had no trouble adjusting to living in China. It was easier than transitioning back to living in America. I quickly found that I had nothing to worry about, almost all of my worries were reduced to nothing as I started my studies in China. Thanks to a previous intensive study I found the class work manageable and even light at times. My depression was gone, I didn’t have my usual problems sleeping at night, I was able to have a diligent and efficient study time everyday and as a person I grew tremendously. Life is China was laidback and convenient, our language partners were training to be Chinese teachers themselves which made it easier for us to lean on them for help. I personally became close friends with both of my language partners and still to this day video chat and message with them. This trip has given me new friends, both in America and in China, renewed my drive to do well in school, enforced the goal of living in China and helped me focus in on the part of business I would like to work in.

  1. What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you?

               One of the most impactful parts of the trip were the times that you would stop, look around you and realize that people live their whole lives surrounded by the beauty of China. One of the most beautiful sunsets I saw in my life was laundry day for a woman washing her clothes in the lake. Every day we were greeted with more examples of the appeal of China and was astonished by the number of locals that passed by without a care. One of the more rememberable experiences was when some classmates and I were walking around the ruins of the wall around the old part of Suzhou. We were at the top of Shumen gate surrounded by over 600 years of history. But the locals only wanted to look at us and take pictures of us. It was mind blowing that they could not see the beauty of the world around them and would rather stare at us. Being there made me want to live in China, no matter what I was doing there.

The first time I bonded with my language partner I was in an almost delirious state of mind. I had been in the library café for 6 hours that night, we were trying to get through all of the homework before heading to dinner. Admittingly I am not the best at listening comprehension and so tensions were high between my language partner and me. Both of us were frustrated with the other and at one point I remember being close to tears. But as the hours dragged on I started to realize that I could understand bits and pieces of her speech and therefore start to understand her, and the other language partners that would come to ask if we wanted to go eat or go have fun. I started using English less and less to describe what I wanted to say and by the tail end of it all leaned over to my classmate to complain about how tired I was in Chinese. English felt foreign to use, Chinese coming most naturally at the time. When we finally wrapped up and went to have food, even though I felt so odd I was able to hold a decent conversation all in Chinese where we explored the difference in customs between us and our language partners. To this day I am thankful for that day that jumpstarted my comprehension of my language partners Chinese and our friendship.

I have been completely and utterly lost on the idea of where I want to head with my career. I have explored a few areas within my major, but on a whole I didn’t know where to start. So, when we were tasked with a research project with individualized topics, I was a little lost on where to start. I started off really broad, but as I continued to narrow down the questions to ask people I realized that all of my questions were business related. As the project continued to change I realized the direction I was headed: China’s E-Commerce. I had had a small amount of exposure to this topic before but conducting research in it was something I had never done before. However, by the end of the summer I gave a 30-minute presentation on my finding of the subject and answered questions from my classmates, all in Chinese. This has given me an understanding of where I want to go with my career as an International Business student and has opened me up to the pathway of research and possibly graduate school.

  1. Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life?

I like to think that this trip was 6 years in the making; from the first day of Freshman year of High School to the day that I landed in China. The Chinese language and culture have become such a significant part of who I am and helped broaden my views on the world around us. In a way this trip marks an end to something that has been a big part of my life, but it also marks the beginning to the next stage. I have clear goals for what lays ahead of me, a renewed vigor to achieve them and a sense of confidence in my abilities to accomplish what I have put my mind to. For the first time in a long time I feel certain of who I am and who I want to be, and I know I won’t stop until I can make my dreams a reality.

Caught in a typhoon

Finally completing the route to 胥门(xumen)

China Global May STEP Reflection

1. Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project. Write two or three sentences describing the main activities your STEP Signature Project entailed.

For my STEP Signature Project, I studied abroad in the Global May China Program. It was a phenomenal program, and we got to learn about and truly experience Chinese history and culture.

2. What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project? Write one or two paragraphs to describe the change or transformation that took place.

The largest transformation for me personally was the perspective that I gained. I had been told that China was going to be different, and on some level I knew it, but it was much more different than I expected. The food was nothing like American food, and it opened my taste buds to a swath of new, delicious flavors and foods. I also was surprised by the cultural differences that existed between not only we Americans and the Chinese, but between the 56 different ethnic groups, or minzu, that exist in China. It was an immensely enlightening experience and one that helped me to learn about people and allowed me to “step into their shoes.”

3. What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you? Write three or four paragraphs describing the key aspects of your experiences completing your STEP Signature Project that led to this change/transformation.

 

The largest aspect of the trip that helped me to transform was by far the partner students we had, and especially my partner Jerry. Each of us was paired up with a Chinese student who attends Southwest Minzu University who helped us to translate and generally navigate through China. Beyond that though we spent a lot of time with them and befriended them, giving us the unique opportunity to really get to know people from a different culture and see all of the similarities and differences. We got an insiders look into some of the things they like and dislike about China, and we were able to tell them about America.

Through this cultural exchange I was able to get a better picture of China and chinese day to day life, at least in the areas we visited. I learned how to worship in Taoist temples and that you don’t say “bless you” when someone sneezes. I learned that basketball is by far the biggest sport there, and many people play that and/or do other things to exercise every day. And I learned about some of the problems that modern China faces today, like the struggle to balance keeping their traditions and moving forward in the modern era. All of this knowledge and more helped me to transform and grow.

In addition, by virtue of spending a month there, I was able to acclimate into some aspects of chinese culture and learn new skills. I became proficient in using chopsticks, which was important because we used them every meal. I also learned how to get around using the subway or by taxi. I also learned how to say and recognize a few key chinese phrases, and I got better at communicating either by trying to explain things or pointing at things.

4. Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life? Write one or two paragraphs discussing why this change or development matters and/or relates to your academic, personal, and/or professional goals and future plans.

This transformative experience was valuable to me for a number of reasons. Primarily, as an international studies major I am interested in learning about other people and cultures, so it helped me a lot personally. It was also a ton of great experience that I can use in future travels to China or elsewhere. In addition, I am able to put it on resumes and use it to help gain an edge professionally post graduation.