1. My international experience to date is:
I have had a lot of experience with traveling throughout my life. Although I have been many places, I have yet to visit a country in Asia. I have been to many countries in Europe such as England, France, Spain, and Italy. I have also been to Israel, Costa Rica and many islands in the Caribbean.
2. I want to go to China because:
I have never been to a country in Asia. China has so much history and such a rich culture and I am very excited to experience it first hand. I think seeing the way people live and work in China will be interesting because I’m sure it is extremely different from how people live in America.
3. I think the main professional work differences I will experience will be:
I’m not really sure what I think the main professional work differences will be. I am sure it will be many differences but I’m not sure what they will be yet. I think the companies will be generally structured the same but I think the work ethic and process will be fairly different in that the culture differences must play a role in the number or hours they work.
4. I think the main cultural differences I will experience will be:
I definitely think the food will be the biggest cultural difference I will experience. I have been to many different countries in the past and I have found that the different types of foods are the hardest aspect for me to adapt to. I also think the aspect of religion will be more prevalent in China than it is in America.
5. I think the main political differences I will experience will be:
I am not completely sure of the major differences between a people’s republic and a democratic government but I am sure there are many. Even though the governments are structured differently, I am not sure how those differences will affect me personally. Seeing as we will only be there for two weeks, I don’t think I will recognize many of the political differences.
6. I think the students in China will be:
I am sure that just because the students live on the other side of the world, they are similar to students in America in that, for the most part, they strive to do well in school but also realize that there is more to life than just studying. I hope that the students we meet while we are in China are willing to show us around the city and show us what they do for fun.
7. I predict I will be surprised to find:
That the city of Beijing does not look as it did during the summer Olympics. After watching the Olympics on TV, I feel as though I have a distorted perspective on what the city looks like. I hope that there is a combination of modern and historic buildings.
8. I think the major differences in living conditions will be:
Since we will be living in hotel rooms, I don’t think the living conditions will be too unfamiliar to what I am accustomed to now. At home, I have my own room but at school I have a roommate so in that sense there is not much of a change.
(optional)9. Anything else you want to say:
I am very excited to go to China and find out the answers to all of these questions!