Travelling abroad is an amazing adventure, a life-altering experience and a unique learning opportunity. For me, it was very exciting to venture out in the world.

And China is a while new world itself. 

China, being the beacon of social and economic growth, presents the largest platform for anyone seeking change, freedom and opportunities. With thousands of notable educational institutes and equally luring landscapes, it represents the ideal environment for learning and growth.

Chinese have an enriched culture was something of a common knowledge but the reality of this struck me when I arrived here. The diversity I found here left me in awe and made me wonder how such a large population belonging to numerous religions, ethnicities, castes, creeds could live in perfect harmony. I was far from home, but I didn't feel like an outsider. I could see myself living here, well protected in a serene atmosphere of beauty and culture.

The elaborate and highly effective living style gradually enhanced our useful habits. In a couple of months, we had picked up the way of living.

As a food lover, for me, the delight in food surpassed that of clean streets, cool atmosphere and new found friendships. 

I constantly found myself amazed at the variety of food. From the warm aromas in chilly winter nights to juicy summer treats, it was a wholesome and unique experience for me and my taste buds.I felt like in a very short period of time it was the experience of a lifetime of delicious foods. China, without any doubt, has a colourful and delicious assortment of food. From sweet pies to the spicy meat dishes, nothing is left to imagination.

At every street and every turn, one can find food among spicy aromas. Whether you're up early in the morning and out late at night, you can always find some place to eat.

Not only did I enjoy eating I started cooking my own food too. Something I would never imagine I could do back home! 

As a part of our learning course here, we learnt the Chinese language. That was itself a separate adventure, a journey of cramming , sleepless nights, learning and growing. But the hard work started paying off soon. We could communicate better and felt a strange pride in having learnt such a complex and beautiful language. 

It all started as fun and hurdles and gradually converted into a beautifully marked journey of learning new things and seeing the world with different lens. Re-learning the things we already knew, in a different way and language made us more conscious.

We received immense support and guidelines from our teachers who taught us with the passion and love rarely found in today's world.

Even after passing the test it was a continual learning process with ups and downs, fascinations and progression. 

The moment I thought I had grasped some essence of this wonderful place, there came festivals and left me awestruck yet again. The Mid-autumn festival, celebrated on 15th day of eight lunar month, is a great representative of beliefs. The moon is believed to be the brightest this day of the year. What a sight to marvel upon!

Dragon boat festival is the most vibrant traditional festival. It includes many folk activities and is a rich example of heritage.

The Lantern Festival, celebrated on 15th day of first month of lunar year, is a festival made brilliant with lights. Temples and buildings are decorated with colourful lanterns. People enjoy sweet delicacies with colours of this festival.

Qingming festival is the tomb sweeping day. It includes outdoor activities and holds a great place in the hearts of the people.

Spring Festival being the Chinese New Year, lights up the sky as hoards of people come to see the beauty of it. The effect it has on people, is a wonderful experience in itself. Exchange of red packets, firecrackers and music are my favourite part.

The spring time in China reminds me of a poem by Meng Haoran.

It had never seen such many vibrant colours, echoing laughter and sparkling fireworks work all at once in celebrations so grand that they left you star struck for days. 

I had the chance to meet up and chat with strangers, colleagues, teachers, shopkeepers, people belonging to different areas of China. Every person, though unique in his or her own way had the core beliefs and values of a single, united nation. Chinese people with their friendly smiles and curious eyes were easy to talk to and approachable. I realised that we were not the only one eager to learn about them, their customs and traditions. 

Soon enough we found ourselves talking to them not for the mere purposes of asking for directions. We exchanged tales of our lands, our lives and experiences with them and our feeble attempts were met with such genuine enthusiasm and encouragement that left a permanent mark on our hearts.