Having been out of the country for a week earlier this spring, I got some practice with language barriers firsthand. I traveled to Mexico knowing barely any Spanish and I was able to get by fairly easily. So, I came to China with a similar anticipation of semi-easy communication. I was very wrong. The language barrier was drastic. As soon as I got off the plane I was flooded with tons of symbols and language I couldn’t even begin to understand. Everyone was talking fast and doing their own thing. I felt overwhelmed, lost, and out of place. I arrived to Beijing early and with none of my fellow classmates. It took me hours to find the bus terminal and get on the right bus line, and another two to make it to the hotel my professor was staying at. At some restaurants it was nearly impossible to order without pictures or one of the several Chinese Americans who came on the program with us. One of the positive things that has come from this is my situational awareness and ability to read body language have improved ten fold since I have been here. When somebody Chinese needs my attention and wants me to do something, I can figure it out much easier now than I could towards the beginning of the program. I think these improved skills will serve me well when I get back to the states.