I am still adjusting to the different course schedule in Shanghai. At my home college, the courses meet for 50 minutes three days per week or they meet one hour and twenty minutes two times per week. On a rare occasion you could have a class that meets for three hours on one day per week. In Shanghai, all of our classes are three hours long and held once per week. My mandarin class is two and a half hours long three days per week . I also have an internship that is approximately 15 to 20 hours per week. During the day it is easy to be busy because much of the day is spent in a classroom or running to catch the metro to make it to my internship.
The large difference that I notice between my home college and the one I’m currently enrolled in is the amount of homework. I am a math major and we do a ton of practice problems to understand the material we are learning. I have had way too many late nights studying and figuring out problems. Playing tennis for my home college, which keeps me very busy! Here, I don’t have any of that. It feels like there is something missing while I am in Shanghai. Almost like I am missing a part of me–maybe my purpose.
I do believe however, that everything happens for a reason. Being here and dealing with a very different type of work ethic made me realize something. I LOVE MATH! I am so glad that I choose math as my major. Being accountable for all of the homework we receive at my home college gives me a purpose. While at school it can be hard sometimes to do math day in and day out. This semester abroad has helped me realize my goals and career choice more clearly.
Coming here shows me how lucky I am to have something in my life that I love. It is crazy to think that I will be able to do what I love for the rest of my life, which will be working in the field of math. Being here in China is an amazing way to realize that I am on the right path in my life. I can say with full confidence that I am exactly where I am supposed to be! I am hoping that my internship also reassures me regarding my career path. The company I am working with is like a large bank, with large products you can invest your money in. This is perfect because for the past three summers I have worked for a bank and I loved it!
Enough about my self-realization. I have also been traveling around the city and have seen incredible things. Including the China Art museum. As a child I was taken to art museums and other attractions like them which has given me a great appreciation for them today. It is insane some of the paintings that artists are able to produce.
Even the building is art.
