At 3 a.m. on July 19th, I was sitting in a car heading to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (daydreaming about the outside world).Below is my grueling journey from China to JFK (Junior High School) in the US. I’ll give you a first-hand look at how tiring it is to be a transit passenger when traveling to the US (first, you need a visa).At 4 PM on July 20th, I arrived at Dubai International Airport and waited for my transfer. Since I didn’t have a visa, I had to stay in the airport. Here are some photos:The airport is a melting pot of international tourists and local passengers (Emiratis). Arabic is the primary language, and English, being both internationally spoken and the second most spoken language, ensures easy communication.Regarding currency, the AED (Dirham) is roughly equivalent to twice the Chinese Yuan. Dubai boasts a pleasant environment and tax-free goods, but its high prices are undeniable. For example, a meal in Dubai costs around 80 RMB.But the portions were very generous! o(*￣▽￣*)ブ! Then I flew from Dubai to JFK: It was already daytime when I arrived.Outside the airport, there are some yellow taxis that are always parked there:And thank you to my driver friend for letting me see the cityscape of New York:It’s often said that America’s infrastructure is poor, but these buildings were actually constructed over a hundred years ago. At that time, China was still at war; how could they possibly build roads? We won’t go into the specifics of the journey, but the first thing I noticed when I saw Columbia University in NYC after getting off the bus was its simple and unpretentious design. The school has a main entrance, but this small gate is located next to a statue.This is clearly out of step with the high-profile style of university gates in China.After a brief introduction, I found that students of my age from Europe and America were generally much more mature than us.I took an ideology lecture, taught by Dr. Corner Smith about different “isms,” or ideologies. My class was held in Hamilton, in an old building behind a huge hamlet.Although it was a summer program, I found the academic atmosphere at this university to be very free. No one would point fingers at your opinions, and any reason was acceptable. If domestic universities have begun to focus on comprehensive strength and practical research, then overseas universities are definitely an upgraded version (an objective fact). During these two weeks, we went to: (and participated in some personal activities).Empire State Building Guggenheim MuseumStatue of LibertyCentral ParkTimes Square Rockefeller Center (Church)The Slovenian Embassy (and spoke with the ambassador).United Nations HeadquartersAnd many other places inside, which I won’t go into detail about. Here’s a picture of where Chinese diplomat Geng Shuang holds meetings:Humanitarianism is a given that America is a free country. Indeed, there are demonstrations in many places, but they are conducted in a structured manner. No one is afraid of seeing signs or being intimidated, sermons, or even begging or busking on the subway. This is commonplace, but it is not in line with our ultimate goals. For example, the NY subway…The lecturer encouraged free discussion, with few restrictions, just like the local culture.In short, I was very lucky to meet this group of people. I may never meet them again, but this experience will be preserved forever in my phone’s photo album and my hippocampus.Sometimes I think that taking courses on political systems isn’t meant to create barriers between us and people from different political systems and cultures; its purpose is to increase mutual trust and allow us to understand each other more fully. Specifically, the competition between China and the US is inevitable—it’s a contest between different political systems. But will this affect our cultural exchange and interaction?Not necessarily. When I live in a dormitory, I discuss different ideological issues with my roommates. They sometimes find it unbelievable, sometimes funny, but ultimately we remain friends because we are all human beings.
