Amante Tolbert

These past couple weeks have been very eventful and busy! We learned where our classes are, formed groups with the Chinese students for future projects, and I have found quite a few favorite dishes already. I definitely recommend the tomato and egg soup, and the egg noodles if you’re a vegetarian like myself! Also, we got our Chinese SIM cards and bank accounts set up, so we are now prepared for the semester 🙂

The professors are all kind and go out of their way to make you feel involved, and many of the students are very shy (haha). If you can, I recommend studying some Chinese before coming here so that you can connect with people on a deeper level. Apps are certainly useful, but when you speak to someone in their common tongue (even if you aren’t that great at it yet) it means a lot more to them. Furthermore, there are a lot of mistranslations with the apps, so sometimes you may get wacky messages.

As I am writing this, three friends and I have set off on a trip with stops in Hangzhou and Shanghai for the holiday. I was very nervous at first since we had not traveled without our wonderful and patient mentors yet, but everything has gone smoothly so far, and I’m glad we took the opportunity to travel! *More updates will come on this during my next blog*

Above are some of the people who mean the most to me in this world! There were a lot of tears shed while saying our goodbyes, but after promising to Facetime and text as much as possible, I felt better about the temporary split. My family and I are SUPER close, especially my sister and I, so I know that the separation will be tough. However, I also realize that this is a huge step in my life, so I intend to embrace the experience and bring back stories to tell them that might inspire them to study abroad one day, too.

The drive down south took quite a while, and it was our first time ever visiting such a large city! My hometown is extremely small and primitive when compared to Miami. I couldn’t believe there were so many pedestrians everywhere, and people drove much faster than I had expected given the number of vehicles in close proximity. My hometown consists of a meager 2 gas stations, a Dollar General, and the woods–you can imagine my shock and how many exits we missed. Admittedly, I am a bit anxious to visit China, because I know that the cities will be similar to Miami, and likely even more intimidating. It will definitely be an interesting experience!

As for a little information about myself, I am a 20 year old Senior at FIU. This coming Spring will be the last semester before I graduate with my B.A. in East Asian Studies and minor in International Hospitality! Way to end things with a bang, am I right? While I am here, I plan to find inspiration for my writing–one of my hobbies. I can’t wait to immerse myself in China’s language and culture, and build a foundation in the field of hospitality as well. Since I come from a rather small town, this semester abroad will undoubtedly allow me to grow as a person and see the world through a broader lens.

Cheers to a New Year!

Amante Tolbert