Here are 7 tips for a great day in China:

1. Wake up early and make yourself a cup of coffee and some delicious breakfast.
2. Go to lunch with Chinese students that you know and love. Listen to their dreams and goals. Encourage them. Listen to them as they encourage you and edify you.
3. Go buy a bag of M&Ms with peanuts and a Coke and then go to the outdoor basketball courts to watch some hoops. Feel free to laugh a little, these guys are DEFINITELY not the next Yao Ming.
4. Go home, open all the windows and kick back on the sofa with a good magazine and watch the sunset.
5. Go eat a home cooked dinner with more people that you love. And watch students as they devour a plate of spaghetti for the first time in their lives.
6. Go to an English corner and listen to a passionate student pour out their dreams and vision for their future. Ask them probing questions about their life, China, and the future of this massive nation. Listen intently. Make mental notes.
7. Go back home and listen to Chinese friends encourage each other and laugh together. Sit back and take mental snapshots because this is the time of your life.

Maybe you figured it out by now… This was my day today. And it was truly great. Did you notice a couple of themes throughout the day? One theme is that i surrounded myself with Chinese people who i really enjoy being with. Another theme is that i didn’t feel the need to talk much. How many times in those 7 tips did i use the word “listen?” Listening is key. Listen to the people around you. Ask them questions just so you can listen some more. I learn so much by shutting my mouth and listening. I’m continuing to learn more and more about listening, and as i learn more about listening i learn more about how to ask the right questions.

A great day in China is yours for the taking. Don’t over-think the culture. Absorb your surroundings. You’re a privileged guest in one of the greatest nations on the whole wide planet. I think that’s pretty cool. So, if you’re down and out about China, go buy yourself some squid on a stick and some milk in a plastic bag and go watch some old men practice Tai Chi. Or, follow my 7 easy steps and you’ll be sporting your I Heart China shirt in no time. Heck, you might even buy a matching tshirt for your girlfriend, but let’s not get too crazy yet. Let’s practice having a good China day before we start practicing becoming Chinese!