China – From Still Streets to a City That Never Ends
My Semester in Shenzhen
“China is a completely different world, that alone is reason enough for me to go there. This is gonna be something I will never be able to experience again in the near future, so just go!”
These thoughts circled through my mind for months before departing. I had been craving a new experience, a new culture I was certain would be very different from the quiet little bubble I was used to. Somewhere above Beijing, still on the plane, I slowly realized that this journey would be overwhelming. The glow of the city pulled me in and excitement began to rise in my stomach. Even then, I felt a mix of gratitude for this opportunity and curiosity about what my semester abroad would teach me.
Arrival in Shenzhen
Right after landing in Beijing, I flew to Shenzhen, the place where I would spend the next four months. The exhaustion from the long journey kept me from paying much attention to my surroundings. When I finally arrived on the campus, I was surprised by how few people there were. In our dorm, which I shared with my friend, we took a short break to catch our breath. Soon after, we had to take care of a few organizational tasks and by the evening we were already heading out for our first mini-adventure. Inside the campus it was calm and quiet. Outside the gate? A completely different universe. I was instantly overwhelmed by the scooters, crowds of pedestrians and bikes. Everyone shared the same tiny walkway, squeezed between parked vehicles. A very kind girl from the university helped us that evening, because we were still far too lost to navigate everything on our own. Since she knew the way and was used to dodging scooters, she walked ahead confidently.I had to focus to keep up while dealing with the constant feeling that I could be hit by a vehicle any moment. The walk became a rhythm of stop, squeeze past someone, stop, dodge a scooter, stop again. Meanwhile, skyscrapers glittered around me, constantly tempting me to stare, which would have definitely gotten me knocked over. My eyes were everywhere, trying to take everything in. And with that China left me with my first impression: breathtaking and fascinating, but also loud, chaotic and always in motion.
Building a connection
After the first week flew by, classes finally started. Among them was an intensive language course that became a lifesaver for me. Bit by bit, I noticed something shifting in me. The world that had felt so foreign slowly became my own, no longer one I felt separated from. Why? Because I started to understand people. Not everything, but a few words, a few phrases. Enough to order food without panicking. Enough to see people’s faces light up because I tried speaking their language. Sharing a language created a connection. Those tiny moments made me feel like maybe, just maybe, I belonged there a little bit. Even though it eased my homesickness, there were still moments when I felt uncomfortable. The crowded elevator in the morning, where a dozen people squeezed in shoulder to shoulder to get to class, or the shopping malls that were sometimes so full you ended up in an actual human traffic jam.
longing peace
Whenever it became too much, hiding in my dorm room helped. But over time I realized I wasn’t just resting, I was avoiding. So I started to change my strategy and wanted to make China feel a bit more like home by doing the things I loved doing back in Germany. Browsing through shopping malls and focusing on the products instead of the crowds helped me to tune them out. Sometimes I visited a gaming room with a friend, which allowed me to escape the daily stress for a while. I found beautiful parks, where I could breathe again and was offered the peace and quiet I was longing for. But sometimes even there, you couldn’t always escape the masses, but somehow it bothered me less than before. Through constant exposure, I had grown used to the constant movement around me.
no regrets
As my semester abroad slowly reached its end, I felt excited to see my family and friends again. At that time, I couldn’t fully see my own development the way I can now. The realization how deeply the experience had shaped me only came once I was back in Germany. In the past even small crowds bothered me, but now I barely notice them. Before China, unfamiliar situations made me anxious. Now I approach them with openness because I know that I truly have the ability to face them. And more than anything, I’ve realized how important cultural exchange is and how easily strangers can become friends when you are willing to understand each other. This semester in China will always be a part of me, one I’m very proud of. And if I had the chance to do it all over again, I’d go in a heartbeat.