International Business Immersion Program-China: May 15-29 2010-

Kristin DeSutter

A dizzying drop below, (from left to right)

Meiling Liu, Annie Gilot, and Kristin DeSutter

celebrate climbing to the top of the Great Wall

outside the winding mountains of Beijing.

My birthday! The

Chinese way :-)

IntroductionI was very honored to travel to Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong with 19 other Illinois students and 4 advisors through IBIP at the end of May. Our program consists of three core components: a) a weekly 2-hr introductory course in the spring semester b) a 14-day study tour that involves interacting with company executives, farmers, and consumers (including Bunge, ADM, and Monsanto) c) A public video presentation on UIUC campus in October

More specifically, I am part of a dynamic 4-person team (including Drew Erickson, Meiling Liu, and George Witchek) who are studying the safety of the Chinese dairy industry followingthe Sanlu Milk Crisis in 2008.

Sights & SoundsGreat WallOne of the most famous landmarks in all of Asia, I have always wanted to climb the Great Wall – it really is called ‘great’ for a reason! It’s HUGE!Shanghai World ExpoI loved visiting the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai, an international event that features over 180 countries.

Thanks to my experience…!Because of my amazing trip to China, my eyes have truly been opened to the many beauties of this great world, and there is still so much to explore. While I feel the world is a very big place, I am discovering that it is also very small, as the Chinese are the same as Americans deep down.