Introduction :D

For the past twenty years of my life I have been a Rhode Island native; however come September I will be an international student in the city of Shanghai, China. It would be almost impossible to describe the feelings and thoughts going through my head as I contemplate this drastic change of culture, but I will attempt to. Imagine a place where everyone knows your name, not unlike the bar from Cheers; a place where you feel comfortable, welcomed, and completely at easy to be yourself. A bonus being that this place is only twenty minutes from your home as well. No mystery that this place is my home away from home, Bryant University. I never imagined I would grow so attached to a university in a mere two years, but it’s easy, especially when friends are made, professors are welcoming and experiences I only dreamed of can actually be achieved. As of the writing of this blog post my international travel experience consisted of a trip to the Bahamas, one I personally would not consider that far out of my comfort zone. As well as I supervised trip through London and Paris. What I wish from an international experience is just that, I want to break the norms of my everyday life, see things I have only seen in pictures, taste food I would have been scared of five years ago. Fun fact about me, I really enjoy eating for a rather skinny man. Bryant is giving me the tools and opportunity to do something exciting, exotic, and even a bit crazy, and I would be a fool not to take it. I will horribly miss my friends, professors, workforce in the undergraduate admissions office, family, as well as Bryant University in its entirety, but this is something I have to experience. I hope that you as the reader of this blog will follow me through my adventures of studying in China; an adventure I am calling “Fifteen Hours Away”.

                The name taken from how long by plane it will take from America to China…it seemed plenty clever to me.