美国德克萨斯大学 Zamaan Suhail Bawa

我的汉语桥夏令营生活

(My Chinese Bridge Summer Camp Life)

No one on Earth should die without visiting China. I feel everyone has to visit this country as it is a different experience than America. This country has something special for everyone. One thing I really liked was that everyone was nice and friendly to me. They greeted me with kindness and they gave me respect. It’s something that you cannot find anywhere else. During my time in China, I have learned a great deal of information and facts on this country. I come from the United States of America which is very different compared to the lifestyle in China.

When I first landed in Seoul, I felt that I was no longer in my country. For starters, I did not see any Americans at the airport. It was very different to see all the Asians walking and talking just like any other person. I realized that the Americans and Chinese are not so different when it comes to doing all the things us humans do. As soon as I landed in Beijing, I felt the humidity kick in almost immediately. It was very late at night when we landed and we (my classmates and I) were all very tired and hungry so we were quite excited to finally sleep. I was very thankful for the Beijing Royal School to let us sleep and use their dorm rooms for the few days we stayed there. It was very different compared to American dorms and hotels. The beds, showers, toilets and food were all new to us. Since we had the opportunity to stay there, we were able to realize how lucky and grateful we were to have all the things we have. We also had the opportunity to visit the Lama Temple, Summer Palace, the Olympic Stadium and the Confucius Institute Headquarters. These were all very interesting and enjoyable places to visit as they all are some of the most historic places in Beijing.

The next part of our trip took place in one of the oldest places in all of China, Shandong. With over 5000 years of history, it has a lot of places to visit. During our time there, we visited Qufu which had some of the favorable places such as Kong Fu, Kong Lin, Kong Miao. I enjoyed these places greatly since we were able to see many items and places relating to one of the most cherished philosophers, Confucius. We were able to visit his tomb, his statue and his palace. When you visit those places, you can almost feel his spirit and all the history that took place there. When we visited his tomb, we had the opportunity to have prayers there. While doing so, it started to rain a little which was very fitting to visit a cemetery. As soon as we all finished our prayers and began to exit, it suddenly stopped raining. When this happened we felt a sort of presence in the area. It was an extraordinary experience. One must see to believe. Most of our time in Shandong was at the Shouguang Century School where we slept and attended many classes to learn more about the culture and the language of China. During my few days in the classes, I was able to learn all the basics of the Chinese language such as greetings, weather, time, food and more. Since I am planning to continue learning Mandarin in my school, I will be able to use all the information I have learned here in my future endeavors. The food here was very different than the Chinese food we have in America. When you ate it, you could tell it was truly authentic. I tried to eat all the foods that they offered me as I would not be able to eat it in America.

This trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity for many people and I was able to take part in this experience which helped me grow as a person in general as I had the responsibility to make sure I woke up on time, wash my clothes and make sure I am healthy and safe. I also hope to make sure to include this on my resume so I can be a better rounded individual...

——美国德克萨斯大学Zamaan Suhail Bawa