Upon returning to back home to the United States, I was struck by how accustomed I had become with Chinese culture and surprised at the small bit of culture shock I felt being back. I could have never imagined the kind of impression that just two short weeks in China would have left on me. The experience of exploring some of China?s greatest treasures with a group of virtual strangers who turned out to be some of the most interesting and fun people I?ve ever met was truly life changing in such a positive way. Whether it was the people we met along the way or the places that we were so fortunate to see, my view of the world was broadened by the unique and truly wonderful culture of China.
Though the language barrier proved to be a bit harder than many of us were probably prepared for, there was a hardly a person we met that was unwilling to help us and take the time to communicate whether it was via Google translate or pointing to various pictures on a menu. Luckily enough, our tour guide, Amber, and our friends from Beijing Jiaotong University were phenomenal humans who helped us out in any way we asked and every way they could.
Nevertheless, we all became very self-sufficient operating there with very little assistance from any others. One of my favorite mornings on the trip happened to be spent taking a solo stroll to the Starbucks near our hotel. While a large group went to get some last minute shopping done at Silk Street, I opted for a slower start to the morning and was glad I did. The rain that had been going on for days had finally cleared up to the sun and clear blue skies. It felt liberating to take that walk and comfortably order a drink and breakfast?especially compared to the first timid experience we had ordering our first breakfast there.
My favorite part of the trip by far was the weekend trip that we took to Shanghai. We traveled via bullet train which had always been a dream of mine to do (sadly, I was asleep the entire time) and arrived in a city that I did not expect to look so modernized and well kept. The city felt so alive with people constantly bustling about and despite its modern look, the history of the city was present all around. I loved Beijing, but I could have seen myself moving to Shanghai. If there was only one thing that I could change about our trip to Shanghai, it would be to have more time there. Sleep was hardly a thing because we were all so set on soaking up as much of the experience there as we possibly could before we were back on the bullet train to Beijing.
Admittedly, China hadn?t been the top of my travel bucket list, but after this taste test of a trip, I cannot wait to go back. Panda Express will never satisfy my craving for the authentic Chinese food we had the pleasure of eating every day and there is nowhere in America that can match the unique Chinese culture that we lived. It was truly the trip of a lifetime.
-Lauren Castro