Final Post

I've been home in New Jersey safe and sound for about a week now. To be honest, I thought it would feel strange to be back in the States, but it feels like I never left at all -- like the last six months in China were just a dream. Everything feels just like normal, except now I'm fluent in Chinese. I'm happy to be here and looking forward to continuing my studies next semester. But now I'd like to go back, report to you all about my last few experiences in China, and give some concluding thoughts.

First off - the Japanese restaurant I wrote about in one of my last entries was so good that my friends and I went back. This time, we brought a much bigger contingent. Kelly: The restaurant is called Tairyo Teppanyaki. There are five branches in Beijing, but we went to the one in The Village complex at Sanlitun district. 200 kuai - unlimited everything on the menu - steak, fish fillets, fried rice, sushi, sashimi, dessert. Save room... it's so so worth it.

Next came Zhongwen Zhiye, the end of term talent show, similar to the one at the end of HBA. I have to say, for a semester program, ACC's show was no where near as thought-out, varied, or entertaining as the show at the end of HBA. I was one of the MCs of the night (Here I am to the right with my fellow MCs. We were dressed in traditional outfits of Chinese minorities. I did not have any other acts.) The preparations for the show felt very rushed. At HBA, each grade level put on a skit (second year's Romeo and Juliet skit, starring yours truly, was by far the best one.) In any case, hosting was pretty fun even though we wrote our scripts an hour before the performance.

I also have a video of my final oral exam: a talk show where we discuss what factors are most important when considering who to marry.



It's really remarkable how much I changed while I was away in China. Firstly, I became fluent in Chinese. I knew it would happen (I even mentioned it in my first blog post), but it still amazes me. Back when I was a first year student, I used to search for videos on Youtube of foreigners speaking Chinese... seeing a non-heritage speaker speak fluent Chinese gave me something to strive for. One girl in particular really impressed me. I understood almost none of what she said in her videos, but she spoke so confidently and fluidly that I didn't question her language skills. Now I watch her videos and catch her tonal and grammar mistakes as well as her sometimes awkward word choices.

I used to memorize Chinese characters by forming pictures and inventing characters in my head. For example: the word "humorous" (yōumò). The first character became a set of bleachers filled with cheering fans. The second character is composed of, on the left, an alien baby sitting on coals, and me on the right smoking a pipe. I don't think I'll ever forget how to write "humorous" in Chinese.












As the semester went on, I relied less and less on silly pictures. As I learned more characters and the meanings of different radicals, I began to "feel" inside me whether I had written a character correctly. Instead of just learning by rote, for example, that 火 means "fire," I now look at that character and can't help but to associate it with heat, machinery, industry... fire. It might still take me a while to read a paragraph in Chinese. But the characters make a lot more sense now. I just wish my English were a little bitter so that I could express this all clearly haha.

With that, I say good bye to Beijing, my home for the past half a year. I think I did a lot of growing up over in China. I cannot thank the Light Fellowship donors and staff enough for the amazing opportunities they have given me. I'm excited to see what life has in store for me next.

Happy Holidays and a very Happy New Year.

Things That I Didn't Like Before Coming to China

But that I like very much now:

1. eggplant
2. lamb - No night out on the town is complete without a few lamb kabobs bought on the street. These things are absolutely delicious. Holy cow.
3. Japanese tofu: Actually, this is kind of a cop-out... "Japanese tofu" here in China isn't actually tofu; it's made from eggs
4. Big Macs: What can I say? We have McDonald's delivered to our rooms when we're too busy to go out for dinner
5. Karaoke: Karaoke in China isn't like in America. Back at home, a big book is passed around. People choose their song, wait for their names to be called, get on stage in front of the audience, sing their song, and go back to their seat. Here in China, groups of friends rent out private rooms at a karaoke establishment called KTV. Waiters bring in drinks, snacks, and instruments, and everyone just dances and has a good time while singing in a group.
   
6. Green beans: Before coming to China, I never really saw vegetables as a main dish. They always just complemented a meat. But in China, vegetables are giving just as much attention. Too bad Chinese restaurants back home don't make green beans like they do here.
   
7. Yogurt: Chinese yogurt isn't any better than American yogurt. It's just that I drank so much of it out of concern that I wasn't getting enough calcium in my diet. Now I have it for breakfast almost everyday.
8. Kanye West: I've been listening to him for the past month. His new album is amazing.
   
9. Giving presentations
10. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches: I keep the ingredients in my room so I always have a relatively healthy snack available. According to my calculations, I think I have eaten about 175 of these bad boys since June.