Leadership Junior Briana Glass in Shanghai, China! – Monthly Update Part 3
Written by: Briana Glass
Pictures around Briana’s Shanghai campus including her dorm and a building where she has classes.
Like most things in life, when all is going well, you never want it to end. You just want to soak up as much as possible in each day and live in that moment forever. This is my general sentiment as I embark on my third month here, truly realizing that my time in Shanghai is halfway over and that all these wonderful experiences will soon be memories that I can happily look back on and cherish. Furthermore, I am so grateful for the people, the stories, and the new life experiences I have gained which will never be duplicated. I have grown in a variety of different ways, my outlook and perspective on people continues to become more eclectic and robust as I hear stories from those with similar backgrounds to me and from those quite different. As I still have plenty of time left in Shanghai and China as a whole, I want to reflect on what these first two months have meant for me and look to what the remaining months have in store.
This month of October started off with Golden Week, China’s National Holiday in which I received a full week off from classes. In having a week off, it was my first true opportunity to explore Shanghai and the surrounding areas. I am proud to say that I conquered the crowds that flooded some of Shanghai’s most popular locations, visited the nearby city Nanjing for a day, and through all of this, enjoyed it with people who care effortlessly and who have continued to make my Shanghai exchange experience that much more memorable. In addition, the holiday also gave me a chance to explore the SUFE campus and capture some photos without the crowds of students that normally occupy all the facilities and walkways. I might be sappy and truly blissful with my view of all things Shanghai but I truly love my campus and all the true quirks that make Shanghai, (whether it be good or bad) Shanghai.
After classes resumed and I returned back to a seemingly metronomic routine, I still found ways to take full opportunity of living in a dynamic, urban setting. During the beginning of the month, I attended the Shanghai Masters Tennis Tournament and had tickets for the finals which allowed me to see the Bryan Bryan brothers win in doubles and Roger Federer dominate in his singles victory. I explored Changxing Island (an island right across from Shanghai) with family friends and one of their coworkers who owned a farm. I witnessed my favorite singer, Mariah Carey in concert, and knew every single song sung and loved every minute of it. Lastly, I had the opportunity to take a boat cruise around The Bund with fellow SUFE students for an exchange event.
Briana and her friends on a boat cruise.
As I look forward to November, I see more challenges as well as a multitude of wonderful experiences ahead, excitedly waiting to be added to my memory bank. In addition I will continue to improve my Mandarin and to grow my usage of the words I know as well as increasing my vocabulary. Overall, I am looking forward to the new travel adventures I will embark on with my friends, my second family the Hau’s, and my roommate. The journey continues, and I appreciate all who have followed me on my journey. As always, thank you so very much.
Until Next Time
BG
- Three Minute Leadership – Where the Acorns Are
- Three Minute Leadership: Create Your Own Images of What Tomorrow May Bring