Hi, my name is Gregg Surette. I’m from Manchester, New Hampshire and I’m a junior at Fairfield, majoring in international business and accounting. Oh, and I’m an excellent kisser. But for the next year, you won’t be able to find me living on Fairfield’s campus or the Point. That’s because I am spending this year in Beijing, China and Paris, France.
When I was a freshman, I had my first experience with study abroad. I remember it vividly. I was sitting in my Chinese class when suddenly, there was a knock on the door. A young man came in and told my class about his experience studying in China. To be honest, I didn’t pay attention to a single word he said. I was just happy that he came in to interrupt my class. The same thing happened the next week in my French language class, except this time it was about studying in France. These students really seemed to enjoy their semesters overseas, but I just really enjoyed them taking up our class time.
I always had a feeling that I wanted to study abroad somewhere, but I didn’t know where and I didn’t know how serious I was about doing it. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I really started questioning what I wanted to do. I felt that if I did study abroad, then I would be missing out on too much of my college experience. But I also felt that if I didn’t study abroad, I would miss out on the world. After speaking with a professor at Fairfield and hearing him talk about how study abroad is just traveling and “playing school” for a semester, I really became interested and took the study abroad sessions more seriously.
When thinking of places to study abroad, I decided that since I had taken French courses for about eight years, France would be a great place to study (and where better to spend spring break than Europe!). But then I thought since I had started taking Chinese courses, China would also be a great place to spend a semester. Then one day I was speaking to my advisor and she simply asked, “Wanna go to China?” “Sure,” I responded, and from that point on, I made the plan to study in China and then in France.
I told my parents of my plans and they were a little surprised. But in the end they supported my decision. I think they partially believed that I wouldn’t go, since I always had a lot of pipe dreams (like the time I wanted to become an NBA player or the other time I wanted to raise sea monkeys). So that, in a nutshell, is how I find myself in my current position: across the world, studying at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China.
So far, the study abroad session has been everything I hoped it would be, and then some. We went on a three-week tour of the country. I have seen more things in the first three weeks than I probably have ever seen in my life. I have seen everything from a formal Uighyr banquet to a Tibetan monastery, the Great Wall, ancient Chinese cities, Terracotta Warriors, the most beautiful lake in the world, to hundreds of Buddhist statues over 2000 years old. I have camped out with Kazaks, ridden a camel through the Gobi desert, played soccer with monks, and done countless other activities not available in the states. I had the chance to eat scorpion on a stick, yak tongue at a Brazilian barbecue, and the best Beijing duck that China has to offer. So far, giving up a year at Fairfield (as much as I love it), has been worth it. But of course, I miss my friends and watching the Red Sox attempt to win a World Series.
I’ve also been able to gain insight about how Americans are viewed from across the globe. When at the Medical School in Urumqi, a student asked me, “Are all American students like the kids in American Pie?” I’m not one to want to burst his bubble, so I just told him, “Yes, that is how we all act.” I thought it was hilarious, and I think I influenced him to study in America. But other than that, Americans are mostly looked up to in this part of the world. Many of my friends get asked out to lunch with the locals, have arm-wrestling contests, and many people just want to talk to an American to practice their English. Being an American is also beneficial at the clubs, since we can usually get VIP cards, the best tables and decent prices for drinks.
For anyone interested in studying abroad and not quite sure if it’s the right thing to do, just do it! You can always party at the Point when you get back. But you wont always have the opportunity to party all over foreign country cities like Beijing, Xi’an, Urumqi, Turpan, or Xiahe. And what is more attractive than a country where beer is the drink of choice and is cheaper than chocolate (35 cents a litre vs. one dollar a bar). Why not try it out?
So, signing off for now, but don’t worry. I’ll be back soon to update you with funny stories, descriptions of Chinese and European life, and tales about my travels around the world.
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