Looking back on the first few days of the program, being immersed into the hustle-and-bustle of Beijing was a very overwhelming experience. Growing up in a small town did not prepare me for the amount of people and vehicles that scurried through the streets on a daily basis. It seemed to me that the city of Beijing never really ended, and it was difficult for me to keep a sense of direction. After several days of sightseeing, we boarded a soft sleeper train on route to a new city: Dalian. We traveled to a local overlook, and it was clear that the city of Dalian offered a much different atmosphere from that of Beijing. Seeing the ocean and mountains enclosing the city was a beautiful sight that really accentuated the geographical diversity of China. Dalian seemed like a much more relaxed city compared to Beijing, but still had plenty of friendly faces and food.

One of my favorite parts of the program thus far has been speaking to Chinese students. On May 16th, we headed to a school in Dalian to meet with some of the local students. I had the pleasure of talking to Shirley, who gave me a book of Confucian philosophy and post-card as a gift. I was surprised to learn that Shirley stayed all year in a dormitory and did not go home when classes were dismissed on weekends. Although Shirley’s English was very good, she was worried that she didn’t understand what I was saying, and often turned to her friend for a translation. Shirley also took the time to show me how to hold chopsticks properly, and was very encouraging as I was struggling to pick up some of my lunch. During my time at the school, I learned a lot about the diversity of the students’ daily lives, and was happy to see that the students were eager to learn about American culture as well. Nonetheless, my time in Dalian was a very rewarding and unique experience that shaped my initial thoughts about Chinese geography and culture.