Reflections from 2010 RFK Scholarship Recipients

Dara from Georgia

A few weeks ago, I traveled to China with (The American Institute for Foreign Study) AlFS Summer Advantage Program. The generous donations from my family and friends, as well as the Robert F Kennedy Foundation Scholars Abroad Scholarship enabled me to afford this trip of a lifetime. I am truly grateful for the support and financial aide I received. My journey began in San Francisco, where I met the other American students selected to take part in the same program. In the beginning, I think we were all unsure of what to expect in China. Most of us had grown up in America and what little we knew about China came from cultural stereotypes or the media. Personally, the journey to China opened my eyes to a culture that is often misunderstood by many westerners. My month long stay was filled with interesting cultural visits (to the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Nanjing Massacre Museum, etc), daily interactions with the local people, and informative classes about the Chinese culture and language. Living in China as a student (rather than a tourist) allowed me to experience the culture first hand- I had to do my own grocery shopping, wash my own laundry and perform regular household tasks right alongside the Chinese people. At first, my number one challenge was the language barrier. It is easy to perform simple household chores, to ask for directions, and to order food when everyone speaks your language, however when the language spoken, is one you don't understand, the simplest tasks become difficult. Over the weeks I was able to pick up some of the language and converse with native Chinese speakers.

I truly enjoyed my time in China. I will miss bargaining market vendors with in the early evening, I miss trying new foods at the local street stands and I will miss the friendly and helpful Chinese people who made the whole experience worthwhile. The people truly make the country what it is.

The country is filled with motivated individuals who want to do bigger and better things, individuals who will easily work their whole lives to provide a better future for their children. China is a developing nation that has a huge part to play in the world's growing economy. It is important for American students to learn more about this growing nation that plays such large role in their own economy. Despite their economic success in the past few years, China still has a lot to learn socially; outside of the big cities and areas of wealth, the majority of the people live in poverty and poor conditions.