Stepping 8000 Kilometers Outside of my Comfort Zone: My Experience Abroad in Beijing
Sarah P.
On May 3rd 2025, I stepped foot into Beijing Capital International Airport, feeling isolated as a lone traveller in a sea of strangers. My ears were overwhelmed by rapid-fire Mandarin I could barely make out, while my eyes darted across the impossibly tall airport ceiling, magnifying my feelings of being small and insignificant in a completely new, foreign world. Four weeks later, however, I would arrive at the same airport with a newly close friend, feeling both immense gratitude for the events of the past month and a slight regret that I hadn’t extended my stay in Beijing longer. The version of myself that stepped off the plane at the beginning of the month was completely different from the version of myself that boarded her flight back to Canada a mere four weeks later. What changed in such a short time?
My trip to Beijing involved a lot of firsts: my first time travelling internationally on my own, my first time in Mainland China, my first time staying in a country where I didn’t speak the language fluently. Wh
en I first accepted my Summer Abroad offer, I felt a rush of anticipation at the thought of a new, unparalleled experience. As the date of my flight approached, however, this trip began to feel further and further outside of my comfort zone. I started to doubt my own independence and abilities, whether I would be able to manage on my own, halfway across the world from my family.
However, these worries were quickly put to rest after my first few days in Beijing. On the first morning, on my way to a convenience store to pick up a quick breakfast, I ran into a classmate in the hallway who happened to be in the same major as me. She joined me on my convenience store run, and we quickly bonded over our shared academic interests, our experiences of growing up ethnically Chinese overseas, and our newfound love for Seven Eleven brand coconut water. Over the first week, I explored the city with new friends who already felt like old ones, quickly drew connections between the course content and my own observations about China, and grew more confident with my Mandarin ability everyday.
Looking back, I think the factor that transformed my experience the most was the people. Meeting some peers who, like me, grew up in Canada to a Chinese family, and others who had lived in China all their lives, I met both people I could relate to and people who seemed to have completely different lives from me. After a few games of Uno and late night boba runs, however, I quickly formed friendships with all kinds of people, including many people who I would never have crossed paths with on the UofT campus. I also got to know the on-site staff, who was not only incredibly kind when helping me navigate my first time in China, but even had a three-hour conversation with me about her life and academic journey – a conversation I will never forget. Finally, as the course progressed, I learned more about my professors and their own experiences in China, perspectives that further enriched my understanding of the course materials and beyond.
As my returning flight took off, I glanced down at the impossibly tall Beijing buildings that suddenly looked small, familiar even, in contrast to the vast swaths of unknown that I initially felt upon arriving in the city. Going to Beijing was not in my comfort zone. But it was a leap I had to take, a series of firsts that would certainly not be “lasts”.
