I have been in Shanghai for about nine weeks now, and I have definitely realized why going abroad is such an essential thing to do. Regardless of whether you are studying abroad or just traveling to experience other cultures, you come to realize that there are subtle things that are different from culture to culture. Studying abroad has highlighted these subtle differences, and I have gained a perspective of why and how certain traditions thrive in one culture but maybe not another.
These differences are highlighted to me because almost all of my classes are organized around group projects. My Design and Manufacturing III course paired me with a group of Chinese students who speak English well, even though it is not their native language. Intel, one of the leading semi-conductor manufacturing companies, proposed a problem to us with virtual reality glasses, and we have to create a testing apparatus to test their theory. We are trying to solve the problem of motion sickness. Motion sickness occurs when your body is adjusted to one speed, but your surroundings are moving at a completely different speed. For example, some people get carsick after traveling for long periods of time because their body is sitting down, but their surrounding environment is moving at faster speeds like 60 MPH.
