The China Buzz by Justine Barron

The China Buzz by Justine Barron

As a student enrolled in the Travel and Tourism program it has always been a goal of mine to go abroad on an international internship. Sounds like a pretty fair tradeoff, huh? Send me to a foreign country, I work for six months. Here’s the best part, not only do I get real industry work experience in a luxurious hotel but I get to live, travel, and experience the culture all with the money I make as an intern. Many of the opportunities for our program include destinations in exotic places such as the Caribbean, Maldives, and South Pacific Islands. Instead of choosing exotic, I traded in my tan for a cultural experience that I will never regret.

The excitement I felt before leaving was building up and I was on a mission to tell everyone. But to my surprise, the reaction I was getting from those around me wasn’t what I expected. For the first time I was going beyond the comfortable boarders of the United States to venture into an unfamiliar culture and the response I received was, “Why China?”

Well, I say, “Why not?”

China: An enormous nation built upon one of the earliest known civilizations; rich in history, culture, excellent food, beautiful landscapes, rapidly growing cities, a booming economy, and home to billions of proud citizens.

The country that was mainly cut off from the western world has only recently been revealed. What they have to offer is even greater than what many may have expected. Business in China is growing faster than most can keep up with. One industry that is emerging in most recent years is Tourism. The world caught a glimpse of China’s hidden charm during the 2008 Olympics held in Beijing and then 2 short years later at the World Expo in Shanghai. The Chinese business culture is drawing in all kinds of visitors from different regions of the world. Many of which are excited to explore this beautiful country. Luckily for their tourism industry they already have the foundation to satisfy this demand.

At 22 years old, I am fortunate enough to have experienced firsthand what the China buzz is all about. Where ever you go in the country—whether it is Beijing in the North, Guangzhou or Hong Kong in the South, Shanghai to the East, or the mountains region to the west—there is an endless list of cultural, historic, natural, and modern sites to see. Each region emits a different vibe drawing in countless visitors. Only being in the country for 6 months, with almost 80% of that time contributed to work, there was little to spare for travel. To do and see as much as possible, corners had to be cut. Spending an afternoon in the busy international city of Hong Kong, after a full day of work taking a 13 hour overnight train to modern Shanghai, and saving up 5 off days to visit the breathtaking historic city of Beijing would be the sacrifice.

My placement was in a smaller city of only 3.5 million residents. Taiyuan, unlike the larger cities such as Beijing, is less developed and English is scarce making everyday life a little more difficult for a foreigner. An average day to the store consisted of getting on one of the many crowded buses, strategizing a plan to make your way to the back, counting how many stops until you need to get off, and making sure you don’t get trampled on the way out. As a westerner this way of life took some time to adjust to.

Many challenges came along with living in a developing city on top of not knowing the language. Being from an individualistic culture it was natural for me to do things on my own. But, figuring out how was the hard part. In the beginning, ordinary tasks were overwhelming because of the language barrier but learning how to communicate without words became instinct. Another struggle came from being an outsider looking in. My whole life I’ve lived in an area where I was the majority. Spending time out of this comfort zone has given me a different perspective. I feel blessed to have lived in a smaller, less known city because of the experience that came with it.

With its thriving economy China’s cities are growing fast and Taiyuan is no different. I could see infrastructure and modernization happening before my eyes. This was truly incredible to witness. Upon returning home I was surprised to hear China was the focus of conversation; on the news, the front cover of TIME magazine, and even at the dinner table. Since then people have asked me what the buzz is about, “Why China?”

Choosing a Different Path By Sarah Striegel, GEOG 444

                Sarah Striegel

For those with a spirit guided by curiosity and a passion for cultural indulgence, it can be more than difficult to live out a typically satisfying, American lifestyle. In fact, it can be suffocating. At 22 years old I was on track to graduate with my degree at the end of the semester that’d just begun. As a Midwestern woman this was the appropriate place to be in life, right? I was following the well paved path to “success” and knew (all too well) the steps to the rest of this routine. Next, I would find a job, make money, find a husband, establish a home, have children, raise children, and well, we all know the rest.

This, however, was of no interest to me at this point in my life. During my third year of college I took the opportunity to study abroad to Australia, travelling to multiple countries from there. Coming back was much more of a challenge than first leaving home. My perspectives had been changed and viewpoints had become stretched too far in new directions. Later, in that final semester of school and with pressure from parents (as supportive and wonderful as they are), as well as societal norms, I found myself in an entry level class, offering insight to the world of travel and tourism and doors leading to more chances for international discovery. Within the first week I had chosen to delay graduation and picked up a second major in Travel and Tourism. Filled with certainty that my life would simply have to adjust to the occasion of a cross-cultural endeavor, I gave myself up to the possibilities offered by overseas internships.

            Only a couple months later, and with no clue of what to expect, I was on a flight landing in China. I accepted a six month intern position with the five star hotel, Chateau Star River, located in the city of Taiyuan. As I gathered my first impressions in the airport I realized how out of my element I was, but also, how quickly my brain already began consuming the new environment I was surrounded with. Immediately I was learning… growing… as I was swallowed by the characteristics of the culture, and within days I was settled and training for my position as a Guest Relation Officer in the hotel. My experience was immense and unique. It gave me an opportunity to study the hospitality sector of the tourism industry from various angles while learning about and understanding a world dissimilar to anything I’d known before.

 In the hotel I gained intercultural business perspectives and communication skills, along with the ability to manage a facility and customer service levels according to elite standards. With training about the function of all hotel departments and the standards of the Leading Hotels of the World, I performed regular inspections on the various aspects contributing to a guest’s stay. I was also challenged to work directly with both international and Chinese guests to satisfy their needs during their visit, increasing my comfort levels and abilities to work professionally with people of diverse backgrounds. These and other experiences obtained from the business side of the internship are exceptionally valuable for future careers I might strive for.

            Needless to say, however, is that the experience stemming from six months of living life in a world, which has only recently become part of the “world”, will truly be what sets me apart down the road. Studying intercultural communication from a textbook simply doesn’t compare to learning through direct immersion. Coming from an individualist, Western environment led to inexplicable feelings as I gained insight to the collectivist, Eastern culture in China. My comfort and patience levels were expanded inevitably. Clearly placed before me were the different orientations to time and space, as schedules I couldn’t function without before were hardly followed at all and as buses full to the point where a person could hardly budge were filled with fifteen more people at the next station.  Furthermore, I was one of the only foreigners actually living in the city, so on a daily basis I was exposed to what it was like to be noticed as the strange one… the minority. Molding myself around these daily encounters only claimed part of my learning experience though. So many other things, like, more apparent class divisions, extraordinary levels of family acknowledgement, different religious beliefs, proper dining etiquette, the concept of “saving face”, Chinese medicinal remedies, media practices, and more aspects that make up everyday life, yet are completely dissimilar across cultures, kept my mind racing to keep up and engulf everything it crossed. With that said, and after clarifying how hard my brain was working to understand the lifestyle, I am indebted to mention one more prominent part of my escapade in China… My taste buds worked even harder. The food was incredible. Different regions of China held the historical flavors which had been developed within them.  In the North, where I was, the food was full of spice from red chili paste and a hint of sour from provincially famous black vinegar. Soups, dumplings, tofu, and fried vegetable dishes, all accompanied by rice and local types of noodles dominated my diet while I was abroad. I enjoyed every last bite of my time away, coming back with a suitcase of local snacks, cooking ingredients, and perspectives that had been transformed forever.

            It’s been one month now since I returned from China. The time I had there improved who I am as an individual, offered me new realms of knowledge while enhancing the knowledge I had before, and helped me grow in directions impossible to reach within the boundaries of the Midwestern United States. Nevertheless, now that I’m back, the same laid out plan for life and pressures to conform await me.  This time, though, I’m ready to graduate and move on, evermore confidently that continuing an alternative lifestyle of international discovery is the only path for me, a person with a spirit guided by curiosity and a passion for cultural indulgence.