By: Timothy Kojetin

23rd April, 2010

Ever since I was in high school I had always wanted to study and work in another country. Since I was very young, I have had a passion for travel.  Growing up, my dad had always done a good amount of business internationally.  He would often come home from a business trip and bring my brother, sister and I souvenirs from many foreign places around the world.  We would always be so excited and intrigued about what he would bring home from each trip.  So, hearing about all these travels and great experiences my father had made me want to do something like this when I grew up. To be able to satisfy my love for travel in my career while doing business sounded fascinating to me.

And now I am grown up, a little bit...

So when deciding to study abroad once I got into college I was looking at places like Australia, Chile, New Zealand, and other destinations in where I could take a semester off from the freezing Midwest weather and have some fun in the sun.  Never did going to Northern China, or any Asian country really cross my mind.

On the outside looking in, Mandarin Chinese has always been a very scary and intimidating language to me.  The language has thousands of Characters, different tones with different meanings, and most words sound nothing remotely close to the same in English.  I never understood how a foreigner would be able to even attempt such a mind-boggling language.  This is what always came to my mind when thinking about learning Chinese.

That if I ever tried, it would be too tough to grasp and I would just be wasting my time.

But things changed.

I am currently in Beijing now for half a year learning what I originally thought was the toughest language to learn on the planet.  I realized that if I want to be marketable in the world of International business I needed to learn another language.  I have a sound knowledge of Spanish but wanted to get a start on different language.  Then it came to me.

The language I have always been afraid of is the language that I am supposed to be learning.

With a market of over 3 billion people and with enormous business opportunities, there is no reason that I or any foreigner in the business world should not be learning Chinese.  I am now studying Mandarin 15 hours a week, working, and having the time of my life in one of my favorite places in the world.  I would not trade going to China to learn Chinese for anything. The language is fascinating, the people are amazing, the food is delicious, and the night life is surprisingly incredible. Not to mention, everything is extremely inexpensive compared to the American lifestyle that I have become so accustomed to.  China is not the same country that it was years ago.  They are becoming one of the richest countries in the world and a giant hub for international business.  Even Beijing is not only just the traditional capital that you read about in textbooks.  The world had recently gotten a taste of the new Beijing during the 2008 Summer Olympics.  But, even since then, there is still so much change that has gone on, for the better.  It is an incredibly glamorous city and there are things to do for whatever you  are in to.  There is still culture and many other aspects that have been retained for thousands of years, but it gives the city a very charming appeal that is so easy to fall in love with.  I have found my niche and am so happy for my decision to come to China to take a try at learning the language that I have been afraid of for my entire life.

My China Experience