As the title speaks for itself, China is a fascinating country to visit. I got to spend my entire summer in China. I stayed in a town called Chengdu. Chengdu's location is in the Sichuan Province. The Sichuan Province is the Southwest part of China. It can also be known as the "bull's eye" of China. I got to live and work in Chengdu, China.
Before going talking about my trip to Chengdu, I want to discuss my trip landing in China. This trip was not like any other trips I have done before. This was the only trip that I went by myself. There were many mixed feelings prior to leaving to China. I was a bit anxious, but also excited to travel to my next adventure. My mother dropped me off at the airport, where I set off to Hong Kong to catch my connecting flight. Unfortunately, I got sick on the way to Hong Kong. When I landed, I made sure to eat some snacks that my family packed for me for my trip. I also got some soup to ease my stomach. I think it was probably the nerves that got me nauseous.
I finally arrived in Hong Kong. I was glad that I was familiar with the airport. I explored the airport to eat some breakfast. Luckily, in Hong Kong, they spoke English. Once I finished eating, I went back to the gate to wait for my connecting flight. I did not realize that the gate number changed with only one hour left before boarding. I ran to the other side of the airport to the correct gate. I was able to catch my flight with a few minutes to spare. This was the first crazy experience that I had while traveling abroad. I, later on, discovered that they often change the gates in Hong Kong.
After all of the craziness, I made it to Chengdu. As I was heading to customs in the airport, I realized that no one speaks English there. This was my second experience traveling abroad. I am glad that I installed Google Translate on my phone, to assist me in communicating with the locals. I was also relieved that there was some translation with the signs to guide me in the airport. I found my study abroad group and we traveled to the campus.
When we arrived on campus, my classmates and I had a cultural shock. We found out that the dormitory building, did not have an elevator. So I had to carry one luggage and my backpack up to the fourth floor, where my room was located. I am glad that one of the study abroad assistants helped me carry my other two luggage up the stairs. Being there, I learned how to live on my own for everything. I learned to take care of myself such as doing the laundry, organizing and cleaning my room, and budgeting. In the beginning, I did not have a roommate, so it was a bit lonely. A few weeks later, the student coordinator told me that I was going to have a roommate. Her name was Sarah; we got along quite well. It was also nice to have some company.
Dorming in China gave me the opportunity to interact with other students across the United States. It also allowed me to meet Chinese students, who are studying in the U.S.A. I got the opportunity to intern at one of the top law firms in China. During my time there, I met other interns from other parts of the world. The other interns were from France, South Korea, and Hong Kong. It was cool meeting people from around the world.
My internship started as soon as I finished my classes. It was fascinating to learn how to commute in a different city and in a different environment. I was relieved that I was not alone, during the duration of my internship. I had people to talk to and eventually, we became friends. Some of the projects that I got to work on were international cases and intellectual property cases. I also assisted with correcting grammar errors English, as my other colleagues were not proficient in English; it was not their first language.
Besides working and taking classes, I also got to participate in the cultural activities in China. For our short trips, we visited many ancient towns in the Sichuan Province. In Dujianyan, I was able to participate in the opening gate ceremony. I also got to visit the famous Sichuan Opera house and dress up as one of the characters from the show. In that moment, I felt like Mulan. Some of the other cultural activities that I got to do were take classes such as traditional Chinese paper cutting and calligraphy. Once the classes were finished, I got to take my work with me. I also got to learn Tai chi and learn about meditation. My time in Chengdu came to an end, but my family came to visit me to explore other parts of China. Before I went back to school, we wanted to see the Great Wall of China and the Terracotta warriors.
We got to explore two other cities, Xi'an and Beijing. I got to visit the Great Wall of China. To conclude my visit to China, I have made many international friends; I cannot wait to go back to Chengdu. I made wonderful memories and have established new friendships that I will cherish forever.
コメント