Everything I've Learned From 6.5 Months of Studying Abroad in China :)

It’s been a while, but we’re officially back!

The past 4 weeks have been some of the craziest yet most bittersweet moments of my life:

1. Traveled to the Chinese-North Korean border

2. Wrapped up my study abroad in Beijing

3. Ended my “Great China Adventure”

4. Flew 10,000 km back to California

And many, many more crazy stories.

A part of the reason why I hadn’t been keeping up with this newsletter wasn’t just the lack of time recently, but this internal, super-high expectation I had put on myself:

To deliver A+ content every single time.

As my newsletter’s fast approaching 100 subscribers, I definitely feel more weight on my shoulders to write something of more concrete value.

But at the same time, I remember one of the best pieces of writing advice I’ve ever gotten:

“Write like you talk.”

And that’s what I’m going to do.

While I was reflecting on my study abroad experience from the past 6.5 months, I wondered: “Why not turn these thoughts into a newsletter post?”

So, without further ado, here are X lessons from my “Great China Adventure:”

1: Travel > Vacation

Hot take: I think vacations are completely overrated for young people.

Stop going on vacations and start reframing traveling as a way to learn more about yourself and your connection with the world at large.

How does this look like?

• Slow travel > fast travel (spend ideally 3+ months in a given location)

• Spend the majority of your time exploring

• Spend the majority of your time outdoors

• Travel on a low budget

• Learn everything about a place’s history

When you’re young, you’re blessed with the ability to move quickly and do some crazy things.

You have all the time to sip a tropical cocktail by the beach.

But to go on a last-minute adventure with your friends, sleep in $10 hotels, and walk 30k+ steps while running on 3 hours of sleep?

That’s an experience you can never forget. And you’ll learn SO much in the process.

Travel > vacation (always).

2: Who Are You (Really)?

During my time abroad, I’ve created a philosophy on how I want to live life the next 5-10 years:

I call it the “Modern Day Grand Tour,” or “The Grand Tour 2.0.”

Here’s a bit more about my philosophy:

There’s clarity in contrast.

When you physically distance yourself from your past life, you begin to see what parts of your life weren’t serving you.

Old places, old relationships, old feedback loops.

It’s this process of stripping away these parts of you that allows you to have the space to forge a new identity.

And this new identity will help you develop a well-designed philosophy on how you actually want to live your life.

3: A Lot of Things Will Go Wrong

Don’t we all love things that go terribly wrong?

Well, when you’re living abroad, you’re undoubtedly going to come across these things.

I had my fair share of those moments:

• Dropped + got my phone stolen

• Traveled solo in Shanghai b/c of poor planning with friends

• Flight got delayed, arrived at 2 a.m, slept for 3 hours before a big trip

• Travel combined with managing job offers = terrible combo

• (Countless times) almost missing trains

• (Also countless times) not understanding conversations in Mandarin

The funny thing is, it was scary during those moments. But when you look back, you can’t help but crack a smile. Or even a laugh.

These moments help build character.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I was slowly building resilience - no matter the setback, obstacle, or challenge, I somehow found a way to overcome them.

And it’s this muscle that ultimately builds into unshakable confidence.

4: Friendships are Everything

I’m gonna be honest:

When I arrived at Beijing in the frigid heart of winter, I thought to myself, “There’s no way I can survive here for 4-5 months by myself.”

Boy, was I proven wrong - over and over again.

Looking back, if there’s a singular thing that has made this experience so f*cking special, it had to be the friends I’ve made along the way.

Most were incredibly willing to:

• Immerse in the local culture

• Connect with others from different parts of the world

• Travel every weekend (imo that was the best ;)

• Spontaneously do crazy shit

There is absolutely no way you’d be able to recreate this experience in your home campus.

Everyone knows they’re operating on limited time. And not only that, people who make the leap to study abroad generally share similar values:

• Globally-minded

• Open-minded (no Hongdae references at my watch 😉)

• Seek genuine human connection

If there’s one thing I’ll miss the most (by far), it’s the people. Because where the people are, that’s usually where home is.

Which leads to my final lesson:

5: You Question Where “Home” Actually Is

So many people talk about this idea of “culture shock,” this feeling of disorientation you experience when you leave the familiarity of your hometown.

But what many people don’t tell you is “reverse culture shock.”

Coming back to the U.S after 6.5 months, I felt like a foreigner for the first time:

• Seeing English everywhere

• The diversity of people from all parts of the world

• The super-wide highways

• The massive size 30-font words on road signs

It was a super bizarre experience. For the first time, I genuinely questioned whether the place I grew up is still, today, the place I can call home.

Because this is what living abroad does: it expands your capacity of what’s possible.

Instead of having a one-sided frame on something, like where you want to live in the future, you suddenly have a comparison.

And it’s this comparison piece that can only be found via living abroad.

Home doesn’t have to come from where you were born and raised.

The world is a vast place. See the world first, before ultimately deciding where you want to grow your roots.

Conclusion

My life mantra for this year is: “It’s just the beginning.”

Where one adventure ends is where another one begins.

And if there’s anything I took away from this experience, it’s this: I was made to be out there, out into the world.

That’s where I get 10x the energy, the optimism, the drive to live a f*cking amazing life.

So… here’s a soft announcement for round 2:

Where’s study abroad 2 going to take place? Well… one shall find out soon enough.

We’re back on the publishing cadence now. Expect a jam load of essays coming your way.

Also, quick shoutout to Jay Yang for his newly published book, “You Can Just Do Things!” You can find a special little feature on page 78 ;).

See you in the next, and remember:

IT’S JUST THE BEGINNING.

Jeston Lu

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