What to know before we leave.

The trip is only a few days away now, and before I started to make posts in China I thought that I'd share with you a little about myself, and what has taken place in order to prepare us for the trip so far.

In terms of preparing for the trip, we have held three meetings this semester that have connected WNEC and UE students using the services of Skype. At these meetings we've been introduced to the cultural practices present in China, and what we can expect to encounter in a business environment. Students have also studied the social, political, environmental, historical, religious, and economic circumstances of China through enrolling in a preparation course for the trip. The course syllabus for the trip states, "The major goal of the International Practicum is to allow undergraduate students opportunities to enhance their understanding of cross-cultural differences and the globalization of the work environment". This goal will no doubt be fulfilled through our trip to Beijing and Shanghai. Not only will we be visiting five business locations on our trip to expose ourselves to the challenges of conducting business in China, but we will also experience various cultural attractions that are of great significance to the region of China. The educational journey will also be recorded by each student in a personal journal along the way and reflected upon in a final essay so as to capture the unique experience of each student.

As for myself, I am a student from Western New England College who has limited travel experience at best. I'm from Massachusetts, and while I have managed to travel to most of New England, I've only been to New York, Virginia, and Florida in the United States. I did travel to Montreal once in high school though, so I suppose I can say that I have traveled internationally. I'm currently a senior business management major here at WNEC with an international business minor, and when the opportunity arose to travel to China I couldn't pass it up. Interestingly enough, I had applied for and received my passport this past summer just in case I was to travel anywhere eventually. I had always had the desire to travel, but rarely the means. Little did I know that I would soon be traveling to China of all places. I quickly applied for my visa, got the necessary immunizations, and read up on all that I could about China. It's easy to understand why many people are interested in China today. A rapidly developing nation of over 1.3 billion people is hard to ignore, and the international spotlight will soon be shining directly over the region for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The world is watching as China seeks to sustain itself in a tremendously important period of growth that will undoubtedly have a far reaching global impact. What better way to understand what's taking place now in China then to travel to the region itself? I can't wait, and I invite you to join me along the way.