Though visiting China for the first time, Ashwin Kulkarni, a medical student at the University of Michigan, already knew a fair amount about the country.

Yet it was during the China-U.S. Youth Health Academic Visit program in Fuzhou, Fujian province, that he truly experienced the warmth of Chinese hospitality firsthand.

This encounter made him realize: No amount of big-picture knowledge compares to actually setting foot in a country, seeing it, and understanding it for yourself.