May

Wow May already! It is crazy to think that I am just about a month and a half away from Flagship final testing (2nd week in June), and almost halfway done with my internship here at Tencent. Time really doesn't stop for anyone.

Life is exciting here in Shenzhen with so many places to visit, so many neighboring cities to travel to, and so many interesting events to be a part of. I'm also setting a lot of career and personal goals for myself that keep me on track throughout the week. (Chinese language level, skillsets, health, work efficiency, etc)

Last weekend, I received an invitation from a childhood friend inviting me to attend her wedding in Xiamen. It was a last minute, but I felt like I definitely needed to go! I luckily got some of the last available train tickets and went over the 五一节 （Labor Day) holiday. We got a day off of work, which made it a 3 day weekend.

The wedding for my cousin who I would periodically see when growing up. Because of that, there were so many people in attendance that said they knew me as a child in the small town my grandparents live in! It was an amazing experience to be able to connect with my extended family after so many years. See below for a few pictures!

This month is passing by fast, and it'll be June before long. The Flagship Program just finalized the end of program testing dates (June 11-14) and I'm getting nervous about how my performance will be. The goal of this program is to get a Superior rating on the OPI and high scores on reading and listening. I thought that I would score well, but at the mock testing right before the internship phase, I only scored an Advanced High on my OPI; the same as I was before the program! Not deterred from my goal, I have been using what I learned last semester in conversation with friends I have here, and hopefully practice pays off.

On the internship front, everything is going well! I am working on my own research project and also helping my supervisor with miscellaneous tasks to lighten her load. I am enjoying the work environment, and want to stay here to start my career. I am planning on talking to my supervisor about what she thinks and if she has any recommendations she can give me!

In other news, this past weekend I turned 23! I don't like a big fuss about my birthday, so I opted for a more quiet and serene celebration...IN GUILIN!!!! Guilin is a place of pure natural beauty and I'm so blessed I finally got to go! So lucky that it was only a 3 hour ride on the high speed train, and also that my 2 friends in Guangzhou were able to go as well. I recommend staying at the Ease Hostel in Guilin city if you are planning to go. It was cheap, clean and comfortable! Also, do a little planning beforehand, there is a lot to see, but mostly far from the city, so it makes the most sense to join a tour. (Be careful not to get tricked and make sure to compare prices to ensure a good deal and a good time) We went with a day tour to Yangshuo that was 120 (not including food), but it did give us a free ride back to Guilin at night! See below for a few pictures and feel free to reach out to me with any questions.