A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

Throughout the trip, many speakers used Confucius quotes in their speeches about the purpose of our visit and the future relationships they hoped we would form with not only Chinese schools but with the people we met in the delegation. Before I left Lawrence, I knew the basic itinerary of the trip, knew I would be seeing cultural sights like the Great Wall that I could cross off my bucket list, and knew we would be seeing different schools, but had no idea what a profound impact this trip would have on me.  One speaker at our final conference at Renmin University used another Confucius quote about our trip to China when he said "I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand."  There is so much more I understand after this experience.

During the trip, I took in as much as I could even though it was a whirlwind and I knew it was going to be the most memorable of my life, but it was just too much to process at the time. At some points I was so exhausted I did not know how I could gather enough energy for the next part of the trip, and at other points I was laughing until my stomach hurt with people that were strangers a few days before. Now, having been home for 36 hours, I can't stop looking at all of the pictures and am just now taking it all in, and WOW! 

Not only do I understand so much more about China's cultural heritage, language and education system, but I understand more about myself.  I live a very busy and hectic life, especially right now, and I rarely take time to find any type of harmony in life. China radiates spirituality, and while there we learned about and saw evidence of thousands of years of Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism, and that has made me realize I need to slow down and find an inner peace within myself so I can live a long, healthy and happy life.  

I left China with a deep appreciation of not only their rich cultural history and their education system, but also with new friends and experiences, and hopefully with ties to a few schools that Lawrence can connect with and learn from, both in China and in the states.  I am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to be a part of the Chinese Bridge Delegation, and hope to bring my experiences and knowledge to not only Lawrence but to my personal life.

A speaker at the concluding ceremony used another Confucius quote that stuck with me, and I will always associate it with my first trip to China.

 "Wherever you go, go with all your heart."