Hopes and Dreams for Study Abroad

When I started this journey toward study abroad I could scarcely comprehend choosing just one place of interest as my first preference. Many emails, conversations, self-reflections, website visits and research sessions later, after weighing every bit if information that I had gathered, I made my decision. In truth, even upon submission of my application I wasn't quite sure that I had made the right choice. Maybe I should've switched my first and second... nevertheless, it was done. However, through a series of events, my perspective has changed. Now I find myself daily eager and hopeful that I will be placed at my first choice school. 

If I get accepted to China, I have many hopes and dreams for the experience. First and foremost, I aspire to learn Mandarin. Although I am well aware of the challenge that learning this intricate language will certainly prove to be, I see it as a tremendous opportunity. Being immersed in the Chinese language and culture daily will surely strengthen my motivation to learn it myself. In addition, I want to travel. I could spend my entire semester traveling within China and never experience anywhere close to all that there is to see. Thankfully, the University makes it very possible for international students to take numerous trips throughout the semester, even taking precedence over classes at times. Finally, I hope to make friends from all kinds of backgrounds and ethnicities. Fortunately, this will certainly be possible since this University has not only close to 50,000 Chinese students, but also many international students from all over the world. 

I look forward to this impending adventure with great anticipation. I hope to learn a great deal about adaption and acquisition to living in a new culture. My fear is that I may make significant cultural mistakes, or find it difficult to adjust to a new set of societal expectations. However, I plan to approach the situation with a sense of adventure and confidence, as well as humility and a desire to learn. Ideally, these attributes will serve me well on this journey.

I have made a list of 3 things that I plan to do before I go that I hope will maximize my experience abroad. I'm sure that there will be many more as time goes on.

1. Educate myself on the country and culture that I will be living in. Ideally, I can meet individuals from China (or wherever I go) who can share with me firsthand what it is like.

2. Learn a little bit of Mandarin (or whatever language I will be learning) before I go. Even if it is just a concept of the language and a few key phrases. 

3. Make a friend who has previously been to China (or wherever...) and get their advice on what to bring/expect.