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鈥淚ncredible! I was able to reach places, people, and environments that were immensely difficult to access. The students and guides were amazing. One of the most influential experiences of my life. Can't wait to visit China again.鈥�
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鈥淭he course helped expand my understanding of creating research questions. Question creation when surveying subjects can be hard because sometimes answers are useful for research while other answers were less helpful. I think the locations were great but the timing of when we traveled were not as ideal. Traveling at what felt like the peak of summer made focusing on lecture difficult. Every local we encountered was kind and enjoyed talking with us. My favorite location was Xining because I enjoyed seeing sacred sites. My time spent in China will be unforgettable and the experience I gained will be invaluable.鈥�
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鈥淥rganizational Behavior & Business in China (Beijing, Shenzhen, Chengdu & Xining, China) - Summer, 2024 Took place in China With tons of interactions with locals, I felt completely immersed in the culture We did multiple activities a day, but my favorite was going to the video game headquarters in Shenzhen, along with going to the yak farms in Qinghai. All of the guides hired in each place were great, especially Jack Dragon who was our guide during the whole duration.鈥�
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鈥淐ourse: Our course included interviews/talks with local people (teachers, farmers, corporate representatives, entrepreneurs, etc.), evening discussions, reading summaries (individual), a final paper (group), and a final presentation (group). I have never taken a business course before, but felt like I learned a lot about the subject during my trip, especially the differences between the way it is conducted here compared to China. The final paper and presentation were introduced about halfway through the course; I think introducing it from the very beginning would have improved the class. We could have asked more relevant questions to the speakers, been more focused on our chosen topics, and had more time to plan/prepare the project. Location: We visited Beijing, Xining, Chengdu, and Shenzhen. Xining's climate was very similar to Boulder's, but the other three were quite hot and humid. Be prepared for the weather! Interactions: This program allowed me to meet a lot of people I could not have if I were traveling solo. We visited with 乐播传媒 yak herders, the architect/owner of the hotel we were staying in, factory representatives, local farmers, and more. The interactions with locals was really special, and was definitely the highlight of the trip. Excursions: We visited some tourist sites such as the Forbidden City and Tiananmen's Square, Chungxi Street, some famous markets, etc. We also volunteered by assisting some local farm families with chores. These were all really great, and I enjoyed that we were able to help the community we were visiting.鈥�
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鈥淚t completely changed how I look at China as a whole. I had some unknown biases and feel as if this trip has helped me overcome them. It also showed how important it is to experience cultures other than your own. It made me aware of the importance of differing mindsets.鈥�
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鈥淭oo much to describe but made me very open to the world. I gained more appreciation for how small my life experiences are and the diversity across the globe.鈥�
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鈥淭his experience has helped inspire me to improve my Chinese, helped me think about how businesses function in more depth (especially at the individual level), and has helped me see the cultural differences between Chinese workers/employers and American ones. It has also fueled my love of traveling and meeting people from different backgrounds; fundamentally, I think individuals are very much the same. We have some cultural differences, but very real human emotion and desires persist all around the world.鈥�
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