Final thoughts before departure...

China has been called the world's most mysterious country. All but closed off to the western world for centuries, even millennia at a time, it is as 'foreign' as it gets for many Americans... "dig a hole deep enough and you'll end up in China," we used to say as kids at the beach.

As the economy becomes more and more global with each passing year, Americans are being forced to take notice of the rising power in the east. Soon to become the world's second largest economy, some experts believe that the 21st century will belong to the Chinese.

Yet as the Chinese GDP swells and its growing cities stretch skyward, China remains a country of paradoxes. It is home to an increasingly affluent, well-educated, and active upper class, and younger generations whose favorite things to do often mirror those of their American counterparts. At the same time, there are vast regions of China that look the same as they did 2,000 years ago, without electricity, without phones, cars, anything. The largest migration in human history is currently underway, as the peasants of rural China flock to the country's over 100 million-citizen cities in search of work.

A "socialist republic" ruled by the Communist party, China has an economy that today is as capitalistic as it gets. Rampant investment and the world's largest workforce are fueling the astounding growth. In yet another paradox of Chinese life, however, the government often seems content to restrict intellectual growth and free thinking if it will help the Communists maintain power. The internet in China is strictly patrolled and censored. Users often cannot access social networks, and any articles or posts that could be seen as critical of the Chinese government are removed. Even as world leaders lobby for the free flow of information all over the globe, China's government is holding firmly to its policies. As a business student in this increasingly digital economy, it makes sense for me to see firsthand what the world's largest national population is up against.

http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/news/international/countriesandterritories/china/internet_censorship/index.html?scp=1-spot&sq=china%20internet&st=cse

The decision to study abroad in China was, for me, perhaps a cocky one. I've spent time in Mexico, England, France, Austria, pretty much you name it in Europe. My Spanish is pretty good. My first hometown was Rome. 'I'm well-traveled, right? How hard can it be? I want a new challenge,' I thought.

As I write this entry I'm about 60 hours from boarding a jet from Newark to Beijing, and the prospect is, well, horrifying. 我的中文不太好. 'My Chinese isn't very good.' I didn't type that, I googled it. Yikes.

Yet at the same time, I don't think I've ever been so excited for a new semester of school. It's going to be the trip of a lifetime, my most eye-opening experience yet.

Stay tuned, kids, it's going to be interesting. I'm taking on this challenge with an open mind and a hunger for understanding of this culture that is so vastly different than our own. I can't wait to get started.