Home at last...
Dear Mom, I made it back to Kansas alive! Since returning home from China on Sunday night, I've had a lot of time to process my experiences abroad - which is another way of saying I've spent the past week laying around the house doing nothing. After spending so much time so far away, coming back has been bittersweet, and not just because my sleep schedule is still adjusting from China Standard Time to Central Standard Time (a 14-hour difference). Although I'm happy to see my family and friends and enjoy the familiar things I've missed (aka Cheeze-Its), I can't deny that I've missed the constant excitement and independence of living in one of the world's largest cities. And, of course, I miss the friends with whom I've spent the past four months and who are now in various parts of the United States, China, and the world.
Alas, all good things must come to an end. If you couldn't already tell, I am extraordinarily grateful for the experience I had in China. It's probably a cliche to call a semester abroad "life-changing," but in this case, my experience in China has deeply affected who I am as a person as well as the path I want my life to take. The most obvious change has been the massive growth in my knowledge and understanding of China. Like all countries, China is a complicated place facing challenging, serious issues (especially in Xinjiang; I can finally speak more openly about that). At the same time, it is a country that has experienced rapid economic, social, and political progress in just a few short decades, and it continues to do so. In Chinese society, the only constant is that there is no constant, and nothing is inevitable except change. Also, as China becomes one of the most powerful countries in the world, it's worth noting that it has been a global superpower for much of its thousands-years history. This has always been China's world, and everyone else is just living in it.
That being said, for everything in China that unfamiliar to me, I was especially struck by just how much was the same as my own life. It seems to me that for everything unique about China's 1.4 billion people, there is much more that they share with every person on the planet. The friends I made in China came from all over the world, but they all had similar interests, passions, ambitions, and priorities. And, for the record, whoever said that people from different cultures have different senses of humor was clearly just trying to make an excuse for why they couldn't make someone laugh. I had no problem laughing with people from all corners of the globe, even if they didn't speak English. So yes, Mom, you were right when you commented on one of my Facebook posts that "we are more alike than we are different."
Alright, that's enough pontificating for now. I'll be back later with at least a couple more, long-overdue, picture-filled posts, but to end this one, I'd like to thank everyone who made this amazing trip possible. So, to the faculty, staff, and students at The Beijing Center who worked tirelessly to make my experience in China fulfilling and stress-free; to the friends who allowed me to join them on their own China adventures; to the friends and family back home who supported me every step of the way; to Grandma for pitching in to help me buy those plane tickets; and finally, to you, Dad, Elizabeth, and Sarah, for always having my back and pushing me to fulfill my dreams, I'd like to extend my thanks. 谢谢你们！
I love you, Mom
Jackson
Alas, all good things must come to an end. If you couldn't already tell, I am extraordinarily grateful for the experience I had in China. It's probably a cliche to call a semester abroad "life-changing," but in this case, my experience in China has deeply affected who I am as a person as well as the path I want my life to take. The most obvious change has been the massive growth in my knowledge and understanding of China. Like all countries, China is a complicated place facing challenging, serious issues (especially in Xinjiang; I can finally speak more openly about that). At the same time, it is a country that has experienced rapid economic, social, and political progress in just a few short decades, and it continues to do so. In Chinese society, the only constant is that there is no constant, and nothing is inevitable except change. Also, as China becomes one of the most powerful countries in the world, it's worth noting that it has been a global superpower for much of its thousands-years history. This has always been China's world, and everyone else is just living in it.
That being said, for everything in China that unfamiliar to me, I was especially struck by just how much was the same as my own life. It seems to me that for everything unique about China's 1.4 billion people, there is much more that they share with every person on the planet. The friends I made in China came from all over the world, but they all had similar interests, passions, ambitions, and priorities. And, for the record, whoever said that people from different cultures have different senses of humor was clearly just trying to make an excuse for why they couldn't make someone laugh. I had no problem laughing with people from all corners of the globe, even if they didn't speak English. So yes, Mom, you were right when you commented on one of my Facebook posts that "we are more alike than we are different."
Alright, that's enough pontificating for now. I'll be back later with at least a couple more, long-overdue, picture-filled posts, but to end this one, I'd like to thank everyone who made this amazing trip possible. So, to the faculty, staff, and students at The Beijing Center who worked tirelessly to make my experience in China fulfilling and stress-free; to the friends who allowed me to join them on their own China adventures; to the friends and family back home who supported me every step of the way; to Grandma for pitching in to help me buy those plane tickets; and finally, to you, Dad, Elizabeth, and Sarah, for always having my back and pushing me to fulfill my dreams, I'd like to extend my thanks. 谢谢你们！
I love you, Mom
Jackson
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| TBC Fall 2018 |
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