Individual report:
1) So far I have never traveled to any other country. The farthest I have traveled is to the United States Virgin Islands but that is still considered as being inside the US. I have never been anywhere that I do not know the language so this will be a big challenge for me.
2) I want to go to China because it is a place that not many people get to visit. When I get older I may decided to travel to Europe but I don’t know if I would ever get the chance to visit China. I wanted to be able to immerse myself in a culture that is completely different from our culture here in the US. I want to be able to get a completely different perspective on life and the way that other people live outside of the US.
3) I think that the main professional work differences will be the Chinese professional will act more reserved and be more focused than American professionals. I envision businesses that are all about staying focused and getting work done by deadlines. I feel that businesses in China would have a far less casual atmosphere than businesses in America.
4) I think the main cultural differences I will experience will be seen in the lifestyle of the Chinese people. I feel that Chinese people have less leisure time and are less wasteful than Americans are. A lot of American people expect things to be handed to them in some instances, but I feel the Chinese people have been brought up to be harder working. Also the food will be a huge cultural difference, and the way that people act around one another I feel will be more reserved.
5) I think that the political differences between the United States and China that I will experience will not be that great. I don’t think two weeks will fully allow me to experience the political system of china. The main differences that I would experience would have to do with the fact that China is a communist country and that they are led by a dictatorship. China chooses their president by first having the current president choose a few people and then other political leaders vote and choose. This gives each individual person no say in the way his or her country is run.
6) I think that the students I meet in China will be very similar to American students. I feel that all young adults who are going to school have the same main goals and the same concerns, which would be unifying factors. I feel that Chinese students however may be harder working and put more time in towards studying than American students do.
7) I predict that I will be surprised to find that although there are a great number of differences between the US and China there will also be a great number of similarities. People are people no matter where they are from and all the same basic factors influence their life that that influence ours. I’m sure students put in many hours studying just like here, but also like to have fun and socialize.
8) I predict that I will be surprised to find that in only my two short weeks in China I will have picked up a little bit of the language. I think I will be surprised at how much I have learned both about the cultural differences and about the companies that we visit. I want to try to absorb as much information as I can while I am there.
9) I think the major differences in living conditions will be that Chinese homes will be a lot smaller than American homes. I feel that Chinese people are far less frivolous than Americans and live with the bare necessities. I feel that the lives of the Chinese people will be place far less importance on technologies such as high tech cell phones, television, iPads, etc.
10) I feel that this will be a great opportunity for me. During the trip I want to push myself to step out of my comfort zone so that I can experience things that I could never experience at home. I want to try food that might not sound appealing to me, I want to be outgoing and try to talk to many people so that I can broaden my perspective.
gormanplus3china2012 