Hi Everyone!
My name is Felix and I am an international business major/computer science minor born in Panama City, Panama, currently living in Orlando. I am less than 24 hours away to boarding my plane in route to Shanghai, China and I can’t help but feel extremely excited, nervous, scared, and anxious all at the same time! (It’s a weird feeling)
It has always been a big dream of mine to go to Asia, and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to not only get to know it but fully immerse myself in the culture (Fun Fact: I am actually 1/4 Chinese!!). Despite this, it was still a hard decision. It’s not the same to book a flight and spend 2 weeks in a foreign country than to spend almost 4 months in it, especially when you don’t really speak the language. But then I thought it was time to try something new and to leave my comfort zone.
What excites me the most about this journey is honestly the food. Since I was little kid, Chinese food, especially Dim Sum (Chinese breakfast), has always been my favorite food. So now that I’ll be living there for the next few months, I am very excited to try the real deal! I’ve also heard that Shanghai is notoriously known for having great dumplings and street food.
I will be going through the program Rollins in Shanghai, which will take place at SUFE (Shanghai University of Finance and Economics). I will be living in an apartment 15 minutes away from the school, with a Chinese roommate. In my time there I will also be taking an intensive 6 credit Mandarin language course, and 3 other electives for my international business major. The one I am the most excited for is ECON360 China: Economic Giant. One of the aspects that excites me the most is that not only will I learn what has made China’s economy so big during the past few years, but I’ll also be able to experience it, including a trip to Hong Kong and Macau (home to the world’s largest casino!)
Felix