“I”s on the World: Sino-Illini

Alyssa Baratta-Martin enjoys a hard-won but rewarding view from the Great Wall of China. (Image courtesy of Alyssa Baratta-Martin)

Not everyone can boast that they climbed atop the Great Wall of China, but for Alyssa Baratta-Martin, ’13 ACES, DVM ’17 CM, it’s an accomplished feat. While in Beijing for a two-week course in veterinary acupuncture and traditional Chinese veterinary medicine, Baratta-Martin visited the Summer Palace, the Forbidden City and the Pearl Market. Her most vivid memory was of the Great Wall. “We were told we’d be taking the ‘more scenic’ route to ascend as it had fewer tourists around due to its greater difficulty,” she shares. “All of us were drenched with sweat and exhausted once we finally made it, but that beautifully unobstructed view was so perfect, it was absolutely worth it.”