Kalyan Chadalavada: China

Kalyan Chadalavada: Wilson Language Grant China Trip

            “I’m kinda nervous,” my host-brother said as he picked me up from the Guilin Middle School. “I have never spoken to a black kid before.” Surprised I slowly replied, “I’m actually Indian…” That was all he said to me for the rest of the day. As soon as I had my first interaction with my host-brother, I knew I was in for an experience I would never forget.

For the week prior to that moment, I had just been a tourist in this foreign nation. In that short week, I saw the most beautiful things I had ever seen. In Beijing, the most fascinating sights were the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, and the Tiananmen Square, but my most favorite was the Olympic Bird’s Nest. I was amazed at the size of the stadium since my only view of the stadium was on television during the 2008 Olympic Games. Not only was the stadium gigantic, but also its structure surprised me the most. I still cannot understand how the Chinese were able to construct such a massive structure with the curves on top and single beams to make it seem like an actual bird’s nest.

 In the next city I traveled to, Xian, I explored the Terra Cotta Warriors and the not as well known Muslim Quarter. It was surprising to see a section of the city dedicated to just one ethnicity. To find an area of the city full of another culture in an otherwise uniform country was astounding.

After my host brother and I got over our awkwardness, I got a chance to delve into the culture of the Chinese people. As soon as we arrived at my host-brother’s house, he introduced me to his mother and father, and they welcomed me to their family. As the week went on, I learned much about Chinese urban living, from their food and culture to social interactions. I was offered some of the craziest foods such as dog and fried cockroaches. Also, I was able to interact with other Chinese kids my age and learn about their daily lives. They even had a floor in the apartment house dedicated just to video games.

While I learned a lot about China in my urban home-stay, I felt as I had learned the most in the rural home-stay in Longsheng county. This week was very challenging for me, but I felt as if I had grown as an individual. Everything from the bathroom to the cooking style was different than what I was accustomed to in an urban setting. The toilet was only a hole in the ground to which I had to push a pig out of the way to get to. During this week, I really feel like my knowledge of the Chinese culture, from my ability to speak the language to learning how to play the traditional Chinese game of mahjong, was greatly developed.

In the final week, I transitioned back to being a tourist in Yangshuo and Shanghai. Yangshuo was much more different than any city I visited on the trip from the types of food to the ethnicity of the people we saw there. Along with all the Chinese restaurants, surprisingly I saw foods from around the country such as Italy and India. Finally, Shanghai proved to be just like any big American city. Throughout this month, my Chinese language skills has strengthened in both new vocabulary and being able to carry a conversation with the locals. Without this first-hand experience, I would have never been able to learn the reality about the lives of the Chinese people both in the city and rural villages. I would like to thank Mrs. Zhang for providing me with the knowledge of the language to help me through the month.

 Of course, this trip would have never been possible with the opportunity given to me by the Wilson family. I really appreciate you financing and choosing me to go on this amazing trip. This was a one of a kind experience that I will never forget. Thank you so much for the opportunity.