"Culture shock"  grows out of the difficulties in assimilating the new culture,causing difficulty in knowing what is appropriate and what is not. This is often combined a dislike for or even disgust (moral or aesthetical) with certain aspects of the new or different culture.” Taking this wikipedia definition for a culture shock I can definitely say that I have never experienced a culture shock in China. Of course there are many differences to “my” European culture but I felt always warmly welcome during my whole stay in Shanghai.

　　Before I came to China I was wondering if it is easy to get used to the Chinese daily life. But for me it worked out very fast. The huge amount of people everywhere, seeing people working 24/7, the different eating habits, the “different” smell everywhere and of course the language barrier were new for me - but also fascinating. The barrier of language could be overcome somehow by attending the Chinese language course at the Jiao Tong International School. Thus it became easier for me communicating in my daily life.

　　As I stayed in a beautiful apartment with two flatmates my living situation was quite comfortable. We enjoyed going out for eating and I am really addicted to Chinese food now. Nevertheless I should not forget to mention the outstanding Shanghai nightlife. Combined with my trips to some other Chinese cities, my stay here never became boring. Buying food and clothes is very cheap in China, thus the expenses for daily life where by far cheaper than at home. Nevertheless combined with the leisure activities and the fact that I enjoyed doing many things, life can become somehow more expensive than I expected to. But it was still very cheap compared to the semester abroad some of my fellow students spent at other countries.

　　I really enjoyed taking part at the MBA program. The lectures are different to us at home though. They are more practical orientated and somehow more interactive.It was fascinating for me working together with a mixture of Chinese and international students. So I was able to get to know to different perceptions and learned a lot. Also the strong company within the class was very enjoyable. The fact of having a tutor for each class worked out very good, too. The whole Antai College team tried to make studying as convenient as possible. Serving free coffee and tea during the breaks was definitely a highlight and I will miss this when I continue studying back home. But also the fact that our very friendly program coordinators helped us with all of our problems made studying easier.

　　However there is one thing I would recommend. Due to the fact that I already

　　listened to most of the lectures offered, I was not able to take any credits back to my home university. Therefore a wider range of lectures to choose from could be a solution to this problem. Due to the above mentioned facts and the top ranking of the MBA program national and international I can only recommend to come to study at the Antai College! Of Economics and Management!

　　All in all, I spent the best time of my life here in Shanghai. I am sad that I have toleave now, but I am quite sure that I will come back!