June 2018 Guest Blogger: Zoe Mitchell

As an American from Chicago, coming to China was definitely a culture shock, but not in the way that I expected. Whether it was my teacher, host family, or classmates' host family, I had to get used to the overwhelming friendliness and desire of everyone to make a good impression. I can remember strangers going out of their way to greet me english and being extremely patient as I stumbled through interviewing them in Chinese! A complete stranger once saw that it was raining heavily and offered to let me share his umbrella! When I think of China, I think 车水马龙, or che shui ma long, because NanJing was busting with life, full of activity, and more than a little crowded! My favorite memories include going to the zoo with my family and late night talks with my Chinese mom! Enclosed is a picture of me my and my host family on my last day, my teacher and I wearing red white and blue on the fourth of July, my mom and I celebrating the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival on a boat, me interviewing a couple at an Confucian Temple, my brother and grandparents at the zoo, me and me with my class mate and his host brothers, and the stranger who let me share his umbrella! I can honestly say that coming to China has been an amazing experience that I'll never forget, and has taught me that even strangers that don't understand anything about you still love you like you're apart of the family! I just hope that I'm able to adapt the mindset of being apart of an inclusive, community oriented society and carry it with me wherever I go.