January

Happy New Year everyone! In Nanjing, it almost doesn't feel like a new year because the school semester doesn't end until the end of this month. And the Chinese do not really celebrate the new year, as the Chinese New Year according to the lunar calendar is not until the middle of February (14th to be exact). However, in accordance with traditions, below are a few new years reflections as we enter into the new year:

Going into this study abroad, I knew that I would face challenges and obstacles along the way. However, overcoming these challenges has taught me to be more independent, accepting, and brave. The thought of taking a class taught in Chinese used to make me so nervous of failure, but I now see it as a motivating factor, pushing me to better myself. I am proud of myself for having the endurance to finish the semester and for also beginning each day with a smile on my face.

Moving on from the study phase of the program to the internship phase, I know that I will carry with me everything that I have learned in this past school semester. I have definitely increased my professional Chinese vocabulary, and have gained confidence in speaking the language. My next semester’s internship is a finance internship in Shenzhen, China. I hope that through an immersive experience in the Chinese work environment, I will be able to gain clarity on whether or not I want to start my career in China.

Overall, I am glad that I made the decision to study abroad in China and am extremely grateful for the financial support from the Freeman Scholarship, which enabled me to do so. I learned more about the Chinese culture, experienced a foreign college system, and greatly improved my Chinese language ability. I have realized the differences in cultures, but was surprised by the overwhelming number of similarities I have with local Chinese students. From parental pressure to do well in school, to individual anxiety to find a good job post graduation, it was comforting to relate on these deeper life topics. Studying abroad has broadened my world outlook and instilled in me a love for different cultures; building connections not bounded by country limits.

Harbin Trip:

The first trip of 2018 is to none other than the subfreezing Harbin 哈尔滨! After learning about this festival in my high school Chinese class, I have always wanted to go...6 years later, my dream came true! This experience definitely did not disappoint. A few friends and I went for a weekend trip to Harbin to see the city and go to the festival. The city itself is really close to the China and Russia border, so it's architecture and city culture definitely has a strong Russian influence. It was really interesting, and refreshing as I felt like I wasn't in China for a little bit.

The festival is the most fun at night as each structure is lit up with lights inside of the ice. And because the sun sets so early (around 4pm), it's very convenient. The festival itself is on Sun Island, about a 20 minute car ride away from the city center. Sun Island is across a river which completely freezes over during this time of year, a very interesting sight to see! Aside from the beautiful sculptures, the festival also has activities for visitors such as sledding, fashion shows, ice skating etc. Really fun! However, it gets so cold that the air literally freezes your toes and hurts your face. I had to carry around warm packs in my coat pockets to stay sane. Below are a few photos! :)

YMCA Service Summary:

My community service is with the Nanjing YMCA teaching English to students every Friday night for an hour and a half. Before coming to Nanjing, I had already talked to the YMCA I volunteer with back home and got in contact with the Nanjing YMCA. I basically reached out to them and said I wanted to be of service and they were able to form an English class out of this opportunity. They also have other programs where they help disabled children and teach English to the elderly.

The English classes started off just being a few students in elementary school, but now because a few other Flagship students wanted to participate as well, they were able to invite more students to join. Now, we have a beginning class, intermediate class and an advanced class to better cater to every student’s English knowledge level.

Every week we have a new topic to teach such as “Animals” or “Fruits”. We used to have games to teach them as well, but now they bought textbooks for the students so it’s harder to plan games according to the lesson. The textbook also provides a few simple grammar rules that are helpful for the students.

I like doing my service there because it really lets me get to know families in the community and make friends at the YMCA as well. I have found that teaching English to elementary students utilizes a lot more Chinese language than I originally thought. I am even learning some Chinese from the students in class! For example, I learned how to say “vowel” in Chinese when I was explaining a grammar rule.

So far, I have really enjoyed volunteering at the YMCA and have gotten to know a few of the students really well. It is really exciting to see them grow with confidence every week, and become more interested in learning English. So if not anything else, I hope me teaching them will give them a type of confidence in the language that you can’t get in a traditional classroom setting. Even though teaching young students can be frustrating at times, it does have it’s rewarding moments. Last Friday was our last service day! Below is a photo at "Ultra Kebab" a place we go to for dinner before heading over to the YMCA, and the second photo is us with some of the students.

January 28th?! Crazy! Now that school is finished and I feel like I'm in limbo land with nothing much to do, I've been doing a lot of reflection. And today, with snow falling outside of my bedroom window, extra reflection seems necessary. Going into the internship phase, this is the first time I have no long-term plans. I will be fully graduated from university and will have to begin making the big life decisions such as where I want to work/live, and what career I want for myself. I sometimes feel as though because I have been so busy in school, I haven't had time to think about the next step in my journey. However, there is nothing more motivating and inspiring than seeing a new baby! Kamla, one of the program coordinators here had her baby last November and recently brought her daughter to the office to meet everyone!

Also, Nanjing has been snowing pretty heavily these last few days. Feeling an uncontrollable sense of excitement every time I see snow, I could not help but take around 1000 photos these past few days. Luckily my friend Soph is also a snow enthusiast, so we both took photos of each other.

Also, something amazing happens every time snows. Thousands of workers work through the night to clean up the streets of snow. Considering how big Nanjing is and how much snow there is everywhere, they are all amazing! I got home late the other night, and snapped a pic of them.

Next up....February! Stay tuned