1. My international experience to date is:
I experienced most of my international travel within the last several years and I have to admit that I have become addicted! I have been on a couple of cruises to various islands in the Caribbean and Mexico. I was also fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Europe for two weeks where I experienced the various cultures in England, France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
2. I want to go to China because:
I am currently majoring in business and businesses are booming in China at the moment. What better way of learning how to run a business than by experiencing first-hand some of the most successful business environments in the world. My brother recently travelled to China and he inspired me to want to visit this country. Being on a guided trip will make this experience even more memorable and I look forward to experiencing the culture of a country that is so different from the United States.
3. I think the main professional work differences I will experience will be:
I believe the workplace in China will be very different than in America. I imagine the work environment in China will be less flexible than in the U.S. I believe we will observe that when at work, the employees in China are more serious and there will be limited work/life balance. I recently learned that business managers are given a lot more respect than those in the U.S. If a superior gives a direction, employees are expected to complete the task with no questions asked.
4. I think the main cultural differences I will experience will be:
I don’t believe we’ll observe poverty in China, but at the same time, I don’t think we’ll see great wealth. The social classes in China will be less observed than in the United States. Another obvious difference will be the food that they eat and the way that they prepare their food. Of course language will be a great cultural difference. I have heard children are less independent than children in America. For example, I would expect to see fewer teenagers out socializing without family members.
5. I think the main political differences I will experience will be:
The main political difference that I will experience while being in China is that China is a Communist country. This means that the people don’t have as much freedom when it comes to freedom of speech (especially when it comes to politics and the government). It will also be interesting to see how much power the government has in the businesses that we are going to visit on our trip. Of course we will not witness what is going on in America in terms of disrespect for the government and our President.
6. I think the students in China will be:
I think that the students in China are going to be extremely intelligent and hard working. I understand students in China take school more seriously than students in America. Although at the end of the day, I predict that the students are going to be similar to any other university student around the world. While our cultures are very different, I feel like we might find many similarities in terms of social activities and interests.
7. I predict I will be surprised to find:
It will surprise me to find a majority of the people speaking fluent English. Although we do not know their native Chinese language, we will probably be able to communicate with the majority of the people. I am also predicting that I will be surprised to see how much more technologically advanced China is than the United States. I predict we will see a lot of technologies that we have yet to see in the United States.
8. I think the major differences in living conditions will be:
Although China is in an economic boom right now, the people are poorer as compared to the average American. Due to this, I think homes won’t be as nice or as big as what we have in America. Another difference in living conditions is due to the fact that hot water is not supplied to all of the houses at all times of the day.
(optional)9. Anything else you want to say:
Some aspects of the Chinese culture may be similar to America, but I think I will still be shocked about the vast differences of our cultures. It may take some getting used to (especially when it comes to the food), but I am confident I will have a positive educational experience overall.