Departure

Aalana Berry, Fayetteville, NC

August 17, 2008 Chicago- 7:45 p.m. Shanghai- 8:45 a.m.

I’m sitting on a plane looking out the window realizing this trip ended how it began; WITH A CANCELLED FLIGHT!!! This trip was definitely one in a million. Just sitting here thinking about the day it all started at the Nashville Airport; I believe we all had preconceived notions but we all came into this experience with the word FLEXIBILITY on the tip of our tongues. I experienced things that I would otherwise never have had the opportunity to, and for that I am truly blessed. There were so many highs and lows during this journey but the good always outweighed the bad.

From the moment we stepped of the plane I felt like everyone’s eyes were on me in China. Just standing and observing I began to see how different our cultures really are. Common courtesies such as “excuse me”, “pardon me”, and “I’m sorry” are definitely not well known in China. But that is actually what makes our world so unique. Different cultures with different ways of living learning different things from one another. The historical sites, the Olympic events, and the interaction with the people of China will forever be branded into my heart. This trip was not only an opportunity to broaden my horizons and expand my knowledge; it also gave me the chance to grow. My life is going to depend on the choices I make throughout my own personal journey. I am a better person because of this trip and will never be the same afterwards (maybe it’s because all the Chinese people blew my head up wanting to take pictures with me!). I learned something or gained knowledge from every moment on this trip. Everyone touched me in their own special way and I am thankful to have met them all.

To Dr. Lyons, Dr. Gibson, Dr. Navalta, Jenny, Gina, & Shark; you all made this trip more than a learning experience, it was an experience of a lifetime!

To Dr. Hand, Dr. Teague, and Dr. Robbins; you all challenged me to go beyond my capabilities and seek my full potential. If it wasn’t for you guys I wouldn’t have this opportunity and am forever thankful!

To the “true gentlemen” of WKU; you guys kept me laughing and reminded how enjoyable life can be.

To the lovely ladies of WKU; you definitely gave me the gift of friendship through your warm smiles, our heart to heart talks, and outrageous moments we shared together!

To Chasta, Mylynda, Isaiah, and Darrell; my summer wouldn’t have been the same without you all and the times we’ve spent together are priceless to me. We will forever be connected as a family that I will cherish forever.

A special thank you must go out to Miss Tyann Porshe for pushing me to achieve my greatest memory and accomplishment of this trip by climbing to the top of the Great Wall. You are truly my “shero” and we will be longtime friends!!! ***Viva la China***

Tyler Spencer, Bowling Green, KY

After returning to Bowling Green from China I was asked by a friend of mine if I could describe China in one word what word would it be? I thought about this question for a while and decide on my word. The word I picked was different. China was nothing like I thought it would be. Be it the food, the people, or the architecture.

At home Chinese food is possibly my favorite type of food ever and before I left I was really excited about tasting real Chinese food. When we got to Shanghi we got our first authentic Chinese meal and to my surprise the food was nothing like the food I eat at places like Happy Inn. I wouldn’t say that it was bad but it was just so different that it took a little time to adjust. It was really hard to decipher what I was eating due to the language barrier and the food didn’t look like anything I have ever eaten before.

I have gone to school with students from China since kindergarten and know their personalities being so quiet and polite I figured that was how the whole country would be. Never would I have thought that it would be even more cut throat than New York. By cutthroat I mean just a fast paced big city lifestyle. The people are just so busy trying to get to there next appointment they don’t have time to wait in lines or say I’m sorry if they run into you. Everybody knows that China is a communist nation but one of the locals who spoke English told me a fact that nobody under 17 is communist. This fact intrigued me so the night after I heard that I went out to a local restaurant to just see what the nightlife was like. I went there with a few other students and we met some of the locals around the same age as us. Even though we had an extremely difficult time communicating they were extremely patient and we taught each other new card games. They really tried hard to work on their English and most communication was done by drawing pictures. They taught us that Chinese people only count on one hand and they showed us how to count to ten. Just seeing how nice they were to us proved to me that the fact I heard earlier that day was true.

In every picture I have ever seen of China had pictures of these beautiful buildings. I always saw pictures of their ancient buildings showing that China was ahead of its time; also all the modern structures had so much influence of these ancient buildings along with tons of imagination. With me having a facilities minor I really knew a lot of things to look for. For example while we were in Shanghai we went to the U.S. versus Australia exhibition basketball game. The arena the game was played in was pretty much brand new with a very unique air duct systems that really made the facility one of a kind. The building was a dome so the acoustics would be pretty tough to hear but they put up these fabric barriers that really solved this problem and also made this facility a lot more aesthetically more appealing.

Overall, this trip was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. To be lucky enough to see the Olympic games in a foreign country is really a once in a lifetime experience. Not only did we see the spectacular venues such as the bird’s nest and the cube but we also got to see one of the 7 wonders of the world in the Great Wall. This trip just proves that you learn more from actually getting out and doing it than by sitting in a classroom listening to a lecture. I learned so many lifelong lessons that I will be referring back to for many years to come.