Nathan McGuigan - Wuhan, Huangashi, Yichang & Beijing, China

Experience China, 2018

"The highlight of the trip was cruising the Yangtze River.  It was the best thing after such a crazy week.   From being up early every morning and being constantly on the go, to being able to relax for a few hours, sit back and take in what you have experienced that week.  I have never experienced anything like that and I may never again"

Where I went

We went to China, we visited 4 different cities in 2 weeks – Wuhan, Huangshi, Yichang & Beijing.

Why I applied

I originally applied for this programme because with my 1st university experience I didn’t think I was making the most out of my time here. I felt like I was coming in, going to class and just going home and not really engaging with the university or taking advantage of anything it had to offer.

Being a media student with a passion for photography and travel I thought that this would be a fantastic opportunity, and why not!

Career choices

This experience has lit a fire under me and it has made me want to go out and travel more and experience more and see more cultures.

Skills

From this experience I have learnt how to work with strangers and to create bonds and build relationships quickly. Just to go out and get something down and not to worry or be anxious.

Challenges

Definitely the biggest challenging was the culture shock.

Going to one thing that we know and I do every day to a completely different way of life and having to adapt to that so quickly and move on and appreciate it was the biggest challenge.

Having said that I would 100% recommend this to anyone!

The Highlights

The highlight of the trip was cruising the Yangtze River. It was the best thing after such a crazy week. Up early every morning and being constantly on the go to being able to relax for a few hours, sit back and take in what you have experienced that week.

I have never experienced anything like that and I may never again.

Advice to others

100% do it!

I believe that you should 100% try and utilise any experience that the university has here.

There isn’t going to many more of these opportunities like this outside of the university.

You are here for a very short amount of time so make the most out of this while you can!