By: Daniel Sanvee
The Hornet Newspaper would like to highlight Jabari Jefferson and his trip to China in 2015.
Jefferson is a junior at Delaware State University, majoring in Mass Communications with a concentration in TV, Radio and Film.
When he applied for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, he was given a chance to study abroad in China, with most expenses paid.
While in Xi’an (formerly the capital of China), Jefferson talks about having to adjust between two different cultures, two different worlds. “Being in a foreign city being on our own…. everyone else was Chinese, they were foreign. Us five, we were Americans, we pretty much had to figure everything else out on our own.”
He talked about being safe in China, to which he described it as “one of the safest places in the world.” Feeling comfortable in his surroundings was also not an issue for him. “I really felt like a celebrity there believe it or not.”
He further explained that with the exception of locals in Xi’an, most of the natives from the country sides of China visiting there had never seen an African American in person. To them, someone of Jefferson’s complexion is an anomaly.
He described moments where locals would enthusiastically ask to get pictures taken, although at the same time, he felt as though they were treating him as an “exhibit, an object, like an animal.” Nevertheless, the royalty aspect was there, he said.
Jefferson compared the social climate of China and the U.S, stating that China is a lot more social and open compared to the social atmosphere here in States, even on our own HBCU campus. Traveling to China was a trip that broadened his worldview and encourages DSU students to study abroad the moment they can.
Categories: Features