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Meet Our Students: Joseph Fuschetto
Joe at the Great Wall Joe and his girlfriend, Jane Joe and his history teacher
You expect to have wonderful cultural immersion experience, language exposure and the opportunity to gain new perspectives when you study abroad. However, have you ever thought that a study abroad trip could be the beginning of a romantic love story? Joseph Fuschetto is a junior Economics and History major at CSB/SJU who has just returned to CSB/SJU from China Study Abroad, Fall 2005.
Joe expressed that the reason he chose to go to China for study abroad was because he had traveled extensively to South America and Europe and he wanted to explore Asia. Also, he wanted to polish his resume so as to increase his job opportunities. However, his China Study Abroad experience far exceeded his travel and resume-building expectations.
The biggest surprise, the most memorable and the happiest thing was that during Joe’s study abroad trip, he met his girlfriend, Jane who is a Chinese, while in Chongqing where Southwest University is located! While Joe helped Jane to improve her already excellent English, Jane exposed Joe to other spectrum of the Chinese culture beyond those that were taught in the classroom. Jane was open to talk about sensitive political issues with Joe, opening Joe to the Chinese political perspective. Jane also acted as a local tour guide for Joe, helping him bargain in the markets.
Joe expressed that the favorite part of the whole study abroad trip was his stay at Southwest University. Joe found that at Southwest, he could fully immerse himself in the exotic Chinese culture. Joe likes the location of Southwest University which is located in the suburban area of Chongqing. This gave Joe a taste of “real” Chinese culture, as places like Beijing are modernized and look more like New York than what he expected China to be like. In addition, the university is only 45 minutes away from downtown Chongqing where everything is modernized. Therefore, it gave Joe an option to go to the city if he missed city life. Joe also met a wonderful history teacher at the university who was a red guard when Mao Zedong ruled China. The teacher was very open to talk about his experiences and his views on Chinese politics, which cultivated Joe’s interest in Chinese history.
The study abroad experience changed Joe’s view on China. He described the movies on China as “a bit off.” China is a freer place than he expected. For example, the Chinese government won’t go after you unless you violate the law. It also surprised Joe to realize how much Chinese students love to party and have fun.
The China Study Abroad program opened Joe to opportunities that he had never considered before. Joe plans to go back to China this summer for an internship and to teach English for a couple of years in Chongqing after he graduates. “Amazing and I will definitely go back,” is Joe’s remark of the trip.
Last updated on 02/07/2006