STUDENT SPOTLIGHT: Wanting to see the world

Photo by Kim De Guzman/the Chameleon. Chen Shenjie is a foreign exchange student from the University of International Business and Economics. She’s studying at Loyola this fall semester and is excited to finally be in America.

Chen Shenjie is a foreign exchange student from the University of International Business and Economics. She sits down with Kim De Guzman to talk about her American adventures, her life in China, and well…chocolate.

Kim De Guzman (KD): Why did you want to visit America?

Chen Shenjie (CS): I’d like to go to America for my graduate studies, and so this exchange student program is an opportunity for me to travel here and see which US city suits me the best. This experience is also a test, because I want to see how well I can adapt to the American lifestyle.

KD: Why did you choose Loyola?

CS: I heard Loyola’s business school was very good, and Loyola is in Chicago.

KD: How does your college experience in America compare with your college experience in China?

CS: We don’t have many assignments in our classes in China. I’m surprised about how many tests and papers I have in my classes [at Loyola]. There are also not a lot of reading assignments in China. In China, there is also a lot of competition for student leadership positions and internships, because students want to have things for their resumes. We also rarely stay up late, and there are few parties.

KD: What inspired your love for travel?

CS: I fell down a flight of stairs in school last year [February 2011], and because of that, I had to have an operation on my left knee. After the operation, I was bedridden for two months. I was really sad about it, because it was springtime, and I couldn’t go out. I missed the sunshine and the flowers. I made a promise to myself to travel, and that if I really wanted to go somewhere, I wouldn’t hesitate to go.

KD: Since you’re in America, what is the one thing you feel you absolutely must do?

CS: I’m really excited to experience the holiday season here, especially because I will be here for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. In China, Thanksgiving and Christmas do not have as much importance. And I also want to taste a lot of chocolate related items. I’ve always heard that American chocolate is amazing. My first week at Loyola, I went to Target and bought 20 different kinds of chocolate bars!

KD: What other American cities do you plan to travel to while you’re here?

CS: I’m planning a trip to Niagara Falls with my friends. After Christmas, I also plan to go to Disney World in Orlando, and Boston, and New York City. Before the semester started, I took a trip to Washington DC with the other foreign exchange students in the program. For fall break, we are going on another trip to Los Angeles as part of the program.

Kim De Guzman is the editor-in-chief. She can be reached at editorinchief@luchameleon.com.