Charles EVANS

University of New England, Australia
Exchange to Shaanxi Normal University, China

On a sleepless night prior to embarking on my journey into the Orient, I had a surge of emotions running through my head. My plan to live and study in China for the year and perhaps longer, was emerging feelings of excitement, nerves and believe it or not, doubt. However, after already being in Xi’an for over 2 months now, I have seen and experienced things that I had no anticipation of experiencing. Overly helpful strangers, people staring at me peculiarly, and thousands of photos with Chinese people doing the peace sign, to name a few.

My knowledge of Xi’an as a city was very limited, in fact my only knowledge of the city was that it was home to the ‘Terracotta Warriors’ and the ‘Big Goose Pagoda’. However knowing so little about the city opened up a door of mystery and excitement on my journey into the unknown. Nonetheless the city of Xi’an far exceeded my expectations, and still continues to on a daily basis. The university I attend (Shaanxi Normal University) is situated on the Southern side of the city. It has a beautiful campus, which offers a peaceful atmosphere that contrasts the adjacent pandemonium. We are now in spring, which is arguably the most beautiful time in Xi’an. Mainly because it’s the only time of the year that you’re not wearing three layers of clothing, or struggling to wear one. Also there is an abundance of cherry blossoms and foliage engulfing the once barren university village.

When classes commenced, I was overwhelmed by the speed at which the teaching was done. The style of teaching at the university involved the teachers fluently speaking Chinese with no leniency towards English speakers. I spent the first week understanding the bare minimum and was afraid to get involved in class, due to the lack of fluency in my speech. However after that tough week of uncertainty, my teachers (to their credit), noticed my little involvement and urged me to talk in class. This pivotal moment initiated a good rapport with not only me and my teachers but also me and my classmates. It really ignited a confidence in my speaking that I had never had before. My involvement in class and confidence in speaking began to improve at an exponential rate. Furthermore, I took this confidence and immersed myself in the culture, by having conversations with taxi drivers about their families, exchanging English for Chinese words with people on the streets, and even learning the trials of tribulations of Chinese culture from the homeless. My appreciation still is extended towards my teachers everyday in each class for their ability to breakthrough my Chinese introverted barrier.

Everyday I am thankful for being given the opportunity to take up this experience, and I strongly urge anyone who is uncertain about traveling overseas to study, to take a chance and do it!

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