Last summer, Man Li decided to travel from Beijing, China, to ETSU with hopes of gaining valuable experiences as an international student.
After hearing about a study abroad program at the North China University of Technology, Li seized the opportunity to travel to the United States
“I had been thinking about coming to America for awhile,” Li said. “I really wanted to experience education in the United States before I finished my degree in mass communications.”
While pursuing her undergraduate degree in mass communications, Li felt that studying abroad would be a valuable experience that could diversify her experience and give her an advantage over her competitors in the job market. She hopes to work for a foreign company doing communication or marketing work.
“I think that I will need this experience when I begin looking for a job in the future,” Li said. “It has already helped me to become more comfortable with meeting new people, and that is a skill everyone can use, especially going into mass communications.”
Adjusting to a brand new area, especially a new country overseas, may appear overwhelming to some. However, Li thinks that traveling abroad in an educational setting has made it easier for her to adjust to a new area, culture, etc.
“It really wasn’t that hard at all for me to adjust to being here,” she said. “I do really miss my food, but other than that it wasn’t too bad.”
Although she does miss her Chinese food, mostly the rice, she has had the opportunity to make many new friends as well as valuable contacts.
“I’ve made a lot of really good friends that I plan to stay in touch with,” she said. “People have been very friendly and welcoming here.”
Aside from participating in her classes and other campus activities, she really enjoys shopping and exploring the town with new friends she has made.
She plans to become more involved in campus activities and organizations before she returns to China next spring.
“I think that coming to ETSU and being a part of the study abroad program has been a very good experience for me,” she said. “It has been educational in so many ways and it has opened my eyes to many things, too.”
