I was born and grew up in China, in Zhejiang Province, a east coast province that shares border with Shanghai. I have always wished to go somewhere and experience a new culture. For about 20 years, I have never been outside the province, let alone going to a foreign country.

I clearly understood that it would be a huge finical burden for me to study abroad in my early ages, so I put away my "wild dream" and focused on what I needed to do. With my wild dream in my mind, I saved every penny that I could. In 2014, I was able to save enough to afford my possible expenses while in states, and the opportunity just came right on time.

Looking back on the decision I made two years ago, there is no regrets. I would still be kicking myself today if I didn't make this decision and just followed the path that my parents. It really took a lot of courage and preparation to take on this challenge, especially when my family is not the riches.

Studying abroad is an unique experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything.

1. "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."

This is a quote I take to heart, it shows the importance of travel and experience different cultures, and study abroad is one of the best ways to travel. You are not sightseeing a new place, you get to experience its everyday life.

2. Study abroad helps me to have a less-materialized living style.

Although I wasn't a big fan for shopping even when at home, but occasionally I would have a desire to buy it, especially when it's extremely cheap. While I am away from home, before I buy anything, I would ask myself if it's something I really need, if not, I chose to just window shopping. I will end up discard tons of un-necessary stuff when I fly home.

3. Study abroad teaches me to rely more on friends than parents.

I'm not trying to make the point that parent are not important anymore, but friends are playing an important role. While family and parents are across half the globe, it's not very practical to ask parent for help, rather, I have to ask friends in the area for help. With this being said, building up an authentic friendship is extremely important.

4. I have to admit that I'm better at solving problems than two years ago.

While I were at home, I can always ask my mom and dad for help when I got into situations, but here, not all the problems can be solved by asking friends for help. Even the simplest thing can become complex. Being exposed to problems and trying to find ways to solve is also a way of learning.

5. While studying in a foreign country, it's important to experience its culture.

For most students from China, they may want to be surrounded with fellow Chinese students no matter which country they go. For me, I have forced myself to get out of this comfort zone. Communicating with people that are from a different culture background is very difficult. I also forced myself to try different food at least once, thus every restaurant experience is an adventure for me.

6. Studying abroad teaches me to be more open and to understand different opinions.

One thing that American culture is different from Chinese culture is that America is a culture created by immigrants. Chinese culture has its unique origin and its civilization source. When I was in China, I was educated in a way that how great and wonderful China is, but when I'm outside the country, it's not hard to hear people gossip about China. Instead of taking these opinions personal, I started to think critically about the culture that I was growing up with.

7. Study abroad teaches helps me to better understand and appreciate my culture.

While being at home, everything just looks so normal and common. While being in a foreign land for a while, I began to understand what is unique to the culture that I belong to. I used to think "Chinese food" is just I get for three times a day. Instead, it was until I was exposed to a different culture, I began to understand the deeper meaning of "Chinese food." In America it's takeout, but I still miss my traditional home cooked meals, especially on Chinese holidays.

8. Study abroad helps me to better handle challenges.

My mom and dad can only encourage me with words, but they didn't really have any experience that can practically make things easier for me. While I have to go through all these processes myself, I have a better insight of "how it works" than those who rely on parents to prepare everything.

This list can be endless, but I would like to stop it here, because eight is considered as lucky number in the Chinese culture. Some of you may have wondered, "What about the money thing?" I had this question before, but when I made up my mind on "studying abroad," I was willing to sacrifice almost everything for it, just keep the expenses on necessary every-day goods. Investment is another thing that I have learned from the past feel years. Oh hey, investment is very common for someone as a finance major and almost go "crazy" about it.

To explore more about my study abroad adventures, please also check out my blog.