During my junior year of college I was lucky enough to go abroad and study at the Universidad de Granada in Granada, Spain.  The opportunity was one that I knew I would never get again.  The price was right, the curriculum was right and the scholarships were available.  I hoped on a plane, lived with a host family and did a summer semester abroad.  This was truly an amazing opportunity for me and opened a kid from the Midwest’s eyes just a little bit more.  I had a few fellow friends who also studied abroad in the UK, Czech Republic, Italy and Spain so upon our returns after our respective semesters we all had a little bond we could share. 

 During my time in Spain, I was immersed in culture, language, new public transportation systems, and massive backpacks while still living on the college student budget.  I learned a lot about myself, the world and other people during my semester.  I returned to the States hoping I could one day have another global experience.  [Side note:  I have some goals in my closet that I look at every morning; Teach Someone to Read, Live Abroad Again, Visit all Major Continents, Run with the Bulls, Endow a Scholarship at Kansas State (my alma mater),  Obtain an MBA or JD and Work Abroad.]   As I returned to home to the US, I started back to the ways of the typical US citizen- very little global awareness, inability to name foreign leaders, and sole focus on the economy of America.  This is partially my fault but also it is how America and “media America” tends to operate.  We live in a giant US bubble with 2 neighbors that really do not affect us unless you love Montreal (like me) and socialist healthcare or if you are involved with the drug/gun cartel or like to vacation in Puerto Vallarta. 

About the 2^nd week in August, my old manager who is currently a Sr VP of our division called me on my mobile asking me to swing by his office.  As I got off the phone with him I was going thru other e-mails from the morning on my blackberry and saw an e-mail from roughly our divisional CFO asking me to swing by his office as well.  From this e-mail and phone call I knew something was up because why would they both want to talk on a Monday morning?  I quickly dropped in and was presented with the idea of going to China.  When I first heard this I was a little in shock and imagined it was for a few weeks or the like.  But when I asked “For a week or 2?” they quickly replied, “Nope.  Just go there and make some stuff happen.  When you want to come home we’ll get you back but we’d like at least a year.”  I was in shock…and kind of giddy.   But China?  This was something new…and not Western… wow, non Western is kind of a big deal… 

Being in my 20s with no family, but some awesome friends, this was the ideal time to pack up and head west.   My friends have been amazing during this process, while certain family members have other thoughts.  But I look at this as a once in a lifetime opportunity.  China is the last frontier we will see develop.  To be on the ground floor of this amazing growth and explosion of a country is quite unreal.     

So here I am.  I will leave it at that for now and hopefully post again on Trina’s blog as my experiences continue to grow and take place in China with work, people, and my overall thoughts and opinions of China.  In the meantime, find me here.

A Shanghai Photo

Another Photo of Shanghai