Hi!
My name is Clara and I studied abroad in China. I attended the University of Nottingham Ningbo for a semester as an exchange. I am originally from Spain, so it was quite an experience to live and study in such a different country. I will share some of the benefits that I found while studying there and the ones that I also gained in the long run
Firstly, I would like to point out that nobody’s experience has to be the same. Some people gain personal growth, others learn a new language, some develop new relationships, etc. I believe any change should be valid, good or bad. Going abroad requires courage and as any other important change in a human’s life, many things can go down
For me, personally, studying in China benefited me in many ways. I would say that it was an experience life-changing. Not only because it helped me understand China and its culture, but because it shaped me. I run away from Madrid, due to personal problems and thought that I could never be happy on my own there. The first weeks I struggled a lot. I had a hard time with cultural shock, as I did not understand what was happening around me. I struggled making friends and contacting my family. It was hard, but I don’t regret the pain. It helped me grow as a person. I had to figure things on my own, I could not run away again. So ended up ganing the strenght that I needed to get out of my comfort zone. I made friends, I pushed my limits and I even traveled on my own. My personal growth was also mixing with my curious nature so I became a good observant. I asked questions and I educated myself. I understood chinese people and opened my mind to new ways of dealing with life. Just because people are different to what I am used to, it does not mean that it’s wrong. That statement took a while to settle in my mind due to the many stereotypes that I had in my mind about Chinese citizens and China as a country. But slowly, those walls started breaking, and still today I try to listen and learn
Reflecting on my experience now, with distance I realised that I should’ve taken more opportunities. I should have pushed myself more. However, I can’t go back in time. And now, I can only carry with me the past experiences and the knowledge I acquired. I am more aware of my surroundings and the stereotypes that I had to break. I have my mind open and ready to listen. I have developed strong skills as a self-sufficient person. I think that If I had not gone to China, I would still be running away from my problems, instead of facing them.
