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Story Location: China

  • Exploring Family Roots and Exotification in China

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    Exploring Family Roots and Exotification in China

    I have always wanted to come to China. Listening to the stories my grandfather told about his childhood here and wondering about the ones he didn’t share, I felt I owed it to my blood to try and understand some of Chinese culture. What did my Grandpa feel on his way to the Philippines and…

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  • A Black Man in China

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    A Black Man in China

    Being abroad in China has taught me so many things about myself. I am a Black male from America, a first-generation college student raised in a middle class, mixed family. This may not seem important, but the diversity in my family is something many Chinese did not understand, and often caused a lot of confusion. …

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  • How I Gained an Understanding of Chinese Culture through Food

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    How I Gained an Understanding of Chinese Culture through Food

    Upon arriving in China, the one aspect of my semester abroad that I was particularly excited about was the cuisine. Having spent most of my life growing up in the US, my perception of authentic Chinese food was characterized by cinematic imagery and the special dishes my mother would prepare during the holidays. Therefore, my…

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  • Studying Abroad…in China? It’s More Likely Than You Think

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    Studying Abroad…in China? It’s More Likely Than You Think

    “How can you be okay with living in a communist country?” “The language is so hard, how are you going to be able to find your way around?” “But it’s just so…different.” These are definitely the most common questions I heard after I told people I was going to study abroad in China. Based on…

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  • 3 Reasons Student-Athletes Should Go Abroad

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    3 Reasons Student-Athletes Should Go Abroad

    As a student-athlete, I was very nervous to study abroad. For the last four years, I have been a part of the Mount Holyoke College swim team as a distance freestyler. I love my team and I had fears that I wouldn’t be able to perform as well as I wanted to upon my return.…

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  • IFSA Interview Series: International Business in China

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    IFSA Interview Series: International Business in China

    “My internship abroad grew my Chinese language skills and differentiated me in such a  competitive workplace that we find ourselves in today. When studying abroad you are definitely going to run into challenging situations where you don’t know where you are and no one speaks English, but those times are important because… professionally I learned…

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  • My Summer in China

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    My Summer in China

    Why Volunteer? Throughout my undergraduate career, my experiences that I have had outside the classroom have always been the most transformative. In fact, volunteering as an English literacy tutor in an elementary school near my high school five years ago was what got me interested in learning Spanish in the first place. Bringing learning outside…

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  • Studying Abroad in China as a Second-Generation Chinese American

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    Studying Abroad in China as a Second-Generation Chinese American

    Before studying abroad in Shanghai, I had been to China twice – once when I was 7, and once when I was 10. I only have flashes of memories from these trips: getting trapped in the bathroom at my Nai Nai’s house, visiting the Forbidden City and Great Wall, being stuck in the pouring rain…

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  • Applying Your Experience Abroad to Your Career

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    Applying Your Experience Abroad to Your Career

    If you’ve studied abroad before, chances are you would have attended a re-entry meeting at the conclusion of your program or possibly one back home. Something that will come up during this phase of your study abroad experience will be how to look forward towards your career.How can one successfully continue to build on the…

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  • Taking a Semester Off of Premed to Study Abroad

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    Taking a Semester Off of Premed to Study Abroad

    My mind can easily recall sitting in my academic advisor’s office to look over my Spring 2018 classes. Her tiny, windowless space was scattered with souvenirs and knickknacks gathered from various nations around the world. Painted masks were stacked against travel books on a shelf behind her desk. Postcards created a colorful of the exotic…

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