Readjusting from China

Time to be 100% honest.

With the start of the new semester and reuniting with old classmates, I've been getting the question, "How was China?" more than once a day. To make things simple, I go with the generic response of, "It was great! A true learning experience."

This is my cop-out response because I honestly don't know what else to say. I've been home for three months now after spending an entire semester abroad in China. But within these three months, I never got the chance to sit down and really reflect on my experience in China. There wasn't any time for reflection and truth be told, I didn't want to think about my semester abroad.

A few weeks ago, my friend Madison, whom I met in Beijing, came to DC for a short weekend visit. Madison, like me is an American-born-Chinese (what we call ABC) and was my rock in China. We held each other up. One night during her visit, we were at dinner and finally talked about our experience in China and readjustment back to the States. It was a tough night for me because I finally faced everything that I had suppressed. So...here we go.

China WAS a great experience but at the same time, it was extremely difficult for me. I learned more than I had bargained for in those 4-5 months. I saw things that I never expected, heard stories that broke my heart, and it was all worth the money I paid for to go to China. I think that I was never able to fully answer the "How was China?" question because, I don't know how to put my experience into words. No one can fully understand me unless they were physically there in China with me. I walk around campus and drive around Washington, DC thinking about the people around me. They have no idea what I went through and have no idea as to the condition of other places in the world.

In a way, China opened my eyes to the speed at which the country is changing. You have the richest of the rich and then the poorest of the poor. It's incredibly sad to see and hear the stories! Visiting the broken down, agricultural areas truly puts so much in perspective. Some of these people who live in homes with dirt floors, are actually the happiest people that I've ever met. They are so at peace and have found contentment in their current situation. It was so humbling to see.

If anything, my semester in China made me proud to me a Chinese-American. While in China, I found myself knee-deep in something I'd like to call "Identity Crisis." The Chinese saw me as an American while Americans saw me as Chinese. I really was in limbo! But you know what, why not be proud of being both Chinese and an American? The Chinese culture is so rich and the people are so strong in adversity. The Americans are also so strong and the country is filled with diversity and opprotunities. I come back to the United States a little less high-strung and more appreciative of what I have but more importantly, who I am.

No Regrets, No Missed Opportunities

Currently, I'm enjoying my last couple of weeks in China at my grandparents in Fuzhou. It's weird being away from Beijing, being away from the two week study trip. I realized this morning that I am officially a senior in college. It hit me and I had a minor panic attack but am now letting this scary thought fully sink into my brain. Where has time gone? When did this all happen?

Being away from Beijing and the entire study abroad experience for a few days now, I've been processing a little bit--thinking about all that I've learned and seen. I smile the most thinking about all the conversations that I had with my friend Madison. We met way back on the first day in January when we both arrived at Peking University and instantly clicked. Throughout the semester we got to know one another more and more but I think we truly grew close during the two week study trip.

This girl and I had many, many heart-to-hearts about almost everything: school, internships, faith, futures, family, boys, life, and anything in between. We had this saying: No Regrets, No Missed Opportunities. I'd like to think that I have lived the past 20 years of my life without any regrets. I truly believe that I haven't and I pray that I continue to live without having any regrets. When I'm old and probably sitting next to Madison again, I want to be able to look her and anybody else and tell them that I've lived my life to the fullest. NO REGRETS.

It's hard though sometimes to make that one tough decision, knowing that you'll have to live with it for the rest of your life. But honestly, don't rush the decision. Give yourself time to sit quietly and think through options. As cheesy as it may sound, follow what your gut tells you. It's true when they say that your gut doesn't lie. Lastly, don't let others make a decision for you because when you let that happen, that's when the regrets start creeping in. Do things for YOU, not for anybody else.

After hugging Madison goodbye in Guangzhou, through tears we choked out: No Regrets, No Missed Opportunities. At the airport, I was surfing through Twitter and came across the most perfect Jane Fonda quote:

It's never too late - never too late to start over, never too late to be happy

Truth be told, a few months ago I was feeling stuck. Not completely sure what I was doing with my life and where I was headed. Remember that mid mid-life crisis? It hit me though. I'm 20 years old. My life is just beginning. I shouldn't feel stuck. This is the time in my life where I am the most free! No obligations. I can do whatever I want. Chase after those opportunities! Chase after those dreams! Like Jane Fonda says, it's NEVER too late! Make those changes. Create that new beginning for yourself. 

Shenzhen the Land of Leisure

We were all VERY glad to wake up early and grab an early flight out of Wenzhou to Shenzhen. But, of course a visit to a city would never be complete without a bit of drama. My question is: WHY must cab drivers feel the need to take advantage of foreigners? Honestly, I don't want to deal with your nonsense at 7 in the morning. Never in my life have I met someone as dishonest nor manipulative as this cab driver. And never in my life have I ever raised my voice like that at someone NOR do I ever want to again. After getting out of that cab ride, I just felt AWFUL for having to yell at someone. NEVER AGAIN.

I was so happy to land in Shenzhen and put behind the morning drama that had taken place. Shenzhen was going to be a happy city! I mean, HELLOOOOO it's the richest city in China! Shenzhen is filled with malls and amusement parks. That's pretty much the entire city. No, I'm being completely serious here! People in Shenzhen have the money to spend! ...as did we. After realizing that we had not been spending much of the money we had been given, the five of us treated ourselves to an amazing, 5-star dinner. I about melted in my seat from all the delicious food we ordered. Steak, salmon, sushi, curry, chicken, pasta... Well deserved treat, I say!

Window of the World Amusement Park

 

The rest of our time in Shenzhen consisted of: site visit with Lexmark, melting in the sun, haggling at the biggest electronics market, trying to see the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, drinking these REFRESHING mango drinks, and also causing a scene at said mango drink store.

I visited both of China's only stock exchanges--one in Shenzhen, one in Shanghai



Most refreshing drinks ever!

Had a wax apple for the first time. Absolutely delish!

It's always an adventure on the Blue Line!

Why Are We in Wenzhou?

"Why are we in Wenzhou?" This question ran through all of our minds...multiple times during our two day stay.

When I thought Hangzhou had very few foreigners, I should've waited for Wenzhou. I'm pretty sure that my friends and I were one of the only few foreigners in Wenzhou besides the Turkish ice cream guy we met. We got some weird stares, people chattered, people pointed.

We got into Wenzhou our first day pretty late so the only thing we had time to do was find some dinner. Thing is, our hotel wasn't really in a "commercial" part of town so we settled on a hole-in-the-wall restaurant on the side of the street. The group decided to pick a restaurant that served Fuzhou-cuisine. If you all know anything about me, you know that this was done intentionally because my family is from Fuzhou. The group wanted to try some authentic Fuzhou food.

After a few confused looks from the owner of the restaurant, we finally got some home-cooked food and chowed down. Over a table full of food and beverages, we all sat around enjoying food and sharing stories with one another. My favorite kind of night!

Funny thing about Wenzhou? There isn't even a full page of things to do in this city in our travel book. Since we didn't have a site visit in this city, we thought: "Why not hit up the amusement park?" The second I got off that ferry and stepped onto that island/amusement park, I started laughing. We all felt as though we were in the Twilight Zone. SERIOUSLY. No one was there and it was completely silent except for the creepy music playing. There really are no words to describe this place.

Sad how this one photo sums up Wenzhou and our time in this city

Top: View of Wenzhou before boarding the ferry to the island

Bottom Left: Tower on the island

Bottom Middle: We decided to have some fun on a kid's playground. Two grown men on a swingset?

Bottom Right: We were highly entertained by the Turkish ice cream man.

Wenzhou was extremely odd and to be honest, I don't even know how exactly to describe this city.

Let's Get Down to Business Shanghai Style

I can't believe that today was my last full day in Shanghai. Reflecting on my day right now, I couldn't have imagined spending it any other way. As a business student, I'm constantly curious to explore business opportunities anywhere I go. Being in Shanghai doesn't change that. In fact, it only made me even more interested. Shanghai is China's commericial and financial center. The city is FILLED with these tall skyscrapers, especially Pudong where all the businesses are.

Day 3
Exploring Pudong District only made me want to live in Shanghai that much more. It consists of clean streets, modern buildings, cute shopping retailers, China's Wall Street, and the list could go on forever. Madison, Andrea, and I hit up the Shanghai World Financial Center, International Finance Center, as well is Jinmao Tower.

While being surrounded by these buildings, I found myself thinking "THIS is why I became a finance specialization. THIS is why I need to work hard and stick with it." It was just an incredible feeling being there.

The Shanghai World Financial Center was my favorite building. SWFC is the tallest skyscraper in mainland China and is the world's third tallest building. The building is shaped like a handlebar/bottlecap opener.

Such a beautiful building. I WANT TO WORK HERE!

Jinmao Tower. The detailing on this building is absolutely insane in a mesmerizing way.

After falling in love with these financial buildings, we came across a macaroon shop in Pudong. I have never had a macaroon before and have always wanted to. I thought, why not. Let's go! The lady at the shop said that the most popular flavor was Tiramisu so I went with it. It was delicious and I am now officially hooked!



I was extremely tempted to buy one of every kind. Unfortunately, a price tag of 10 kuai for each one was a little out of my price range.

 

With my macaroon in hand, the three of us hopped onto the subway and headed to Shanghai Fudan University. This campus is the complete opposite of my university in Beijing, Peking University. Peking University is one of China's ivy league schools ranked at number 1. The campus has these buildings incorporating China's history and culture. On the other hand, Fudan University is ranked at number 3 and the campus is modern and very open. It reminded me of an American college campus with its quad! Quad-ing anyone?

 

The main attraction at the Fudan University campus: the Two Towers

 

At the gate of Fudan University

 

My three days in Shanghai were incredible! I have a feeling that I will be seeing Shanghai VERY SOON.

 

Next up: Hangzhou!

 

Hanging out at The Bund

There was no way I could write 3 days worth of Shanghai fun in one post. It would be a novel.

Day 2
We woke up the second day refreshed and ready to take on Shanghai. Who cares if it was suppose to rain! One hour into our day we realized that rain wasn't necessarily going to be our main problem of the day. Instead, humidity was our biggest enemy. I was definitely not expecting Shanghai to be this hot or this humid so early! Nevertheless, my roommate Andrea and I braved it and spent the day exploring The Bund. The area is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Shanghai. Historic western buildings, modern skyscrapers, terrific shopping with multiple plazas, and a beautiful Huangpu River waterfront.

Best way to spot The Bund? The Oriental Pearl Tower!

A few snapshots of the day for you!

As much as I love seeing the landmarks of a city, I will admit it's not my favorite part about traveling. In my opinion, the best way to experience a city is through their food. I am a lover of food and the best part of my second day in Shanghai was eating, of course! We stumbled across this great food court where there were desserts everywhere and a few other very interesting food stands. Let's just say, a ton of business ideas were firing away in my brain as I walked through this area. It really brought out the differences between Shanghai and Beijing. Shanghai is a city that loves cute desserts as well as...CUPCAKES.

Not entirely sure what these are, but they looked too beautiful to eat!

Donuts are a HIT in Shanghai.

After browsing the stands for a long time (more like drooling), we finally decided on a french fry stand. The line was long so we figured that was a good sign! Who knew Montenegro knew a thing or two about french fries? There were too many options to choose from! The most popular selection was the Japanese Wasabi one as well as the Honey Mustard one. Unfortunately, they sold out of both flavors! So, Andrea went with the chili on regular fries and I opted for the cheddar/mozzarella on zesty curly fries. We topped the order off with an order of chicken nuggets. BEST DECISION EVER.

I asked this kid for recommendations and he suggested the chicken nuggets. Smart kid!

 

Dreaming of these at this very moment.

 

 

Day 2 in Beijing left me with a full stomach and very satisfied!

Romping Around Shanghai

Spending my last night in Shanghai blogging about my adventures! The lady at the hotel bar was kind enough to let me hole up in a corner, blast my Spotify playlist, and work away on the WIFI. Very grateful!

I have loved every second in Shanghai and am in love with this city. It is completely different than Beijing in that it's very modern and business oriented. Such a bummer that I haven't been able to blog every day but let me catch you up right now.

Day 1
We left Beijing Friday night on an overnight train to Shanghai. The train was MUCH better than what I had envisioned. I thought we were going to be sitting in seats for the entire twelve hours but instead we had these soft sleepers. Each compartment had four beds which was perfect for us. The four of us kindly asked some natives to allow us to all move into one compartment and one of the guys was in a different compartment. We stayed up chatting away, getting to know one another, and playing cards. We woke up early Saturday morning, got off the train and rushed over to the hotel to drop our luggage off. With a 10 minute time limit, we got changed into business casual and jumped into a cab to our first site visit. I'm pretty sure that we scared our cab driver because the five of us squeezed into a tiny cab and forced him to drive. Pretty much, I felt as though I were in America's Next Top Model headed out on a go-see.

After sitting in the cab for an hour we finally reached our first site and it was a marine engineering company. They build ships, yachts, platforms, and all kinds of different structures. It was definitely a good warm-up first site visit to get myself back into the swing of being a business student. The company was so incredibly welcoming to us and even gave us a sneak peek into their 3D simulation program. RAD.

Later on in the day we headed back into the city and hit up Yuyuan Gardens. I've heard great things about the garden and it didn't fail! There were little ponds with fish, pretty archways, and the scenery was beautiful!

Mini photo shoot with my trip-roomies at Yuyuan Gardens

It was a great first day to kick off the Shanghai leg of our study trip. Day 2 coming up in the next post!