Hey everyone,
For the next 5+ months this will be the place to check in on my life at Peking University in Beijing, China. Our time abroad promises to be full of ups and downs, incredible experiences and some pretty severe culture shock. Assuming I'll have access to this site in China, I'll do my best to report what I see in an honest, candid way...no sugarcoating or censoring (at least on my part).
What lies ahead promises to be the most eye-opening, revealing experience of my life to this point. In 2005, I made my first trip back to Europe since moving to the US as a baby. Those of you who have been abroad can probably remember that "Oh my lord, what the hell is going on here?" feeling that you encountered at some point or another. In 2005, that feeling lasted the whole 16-day trip for me. I've been lucky enough to make it back to Europe many times since, and have also spent some time in Mexico. I've met some incredible people and seen some incredible places; I am, however, looking to get back to that crazy feeling, that feeling of complete submersion in a culture that you suddenly realize you knew nothing about all along. Therefore, China.
With one semester of elementary Mandarin Chinese under my belt, communication is going to be an adventure. And as a self-proclaimed picky eater, well, this will be a "culinary learning experience."
I appreciate all of you who've taken interest in this adventure, whether you're reading from Boston, Cincinnati, or elsewhere... Phone calls and texts will be quite expensive, so send me an e-mail at ryan.kiracofe.1@bc.edu, I'd love to hear from you (and to hear your thoughts on the blog).
I hope everybody has a great holiday season...I'm looking forward to getting started on January 14!
