John Martins
Shanghai, China
Hangzhou Tower, China
What made you decide to study abroad during your time at Carnegie Mellon University?
I have always been interested in global cultures and languages ever since I was a child. I grew up speaking Portuguese and traveling to Brazil with my family, so being exposed to whole new cultures was something I was familiar with and loved. Coming to Carnegie Mellon, I knew studying abroad was something I wanted to pursue. The university has so many resources that help students study abroad, so it was natural for me to pursue that passion of mine.
How did you choose Shanghai as your study abroad location?
I have been learning Chinese since middle school and I enrolled in a Chinese language course here at CMU my first semester. Through this class, I found out about the study abroad opportunity in Shanghai, so I decided to take it up. I am pursuing a minor in Chinese studies, and I believe that to fully understand a language and the culture behind it all, a visit to a country that shares the language and culture is a very valuable experience. Luckily, being familiar with the Chinese language allowed me to navigate Shanghai with relative ease and made my experience fantastic.
What were a few of your favorite experiences and/or places abroad?
There are so many to choose from, but some of my favorites include renting bicycles around the city and just riding around, exploring new locations and eating at several delicious restaurants. Just this simple activity allowed me to discover so many hidden parts of the city and opened up a new side of the place that I never knew existed. Some other great experiences were when I traveled to neighboring, smaller cities that had a rich culture in silk fabrication and tea growing. Seeing that more historic side of the region I was in allowed me to grasp a deeper understanding of the local culture and flavors. Lastly, I really love drinking tea, so one day some friends and I visited a ‘tea city’ in West Shanghai. I have never sampled so many delicious teas or seen so many beautiful tea sets before. It was a really cool place with really neat architecture!
Cat in Nanjing
What were some challenges you encountered while abroad and how did you deal with them?
I think a general difficulty was not having a cellphone that was compatible with the cell service in Shanghai. That was an issue because so many services in China require a Chinese phone number. So, if I wanted to open a student bank account, use Wechat/Alipay, rent bikes, get a subway cars, etc.. I needed a Chinese number. The wifi and internet connection was also restricted and slow at some points which complicated things sometimes. Luckily I was able to use VPNs and buy a temporary phone that allowed me to get a Chinese phone number and use the services. China has really advanced its mobile cellphone technology, so having a working cell phone and/or a Chinese phone number is very crucial!
What was the most surprising or exciting thing you encountered while studying abroad?
This may seem a little underwhelming, but the subway/train system in Shanghai was very neat! I never grew up using trains or public transit to get places (other than using the bus system in Pittsburgh), so having this amazing network of transportation was really interesting. The subways were very cheap and could get you absolutely anywhere in the city in a matter of a few minutes. What blows my mind is that Shanghai has the world’s largest subway system by length, and covers almost the entire city. On top of that, I lived right across the street from a subway stop, so transportation was amazing. However, even with such an amazing public transit system, the street traffic was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Motorcycles riding in every direction, cars and trucks speeding by. It was chaotic, yet so ordered and smooth.
Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai
If you could study abroad again, where would you go?
The possibilities really are endless! Perhaps another country in South Asia or Southeast Asia would be very interesting. I would also love to visit other parts of South America. I have been to Brazil several times, but have never really expanded out of the small, southern town my grandparents are from, so it would be amazing to visit other parts of Brazil or nearby regions of South America as I feel I would better connect me with my identity.
What are three pieces of advice that you would give to another student about to study abroad for the first time?
It is so easy to get caught up in contemplating costs and feasibility of study abroad and letting that stop you from really giving it your all. One worry I had was whether it would cost too much, or if it's really worth going rather than working or studying more. I have learned that there are so many different scholarship opportunities out there and amazing faculty to help you through the process that, with dedication and patience, you can go practically anywhere for a very reasonable price for you. I am an ECE major, so taking a semester abroad would be very difficult for me, so I opted for the summer option and it worked great. In summary, there is always a way to achieve your study abroad dreams, but start early. Schedule meetings with your advisor, do research online through the university, grab and apply to every possible scholarship (trust me, there are way too many out there), and dream big!
Hangzhou Tower