1. My international experience to date is:
I would say that my international experience to date is fairly extensive. My first trip abroad was to Germany when I was around the age of ten. On that trip, I fell deeply in love with Europe and the world of travelling alone. When I was younger, my father was in the Navy Reserves so he would frequently travel and bring back stories of the world. I knew that someday I wanted to see the world as well. In tenth grade, I went abroad to France with my high school for ten days, and this previous summer I spent two weeks abroad again with my high school Science Club. With them, I traveled to New Zealand, Australia, and Hawaii. I have also been to the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic on various family vacations. It seems that I have been abroad to many places, but I would never say that my International Experience is complete because there is still so much to see.
2. I want to go to China because:
Due to my love of travelling, I set a goal for myself: to stand on every continent before I die. As you can infer from the information above, I have not yet been to Asia. Since I am now enrolled in the bioengineering department, I know that there will not be much time for me to travel abroad until I have a diploma in hand. My main motive for participating in Plus-3 is to take advantage of this study abroad opportunity while I have the chance. I chose China as my destination because of my goal and also because I believe that it will be the most interesting and rewarding country to study engineering in, due to the country’s large wealth of scientific knowledge.
3. I think the main professional work differences I will experience will be:
I expect that professional work conditions will be more advanced in China than they are here in the United States. China has a lot more employees that contribute to the work force making it more powerful. I expect that professional work will be conducted in a very organized manner. I also expect to find that global communication is an important aspect of professional work. The newest technology will be utilized to promote communication between companies and between countries of the world.
4. I think the main cultural differences I will experience will be:
The largest cultural difference I expect to find lies in the language barrier, primarily in the use of Chinese characters. It will be difficult for me to navigate around Beijing if I cannot read signs or understand the language. And if I do learn simple phrases, I am afraid that I will use the wrong voice inflection and potentially insult someone. This is a main cultural difference between America since you do not need to put too much effort into voice tones here. I also believe that the food will be a major cultural difference. Although I enjoy “American Chinese” food, I am told that it is actually very different in China. I hope that I will be able to cope with the adjustments from my usual diet.
5. I think the main political differences I will experience will be:
China is a communist nation which is at the opposite end of the political spectrum from where we sit as a democratic nation. This transition will bring about many differences. I think I will be most affected by this political difference in the use of censorship. There may be things that I could normally access on the internet or in news shows in America that may be censored by the Chinese government.So this will be a main difference, although I’m sure that many more exist.
7. I predict I will be surprised to find:
I think that I may be surprised to find that China is not so very different from my home here in America. Beijing is such a dominant city in the world that I think it may be more “Americanized” than I expect. Although the culture of China is very different from the culture of America, the fact that Beijing is such an important hub of the world leads me to predict that it may be more like New York City than a purely Asian city. It may lack the true Chinese charm that a smaller Chinese city would hold.
8. I think the major differences in living conditions will be:
Staying in a major city, especially one as populated as Beijing, will be a quite an adjustment coming from my quiet home in Sunbury, PA and even from Oakland. I expect many areas surrounding my housing to be crowded. I’m expecting the rooms to be smaller to save space and I’m sure that many common items, such as a toilet, may be very different. I hope that there will be air conditioning in many places that we visit or that will also be a major (and unpleasant) adjustment!
(optional)9. Anything else you want to say:
I will be very interested to observe Chinese people's opinion on America and their own country.I am very excited to go abroad there just to experience a whole new culture. I believe that the trip will be very rewarding, especially towards my future of engineering.