Erica Shafer

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Location: Beijing, China

Time Abroad: Fall 2007

Major: International Studies

DU gave me almost a whole new identity by providing me the chance to study abroad in Beijing, China, therefore picking out my favorite memory from such a life-changing experience is impossible. The fact is my trip to China that began last summer and lasted six months was my first trip out of the country so everything about it was practically guaranteed to be novel and unforgettable, and goodness it was! From landing in the Beijing airport all by myself and barely being able to communicate with anyone around me, to meeting and living with my host parents who took such good care of me they even celebrated my birthday with a traditional Chinese birthday dinner and who still affectionately refer to me as their American daughter in our current e-mail correspondence, to studying at Beijing University and visiting twelve different cities including Chengdu and Lhasa where the monks actually asked me to hang out with them. I even eventually learned so much mandarin I was able to help out with a minor but official Chinese police investigation. My trip to China was indeed nothing but memorable. While there, I not only was able to immensely improve my Chinese language skills and study at the "Harvard" of China but, most importantly, I gained life-long friends who I talk to almost everyday and who I do not know how I ever got along in life without. I can say then, with absolute sincerity, that there has not been a day that has gone by after my return home, especially with the news of Tibetan riots, Disastrous earthquakes north of Chengdu, and the 2008 Olympics that I have not reflected on my life in China. My trip to there helped me discover new things I never thought I would be capable of doing and new places and people I never thought I would have such deep connections too. I cannot wait to go back!

University of Denver

Erica Shafer