Assignment 3- Kayla Conrad

From third grade through last year, I studied Chinese. Learning Chinese separated me from the normal crowd of everyone taking Spanish or French, I loved everything about Chinese, from the teacher Mrs. Change, to the dumplings we made year after year. The whole language and culture truly fascinated me so when I had an opportunity to go visit China for two weeks and take a Language and Culture class and Shanghai University, I knew I couldn't let it pass.
The Confucius Institute at the University of Kentucky partners with Shanghai University every summer to take a group of about 24 students to experience Chinese culture in the best way possible. We were immersed into the culture that no textbook could explain. From the completely different food than we imagined, usually bring whole ducks or pig tendons, to the bartering with shop owners to buy souvenirs for our families, it was an experience I will never forget.
While the Great Wall of China and Terracotta Warriors were amazing and everything, the part that has left a lasting image in my mind has been the amount of homeless people on the streets. And not in the way you would expect. The homeless people were all trying to make a life. The amount of people in town squares that had no arms or legs but still found something to sell trying to make enough money for food. Those images will never leave my mind. Not a single person we came across was panhandling or just begging, they were all either selling something or offering a service in exchange for money and that is something that is so different from America that has stuck with m even a year after my trip.