Program with Chengdu Royal Foreign Language School in Wenjiang

Rather than just being another administrative form of summer employment, this program transformed my sense of confidence and world view. Before participating in this program, I lacked confidence and often refused to take on leadership roles with the perception that I should leave those roles to people with more experience than me. I was comfortable with being a sideliner, always eager to organize, help, or provide support to said leaders. After this program, however, I have attained an incredible sense of self-confidence and can say for a fact that I carry myself with much more purpose and ambition, ready to tackle any task thrown at me. With such an intense schedule, I spent more than 16 hours a day with the same people, my fellow gotoco colleagues, and developed beautiful friendships with each of them. I truly learned the hard work that goes into teaching and the feeling of satisfaction when your students learn. However, most importantly, I was finally able to see, experience, and develop opinions about China on my terms. China is truly unlike any place I've ever been to before and there is no doubt in my mind that I will be back in the near future.