Hello, my name is Emma. I transferred to the University of Oregon at the beginning of the 2024-
2025 academic year from a small college in Kansas. The opportunities for my major and to
connect with people who shared similar experiences to I was limited – coming to UO opened a
gateway of new opportunities. One of them being GEO’s programs. Last summer, I traveled to
Taiwan and Japan for the first time through a GEO month long study abroad. I loved the
experience of being abroad and wanted to challenge myself further. I applied to a GlobalWorks
Internship in Shanghai China for many reasons. One of them being that I was adopted from
China as a baby, and until this program, hadn’t had an opportunity to return. Second, I knew
being in China would aid to my Chinese language minor. Lastly, Shanghai’s rich influence of
culture and art has made it an international hub of creativity – and as an Art and Technology
major, I am thrilled to be in a city with so much influence. To hit the ground running in
Shanghai, I did ‘online research’ - I looked at videos of first-time travelers to China/Shanghai
and made a note of every task I needed to complete. It was a bit difficult, though, as China relies
on apps that America is not familiar with. It was nerve wracking landing with no knowledge if
they would work – you can’t really test them out until you’re there.
I arrived in Shanghai around 8pm on a Friday night. It was dark outside, I was tired, and the taxi
ride was long. I spent all of it just staring out the window, watching the city go by. It looked just
like any big city. Apartment buildings, highways, advertisements alongside the road. The only
thing different at this point was that Chinese was written instead of English. Challenges I’ve
faced so far are Alipay malfunctions – Alipay is one of the main apps used in China. They use it
for everything. Calling taxis, ordering food, paying for any and all things. To have a safety net, I
withdrew some cash. Although China relies almost entirely on apps, cash is still accepted – so I
felt better knowing I had something just in case.
So far, I’ve only been in Shanghai for a little less than a week. Days are long and it’s extremely
hot and humid outside. I’ve been to several different malls and an event went to The Bund with a
few others from the program. As the weeks progress, I expect I’ll get so many more
opportunities to explore the city.
