I STILL DON’T KNOW HOW TO USE CHOPSTICKS

By Heather Cigas

This is my pretty generic first post:

I am currently sitting here wondering what I am about to do with my life. In just over a week I will be on a 13 hour flight to spend the next 4 months of my life in the vast country of China. Don’t mind the fact that there are over 1.381 billion people living there or that the entire country is covered in vast and diverse landscape or the fact that China has the largest economy in the world. Or, alluding to the title of this blog, that I literally don’t know how to use chopsticks and the chances of me finding a fork in China are slim, yet alone if I were to find some I would be hard core judged.

I’ve only been to China once before, but I was 8 years old and we were only there for 2 weeks. Now, instead of vacationing with my family, it will just be my newly purchased Go-Pro and I, and the lucky few who have decided to venture to The Beijing Center as well.

For anyone who chooses to read this blog, you’ll quickly learn that I’m obsessed with food, running, and visiting cool landscapes and historical sights. Besides hitting up all of the major tourist destinations including the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, I’m hoping to run a half marathon in the Yunnan Province.

I’ve given myself 4 goals for my trip:

1. Try everything (to a reasonable point) & Live in the Moment
2. Don’t be so negative
3. Work on my Mandarin
4. Appreciate culture and learn more about my Heritage

I guess the last important thing to mention is that I chose to study abroad in China because I have about 50% of Asian roots. I’ve grown up speaking Mandarin, but unfortunately I’ve lost a lot of my ability because I never have to speak it at Loyola. So I want to just go and enjoy China, but I also want to learn more about myself, and their culture in general because it is tied into who I am.

Hopefully this trip will either be my own version of Eat, Pray, Love or my own version of the Lizzie McGuire Movie, but whatever it is, I’m ready (kind of) to be pushed out of my comfort zone.

Until the next blog post which will probably occur during or after our 2 week trip to follow the Silk Road …. Peace.