你好 (Nǐ hǎo)! I have just finished my month in the wonderful city of Beijing, China. Although my photos express different things, I promise I was on a study abroad endeavor and in school (@mom @dad). All jokes aside, I would like to start off by saying, I can not be anymore grateful for choosing the program.
UNF’s Coggin College of business has multiple short term and long term options in Europe, Canada, Asia, and South America. Although I had a summer term in Germany or a long term in England in the back of my mind, something compelled me to choose Beijing International Studies University (BISU). I barely made the deadline. I literally decided when I saw the deadline was extended an extra day that I wanted to do it. We all had our reasons for going but why did I choose China? I wanted a challenge. I wanted to grow more in my financial and business knowledge while also growing as a person. This is not the easiest country to travel to but it was an adventure I will never forget.
10 of us from UNF: Myself, Ashley, Sopheap, Grace, Madi, Selena, Robert, Joe, Ryan, & Hunter came to China to study Chinese culture, International Trade & Chinese Economics. We had some anxious moments and questioned what our professors would be like or if the courses would be hard. However, all three teachers: Dr. Lieu, Dr. Cheng & Katie continued to show us some support and walked us every step of the way to help us understand the content even if the classroom was toasty and we had classes for 2 hours 4 times a week.
We were each assigned a Chinese buddy from BISU to show us around and help us whenever we had questions. However, I didn’t expect to become so close to mine. Mine was Zhong Yuanlan (钟远兰), or Holiday. Saying goodbye was hard and you’ll see below. Besides the students, I became closely acquainted to the staff at a bar/restaurant I was always at called FM and each of them hold a close spot in my heart especially the singer, Vanessa (李梓涵 Li Zihan).
Making friends wasn’t too hard even with a language barrier.
If I was to use 3 words that described my take away from this experience I would use: exhilarating, vibrant & capacity.
Everything we did especially from Shanghai to the Great Wall gave me butterflies in my stomach. China is beautiful you just have to seek its beauty. Even during the hottest times, hungry moments and fatigue hours, I tried my best to always make the most of the situation we were in. Not everyday was easy. Using google translate 24/7, hand gestures and pictures was a bump in the road. But, that wasn’t an excuse to not feel a sense of belonging. Each one of us learned how to use the subway system, some mandarin and a lot about how we could adapt to new situations. I didn’t know I had such capacity to continue to learn. It’s amazing, because nobody ever really has anything down. We are all students of life.
Below, I would like to share with you all a poem I made reflecting the study abroad Coggin in China trip, and some photos. Beijing and the people will always hold such a special place in my heart. And because social media isn’t easily accessed there and requires VPNs I need to find another way to share this with my Chinese friends. Thank you to my family and friends for the support, UNF, & Dr. Michelman for writing my scholarship recommendation.
Thanks for reading this far if you made it and feel free to ask me any questions about the trip!
UNF x China
May 1-June1
It’s May 1st and my flights ready to depart
This is a new adventure and another cultural art
My Chinese buddy, holiday has come to pick me up
the VPN and immigration customs got me feeling abrupt
We get to BISU and ate at the canteen
This is beijing and I’m in China it’s quite a fine place to be
Jet lag got us awake and alert
McDonald’s sounds good my diets gonna be hurt
Google translate is the way to go
Pull up pictures of the food and take out your iPhone to show
Navigating the subway isn’t as bad as it looks
I did it a couple times on my own that’s one for the books
New restaurants and new cuisine
Baidu 100 and the waitress is excited because we’re USA and some blue eyes, a sight rarely seen
First day of class and we’re all not ready
We didn’t know what to expect if this curriculum would be hard or steady
3 teachers, 4 days a week
It’s knowledge we crave and Chinese culture we seek
There’s no AC in the class so I’ve gotta hydrate
My eyes get sleepy and I know it’s cause I’m dydrate
Dinner provided by our dues and fees
Let’s get this food that we’re scared to eat
The director of BISU said this program meant the world
Because it bettered both schools and brought educational perks
Time to go out it’s only day three
But we want karaoke and we went to KTV
So many songs we are so elated
Hold your breath our voices are underrated
We’re having so much fun singing so loud
We got a show and we are each other’s crowd
Joy city mall, KFC, The cats at the cat cafe
We are in awe and our photos with the cats made our day
Eating on a boat and the food is divine
We’re inside the mall still and I’m not lying
Great Wall round 1 with its amaysia mini reunion
It’s the summer and friendship season
The summer palace and Great Wall are beautiful beyond belief
Sitting after the long day was a relief
Forbidden city, history and swooping
Around we go , walking and looping
There’s so many people and a lot to see
There goes holiday doing splits near the tree
FM for the first time and we ready for the night
Thunder bolt struck me, and hit me like light
Welcome to the CHINA and here we go to mix
Enough energy to be up until six
Paper cutting, musical chairs and dumplings
These are a few of the joyful things
Bring your American friends to school day
Holiday asked us to come in
To talk to her English class and show them some USA lovin’
We talked with her classmates and compared life styles
For China and USA to be the same it will take a while
Shanghai we said Beijing goodbye
We’re off to see the city and we’re stoked
This is once in a life time I don’t care if I’m broke
The second tallest tower, brand name malls and underground apple
This is a fine city and I’m thoroughly sold
Disney , the garden and the gods temple
It’s the culture that matters and what this country resembles
Midnight strikes and We get back to BISU
The Great Wall is next here’s my round 2
Were so tired and it’s super cold
We climbed on the walls because were bold
Holidays pissed cause I climbed the sides
But I wanted to see how far up and the depth of the ride
Last class with teacher Katie we said thank you
For teaching us Chinese and the content that was new
Exams are coming up we don’t know what to study
We feel unprepared but Jess said we’ll be okay and she’s a good buddy
Peking duck is a must and it’s delicious
We chowed it all down it was easy to finish
FM becomes a daily routine
If you don’t hear or get a text you know where I can be seen
The owner only speaks Chinese but he uses translate
At least we have communication and it’s the best at this rate
Cheng Zo, Chao Bein , Haiyang and Vanessa
These are my people they’re so nice, bless up
Making our way downtown Art district 798
We thought we wouldn’t get to go but it wasn’t to late
It’s a hipster place with a unique ambience
This country’s got so much and so many chances
Dr. Cheng shows us his art exhibit it’s family owned
His teaching is a gift and the art is for show
Tea time and reflecting our experience for The program
We’ll never forget the laughs and if we do I’d be damned
CEMC was a 2 hour chinese presentation
Send help we can’t understand and we don’t understand any correlations
Racing time to get ready to see some friends
My hearts pounding cause it knows it’s come to an end
Buying souvenirs, snacks and off to the book store
I don’t think i could have enough of this experience and thats for sure
Vanessa says she’s coming so we can have closure and some ease
She’s a great friend and it’s her beauty that’s you can always see
A bunch of drinks come but it doesn’t matter
The tears would have came out regardless of jack or water
I begin to cry because it’s close to goodbye
She looks at me and says Jamie don’t cry
We’ll see each other again one day when the timing is right
My heart hurts it’s tears that fill my sight
She’s like an older sister but also a good friend
She’s literally a paler, cute, smaller Chinese Jenn
Vanessa and the owner of FM sing a song for me
This place is my family and it brings me some peace
Welcome to the China one last time
There was still so much fun
It’s the last run
BESTIE I call every so often
He won’t have to deal with my craziness any day beyond the 30th
WeChat updates and so many goodbyes
Haiyang, Vanessa say they’ll miss me
And my heart says stay an extra day or 2 please
Holiday and I get ready to go
It’s 7:45 and I’m tired and slow
She walks me to security and I know time is up
She’s been the best buddy and I’m glad for our connection
We are sisters at heart and her heart is perfection
Goodbye China I’ll be back soon
This went by too fast and it’s already June
Zàijiàn I’ll never forget
The best moments I’ve lived were here in Beijing
My heart is forever thankful and wo ai ni it sings
Jamie Vergara 