The GoGlobal Blog

Author: Rosa Carter

My name is Rosa Carter, I’m from Seattle, Washington, and I am in my second year here at Loyola. I am currently a marketing major with a double minor in Chinese and International Business. I am very excited to be going abroad to China this spring! I hope that while there I am able to improve my language skills, get a different insight into the business world of China, and of course, just have fun being in a new country!
Being Home is Weird. (my last China study abroad blog post)

Being Home is Weird. (my last China study abroad blog post)

Hello again! Welcome back to, unfortunately, my last blog post. I wanted to get this up sooner but was running into technical difficulties getting it up…

Throughout this post, you will find some pictures I took while in China. They have no correlation to what I am talking about (lol) I just want to share them!

Jing’an District, Shanghai, China: My friends and I on the way to a jazz performance.

From my previous post, you all know that there is a virus that is spreading around the country and is reaching other parts of the world. It, unfortunately, couldn’t get contained as fast as most had hoped. Because of that reason, my study abroad program has been canceled.

When we all first got the news that we had to book our flights out of China ASAP, the day was full of panic, sadness, and rapid-email-sending. Honestly, the top five worst news I’ve ever received. I would have never expected my study abroad experience to be cut so short, nor would I have ever expected to be evacuated out of a whole country!! I feel like I am living in a movie, and part of me still doesn’t want to believe I will not be going back anytime soon.

The Big Lawn, Shanghai University Yanchang Campus: My friend studying Chinese outside because the sun was out for a little.

In a way, I am grieving. And although I don’t like sounding dramatic, I’d much rather be honest about how I feel. There were more things I didn’t do than I did. There were so many relationships with people I was so excited to see develop, but now we are all separated. I was so excited to improve my mandarin skills, but now I have lost the opportunity of immersion. I am hurting for all of the families in Wuhan and the Hubei province that has been affected by the virus, have lost a family member, and that cannot get access to decent health care. I am sad for all of China that they are unable to celebrate the Spring Festival and welcome in the new year with joy and celebration, but instead with isolation and sadness.

Gonghexin Rd: Usually a bustling street filled with traffic, people, and electric scooters; practically empty due to people going home for the New Year and staying inside because of the virus outbreak.

I am home now, but the transition back has not been easy. I have been extremely jetlagged and emotionally drained. It has been incredibly hard for me to sleep. I feel like I should not be home; something about it feels wrong. When things end, I think that most people need some level of closure in order to feel accomplished or a sense of completion. I did not receive this closure, so, I am currently feeling dissatisfied. Also, I am nearing the end of my self-quarantine – so, I have been incredibly bored, hahaha! Embodying the true Jesuit spirit, however, this time inside has given me much time to think and reflect on all that has happened.

I am beyond grateful for the time I did get to spend there. I have fully fallen in love with the country and its people. The friends I made, the experiences I did get to have, and everything else will stay with me forever. All the things I did not get to do just give me a reason to go back (which I am 100% planning on doing)!

Xitang, Zhejiang, China: Group photo at the water village!

Life is not going how I expected. At. All. But I will not let this slow me down! With this new free time, I have much more possibilities for self-growth. I have some plans and hopes for the next few months that I think will keep me sane. I hope to continue learning the Chinese language here in Seattle because that is a skill I refuse to lose. I am going to travel to a few places around the world because if I have the time to do so, why not? I am going to start working again which will help relieve some financial burden off of my family who has already done more than enough for me since I have been home. I also love working so that will be good for my mental health. Also, with this semester being canceled it pushes me back academically, but the mantra that has helped keep me sane is that things happen for a reason.

Shanghai Pudong Airport: Not the greatest quality picture, but this is the last picture I took in China – a beautiful sunrise from the airport window.

I appreciate you all for reading my blog, and this post especially. I really wish I could keep writing about more crazy adventures I would be having (maybe I’ll start my own blog?)!! For me, this is just the beginning of more adventures to come.

 To close this post, linked below is a short video I made about my time in China before the virus outbreak. I was not going to share this, but I thought you would all enjoy it!

Until next time!

欢迎你! Welcome! (+health update)

欢迎你! Welcome! (+health update)

Hey Everyone!

            I have been trying to make a blog post for the past two weeks but have not found the right time where I can sit down and think about what I want to say. Right now is that time!

 I am currently sitting on my bed (my friends and I call it “my rock” because the beds here in China are like sleeping on wood floors lol) trying to think about how I want to format this post since so much has happened these past three weeks! I think I am going to keep it brief and casual, and start from the day I departed the states…

After one 14-hour plane ride from Seattle to Hong Kong, and another 2-hour flight from Hong Kong to Shanghai, I was extremely relieved to finally be able to walk freely.

Me (center) and other USAC friends from the group flight

At the airport is where I met the first group of USAC students (we were all on the group flight to Shanghai). We all loaded onto a bus and headed to campus. First couple of days, January 6th and 7th, we spent time exploring campus and taking tours of the city. We made stops at The Bund, Yu Gardens, Pearl Tower, and Tianzifang. They were all beautiful places even though the weather was pretty gloomy those days.

One of the many walkways of Tianzifang

The next morning, we all woke up early to take a charter bus, we dubbed the Teal Mobile for its color, to Hangzhou where we would spend the night. Once we arrived there, we ate brunch and immediately went to Lingyin Temple, AKA Temple of Soul’s retreat. It is one of the largest and wealthiest temples in China consisting of many smaller temples and grottoes. It was a pretty awesome place. To get to one of the temples you have to climb SO. MANY. STAIRS. According to what my apple watch tracked that day, I walked a total of 36 flights of stairs. The views were so worth it though. After climbing back down and checking out a few of the hundreds of Buddhas carved into the side rockery, we hopped back onto the charter bus and headed to Hangzhou National Tea Museum.

Hangzhou Tea Museum tea fields

The day was ending, and the weather was clearing up, so the rays from the sun were reflecting perfectly off of the damp tea leaves in the fields. The museum itself was empty but our program advisor didn’t give us that much time to explore, so we just kind of passed through, but a small group of us got to try free tea – it was amazing!

Next day, January 9th, we headed to West Lake. It was a cloudy day and all the plants were dead because it is wintertime, but it was still such a breathtaking view. We got to roam the lake freely which was a nice break from the quick pace we had been on the past few days. After looking around for a couple of hours, again, we loaded back onto Teal Mobile and headed to our next destination.

cute gazebo along the west lake

Our next stop was a water village, Xitang. It is really interesting because it is a gated off place and you need a ticket to go inside, however my program director was saying that people still live within the walls (obviously they don’t have to pay to get in, but still interesting) . We walked pretty far into this village to get lunch, and then we had more free time! There honestly was not much to do except check out the little shops and soak in the beauty of Xitang. On our way out of the village, we got to ride gondolas! It was a nice break from all of the walking we had been doing.

boat path in the water village

We rode the Teal Mobile for the last time and headed back into the city. The following week was the first days of classes. My classes are three hours once a week. Some days it is harder than others to sit in class that long, but the topics are quite interesting. The only class I have more than once a week is Chinese; that class is three times a week for three hours. I am so excited to get better at speaking and understanding Chinese. Being here these few weeks, I already have noticed an improvement in my skills.

 I currently do not have class this week because of Chinese New Year, but I also wanted to talk about something that I am sure you are all wondering about. A novel virus known as the coronavirus has been spreading rapidly around China, and now the world. I want everyone to know that I am safe and healthy and have been practicing every safety precaution I can be to ensure that my friends and I continue to stay healthy. I am definitely in a unique situation and I am honestly not quite sure what to think about it. I want to be naïve to it all and continue to enjoy my time here, however with the constant closure of events and tourism sites, the possible extension of break, having my temperature checked every time I enter the gates to my dorm, having to remember to wear a mask, and having to cancel my trip to Beijing makes all of this feel a little more real. I know the news in the States is covering the story of the virus very well, but I want to remind you all that news can be shocking and scary, but it does not paint the full picture of the situation. I am blessed to have really good travel insurance and have access to clean, well-managed American-style hospitals. My school here in China is taking every measure possible to ensure that the students here are safe. Shanghai and the other larger cities are doing all it can to make sure this virus gets contained. The other part of this reality, and what you all have been witnesses to, is that outside of the big city is where the problem worsens. There are many families who are not as fortunate as I am and who do not have the same access as I am able to have, so please keep them in your prayers and if you are able to find a way to donate masks or money to valid fundraisers, please do so. Right now, those in quarantined cities especially need as much aid as they can get as they are now not only limited but restricted to access to hospitals, transportation, and other critical resources. It is important to not panic is times like this but continuing to stay safe and manage the situation as much as possible. I added below a link to video from a citizen of Wuhan where he tells the story of the situation there better than what I can explain and better than what I have been seeing on the news.

https://youtu.be/7OEqybiGdaA
*strong language used

On that note! All is not so dark and grim. The sun is supposed to be coming out on Tuesday, I had a movie night with my friends, and I am so grateful for the experience I have already had these first three weeks here in China. I am hopeful for the world and China that it can make it through this hard time, and you will all be hearing from me soon.

me wearing my mask to protect from pollution and sickness!

Until next time!