If you are young, love traveling and want to savor new ways of life without the hustle and bustle of usual tourist spots, where can you go?

Try Ningxia in northwest China, just as Rebecca Finke did.

The 29-year-old from New Jersey in the United States left her home seven years ago to come to Ningxia to know more about her mother's roots.

"My mother was born and brought up in Hong Kong and moved to the United States only after she finished college," Finke said. "I was curious to learn more about the place and culture she grew up in but I did not want to go to a big city. I wanted to go to a smaller and quieter place."

So she chose Ningxia, where she taught English in the Ningxia Medical College for three years. But now she has a different goal: to teach Chinese as a second language in the United States.

In her fourth year, Finke began learning Chinese at Ningxia University's School of International Education. She completed her Masters last month and in August, will start her doctorate studies.

Ningxia, she says, has given her a close glimpse into Islam and the Muslim culture. "I had never encountered the Muslim religion so closely before," she said.

It has also given her an insight into Chinese culture and Chinese hearts. One year, a colleague invited her home in the countryside to celebrate the Chinese New Year. "It was cold and there was no hot water," Finke said. "Sometimes I longed to be back in my apartment just to have a shower. But the family was so kind, going out of their way to make me feel at home, that it was one of my most memorable experiences."

She especially liked the traditional custom of neighbors actually dropping in to wish a happy new year, offering the men cigarettes and candy to the children. "I had never seen this before," Finke said with a smile. "In the cities, people just send text messages."