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Warami Eresanara: Thoughts on my Trip to China- Part 2.

As Confucius once said, “Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I will understand.” China was a great experience for me because I learned a lot. I learned a lot from the diversity of the group; having both business and engineering majors as well as computer science and social work in the mix helped broaden my view. Although diversity in the academic area was key, I also learned a lot from just interacting with the group on a social level. From my interactions with both my group and with the native Chinese people, I came to better understand that our similarities and differences are what make us who we are. We are not defined by these characteristics (similarities and differences), but they are what allow us to understand and live with each other more harmoniously.

On this trip, we did not only visit the historic sites (great wall, temple of heaven etc.) we also had the opportunity to visit many different organizations and were blessed to talk with some of the top management people in these companies. Besides this, we also had the opportunity to tour their facilities and ask questions about the companies as it relates to business and engineering. I can confidently say that I understand business in China better now because I was actively involved in the learning process.

China was a very different experience for me. However, as an international student from Nigeria, having the opportunity to school in America, I could understand China better because I could see it with two different sets of eyes. I saw a developed country being built over one that is underdeveloped. China was once underdeveloped and now there is a lot of development going on in the country, for example there are high rises, parks and recreation centers being built by the government and the big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai have become very expensive to live in because of the better infrastructures and transportation systems available.

Furthermore, from the readings and discussions (remember it was an educational trip!), I noticed that Chinese people hold on to their history and have a more stable culture, whereas Americans have a lot of influence from other cultures which makes it a lot harder for them to have stability in their culture. I saw China’s hold on culture through the architecture and the preservations of many historic sites that we visited, examples include the Great Wall of China and the temple of heaven. Because of this, I have also noticed another difference which is that although Chinese people are less willing to accept change seeing that they have been doing things a certain way and it has worked for them, they are still willing to learn. To explain further, the Chinese people are willing to learn about Christianity even if it is not part of who they are as a culture. It is hard for them to be Chinese and to have a religion, yet the people are willing to work through this difficult process, and to learn and understand what it means to be both Chinese and Christian. This is just one of the ways that the Chinese people are willing to learn. Lastly, China is moving towards urbanization. The article ‘building the dream’ explains the plans that china has for its future and how it plans to continue to improve.

Although there are major differences (some of which I highlighted above), there are also major similarities. From the company meetings; the managers stated that the younger generation have been moving to big cities to look for better jobs and this move has affected them negatively. From examples like that, I came to realize that the move to better cities by the younger generation isn’t just an American trend. Chinese people also face this issue. The article ‘A billion strong but short on workers’ also expresses this issue. There is now a move from blue collar jobs to white collar jobs, and it is happening more amongst the younger generations. The article also states that “the service sector is expected to account for more of China’s economy this year than the industrial sector will”. Another similarity I noticed is the technological advancement. Both countries have gone a long way in their development and are still working really hard to improve and make themselves better. Their transportation systems such as the trains, buses and taxis are fast, reliable and easy to use.

With both the similarities and differences between the two countries, I really appreciated China. I liked that the Chinese people were willing to communicate with us though there were language barriers. They made an effort, and that speaks well for them as a people. I also liked the fact that I felt safe when I was in China. Travelling to a different country can be very challenging, therefore the feeling of safety goes a long way. I saw how orderly and efficient their transportation system was and how hard the government was working to make the country as a whole secure. Going to China has changed me. It has helped shape the way I think, not just about my worldview, but also the way I view business and engineering. I always had such a narrow perception of what business and engineering should look like and how they should be applied. However, In China, having meetings with companies in a huge industry like the manufacturing industry helped me understand the usefulness of my business education. I also believe that God gave me the opportunity to go to China to not only learn about business and engineering, but to also learn more about myself. I have become more confident in my decision to pursue business (even if it is for a little while), and I am more than ready to engage with the world around me.

I believe that God is working in the world especially between US and China through people (expatriates). People are coming to China to seek business opportunities, and as they do so, they are bringing their cultures, belief systems and faith. Although religion is not fully supported by the Chinese government, we see how Christianity is becoming a part of the culture. We saw that some of the companies we visited had Christian principles guiding them and that helped them in dealing with their stakeholders. Also, from the readings such as ‘A great awakening’  Zhao Xiao a top economist in China and also a communist party member  believes that biblical ethics is and can continue to transform the economy of China.

For God to use me in Business, I have to first of all make myself available to be used. I have to intentionally put myself in positions where God can call on me to be a light to others. This means that I have to cultivate and improve on virtuous habits such as discipline, integrity, and diligence that will put me in the position where I can be used. When God uses me to transform the world, the potential implication is that more businesses will be based on biblical principles. Not just businesses that claim to be ‘Christian’ but all businesses. There would be more accountability and better ways to teach people in business about ethics.

The transition back to Michigan was very interesting, starting from jet lag, to reuniting with friends, and preparing for the next semester. The jet lag was quite hard to deal with, but I had to train my body to adapt back to the Michigan time and climate as well. I am grateful for the experience that I had, and all that I learned. I am hoping that I will use this experience in my personal and professional career.

I got to see how different things that we see every day such as shoes, drugs, cars etc. but do not really understand or notice were being made. Seeing how much time and effort goes into the production of these things was really an interesting and fascinating experience for me. I really got to appreciate my business degree more as I have seen how people apply their own knowledge into everyday life. As Confucius also said, “learning without reflecting is a waste, and reflecting without learning is dangerous.”

 

Warami is a fashion/Devotional Blogger you can check out her blog here: https://wildwai.com/

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