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Pressley Thankful For China Trip
Madison, Wis.

(Following is another blog entry by Badger fullback Chris Pressley, who is nearing the end of his UW Business School-sponsored trip to China).

This is one of my last blog entries and like I said before I am so glad to have had an oppurtunity to share it with you all. If you have the opportunity to visit China, I think you should. It has a lot to offer and you will learn so much just by being in a different country and seeing cultures that are different than what you are used to. In just a few days I will be back in Madison and I am looking forward to starting back on workouts and getting ready for the great season that we are about to have.

China is such a magnificent place and I am very grateful to be here. As a child, China was never a place that I thought I would visit. I mean, I had dreams of traveling the world, but growing up I didn’t think it was possible for a poor boy like me. Everyone made it seem like traveling was something so impossible, so unobtainable, and not in my reach because it is expensive and in our eyes it was impossible. But thanks to God's grace and mercy I can sit here today and say that I have accomplished something that was believed to be impossible for me. With God all things are possible. I have been very blessed over the past couple of years with opportunities to go places with the football team, such as Arizona and Hawaii, and I think it is great considering I didn’t have these opportunities growing up.

As a child, I felt that the world made it difficult for a young black man to dream because of the hopeless outlooks that begin to encompass your thoughts based on all of the negative stereotypes you hear. If you asked me 10 years ago where I thought I would be today, I would not have said college, and I definitely would not have said in China on a study tour. I am truly blessed to have this opportunity, and my experience is a testimony to anyone who is reading this blog and needs encouragement. Things may look good now because I have a college scholarship and I am able to travel to China, but it was not always like this for me and I still have trying times today. I can go into great detail about some of the trials in my life, but what I really want to let everyone know is that the Lord has given me such great joy and He is the source of all of my strength. He is so worthy to be praised for his tremendous love. Whenever I find myself going through difficulties or trying times in life, I call on the Lord, Jesus Christ, and he is there for me. He has done it for me and he will do the same for you.

I realize that this blog reaches a lot of people, therefore I wanted to take this opportunity to recognize the Lord as my savior. I want everyone to know that he offers his grace to you, too, so if you are in need of peace in your life, a savior, and a friend that understands everything you're going through, all you have to do is believe and confess that he died for you and he is your lord and savior, and you will be saved by his blood. Like I said before he has brought me through many things in my life and without him I would not be who I am today.

Thank you all who have been keeping me in your prayers along my journey and may the Lord bless you. We are just about at the end of the tour and it has been a great ride. I am ready to come back to Madison, though, and get ready for the season because I am so excited. China has been awesome and it has made me a better person. I think that once I am home I will see things differently because I have been here for a while and have been able to observe so many interesting things about people and culture. I think I have less of an ethnocentric attitude and more of a well-rounded one where I am more open. I really liked it here and I hope to return some day. China is and will become a hotspot for many Americans interested in its booming economy or just interested in learning about and getting involved in their economic development. With a population of over 1 billion people, whose per capita income may double over the next couple of years, China will have many opportunities for entrepreneurs and small firms to start doing business. China is also very attractive to investors and MNCs. It will be interesting to see what happens with their economy over the next couple of years, and hopefully I will be able to benefit in the future knowing what I know now.

Since I didn’t cover what I did in the last few days I will give a quick briefing. This weekend we bused to Hanzou, where we stayed in a really nice Best Western. It was a very nice city that was similar to Madison in the fact that it sits on a lake. The only difference is that it had mountains in the background which added to the already fascinating scenery. We were able to take boats out on the lake and Sunday morning we got up and rode bikes around the lake. I really enjoyed our time here. The bus ride back was really long and I was pretty tired when we got back. On Monday morning we went to Shanghai University of Finance and Economics (SUFE). This university is highly prestigious and has a rich history of more than 85 years. SUFE is highly recognized in the world and with China’s economic expansion, it is very active. "The superior performance of SUFE graduates is witnessed in China and throughout the world, making SUFE a widely recognized source of outstanding economists and business managers." We came here and had a lecture on the Exchange Rate Regime and Exchange Rate Policy in China by a professor of the school. It was a little over my head at times, but nevertheless I learned a lot about some challenges and outlooks of the policy. I also learned some new terminology. Afterwards we had lunch and then went to Yu Garden and Market to do some shopping. I got a few gifts to take back home.

This morning we had another lecture at the university given by a different professor. This lecture was on what sets Chinese marketing apart. Our group asked a lot of questions and I was very interested. I learned a great deal about the features of consumer behavior in China and the many features of Chinese marketing. After the lecture we had lunch in the student cafeteria where there was soooo much food. I talked with some Chinese students during lunch and they told me about their majors. Afterwards I went back to the hotel and started to work out but I am feeling really sick. I think I ate something that messed me up.

Anyhow, tomorrow we have another lecture on China Economics Survey. After that we have a company visit to General Motors (GM) China and then who knows. I will probably write my last blog when I get to Madison just to wrap things up. Thanks to everyone who has been reading the blogs and I hope you enjoyed it. I missed the States and I am looking forward to coming home.

I'll talk to y’all later...God Bless and good bye!!! Go Badgers

Wisconsin Athletic Communications
6/13/2007 4:42:57 PM