Some of the things I learned were completely intended. I lived in China, so I grew closer and more privy to the culture. I learned how to rent an apartment, open a bank account, and start a phone plan in China. I was studying and working there, so I learned a lot of Chinese -- professional terms, literary devices, cultural references, and the like. I also learned things about Chinese politics, society, and economy. On top of these, I went to some astounding places and ate some even more astounding food. If I had learned only these things mentioned above, I would have fulfilled my goals of attending Flagship capstone -- I would be content.
But the reality is that I learned a lot more than just a few practical skills and a little abstract knowledge. The first invaluable pieces of knowledge that I gained were about myself. Before living in Nanjing, I saw myself as a classic "engineering personality" -- someone that loves math and science, but shuns the humanities or struggles to appreciate art and literature. Other than my music, there were few artistic trivialities that could hold my attention; I had no interest in politics; and I certainly wasn't a writer by any stretch of the imagination. My personal bias was quickly changed, however. After just a few short weeks of writing narratives, persuasive essays, and book reports in Chinese for my writing class, I finally realized the expression and joy that could come out of writing, especially when I felt that my execution was particularly articulate. I read a significant amount of classic Chinese literature, and thoroughly enjoyed that. I tried my hardest to like Chinese music, and, to my surprise, I actually found some really good songs. I even started to understand why people got so involved in political discussions -- though I am still far from wanting to debate politics in my spare time. This discovery of a love for more humanities than just classical music was quite significant to me.
In the course of my time in Nanjing, I also further confirmed that I am, as my parents so lovingly put it, a "quiet extrovert." A few pieces of evidence pointed toward this conclusion, including Chinese friends and coworkers finding it difficult to believe that I considered myself "reserved." Maybe it was just me trying to practice my Chinese as much as possible, but a few people actually mentioned that I seemed "outgoing." I definitely would not describe myself in those terms, but I think it proves my parents' point.
Lastly, I learned a lot about people. Up until the program started and I moved to China, I had lived in Utah and extremely Utah-esque societies for my whole life. I always had a sneaking suspicion that there was a world of difference between my experience and the outside world, and -- simply put -- I was right. In China, nearly every person I met had a vastly different background from me, whether it be social, political, religious, economic, or all of the above. The part that I didn't quite guess right was how well I would get along with all these different people. I forged many strong -- and hopefully long-lasting -- relationships with the people I met in China, whether it was with other students and teachers from the US, coworkers from Ericsson, classmates from engineering classes or orchestra, or even the aides in the Flagship office that had absolutely no distinguishable commonalities with me. I learned that, as God's children together in this mortal life, we can look past differences and thrive upon each others' similarities and uniquenesses -- and that knowledge may very well be the one most important thing that I acquired while abroad.
This is it for the blog for the time being. Living in China was an amazing experience, and I am glad to be back.
-小强
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