“Chengdu. OMG, I absolutely loved spending my time here. Before coming to China I was warned by so many people, they told me I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the food, it’s dangerous and other stuff like that but after experiencing China I can say that it is amazing, safe, friendly and the food, I can go on about it. I have made some amazing friends and had some of the most memorable moments here. The locals encouraged me when I tried speaking Chinese and would just laugh in a very friendly manner to make me feel comfortable. For commencement, all of the students who were taking a Chinese class had to perform or do something and guess what I took the basic Chinese class. We had to talk about us using the Chinese we learned but standing on stage and speaking was the most nervous and confident I have ever been. It’s only been four weeks and the amount I have learned and grown cannot be measured. Even if I had the chance to change my decision of going to China I wouldn’t have changed it.“
—Vanshika Reddy, from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

“So much has happened this week…and to think, I still have three weeks to go! After my first week of classes, my friend Anna and I decided to visit the Terracotta Warriors in Xi’an. It was an amazing experience and I really enjoyed learning about the history behind the clay army, both in my History of the Silk Roads class and from the museum in Xi’an. Anna and I stayed at a hostel in town and had a great time learning how to make dumplings, too. We left Xi’an on Saturday to head to Huayin City to complete the most dangerous hike in the world, the hike up Mount Huashan, and conquer the infamous Death Plank. Unfortunately, the Death Plank was closed that week but the sunrise was still breathtaking. I wouldn’t trade this first week of experiences for anything and I can’t wait to see what’s to come! “
— Margaret Poulos, from Carroll University