To preface, this month-long trip was in 2018 as part of a study abroad, so the report is a bit dated and atypical. But recently, I have been reflecting greatly on this trip, what it has meant to me, and how it contributed to me now having gone on 18 trips abroad in the last 4 or so years. Also, these photos were all taken on an iPhone 6, so be forgiving please.
Prior to this experience, I had been abroad on five or six occasions, always to visit family in Portugal. But during my youth and adolescence, I viewed going abroad to spend time in rural Portugal as more of an errand, rather than an opportunity for new experiences and growth. I would spend my days sitting my grandma's simple home, which had only two windows and a corrugated tin roof covering the exposed walkway we would use to go between rooms. In retrospect, I look fondly upon those times, the simplicity and contentment that came with the routine. But that monotonous and sedative experience gave me the desire to see something new and exciting, which brought me to China.
Why?: The study abroad was an opportunity for me to expand my horizons affordably and relatively comfortably. The trip was chaperoned by a professor who I saw as a mentor, and who had spent much of his professional life in China as a diplomate. The cost was also reasonable, being only about 3,500 dollars for the airfare, program fee, and credits, which for someone who was working 30 hours a week while taking 22 credits at the time, was integral in my choice. I still had apprehension and doubts about going. Would I find the experience fruitful? Would it be worth eating into my meager savings if it meant I have to work extra shifts over the summer? Would I be able to make friends whilst there? But ultimately, I decided to embark on the life changing journey.
What?: pic 1: Yangtze River (West of Yichang)
pic 2: Three Gorges Tribe Scenic area (West of Yichang)
pic 3: Yellow Crane Tower (Wuhan)
pic 4: View of a lake on campus (Wuhan)
pic 5: Huaqing Spring (Xi'An)
pic 6: Atop Xi'An city walls
pic 7: Outside Yu Garden (Shanghai)
pic 8: View of skyline from The Bund (Shanghai)
pic 9: Great Wall
pic 10: Canal outside of Summer Palace (Beijing)
pic 11: Forbidden City
pic 12: Example of Chinese use of English terms in marketing (Wuhan)
pic 13: Curious local (Wuhan)
A week of the trip was spent in Beijing, 2 and a half weeks in Wuhan, and the remaining 4 or 5 days were spent in Xi'An, Yichang, and Shanghai. As someone who has always been interested in history, some of the spots in China were truly breathtaking, and at times sobering, not only for their aesthetic qualities, but their historical significance. Be it the Terracotta Warriors, whose discovery disclosed the approximate location of the tomb of Qin Shi Huang, the first person to unify what would come to be known as China, and from whose name the exonym derives. Or the Yellow Crane tower which overlooks the Yangtze near to where Mao Zedong swam, thus beginning his great comeback into Chinese politics which resulted in the cultural revolution.
China's natural beauty was also, at times, remarkable. Though the relationship between China and it's natural landscape has been fraught with complications over the last century, there were still plenty of places along my journey which were breathtaking, such as the landscape I experience while traveling on the Yangtze. Or the area, whose name I have unfortunately forgotten, where my group visited the Great Wall. Even on the journey's between cities, I was taken aback by the differing landscapes we went through, varying from marshy wetlands near Shanghai and Wuhan, to more mountainous and hilly terrain in the West of Hubei, or to the more arid biomes around Shaanxi.
And the culture and food were impeccable. To experience, first-hand, the culmination of over two millennia of cultural and sociological development was humbling. On campus, we were given calligraphy classes, though none of us were very good. We were further taught of the intricacies and nuances between different Chinese calligraphy techniques, how they could be indicative of education levels, and how they have evolved over the centuries. We were able to attend a performance given by the university's Beijing Opera club, and were given a crash course in some of the basic dance moves. And the food, the food was truly to die for. From the miscellaneous meat sticks you could get at the food stalls in the night market which came to life on the road next to campus, to the Sichuan restaurant where I shared an Eid Iftar with a Pakistani graduate student, it was all among the best food I have had in my life.
Summation: The trip was a truly whirlwind experience. Spending the majority of our time in Wuhan, we were exposed to things we had never seen before. From being brought to a wet market immediately adjacent to our campus during our campus tour, to witnessing the Chinese practice of letting infants wear open crotched onesies so that they may relieve themselves at their leisure, the culture shock was immense. But beyond those experiences, the trip was so much more than mere culture shock. We interacted with local students, from playing sports with them like soccer, basketball or volleyball, to going out to experience the nightlife in Wuhan, be it at the bars just off campus, or going to the bars further in the city center frequented by Wuhan's immigrant communities, and countless other experiences. We allowed ourselves to get lost trying to go to the famous chicken feet spot several miles away from campus, or forgetting where campus was and riding bike shares down a dead-end road until we hit a police booth. When I look back, these moments of being willing to get lost, to delve into a culture and a society so different from my own, are what helped spur on my current desire to see more of the world and it's cultures.
Then I ponder on the smaller moments, the ones which exist as not quite fleeting or ephemeral memories, but ones which may come to pass with time. For the last eight years of my life, these have been screenshots of some of my most joyous moments. Buying 1 dollar packs of Marlboro reds and splitting them with my newfound friends (don't smoke kids). Making runs to one of the convenience stores on campus just before curfew to pick up some snacks (Chinese lays American classic flavor). Sitting shirtless on the rooftop, basking in the Wuhan sun while waiting for clothes to dry, and then later that night spontaneously meeting some Uzbeks who are making shashlik and sharing some vodka. Having Chinese locals want to take pictures of our study abroad group, or more specifically the ginger woman and African-American man among us. Imploring friends not to pet the stray animals on campus. Or seeing a Chinese student wearing a shirt that says "Make women cum too," and watching a friend explain the meaning to the student.
I suppose all of this rambling is to simply say, do not be afraid to expand your horizons, and do not be afraid to get lost (within reason), because it can lead to a lifetime of memories and life changing experiences