My eleven months in Chengdu, China were amazing. I had the best time of my life and coming back home was very difficult. There was never a dull part when I was in China.
I worked at UMD’s international student office for a year and a half and I was pretty familiar with what problems usually come up for students studying abroad: both physically and mentally. I was prepared, or so I thought, for what was to come with my year traveling abroad. I had a few issues while studying abroad, but for the most part, I had no issues that would have affected my studies or life in China. The good outweighed the bad by a long shot during my trip abroad.
In Chengdu, there was a lot of places to go and a lot of things to do. There were many museums, shows, shopping centers, and just all sorts of entertainment that I could do in the afternoon after classes or on weekends. Chengdu kept me busy and on my feet, and I haven’t even done everything there is to do in Chengdu yet
I met a lot of locals during my stay and it really helps with improving Chinese. I’m amazed at how much better my Chinese has gotten. While I was there, I used more Chinese than English on a daily basis. Although my grammar and vocabulary are pretty simple, I can have conversations in Chinese about most day to day things. I was even able to do a solo trip to many places in Guizhou. I feel like if it wasn’t for the locals that I met during my study abroad, I wouldn’t have improved in such a quick way.
I have so much to say about my experience in Chengdu and China that I could keep writing on for a few days, but I’m so thankful, thankful beyond words, for the China Center and to all those who helped for giving me this opportunity, it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity and has renewed my motivation. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to experience this, it really is life changing.