Studying abroad 7,000 miles across the globe, some students find themselves; others fall in love with more than a different country. Since Fall 2008, nearly 100 hospitality management students have taken advantage of the opportunity to study in China for one or more semesters at the Marriott Tianjin China Program, FIU’s largest overseas program. While the academic experience is a big part of their venture, for many of them the experiences outside the classroom have made the most palpable impact. Many left their comfort zones for the first time. Others were surprised, impressed by the people, the culture, the cities, but most agree it was a life-changing experience. Here, four of them talk about experiences outside the classroom, in a new series we call In Their Own Words from China. Gigiana Fraind Gigiana Fraind, B.S. '13, who studied in China in 2012, discovered her inner strength for the first time. "This was probably the first time I have ever been put to the test — the test of life! On this particular day, four of the other students from FIU and I took a bullet train to Beijing, which is about three hours from Tianjin. Our Chinese friends had written the names of hotels and the connecting trains in Mandarin on a sheet of paper to help us find our way. Aside from the language barriers, the train station was pretty friendly, and we managed to get the train tickets in our hands. No such luck with taxis. Once off the train, we couldn’t get a taxi if our lives depended on it. We had to walk to our hotel, after many stops asking random strangers for directions. "This experience taught me a lot! I [...]