.png)
 |
| Taryn Mahanes University of Louisville |
Chicago, IL, 10:07 AM
As I sit in O’Hare Airport, looking out the window at our gigantic Boeing 777, I can’t quite grasp the fact that this trip has actually begun. I remember my senior year of high school when I was informed that I had received the McConnell Scholarship, which included a five-week trip across the globe to the People’s Republic of China. I dreamed of the trip but never imagined actually reaching this day.
Every year, 10 McConnell Scholars - all rising seniors at the University of Louisville - travel to China to study politics, government, and culture. Upon their return, the group spends a day at our summer retreat reviewing their trip. Listening to their presentations and reflections has always been exciting as I knew that I would one day take a similar trip. However, like most things you look forward to in life, the trip always seemed so far away.
Unlike the nine other members of my group, I have never traveled outside of the United States. I can’t conceive of how I will feel after this 14-hour flight. The painless, short flights to get you around the United States are nothing compared to these non-stop flights over oceans and continents. I have no idea how it will feel to be in a country completely surrounded by people who do not speak my language and share a completely different culture than the one with which I am accustomed.
I just exchanged my American dollars to yuan. Although our China preparation class and conversations with other Scholars who have journeyed to China helped coach me for things like this, just that simple act of exchanging my American money was new for me. More than just experiencing Chinese culture, I look forward to better understanding my McConnell Scholar classmates in a way that I can’t in America. Between school and Scholar events, its seems all of us are too busy to spend much time with each other. Now, these nine people are the only people I will know in the crowded Chinese cities.
This is going to one of the most amazing and eye-opening trips of my life. I cannot wait to see how different my outlook on life will be in six weeks. I am overwhelmed with a little fear, a lot of hope, and excitement.
Taryn Mahanes, from Pewee Valley, Ky., is a senior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville and is currently studying in the People's Republic of China. She is majoring in English and humanities with minors in Spanish and political science.
Taryn Mahanes, from Pewee Valley, Ky., is a senior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville and is currently studying in the People's Republic of China. She is majoring in English and humanities with minors in Spanish and political science.