Dear World,
Hi. In 25 days I will be traveling half way around the world. Although I’d like to say that I am fully prepared for this experience that will forever change me, I’m not. At all. Have I even thought about packing? No. Have I printed off my airline tickets? Looked at all the requirements I have to hand in for customs? Found out my classes? Not in the slightest. By now, I thought that I would be so mentally/physically/emotionally prepared. Less than 30 days. That’s all I have.
I don’t come from a large town. There’s about 30,000 people. Sometimes when I’m driving around, it seems huge, and then other times, when I can’t go anywhere without seeing someone I know, it seems so small. I left my town because I thought it was too small, so I went to Worcester. I thought that being in a city with 3 million people would be so overwhelming. Shanghai has approximately 22 million. More than 7 times bigger than Worcester. Holy.Jesus. How am I going to fit in? Will I be lost in the shuffle? I can barely find my shoes in the morning, how am I going to be able to navigate Shanghai?
Okay, enough with being nervous. Something I have realized in the past few weeks is the opportunity I have been presented with. Neither of my parents of millionaires, but we aren’t broke either. I thought I was extremely lucky, especially as a woman, to be going to Clark University and study what I want. Now, two and a half years later, I am presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. In high school I never thought I would be able to travel half way around the world. I didn’t even think I would be studying something that would allow me to travel. But because of the support of my professors, parents, and friends, I have decided to take on this new adventure. And I couldn’t be doing it without them.
What is the one thing I am looking forward to most in Shanghai? New people. Of course I will miss my friends like crazy cakes and my family even more. But who doesn’t like meeting new people and their perspectives? If I’ve learned one thing at Clark, its that everyone has their own experiences and opinions that they bring to the table. I can’t wait to meet the people I’ll be working with, be studying with, and being exploring Shanghai with. I’m ready to dive deep into Shanghai’s history, culture, food, nightlife, and anything else it has to offer.
I might not be prepared to leave tomorrow, but in 25 days, I will be prepared to explore a brave new world.
– RHG
Rosie in China 