(Nolan Munce is an American student studying in International Law at WHU)

 Let me preface this essay by stating Chinese was my minor in school. I thought I knew a lot about China, and I did know a lot about China. I had met my girlfriend about 2 years before I came to Wuhan, and decidedly came to Wuhan because her family was from Hubei. We both reasoned that Wuhan would be a great place to mature and ease into our adulthood, as opportunity was present and thriving. Wuhan is the next city, she told me casually over noodles in her Detroit apartment. The next city for what, I said. The next city to be developed by the government, after Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Shenzhen. I was curious. In my country, the United States, the government would never invest so heavily into a single city like that. It's unthinkable because there aren't those kinds of funding (I've eventually become aware of the high taxes in China), and a significant amount of our money goes towards wasteful projects, which are entirely speculative in nature, and often bear no fruit or benefit.

Initially I wanted to go to Xiamen. I generally don't care about how good a school is (education wise), but I more take heavy consideration into the environment which I'm about to be living. I want a beautiful school in an interesting town. I was never interested in Peking University because the thought of Beijing’s pollution scared me. I'm from a small town of about 72,000. The biggest city, Detroit has a population just above 200,000. It's about the size of Jingzhou in Hubei. Anyway, I moved from my small town, to Detroit (a medium sized city), and finally came to China last August. I had wanted to go to Xiamen, because I had heard it was one of the most beautiful cities/universities in China. My girlfriend protested, she told me that her chances of getting a job as an accountant (her major) would be very low there. It would be like me trying to find a job in Hawaii (i'm a philosophy major). There wouldn't be anything there for me either. I agreed to come to Wuhan, and here I am, writing about my being here and studying International Law at Wuhan University (which is quite famous here).

What most surprised me when I came to China was (and I'll tell you the good along with the bad) the law, and the opportunities because of the law. On the one hand, I got the general impression that the domestic law was still incomplete, although not to the point where it was unworkable. On the contrary, the people seem to have adapted very well. I even heard one American say, “the traffic here is an art, like dancing or music.” Where the laws are silent (and sometimes this is a long and awkward pause) the people fit and yell and move and go about their days. It's impressive to see so many people functioning in a society together. Like every place, there are poor people and crazies, but not once did I ever feel endangered  or threatened.

One of my favorite phrases in Chinese is 到处都有美女. Every place is fundamentally the same, as we are all fundamentally human. It's the differences that I cherish.

China is great for its diversity of characters. It's interesting that I've seen so many different kinds of people. It's really got a little bit of everything, and they're all Chinese. There are just so many people here, that at least one of everything exists. A lot of it has to do with experiences, which leads me to identify the contradictions. In a country whose people live in every other country in the world (it must be), almost always one or two of them selling food, I don't understand how there can be such a lack of foreign foods. It's amazing how many Chinese dishes there are, but even more so, how many Chinese people just really love Chinese food? I think it's great, but I do sorely miss Mexican cuisine. I even have two good South American friends who I get together with once every other month, and we'll cook a Mexican feast. We sometimes invite friends and it's always the highlight of the month.

School here...I don't know what to say. I know what I did, and I know who I am. I studied Chinese for about 3 years, and took lessons for a brief amount of time. My major, International Law at Wuhan University, is in English. I feel kind of dumb for not studying in Chinese, but I also have to hustle here. The life for a student in America was much harsher. Here I have a full scholarship that covers all of my costs. In the United States, I have a $25,000 debt, and that's comparatively low compared to others. I know people with about twice that debt. I went to a community college for a few years and saved lots of money. Most people don't know how to hustle, which is why I moved to Detroit. It's an environment where over 90% of the population is hustling for their survival. I basically learned the art of hustling there. So in applying my hustle skills to life in China, I've done quite well for myself, and I only wish my Chinese was a little better (it's at an intermediate level right now).

我说的中文有一点马马虎虎

So here I am in China with a good major in English and a respectable University, and a lot of free time. I use my free time wisely, concisely, and with the goals in mind of being financially independent, happy, and healthy. I'll write my thesis at the start of next fall's semester, and graduate a year from now. I have asked my girlfriend of 3 years now, to marry me, and we will be registered before I graduate. Fortune is like lying on your back, infinite stars in the sky, and you cannot begin to count them. You only know that with a little bit of effort, you can easily point them out, and see one at a time or the whole sky above you. I do not believe in luck, but I do feel very lucky. I feel fortunate, and fortune is what you create. Everyone came to China for a different reason. I learned more about America from living in China, than anywhere else. It's so convenient, and there couldn't be a better time to live here (what with airplanes, cell phones, laptops, etc). I talk to my parents, friends, and family frequently, and today is another fine day in Wuhan, I tell them. I always invite my friends to come to China and see it for themselves. Maybe one day they will. For me, coming to China was a test of faith. Faith in myself. If I can make it here, then I can make it anywhere.

I used the exact same quote to sum up my life in Detroit.

I'm jumping with eyes closed, and I'm happy as hell.

(Edited by Liu Yinglun, Mark & Hu Sijia)