At first, traveling to the other side of the world seemed crazy to me. Getting on a plane for hours to China and immersing myself into a culture for one year was something that I was not comfortable with. With the help of Go Abroad China, it made my transition from Australia to China not only a smooth one, but an extremely enjoyable one as well. From the beginning Go Abroad China kept me organized from what I should expect and pre departure materials that were necessary for my success with my transition. They always had a timely response to my questions.

Once I got to the airport and was ready to take off I was accompanied by others in the program as well. This helped with the transition as we talked over our worries and excitements and realized we were all in the same boat. Once we got to China, staff members of Go Abroad China were extremely helpful and knowledgeable. Traveling to the Xihu was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was eager to get my semester abroad in China underway. I came to Shanghai with absolutely no understanding of Chinese culture, customs or language. The staff of Go Abroad China were so friendly and helpful, they made it very easy for me understand the Chinese. It was a fantastic experience and I'd definitely keep it in memory for my whole life. With the help of Go Abroad China they made the best semester of my life possible.

Ever since I participated in an exploratory Mandarin Chinese course in Grade 11, I had always craved the ideal opportunity to immerse myself in Chinese culture. As my university required an internship component as a graduation requirement, it seemed only reasonable to set my eyes on China as an internship destination. Only one concern remained. How would such an ambition become feasible? Luckily, there is Go Abroad China (GAC), a non-profit organization dedicated in equipping young adventurous interns in China with the expectation that they succeed and emerge as global leaders.

Naturally, the core of the internship program revolves around endeavors at the workplace. Assuming that the companies operate Anglophone environments, exposure to Chinese culture on a daily basis appears to be missing. Thanks to GAC, embedding elements of a culture pertaining to one-sixth of the world's population everyday became a reality that left me as a well-rounded and open-minded leader prepared for future challenges involving China's emergence as a world superpower.
If learning the Chinese language and customs is to occur regularly, then focusing in on the accommodation remains imperative. GAC abounds with options that enable participants to live with Chinese of all lifestyles. In my case, I managed to live with single roommates working full time, a wealthy family in Beijing's northern suburbs, and a host mother who worked professionally as a doctor. Irrespective of social status, all appreciated my effort to learn Mandarin, and they introduced me to a wide array of Beijing specialties to satisfy my appetite for Chinese cuisine. Such a set-up proved worthwhile in helping me integrate into Chinese society.
Additionally, GAC provided supplementary help in learning Mandarin my assigning me a tutor. We would meet regularly in a cafe in order to maximize the language-learning environment since I could order food in Chinese at the same time. If the student's expectations do not directly correspond to those proposed by the tutor, GAC offers flexibility in which changing a tutor would not be problematic.
Assuming that the participant takes Mandarin, resides with a Chinese-speaking host family, and has exposure to the cuisine, everything would seem to be in order. What else could still be missing? GAC fills in the last missing puzzle piece by inviting students to take part at numerous excursions and cultural workshops offered on a weekly basis. Whether it be climbing at the Ming Wall, or learning the ins and outs of a Chinese massage, participants will enthusiastically choose cultural electives that cover an extensive realm of preferences. Those passionate about history and gardening will enjoy the Summer Palace, while those who are more action-oriented will enjoy Tai Chi.

Without GAC, interns would abound with confusion in a part of the world that may initially seem unfamiliar to them. Nevertheless, the help of such a reliable agency around the clock engages participants in an adventure that they will treasure for a lifetime. Remember, whatever a student puts into the experience is what he or she takes out of it, and those who take advantage of GAC will find a very rewarding experience that will remain indented in their memories beyond their stay in China.

Go Abroad China's on-site staff was incredible! They had the perfect balance with staying in touch with students, as they were neither too over-bearing, nor impossible to contact. If needed, the staff was a simple text or phone call away. Other than that, they met up with us monthly to see how we were doing and discuss our trips, classes, and plans for the remainder of our time. Although they did give us our freedom in the country, they were always looking out for us; a perfect example, I cut my finger while I showed my host family how to cooke the Pasta and was taken to a Chinese clinic, so luckily that they speak perfect English and looked after while I got stitches. The Go Abroad China program was very well organized, staff was friendly and helpful and I have participated in the wide range of activities. The Go Abroad China crew continued to accompany me to check-ups for the remainder of the trip. I have mostly enjoyed the making the Chinese dumplings class and visit to the Great Wall. I studied at Beijing Language and Culture University for 1 semester; our Chinese teachers are very experienced in teaching international students. Their friendly approach to the students made me want to learn Chinese even more. I was pleasantly surprised how friendly Chinese people are and felt really safe during my stay.

Social & Cultural Integration：
I felt extremely integrated with the local culture.

Safety: I felt completely safe walking around in Beijing, day-or-night. Obviously, any place can be dangerous, so my advice to future students studying in any city in any country, would be to don't make poor decisions and use your intuition.

This internship was one of the best work experience I have had so far. Not only I could directly experience Chinese culture, but also I can now add something valuable on my career background.

Thanks to GAC support I had all I need to face daily life here. They provided me with everything I needed, besides some useful suggestions about China and the local habits.

GRC help me to have a contact with the biggest cultural country – china .The different cultures of the countries are always different. when I get to china my eye always keep opening and can learn many new things which different from my usual. I think that this program offers the BEST possible environment to learn in. china and GRC give me the best way to study Chinese. I have made many new friends in china and become friends with all of your professors, and I am learning about the history and cultural of china every day. I feel very thankful to GRC.

Go abroad china is committed to creating exciting opportunities for me when I go abroad china and also help me to gain much work experience and develop our Chinese language skills in China. With GRC help I have gotten much work experience and have traveled many interesting places .GRC offers fully customizable Internship, Volunteer and Study in China Programs to fit all my requirements and make my trip to China unforgettable. As a foreign student, I am very appreciate GRC can provide this precious chance to come china for me.

I have been to China before to study the language, but this study experience was unique because I got to stay with a host family, which really allowed me to immerse myself in the culture and the language. This was very useful. My host family was very nice and I credit GAC for finding a family that really fit my needs. I'm convinced that their screening process for selecting suitable host families is effective. The whole stay was very pleasant and I knew I could contact GAC whenever I wanted in case I had a problem or needed help with something.

The staffs of GAC were very welcoming and polite. The GAC assistant that picked me up at the airport when I arrived very early in the morning had to wait several hours, and he was always friendly and helpful. The staff also organized a welcome dinner for another participant and me in a beautiful restaurant, which was a nice, welcoming touch.

This experience has allowed me to improve my Chinese language skills further, gain more confidence in my ability and learn about real contemporary Chinese culture. Furthermore, I have made friends with my host family and it is nice to have some contacts in China.

I had the Chinese course organized by GAC few months ago. It was a great time. I couldn't speak even a single word of Chinese when I first came, but GAC helped me a lot about Chinese class and everything else. They are really friendly. They also showed me how professional they are, and made me feel much better, not that scary as I was afraid.