Last May I took one of the biggest risks I ever had and traveled to China for IBS’ Summer China study abroad tour. I had no idea what IBS was or if it would even be worth the money, but I went anyway. I remember boarding the plane in San Francisco and wondering if everything in China would go horribly wrong. But at that moment, it was too late.

Stepping off the plane in Beijing, I felt a nervous sense of awe and excitement about being in a country that I knew only basic information about. I had arranged my own air travel and in order to make sure I made it in time for the seminar I arrived a day early. In my first 24 hours in Beijing, I managed to find my way to the place I was staying for that extra night, and then make my way to the hotel to meet up with the IBS program manager.

Doing this was no easy feat, and I felt instantly out of place everywhere I went. But after a day of traveling around the city by taxi, Uber, and subway, I knew I would be going back again eventually.

Being in a completely foreign nation, where very few people speak English well, challenged me to solve my own problems and find new ways of communicating. I had certain expectations of the culture, and many of them were wrong. From this, I learned that the best way to experience a new place is not through television shows or movies, but to actually be there.

This is why I’m ready to go again. Before the Summer China program, I already had a small amount of wanderlust; now it has grown exponentially. I am definitely ready for my next adventure now.