(Longmen Grottoes)
China has been an exciting challenge…
I had to step out of my comfort zone to deal with my new surroundings that I will be in for the next couple weeks. During my time in China I was able to connect with so many amazing new people. In the camp specifically there were many students from different states. There was so much diversity and different new personalities to meet. I’ve encountered a good amount of new American friends from the camp itself.
Once we arrived in Henan, China I was immediately captivated by its beauty. In Henan there were so many beautiful mountains that seemed to have stretched forever. We stayed there for about 10 days learning Chinese culture, mandarin, and martial arts all at the Shaolin Temple! Staying there for 10 days improved my relationship with my new American friends but also with my new Chinese friends! Although our martial arts teacher did not speak any English our Laoshi (teacher) did! Since our group was small we had the opportunity to get to know her more. We learned so much about her. Eventually we exchanged WeChat ID’s and QQ(I) numbers to keep in contact.
Another significant new relationship that I developed was during my home stay in Luoyang, China. She was a year younger than me, 16, with an English named, “Lucy”. We spent the entire day together making dumplings, playing games with her siblings and cousins, and exploring Longmen Grottoes at night! There, we waited ’till night to see the mountains light up! Not only did we exchange out good bye’s but we also exchanged out QQ(I). QQ is like China’s facebook. QQI – QQInternational is the same thing but allows almost every country to have also. Ever since our meet we have been texting back and forth about our days.
Maintaining a conversation can be hard due to time zone issues. Yet that hasn’t stopped me and my new Chinese friends from talking. Now that I’m back in America we would text each other every now and then. Thankfully, QQ(I) and WeChat have a place where we can share pictures and comment on them. That way, even though we don’t text every day, we can still be updated and connected through pictures!
