Hello! My name is Jena DiFiore and I just submitted my last final at Northwestern. I’m extremely nervous and excited to walk across the stage on Saturday and then I leave for Beijing the next day! Everyone keeps asking me “So what’s your post-grad plans?” and it feels pretty cool to say “I’m going to China for the summer”. While there is a lot to do in the next week like saying goodbye to all the friends I have made at Northwestern and getting my last taco at Frontera, I am ready to graduate and see what China has to offer.
I am very excited to go to China, specifically, to learn about the health care system because I studied Environmental Science and Global Health at Northwestern and I know that many people in China suffer from lung cancer, etc due to the air pollution and I am really interested in learning more about this and other ways the environment has played a role in the public’s health.
In preparation for this trip, I have downloaded at least 4 apps to learn Chinese. I want to be familiar with the characters and simple phrases before I leave so that I am not completely lost when I arrive. I have also read a lot about the health care system and am excited to see it first-hand.
These are a few phrases I have tried to memorize before I leave, and I have also looked at a few maps like the subway system below that I will probably still get lost on.
