This time, however, I asked her name (陈草儿, Chen Cao Er) and we found that we both live on WUT’s West Campus, where she is pursuing her graduate studies. We made sure to exchange contacts and she even invited me to go to a different hip-hop class with her on Sunday. Needless to say, I think I made a new friend! I feel very lucky that I still have more time to spend in Wuhan so that I can continue to pursue these relationships and continue to learn about this city.
Besides teaching, being a Reach the World traveler has also challenged me to become a more confident and outgoing person. Reach the World helped me get out into my community and explore my environment. At the beginning of my time in Wuhan, before I had made friends, there were many days when I would not have left my apartment (due to anxieties) were it not for RTW. I’m thankful that RTW helped me overcome my anxiety and get to know my community better. Moreover, through Field Notes and Logbooks, I was able to learn things about Wuhan that I may not have known otherwise. For example, who knew that Wuhan had so many universities? I sure didn’t! But now I’ve visited three other university campuses besides my own and I will continue to traverse my way through the city--one campus at a time.
As my time as an RTW traveler comes to a close, I will continue to build off what I learned from the program and continue to explore and question and learn. I hope you do, too.
