SETH'S THOUGHT'S

China is a pretty crazy place. That's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of China. The next is that the research facilities at DUT are very impressive, especially for China. The facilities I got to use I may never be able to use again. The attention I recieved from my mentor and graduate student were awesome and it really allowed me to feel very fufilled on the research aspect of this program. And although research is the designated focus of this program there is another side that one must consider before applying to this program. YOU ARE GOING TO BE LIVING IN CHINA. There are such things as dog meat restaurants and in most places beer is cheaper then water. Go there for an experience and go with an open mind. Be ready to eat anything - in one meal I ate grasshopper, scorpion, snake, duck, chicken, pigs butt, snake skin, snake blatter, cicadas and I drank snake blood and rice wine. Be ready to ride extremely crowded buses and risk your life whenever you take a taxi. But, all of these things are part of the experience and it really is amazing to visit a country so different then the USA. Studying and living in China and not just being a tourist in China is an experiuence granted to only few, but what comes with being some of the lucky few are other difficulties. The language barrier is difficult and just everyday interaction on top of your research makes for long days. But as I write that, I think that it would be crazy to pass up this opportunity. So if you want an experience that will push you in ways you probably don't normally get pushed, then go for it. Don't bring too many warm clothes or much of anything in that mater you can buy most things over there and it's cheaper, and just remeber one other thing. It's always hotter in Beijing.

This is what would be put on the back of my baseball card if I had one:

Seth Kassels is graduating form Colorado College in the Spring of 2001. He is an environmental science major with a physics emphasis. He enjoys telemark skiing and buffalo wings with blue cheese.