Student Shares Life-Changing Study Abroad Experience

UNCP student Demi Meiklejohn (Right) participates in an English Learning Bridge activity in China, where Chinese students designed T-shirts based on interpretation of artwork. PN Photo/ Demi Meiklejohn

My study abroad experience was definitely life changing. I spent a semester in China and learned so much that I believe, could never be formally taught in a classroom.

It was an immersive experience that taught me about different cultures all over the world.

Along with learning about other people and cultures, I was able to learn a lot about myself. I was forced to learn how to be completely independent. Through this I learned how to speak my mind and be more outgoing.

I have also made best friends from all over the world and I feel that my knowledge has grown so much in a very short amount of time.

I was able to spend a lot of time with Chinese students through English speaking activities and through this I was able to learn Chinese also.

I was so excited to go to China because I expected it to be very different than American culture.

I was able to bring a lot of my knowledge back with me in the form of being able to understand people better.

Following my experience, I also feel like I am able to be more understanding, respectful, and open to people in all different situations of life.

I enjoyed China so much. It is very different from America, in my opinion.

I enjoyed being able to go to the city center of Nanjing and see all of the high buildings and the different shops. I also enjoyed being able to go to different parts of town and seeing very old, traditional Chinese architecture.

I feel like I would never be able to have an international experience such as this without the help of UNCP.

I am very grateful for the opportunity to be more globally aware and learn from the best kind of experience.

China was the perfect place for studying abroad, for me, because I think that it’s so rich in culture that is so different than my own.

Leaving my comfort zone was something I would never have liked to do before.

But, for me, jumping head first, completely out of my comfort zone, really improved me as a person and I will never regret it.

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