Almost two years after planning to get a masters degree (and many more thinking about it), the time has come!
If you're reading this blog post, chances are you already know that I quit my job at IBM, transitioned the Chicago Student Invention Convention to Chicago Innovation, moved to Shanghai (Beijing next!) for the summer interning with CYBF, and will attend the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in Nanjing in the fall, where I'll start my masters of international studies through Johns Hopkins.
Transition and change are never easy. As I made my way through customs at the Shanghai Airport, gathered my bags, and searched for my ride, I was instantly humbled and frustrated by my (very rusty) language skills. After arriving at my homestay, "it" hit me. What if this was all a mistake? How could I leave my life in Chicago, leave my friends and family, and quit my job?? And HOW will I ever feel confident starting masters level classes in Chinese???
Five days in, I'm still feeling uprooted and anxious, but am embracing my new normal, and am more excited (and patient) about tackling this new challenge ahead of me. I'm looking forward to the personal learning and growth that will undeniably come from this experience, and that will create new and exciting pathways along the way (it's all about the journey, right?).
This week, I got a Chinese SIM card, opened a Chinese bank account, signed up for WeChat Pay (it changed my world!), and downloaded the bike
sharing app OFO (more on this later). My language skills are (slowly...) improving, my host family is very nice (more on this later too), and I've met other people with whom I can practice Chinese and/or grab a drink after work. I'm adjusting to my new routine, which includes biking to work (anyone who knows me and my biking skills will appreciate this accomplishment), working in a cool co-working space, and going on runs around my neighborhood before work.
There's a quote from Goethe my dad shared with me a while ago, and I find the last part especially relevant in this moment:
Word of the day: skyline - 天际线 (tian1ji4xian4)
If you're reading this blog post, chances are you already know that I quit my job at IBM, transitioned the Chicago Student Invention Convention to Chicago Innovation, moved to Shanghai (Beijing next!) for the summer interning with CYBF, and will attend the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in Nanjing in the fall, where I'll start my masters of international studies through Johns Hopkins.
Transition and change are never easy. As I made my way through customs at the Shanghai Airport, gathered my bags, and searched for my ride, I was instantly humbled and frustrated by my (very rusty) language skills. After arriving at my homestay, "it" hit me. What if this was all a mistake? How could I leave my life in Chicago, leave my friends and family, and quit my job?? And HOW will I ever feel confident starting masters level classes in Chinese???
Five days in, I'm still feeling uprooted and anxious, but am embracing my new normal, and am more excited (and patient) about tackling this new challenge ahead of me. I'm looking forward to the personal learning and growth that will undeniably come from this experience, and that will create new and exciting pathways along the way (it's all about the journey, right?).
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| View of downtown from Bar Rouge |
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| I survived my first bike ride to work! |
And so it begins..."Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now."
Word of the day: skyline - 天际线 (tian1ji4xian4)
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