Hey, it’s Erica! I go by that or 阮恩瑞 (only took my entire freshman year to learn how to write that, and I still can hardly pronounce it). I’ve lived all over the state but currently reside in Kalamazoo, MI. I study International Studies and Chinese at Hope. I’m excited to spend my junior year in Beijing, China, at Beijing Foreign Studies University through IES. I’m quite adventurous, so my mom worries I’ll get myself into trouble. I’m more worried about people trying to speak to me and me making them uncomfortable by staring blankly at them. I’m excited about that awkwardness, the food, and living with a host family. Immersing myself in a culture so different from my own is simultaneously terrifying and the most exciting thing I’ve ever done. I’m ecstatic to share this crazy journey with you and hopefully you’ll learn things about China you didn’t know before!