By Brian V., Gonzaga University, TBC Fall 2017 & Spring 2018 Student
“A ship in harbor is safe — but that is not what ships are built for.” — John A. Shedd
The idea of studying abroad for me dates back to sophomore year of high school. In Mandarin class, we were watching a series called Wild China, which was an informational video and narration that explored the immense and unique wildlife and nature of China. Before that, I considered college far away and did not give thought to what I wanted to do. After finishing the series, I knew. I had to explore this place, experience the people, and discover its secrets for myself.
Now that I knew where I wanted to steer the direction of my college education, I had to look for a college with a solid program for studying abroad in China. At the first college I visited, I talked to a student who had studied abroad through The Beijing Center about her experience studying abroad. She told me what I was looking for without me knowing I was looking. She told me about the city life of Beijing, the street vendors, and the excursions she made to other cities and places. I was locked in.
My sophomore year of college comes, and studying abroad becomes tangible. I thought long and hard about my upcoming experience in China, and I had a decision to make: to study for one semester or both semesters of my junior year. I weighed both possibilities and evaluated the sacrifices necessary for each course of action. If I go for both semesters, I would miss a quarter of my undergraduate experience at my university, miss my all the friends I’ve made, and have only 1 year left there. On the other hand, if I go for only one semester, I would have to choose between the Silk Road excursion in the fall and the Yunnan Province excursion in the spring. Both excursions offer different historical and cultural perspectives unique to China. How could I choose! On top of that choice, I would only have four months to explore China, improve my Chinese, and experience China’s customs firsthand. I checked with my academic advisor, mixing and matching my schedule so that I can take the classes I need to take while in China. Lucky for me, The Beijing Center offers diverse classes, so I can take the classes and get the credits I need. My choice became clear. I will spend a full academic year in China.
For me, someone who has never been out of the country, this was a crazy idea. The approaching reality of being committed to living in a completely different place for eight months anxiously grows day by day, even as I’m writing this blog post this summer. A few times every day, I picture myself in China and think up the various possibilities of my feelings of experiencing China, and always to no avail. So I wait and accept that I cannot know what being in China is like while I’m here.
That being said, I am preparing for the predictable and the unpredictable by learning and studying Chinese customs, traditions, norms, practices, and language. To help with learning about the culture and traditions of China, I’ve watched documentaries about China, such as BBC’s Chinese School. On top of that, I’ve talked to many people who lived in China and immigrated to the US about China. Every Chinese American that I talk to loves talking about any aspect of China, and they have all had different perspectives which help me out in different ways. For language, I am lucky to have taken five years of schooling in Chinese speaking, writing, listening, and reading. I study my old books for vocab, as well as use iPhone apps like “Learn Chinese” and “ChineseSkill.”
I don’t truly know how I will like China. I can’t know for sure until I experience it, and that’s a risk I’m taking. I am proudly leaving my harbor of the United States for the first time in my life to explore a vastly different part of the world. To quote an ancient Chinese proverb: “Pearls don’t lie on the seashore. If you want one, you must dive for it.” China is my pearl, and in August I am taking a dive.
The past few weekends have been some of the most exciting of the entire semester, full of trips to the zoo, mountain hikes, ancient parks, and more! Our first trip out of many was a visit to the Beijing Zoo. I had mentioned earlier in the semester that I wanted to see some pandas, since I was in China after all, and our TBC friend Andy made it happen.
Spending a whole semester in Beijing, I knew I had to make the trip down south and check out Shanghai, and the city certainly lived up to the expectations. Everyone describes Shanghai as this super futuristic metropolis, and after spending a weekend there I understand why it has this reputation.