I have the great opportunity to go to Beijing, China this
summer. I will be leaving June 14 and coming back July 2. It is not to long of
a trip but for me it is long enough. I
am thrilled and honored to go on this trip but the one thing I feel like I am
going to miss when I leave is American food. I am such a picky eater and it takes a lot for
me to try new foods. This past year I have
been open to trying new foods from other cultures but nothing beats good American
food.
The funny thing I remember
is since getting out of school our advisers and some of the other students we
went to China Town in Chicago to have lunch and get a taste of Chinese culture.
One of the catches to lunch was to get
something you have never had before. I ordered a plate of Beef pan fried
noodles. The dishes were so big everybody got some of what they ordered and
passed the dish around so everybody can get some. I thought I was putting beef on my plate but
after I ate it I found out it was Lamb. Well luckily for me it tasted really
good.
Although I am truly excited about this trip I am also a
little scared. When going to the doctor to see what shots I needed to get I found
out there were so many precautions to going to country. First of all I had to get three shots and it wasn’t
too bad. As a kid I hated getting shots and I gave the doctors a run for their
money. But for this trip I got all three shots in the same arm. The worst thing
that happened was my arm was sore and a little swollen for a week. I had to get a shot for Polio, Hepatitis and
since I never had chicken pox I had to get the 2nd vaccination shot
for it. I had the first one but now there are two shots for the chicken pox
vaccination, but also I had to get a TB test. And if we would have stayed longer than 30
days in China I would have to get a possible 3-4 more shots which I did not
remember the names of and get a HIV test in order to make our trip.
Finding of this news shocked me because I started thinking
what am I getting myself into. As the doctor concluded of informing me of what
shots I had to get. She went into other health issues I should follow. Only
drink bottled drinks, no tap water, and also when we brush our teeth use a
bottle of water and don’t let water get in your mouth when you take a shower. Also
the doctor gave me a prescription for medicine just in case I get extreme diarrhea
because I will get sick because of the difference of food. Of Despite all of these pre cautions I am more
than excited to go despite the 11 hour flight we have ahead of us and getting
Jet legged.
I am excited to go because not to many peers have had the
opportunity to get outside of their comfort zone. This trip will give me the opportunity
to stay in another country, visit the schools, and see some tourist attractions.
Not too many people can say they have been to China not to many people can even
say they have left the United States. I am looking forward to this trip because
it is a once in a life time experience. This trip will help make me a better leader,
man, and student. When taking this trip I
will miss my family, friends, and just being in America, but I will accept this
new experience with open arms. From the
conversation I had last night with my cousin who just went to China last month I
am even more excited to go and even happier to have someone who can be a great
resource to me.
The best thing I like about this trip is I will not be going
along. I will be going with a group of 3
advisors and 6 students from school. I am excited because the group we have is
really coming together and everyone are great individuals. On my trip I will try to keep my blog updated
because I know this trip is a win for everyone who has taken the time to help
me or offer advice to me and everyone will want to know how it is going.
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