When thinking about different places that I could study in, China stood out to me for one primary reason. I did not know what to expect. I had heard that the food was unlike anything in America, that the culture was a shock, and that the technology was more advanced than the West. People that had been there before talked about how different it was than what they were used to, and this is precisely what I wanted. One thing that Texas A&M University has taught me is never to allow yourself to grow comfortable and always be striving to put yourself into new situations. China was not only a country I had never had the chance to visit, but it was a country that most people never will experience, and for that reason, it was the most desirable place for me to go.
The food was?different. I won?t say that I loved it or that I hated it because it often varied by meal. I had some of the best food I had enjoyed in my whole life, like the Hot Pot which I am craving as I type, or the different forms of bubble tea that they crafted as if it were an art form. I would often not go more than an hour without trying some sort of snack or street food that caught my eye, and I loved it. With that being said, I had some not as good experiences, like the underground food court. With the difficulties of not being able to read the menu and not knowing what I was eating, I tried six different meals before finally finding cold noodles that tasted as if they had been made and refrigerated a week ago. This is what I had signed up for though ? I wanted the culture shock, and it was a great experience to have.
One of the most significant obstacles that was apparent upon arrival and continued throughout the whole trip was the considerable language barrier. I knew that it would be difficult but had not expected just how hard it would be to communicate. I had initially placed too much hope on different translating apps being able to get through the short trip but realized quickly that this was not the case. The apps would rarely translate full sentences into anything worth reading, and the only way to really converse would be through hand gestures or translating single words at a time. This became easier as the trip went on, but unfortunately, I only began to get good at conversing on the last few days before we left.
The people were very good at their jobs, and the customer service was incredible. I was amazed when our first tour guide offered to give us her contact information so that if we had any questions during the rest of our trip, she could help. She knew that she would be done with her job, but was still willing to assist us in any way possible! Any time we went out to eat and our waiter did not understand English, they would never show any signs of frustration but were willing to help us no matter how difficult it may be.
Overall, the trip was incredible, and I learned so much more than what you can read online or in a textbook by experiencing it. There were obstacles to be overcome, and there were situations where I found myself thrown farther out of my comfort zone than expected, but this was part of what made the visit so great. I would recommend this trip to anyone who does not want a mainstream tourist location and is seeking an adventure.
-Anthony Bisagno