No college student can go through four years without hearing about how life-changing and incredible study abroad experiences are. There is no denying the fact that studying abroad changes you, but before going on my study abroad program to China, I never truly understood the magnitude of this change.

I have always thought that I am a good person. I follow the rules, always do my homework, love volunteering, and have genuine friends that I know will last a lifetime. Before going to China I did not think that I had any reason to change. Upon arriving in China, I was astonished at the blatant differences in every aspect of culture and daily life from what I knew back home. Every person in China had no problem bumping into me as I walked by, pointing, spitting, or taking up the entire sidewalk to practice tai chi. The first couple of days I was consumed with resent, overcome with frustration that nobody would do these things if I were back home. I couldn’t stifle the judgment that I continued to pass on the people around me just because they did things differently than me. It began taking away from my experience as I struggled to comprehend that this culture could be so opposite of everything that I had always known.

On the fourth morning of my trip, the jet lag had not yet subsided so I decided to go on a run at 5:30 in the morning. As I ran along the beautiful Pearl River and admired the sunrise, I came across a group of elderly men and women practicing tai chi. As I huffed at the obstruction of my previously planned run, one of the men waved me over and proceeded to teach me the tai chi moves that they were practicing so I could join in. It was at that moment that I realized the beauty in all of our differences, and the importance of embracing everyone for everything that they are. Instead of trying to fit China into the mold that I believed it should fit in, I had to accept that the differences that I was experiencing were exactly what made China, China. From that day forward I accepted every quirk and difference as yet another lesson and instead let China change me for the better.

So yes, studying abroad is beautiful and adventurous, but above all, it is the best way to teach everyone that their way of doing things isn’t necessarily better than another. Being able to experience another culture so drastically different from your own is not just a privilege, I believe it is a necessity for everyone to truly be able to dispel their judgment. Since returning from this experience, I cannot find it in me to judge someone just because they are different than me because it is precisely those differences that make life interesting. I thought that I was a good person before, but I owe a sincere thank you to China for teaching me the true meaning of acceptance and making me a better person.