Anticipating My Summer Trip to China

www.china.org.cn/english/features/museums/139265.htm

One of the benefits of being a McConnell Scholar is the opportunity to travel to China for five weeks during the summer following your junior year. Over the past month, I, along with the remainder of the Class of 2013, have been preparing for this trip under the tutelage of Dr. Shiping Hua, a McConnell Center Fellow and political science professor at the University of Louisville. We have discussed Chinese politics, how to prepare for the trip, and what to see (or not see) based on the advice from Scholars who went on the trip last summer. These preparatory seminars have made each of us more excited about the privilege to travel to another country this summer.

As a mini-assignment, I researched the Chinese Ethnic Park and Museum and look forward to seeing the variety of Chinese ethnic groups, architecture, dance and other cultural symbols on display.

Unlike past McConnell Scholar groups that have traveled to the People's Republic of China, my Class will spend most of our time in Shanghai, where we will attend class with Chinese students and other students from across the world. We will stay in Beijing and Xi'an for 10 days each, spending most of our time on field trips and meeting local officials.

All in all, this will be an amazing experience for every McConnell Scholar. If we each take advantage of this amazing opportunity and attempt to soak up as much culture and information up as we can, this could prove to be a vital part of our education.

Taryn Mahanes, Class of 2013