Studying abroad offers students the opportunity not only to explore new cultures, but also to reflect on their own identities and personal journeys. Through the Direct Exchange program at John Cabot University, students can expand their academic experience by studying at partner universities around the world.
Mink Goodwin, a Chinese-American student in their final semester at JCU pursuing a degree in Psychology with a minor in International Affairs, recently participated in a direct exchange at Wenzhou-Kean University in China. As an active member of the JCU community, serving as a Wellness Ambassador and Vice President on two student club boards, Mink shares how this unique academic experience allowed them to reconnect with their cultural roots while studying abroad in China.
Although many Chinese people move to bigger cities for university or work, they retain a deep connection to their ancestral homeland. The phrase luoyeguigen, “the falling leaves return to their roots,” encompasses this deep connection; no matter how far Chinese people wander, they will eventually return to their homeland.
During the week-long Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese people tend to migrate in large numbers to their families and hometowns. Celebrating together by admiring the moon and eating mooncakes. This past fall, for the first time in 20 years, I too was able to admire the moon and celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in my homeland.
While already studying abroad in Rome at John Cabot University is already an incredible opportunity, being able to also study in Wenzhou, China gave me the chance to experience daily life in China and to reconcile my identity as an adopted Chinese American.
Given China’s stricter travel regulations for Americans, JCU’s direct exchange program felt like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. In Spring of 2024, China only had 800 undergraduate study abroad students. Only after arriving in China did I realize that I would be the first JCU exchange student to attend Wenzhou-Kean University (WKU), alongside exchange students from WKU’s American partner school, Kean University.
Over the Mid-Autumn festival break, my roommates (fellow study abroad students) and I planned to go to Hunan Province. Hunan is known for its breathtaking natural landscapes, rich Xiang culture, long history, and as the birthplace of Chairman Mao.
We started our journey by flying into Hunan’s capital city, Changsha. My roommates compared the glowing lights from busy streets to New York City, though Changsha is only the 15th most populated city in China. Like many Chinese cities, Changsha mixes a cutting-edge modern city with intangible cultural heritage. We spent the days weaving between statues of Chairman Mao and the modern university town, art galleries, or millennia-old Confucian academies.
Another train took us deeper into Hunan Province to the city that haunts my passport: the place where I was born, Huaihua.
It’s a small city that doesn’t receive many tourists, a “hidden gem” according to Chinese social media. Although smaller and calmer than Changsha, Huaihua was still busy with taxis, motorbikes, and people--livelier than the foggy mountains, rice fields, and small rural towns we passed on the train. Since Huaihua is widely dispersed across many counties, without a Chinese drivers’ license we relied on taxis and trains.
On our second day in Huaihua, we took a 15-minute train to Xupu County. When we exited the station, we saw only a few houses and a path travelling down into foggy fields. Seeing practically no one around was a rare occurrence.
Using the taxi app, Didi, we headed an hour up the mountain hoping to catch a view of the famed Xupu rice fields the train stop was named after. At the summit of the mountain, we were greeted with fresh mountain air and a beautiful golden view of rice fields. There were also a hotel and a water slide.
The taxi driver warned us there was no taxi down, but there were clearly other tourists at the top, so surely there had to be a way down.
After trying out the water slide, we started heading down the mountain, wandering towards the train station through dirt paths in rice fields. The hotel at the top was getting farther away but we were not getting any closer to the train station. It was already October, but the sun was blazing hot. Although stranded on a remote mountain, everything felt modern, including the never-ending freshly painted rainbow stripe marking the center of the road. There was also cell service, allowing us to keep reloading the taxi app, showing that there were absolutely no taxis nearby. Big surprise.
An uncle walking up the path asked us nimenyaoxiashanma (are you walking down)? Apparently yes. We were completely and utterly lost.
In despair, we started asking at the houses we would find on the side of the road. One family stood outside in the shade of the house. We nervously approached, using a translator to convey our predicament. One lady pulled out her phone to translate. Silence. A bit of Mandarin to her family, to which they looked at us and giggled. Then a response. After some back and forth with the translator, the family graciously called us a taxi which saved us from our foolish adventuring. They insisted we sit in the shade and one lady offered us an orange. As the taxi arrived, we thanked them profusely.
Close one.
After getting lost on one mountain, we of course, decided to go up more mountains. After all, Hunan is known for its breathtaking natural treasures.
Ever seen the movie Avatar? Yeah, that was inspired by the Avatar Mountains in Zhangjiajie National Park. Compared to the previous mountain, the breathtaking beauty of Zhangjiajie National Park is surprisingly accessible. Paths, cableways, and escalators have been built into the mountain alongside asphalt paths, making it common to see the elderly and kids skipping along.
On one cableway ride, an uncle commented on the beauty of the park and I smiled along in agreement. He asked my roommate and I where we are from, then he asked another question. At that moment, I met the limit of my Chinese speaking ability, so I replied with wobuhuishuozhongwen (I don’t speak Chinese). This might be my most practiced Chinese phrase. He looks surprised, saying nikanqilaixiangzhongguoren (you look very Chinese).
Throughout my trip, this has been a common experience, even my Chinese friends have told me that I look “stereotypically” Chinese. We exited the cable car, waved goodbye and continued a day of hiking. It seemed that the harder the hike, the better the view.
Early the next morning, we took a train back to Changsha to catch our flight back to campus. Walking through the familiar Changsha train station, it struck me that it would be a long time before I could return, if I ever do. A trip to China, much less studying there, really is a once in a lifetime experience.
Being able to return to a homeland that I have not been able to call my home has been an invaluable opportunity. While I have always been Chinese, my connection to the culture and its people sometimes felt distant. JCU’s direct exchange gave me the chance to reconnect with my Chinese American identity by visiting the place where I was born and experiencing daily Chinese university life.
I am forever grateful for the places in China I have been able to travel, for the experience of daily life abroad, and for the close friends that I meet along the way. I hope that other JCU students will also continue to take risks and explore the study abroad opportunities that JCU provides.
Mink’s experience highlights the transformative impact of international exchange opportunities available through John Cabot University. Programs such as JCU’s Direct Exchange allow students to expand their academic perspectives while building meaningful personal connections across cultures.
For many students, studying abroad becomes a defining part of their university journey. Whether reconnecting with cultural roots, exploring new regions of the world, or engaging with different academic environments, JCU encourages students to take advantage of global learning opportunities that enrich both their education and personal growth.
Learn more about the Direct Exchange program at John Cabot University or contact directexchange@johncabot.edu for more information.