Exchange Tourist
A man in his 20s is like a plane: life is about to take off, and if the route deviates slightly, he may eventually land in a very different place than he had imagined. The same is true when we are young: maybe just a meaningful conversation, a speech or even a backpacking trip. In the end, it will have a significant impact on our lives.
I was an exchange student at Sichuan University in 2014. During that period, I traveled around China in a clockwise direction without spending too much money. Here are three tips that I want to share if you are a poor student like I was.
1. Don’t afraid to ask for help.
2. Try to build a win-win relationship with others
3. Enjoy the culture shock and sell what you believe with confidence
When I was at Sichuan University, I asked my classmates if they have any friends or classmates in Xi’an who want to know more about Taiwan. I want to do a cultural exchange! After I reached Xi’an, local students were really friendly to me and offered me a free dormitory. Then I asked new friends in Xi’an again if they have any friends or classmates in Beijing who want to know more about Taiwan…and so the cycle continued.
I was lucky enough to repeat this approach and traveled around China with a minimal budget. I tried my best to build trustworthy relationships with people ranging from 5 to 100 years old, regardless of age, gender, race, culture, and religion. I listened to their stories and tried to learn how to speak their language, understand their thinking and feel their feelings. I tried to found similarities between us and I also shared different perspectives and core beliefs with them. We are all human beings, our melody of the mind is beyond the language, culture, and religion. And I used that to communicate with people, the same species.
