Two years ago, my teacher sent me some information on CHECK-IT. It was about the opportunity to do an internship in China. At first I did not think much of it, but the idea had rooted. I did some research, and learned more about CHECK-IT, Chinese culture and the beautiful city of Xiamen.
The more I found out, the more excited I got; I enrolled and met some fantastic fellow Dutch students. Skip forward a few weeks and there I was, in an airplane on my way to Xiamen. But… during my flight I started to wonder if I was doing the right thing, what if I didn’t enjoy it, what if things would be too difficult? Now, almost two years further, I’m confident it’s one of the best decisions I ever made in my life so far.
I’m not here to explain you my whole life story or talk about all the crazy adventures I have had during and after my internship in China. What I do want to talk about is why I believe this is one of the best decisions I ever made.
First of all, the five months in Xiamen were amazing. I made new friends, experienced all kinds of interesting food and enjoyed the local life in Xiamen. CHECK-IT really gave me the opportunity to experience living in China and Xiamen as a local, instead of being a tourist, which is quite a unique and special experience I would say. I even incline to believe that it’s a once in a life time opportunity, to travel abroad and live in China as a local!
Before I went to Xiamen for the internship I was told it would change my life. At the time I thought it was a bit dramatic. But now, looking back, I think it really did. Before my internship at CHECK-IT I lived in Holland focusing on studying IT and spending most of my time with friends and family.
Two years later I visit China on a regular basis, have contact with old friends and explore the many many cities of China which I still have not explored yet. Instead of only focusing on my life in my hometown in Holland and IT, I now focus on the World.
As you can see, CHECK-IT has not only been my gateway to China, but even my gateway to opening my horizons to the rest of the World! I want to thank everyone involved with CHECK-IT, especially the students of Check-IT group 12, David & Jan Dankers and Miss Lee for enriching my life through this amazing initiative.
Kevin van Dijk / graduated China lover / former CHECK-IT 12