Postcards from China Blog #9: Dear China

October 31, 2018

by Wesley Prindle (visiting student from Faith Baptist Bible College)

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Dear China, 

Over the past 10 weeks, I have gotten to know you better than I ever thought possible. I have struggled with your language, learned from your culture and bonded with your people. I will never be the same.

I have found myself amazed by the grandeur of the cities I have seen and surprised by the simplicity in the villages I have seen. But you are so much more than what meets the eye.

You are a country of contradictions. You have an incredibly rich heritage and a culture almost too deep to fathom, yet so many of your young people strive to emulate the West. The teachings of Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism have indelibly influenced the hearts and minds of your people, yet you are ruled by a government that seeks to closely manage religion. Indeed, you are wonderfully complex and endlessly fascinating.

I began this semester alongside seven other students, and together we have experienced your mysterious appeal. Our minds have been opened. Our imaginations have been stirred. Our hearts have been broken.

Wherever we go in life, we will always remember what you have taught us. We have learned to think more deeply by going beneath the surface; to dream more outrageously by envisioning the possibilities; to love more genuinely by working through the barriers.

I am excited to see what I will learn from you in the next three weeks. Thank you for the invaluable lessons and lifelong memories you have given me already.

Though this semester is quickly coming to an end, I know my adventure with you is just beginning.

— Wesley