Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. My experience in Shanghai was truly amazing and I am very thankful to everyone that made it a great experience.
Living in Shanghai for these past four months helped me see that there is much more to the world I would like to see. During my time here I got to learn Chinese, meet new friends, and travel to a lot of different parts in Asia. Although leaving Shanghai was a sad, I am glad I got to experience a completely different culture.
Despite the amazing time I had, it wasn’t all easy. There were moments I missed being home with my family or at school with my friends. And not speaking the language made the experience a lot harder than what I expected. But, I don’t regret anything about it. Everything I got to see and experience made this a great journey.
During my time here, I also got to travel to a lot of different parts of Asia. This helped me understand all the different aspects of their cultures. During my time here I got to travel to: Nanjing, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Suzhou in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand, and Vietnam. During my visits, I got to learn a lot about these cultures that I didn’t know before. I also got to see how their people live, and I got to appreciate their culture.
I am thankful Rollins has all these opportunities to experience other cultures and to fully immerse yourself in them. If I could give advice to anyone, I would say to get out of your comfort zone and to go somewhere different. Even if you don’t speak the language, it is something you might never experience again. And travel a lot. Take this experience to go and experience as many different cultures as you can.
I am glad I went to Shanghai because it was something different. I had a great time and I would recommend this study abroad to anyone! Although I am sad it is over, I am glad I got to see my family and I will see my friends at Rollins soon. I am sure I will be coming back to Shanghai soon!