Back in August of 2008 I started working with Dr. Philip Wang, a professor in the Recreation, Park and Tourism Management program, on a study abroad trip to China. After many meetings and long office visits we finally put together a great trip. Our trip was offered to any Kent State student. Students were able to earn up to 12 credit hours on the trip. Classes included Intro to Global Tourism, Principles of Outdoor Recreation, Business Etiquette and a special topic class. The trip was a four week program that included one week of class work on the Kent campus followed by a three week tour of China. We left Cleveland on June 14 and returned July 7th. The idea of the trip was for students to learn about and explore everything that China has to offer. While in China we visited Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guilin, Xi'an, Shijiazhuang and Beijing. On our trip we visited such sights as The Bund, The Terracotta Army, the Reed Flute Cave, The Great Wall of China, the Olympic Complex in Beijing and the famous mountain peaks of the Guilin region, just to name a few. Not only were we seeing the sights we were also interacting with the locals. During the trip we volunteered at a Tourism conference in Shanghai, we taught recreational games to college students at several universities, and even put on a 4th of July party for elementary kids in a rural village. We stayed busy during the three week trip but enjoyed every minute of it!
