Twenty-two pounds of dumplings. Gorgeous mountains jutting out of the ground. Thick steel crumbling at the crown of one’s head. Fourteen hours. Two and a half weeks. Thirty three students. Henan. Beijing. Texas. Luo Yang. My Maynard Jackson Youth Foundation Experience. My Experience in China is more than just these simple words or phrases. My Chinese experience is more than just an international field trip or educational vacation. During my extended stay in China, my life changed right along with my perspective. My outlook was morphed from carelessly running my shower water, to appreciating fresh clean plumbing. It transformed my appetite from ordering the same meal from the value menu at Gutbusters to appreciating diversity and trying new cuisines. It made me realize the value in communication amongst varying cultures and demonstrated the value in learning about other cultures. Whether it be through their language, traditions, or arts/architecture, there is importance behind diversity and my participation with the Maynard Youth Foundation has exposed me to a culture and a new lifestyle that I am happy to take on. Without the help and support of the foundation, Emory, Hanban/ the Confucius Institute, I’d still be thinking, eating, and dreaming like an American, but this is no longer the case because of my My Chinese Experience.
