When I first went to China three summers ago, I experienced quite a bit of culture shock. From eating scorpions and cucumber flavored chips to seeing vending machines selling Jack Daniels, I saw and experienced many new things. At the same time, I was amazed at all the differences and enjoyed every minute of it. This post is about the second country I visited outside of the United States, and the first time I ever went halfway around the world.
At the beginning of the summer after my sophomore year of high-school, I was a part of my school’s first trip to China. The group consisted of fourteen of my classmates, two teachers, myself, and a Chinese guide named Arthur; we all bonded quickly through our shared experiences together. After 16 hours of flying, we landed in Beijing. During my time there, the group and I visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the National Museum, the Pearl Market, and several Buddhist temples. I’ve always loved Chinese history and culture and it was an amazing experience to be able to experience it first hand.
After staying in Beijing for about a week, my group and I went to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. It was a thrilling experience standing on such a significant historical artifact but it also came with a breathtaking view and a lot of stairs. The night before, we stayed in a rural village and were able to see how people lived outside the city. After the Great Wall, we took a bus to Shanghai. After an initial tour of the city, we visited the Oriental Pearl TV Tower; I was able to see the entire city beneath my feet. We also visited the Madame Tussauds Shanghai, a wax museum, and spoke to an American representative of Under Armour in Shanghai. I learned that Under Amour was trying to branch out into China but marketed themselves as more luxury clothing rather than athletics, another difference between China and home. After staying in Shanghai for a few days, we returned to Beijing for a few more days and then sadly returned home after two weeks of seeing the country.
This trip will always have a special place in my heart. I was my first time going to Asia and I loved all the little differences. These include never seeing dog with a leash on, the exotic foods, Chinese people wearing t-shirts with english profanity, and even seeking a goose walk around the Beijing University where I stayed. Although public perception of China now may be a little bit complicated, once international travel resumes, I would definitely suggest visiting such a cultural and historically rich place. 
I think it is so exciting that you have had these opportunities to travel an d explore. It is such a beautiful thing when a person can see other cultures. I found it really interesting that certain brands market themselves differently in different countries.
I think it’s so cool that you’ve done enough traveling to write a blog post about it every week, and I really liked hearing about some of the cultural differences between the US and China.