Over the years, I have thought deeply about how to answer this question and explain what I consider the values of study abroad. Amazingly, my answer has changed as my time abroad has lengthened. Initially, I felt the adventure and challenge of trying to survive in another culture was the most concrete value one could get from studying abroad. A teacher of mine once said, “Young people need difficulties from time to time to push themselves forward.” After I thought about it for a short time, I became a firm believer in this idea. A challenge is not always bad, and can oftentimes be very good. I saw China as my challenge, a chance for me to prove myself to myself. At the least, I thought, I would be able to learn more about a culture that I was interested in. Moreover, going to China would give me a chance to practice my Chinese in a native environment.  After studying Chinese for two and a half years, I was eager to see how good my level was.

My first trip to China proved to be less of a challenge and more of a life changing experience.  Firstly, being the only African American in our group and one of only a few in the city, I was, needless to say, the center of much attention. I hated this situation at first. I tried to avoid going outside as much as I could just to get away from the stares.  I would often say to myself,  ”Why was everybody always looking at me? It's not like I’m from Mars.” Eventually, as I thought about the situation more carefully, I realized that in a similar instance, I would probably react in the same way. Now, while the staring still affects me at times, I rarely, if ever, get upset by it because I can now understand the situation, and why it happens. I can put myself in someone else’s shoes and see what they see. Secondly, I quickly found out that my Chinese language skills were almost useless. The more I tried to speak, the less people seemed to understand me.  I realized that if you could not communicate, then the options open to you in another country are non-existent. I decided that one of the first steps in understanding another culture was to master the language.

These were the first of many breakthroughs that I had during that first trip abroad. I was continually forced to come to terms with the fact that there are other opinions and other ways of doing things. I came to learn that my ideas and my ways of doing things were not always right or better. I learned that regardless of one's country, most people have the same goals in life. People are indeed people.  But the rhythms, stresses and methods of achieving those goals can be very different. I felt that my vision had been broadened and that there was always more than one road to my destination.

Back in those days globalization was not even a word you could find in the dictionary, let alone an economic and political theory. I felt, however, that going abroad had helped me to understand another section of the world and that could only be a positive thing.

The world has seen many changes since my first trip to China in 1989. Most noticeably is the globalization of almost all sectors of our lives. Everyday, we can find more and more examples of this trend, whether it is our increased ability to reach across boundaries through the Internet or the ability of local news anywhere to become global news everywhere through news organizations such as CNN.  I strongly believe that a smaller world is extremely advantageous as shown by the increase of opportunity for many people that may not have otherwise been able to develop themselves in a closed local society.  But there are also many disadvantages including the eventual increase in competition and misunderstanding that will come about as unfamiliar groups bump into each other, and into unfamiliar situations in this new albeit complex world order. We are connected and getting more connected each day. Long gone are the days when a factory closing in New Jersey might be devastating just to the immediate area around the factory. Nowadays that closing may not only affect New Jersey but may also prove difficult for other communities thousands of miles away.

In response to this ever-shrinking world, the importance of increasing global understanding and communication is an absolute necessity. If we are to take full advantage of the present situation, and create a global society that is a benefit to all, then we must, for example, try to understand why in China, it would be a compliment to leave some food on your plate after a meal, while in the Unites States eating everything would be equally courteous.

In my opinion, the easiest and most interesting way to accomplish this goal, to learn about another culture, is to live in that culture; to experience how others live, eat, and communicate on a first-hand basis. The value of what one will see, hear, smell, and think abroad cannot be stressed enough. And so, when people ask me now why I choose to study abroad, my answer is much more simple. A year of study abroad has given me a lifetime of memories, a wealth of knowledge, and a repertoire of useful skills.

Marcel A. Green is the resident director of a study abroad program operated by Brethren Colleges Abroad (BCA).  The BCA program is hosted by the Dalian University of Foreign Languages in Dalian, China.  BCA operates study abroad programs for undergraduate students in 10 countries. Mr. Green speaks Chinese and has studied, worked and lived in China for over six years.