Arianne Liu: A Sky Full Of Stars, Studying Abroad In China

PRE DEPARTURE

You probably know by now, that in my blogs I'll go into my usually jab about my challenges and how you should consider doing whatever it is I am preaching because if I didn't see value in the experience, then I wouldn't suggest it or do it myself. That's the motto! Why did I want to study abroad? If you can get academic credits and travel at the same time, then that's just gravy.

I almost applied in September 2012 (I couldn't get a second reference...), actually applied for the Spring 2016 semester in November of 2014 and again in August 2015. They rejected me both times because of my GPA and told me to reapply for 2017 meaning I would graduate a whole year late. I still pushed for 2016. I tried to sell them everything in the book about why I was the best candidate, references, my business, being marketing president, brought my grades up, went on as a full time student and seriously, none of it worked. I was so choked because I knew no other student had to go through that, so I had to move on. However, I won't say nothing great happened as I ended up in doing a short term exchange in Quebec for one semester.

I strongly disliked them for a little while or maybe...a long while. Mind you, my GPA at the time was very far from the minimum requirements. I started rearranging my plan to accommodate my new direction because there comes a time where we need to accept the things we can't change. If they didn't feel that I was a good fit, then so be it. I'll make my own shit happen!! I made plans to travel with friends after the spring semester.

Then...they emailed me at the end of September 2015 asking me why I didn't try to apply again (um..damn okay), stuff happened, missed my first study abroad interview, got another interview, and got accepted. How ironic that the minute I let it go, that everything worked out. I didn't care why they changed their mind, all I know is it worked in my favour. I was annoyed though because I only had 4 months to save money. I wasn't financially prepared for the study abroad experience that I initially wanted. Europe was my first choice and they offered the spot to me. Except now I didn't want to travel on a budget so I went with Asia.  Also being born and raised in Canada, I decided I wanted more of a challenge. I didn't know much about the culture. I've already been to Europe so I knew what to expect. So I took a leap of faith with China. After almost a year long battle with this office, I finally got to go.

My Birthday Shenanigans 

CHINA

I showed up to China with just a backpack and got deadly sick the first week. The whole semester I couldn't keep a consistent routine for the life of me. My body just didn't want to do what I did back home despite getting a gym membership, buying an agenda etc... I didn't work out very much, no meditation, and I woke up at odd times of the day. Although one could say my meditation was being in this experience. I have never been so present in my life as I have been in China.

Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

China looked very chaotic when I first arrived.  It was super busy with people, lots of pollution, traffic, and very loud. It can come off very dark as the censorship game is strong, lots of husslers, and direct communication isn't a thing. But when I looked close enough, there were many hidden gems with this country especially with the vibrant landscapes hidden around the country. I didn't expect anything so everything was more than I ever imagined. From the beautiful hiking trails to the stars in the sky.

Tiger Leaping Gorge, Yunnan, China

CULTURE My biggest thing was culture shock and adjusting to the new environment. There was just so many people and the mannerisms were very different. Some things that were usually kept in private in our culture are displayed in the open such as eating with their mouths open, spitting on the floor, picking their nose, and children pee/pooing in public. Especially being on transit, I had to be a little bit tough as people like to skip lines, pickpocket, and invade your personal space. The food was so greasy but you work around it. You find the places you like and just go there.

The Chinese people are actually very friendly and caring people. Yes I thought otherwise... but majority of people don't really speak English. Those that could speak English were very eager to be friends with you so they could practice. The fun part about communicating with the locals were you didn't know what they were yelling at you for. However getting into a taxi, shopping, talking to the security guard etc.. was a struggle. They don't sell drying machines so we hung dry all our clothing. Which seemed to never dry when it was humid. I got a few heat rashes on my body because it was so drastic for me. We only had two time slots for hot water, once at 530-730pm and again at 930-1130pm. So can you imagine, you go out and don't come home in time? Meaning...half my semester I took cold showers!! I also broke curfew on a weekly basis. Yes we had curfew at 11pm everyday and 12am on the weekends. The dormitories were locked with chains so no one could get in or out without talking to the house lady. The locals had to do community work if they have 3 strikes per month. Nothing brought me down like getting eaten alive by the mosquitoes. I had them everywhere on my legs and arms for at least a good 3 months. It was so itchy that I started getting nauseous from my excessive scratching I couldn't control. People would always comment on how terrible my legs looked. I did everything I could to prevent the mosquitoes from eating me from a bed net, mosquito repellent, long sleeves, and pants. It only did so much. They always found a way. It was intense immersing myself into this culture but it eventually got easier as it became my norm. My brain hurt so bad when I went on a date with a local guy and we spoke Cantonese the whole time. I did sign language for some words and we had our phones with us half the time as a translator. It was just too much for me and I chose to not see him again. I have to say I now admire international students as speaking in a second language to do everything is extremely difficult.

Shanghai, China with my local bestie Emma!

The second biggest adjustment was being cut out from the whole world. They censor so much its annoying. So if some of you were wondering why I went MIA for so long it was because I had no access to Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram, Snapchat, and to many websites. Pretty much the internet never seemed to work for anything outside of China. It was cool in the sense that we got to dive into the Chinese apps like WeChat and Youku. WeChat allows you to pay for many of our purchases through your phone. Honestly, I didn't really need social media as I like to be very present but it was a pain in the ass trying to do my assignments or email the University when I needed something.

In terms of living, I got use to the squatter toilets. I can firmly say I can pee standing up on an angle and I actually prefer it now. Although I found it bit of a shocker that they don't provide hand soap or toilet paper so you have to bring that everywhere with you. I can also take a poop anywhere while squatting because I've been hit by the food a few times and when you gotta go...you gotta go.

Co-Workers

LOCATION/WEATHER/SOCIAL ACTIVITIES I was located in downtown Guangzhou so it was easy to get around the city as they have a very developed train system. I really enjoyed living on campus as it was surrounded by green trees and lots of people. I could wake up 1o minutes before class and still make it on time. I have never lived on campus before so this was interesting since my roommate's bed was 2 feet away from me. I lived in a building with over 100 girls. My closest friends lived on the same floor as me. The only downside was there wasn't a communal area and no kitchen so our only food option on campus was the cafeteria. On campus, everything is gender separated so there was definitely lots of couples just roaming around campus showing an excessive amount of public display of affection. It was so different from our culture as we are a little more reserved. In China, there are a lot of strange people so you have to be careful as a female walking alone, as you would be anywhere else in the world.

Dorm 16, Jinan University 

I liked that their were many shops, food options, karaoke, and things to do in China.  When I first arrived it was sooooo cold that I wasn't prepared with all my summer wear. I had to buy new clothing. It was colder than Vancouver peeps then it got flaming hot out of nowhere and then so humid that it was hard to breathe. I was so climatized that coming home to 20 degree weather was cold for me.

ACADEMIA I actually learned a lot studying in China. I took 5 classes all stacked on Monday and Tuesday. I spent the rest of the days either making money or traveling. I thought the course load was going to be easy like the other universities in Europe. Nope. We definitely had to put in the work as two of my classes still had midterms, group projects, papers, and a final exam. I showed up with no laptop and borrowed everyone's laptop to finish my assignments. So...I would recommend bringing your own.

I was very fortunate to have a local buddy set up by the advisor or else I would have not been able to set up my student card, bus pass, housing etc... because like I said..not many people speak English. I had 2 international and 2 local professors. My favourite classes were Public Relations and Multinational Corporations Management with my international professor. It was the most interesting classes I have ever taken and it had opened up my mind to international business. Karolina, you are the bomb!

The local university students here are very laid back. The ones we see in our country are completely different. Most of the local students played a lot and their priorities were different. I asked one of them why and they said it was because they had to work so hard in high school to get into post secondary that its like freedom to them now.  This mentality brought on some issues for me when we were working on group projects. They procrastinated a lot, lack of time management skills, and were not time oriented at all. Even though it frustrated the crap out of me I had to compromise, communicate in a way they understood, and be compassionate of their situation. This is their culture and I'm in their world. I have a better understanding of how to work in a cross cultural dynamic. If you are going to study in China, brace yourself and be open minded to everything. The best things happen this way.

Jinan University Spring Exchange 2016

COST OF LIVING At the time, the dollar was 1:5.  My dorm was only 2000 yuan for 5 months, 1300 yuan for utilities, food was generally less than 10 yuan a meal, and transit was 2 yuan. You do the math because we all know I can't. Our textbooks cost around 40-60 yuan per book. You also make more money when you work in Asia. As a foreigner you can make minimum $30 an hour being an English tutor. The only downside of China is the quality of their products. Almost everything I've gotten from China while I was there no longer exists. Short lived. 

Accommodations 

BUSINESS The importing and exporting business is absolutely massive. I have to admit the Asians are some of the savviest entrepreneurs I've met. My CAPUMA faculty advisor and mentor Andrea got me a lifetime pass to the Canton Fair, the largest exporting and importing fair in the world. It was one of the most amazing experiences ever to see all these vendors from all over the world in once place!! The Asian culture spend more time building relationships than the business. If they don't like you. No go. I really enjoyed this aspect of my learning experience as I got to work with locals and  understand how they do business. I look forward to going back to China.

Canton Fair with my CAPUMA Mentor/Faculty Advisor Andrea Eby 

FAMILY I've always loved my family and relatives. I use to visit my Canadian relatives quite often as a child but it stopped shortly before I left home. As some of you know, I recently moved back into my moms house before I left for exchange. So when I told my mom I was going to Asia instead of Europe. It was a really big deal for her family. Somehow everyone knew I was coming. I was really overwhelmed since I had never spoken to any of them and I was just starting to build my relationship with my mother. About 3 weeks in, I finally decided to take a leap and go meet them. I have never met them until I came to study abroad in China. It was like okay... I'm going to meet my cousin but I don't even know how she looks like. During my time with them, I got to learn about my own heritage, where my mom grew up, and more about my relatives. My grandma passed away last October and my uncle passed away while I was in China. They waited for me to arrive to China to do the cremation of my grandma and I got to see my uncle a few times before he left us. After being in China for this long, I finally understand why my mother was the way she was. I see it everywhere from the way the children are raised especially with the pressure to succeed, being skinny, and the negativity about not being good enough etc... I see it displayed in the locals I've met. Some of my local friends were depressed because they couldn't handle the pressure. It reminded me of my childhood. I really felt for them and always did my best to put a smile on their face.

Aunts, Cousins, Nieces, & Nephews 

SUMMARY

All in all, I loved my time in China. I honestly went in here with absolutely no expectations and I had no idea how I was going to be but it was such an amazing 5 months. It was definitely a growing year for me. My emotional bank account is flooded. I feel more at peace with myself. I've come to terms that everything I've ever wanted for myself, I've always had to work harder than most. I wasn't always strong enough for the challenges. When there is pain, there can be growth. Everything that's happened to me has helped me prepare for my solo backpacking adventures, having culture shock when arriving in China, learning to fall in love again, and letting go of everything when I came home. I hope you enjoyed my posts and maybe you'll take many leaps too. I will be starting my academic year and working on some new goals towards my personal development that I hope to share with you sometime next year. I'll let you know how it goes!

My gratitude goes out to the Capilano University School of Business faculty Nancy Ng for being the first to write a few of my recommendation letters, Sue Hogan for my second recommendation, and Azita Shafi for convincing the study abroad office I was good enough!! To the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Vanz team on boundary road for employing me up until the day I left for China. I was a hot mess and my life was all over the place. Thank you to all of you for believing in me. Also gotta thank the haters too, for knocking me down and being my secondary motivation to succeed but seriously, EFF YOU.

Did I mention I'm the new Study Abroad Ambassador for Centre for International Experience at Capilano University?

You can read more about my travel adventures in Asia on my website at www.arianneliu.com!

Multinationals Corporations Management Group Project with Local Students 

Arianne Liu is  Bachelor of Business Administration student at Capilano University. Arianne studied abroad at Jinan University in Guangzhou, China.