My Time in China

By: Kayla Kimrey

This summer I studied in Hong Kong for five weeks. We went to visit factories in ShenZhen, China, and see how baby dolls, jeans, and melamine plates were made. This program was amazing and showed me every step of the supply chain in business. This was a once and a lifetime experience for me. I got to make connections with people all around the world, like when we went to see the Dragon Boat races with the Texas Exes chapter in Hong Kong, and I also was able to see the incredible sites of that Hong Kong had to offer, such as Victoria’s peak, Dragon’s Back hike, and Stanley Market. 

After the studying was over, my mom and her best friend came to join me in Hong Kong. My mom adopted me from China in the Guangdong Province, which is right outside of Hong Kong, and we went back to China when I was 10 years old to see the orphanage, where I was adopted; and see the Great Wall. We had always talked about going back in another 10 years, when I was 20 but never would’ve imagined it would actually happen. To be back with my mom in China 20 years after she had adopted me, was a dream come true and something I will cherish forever.

When my mom and her best friend left, my boyfriend of 5 years joined me to continue my journey outside of Hong Kong. We went to Beijing where we went to the Great Wall, Summer Palace, and Forbidden City in Beijing. Then went to Vietnam where we went on a curse in Halong Bay and got to kayak through caves. Lastly, we went to Cambodia where we went to Angkor Wat to rid elephants and zip-line through the forest. This experience was incredible because we were traveling by ourselves and had to opportunity to be on vacation together for three weeks.

Overall, my study abroad taught me so much more than any classroom could ever have taught me. It taught me how to be on my own and learn to communicate even when there was a language barrier. It taught me to take in every moment and never take anything for granted. It also taught me that where the world may take me, in my heart Chi Beta Delta will always be.