What did you enjoy most about your study abroad experience in Greater China?
The most enjoyable part of my experiences studying abroad in Greater China was the connections I made with other students, teachers, and even locals. My classmates were from a diverse array of cultures and places, such as the United States, Brazil, Korea, and more. It was exciting getting to know people from all over the world and bonding over a simple interest in learning another language. I enjoyed traveling around Taipei with my new friends and experiencing a new place together, while also practicing our Chinese. It was interesting to hear how Taipei related to and differed from everyone’s own hometowns. Furthermore, the ICLP teachers were incredibly supportive. I hope that I have the opportunity to stay in touch with my teachers in the future, as their support and encouragement were truly an integral part of my success in the program. Lastly, using my Mandarin Chinese skills to interact with locals was highly rewarding. For example, a friend and I discovered a restaurant in the neighborhood of our apartment that served amazing food. We frequently ate at this restaurant, to the point that the owner began to recognize us and chat with us. Talking to him and other employees was not only great language practice, but a genuine connection formed from curiosity and appreciation of each other.
What is one of your proudest accomplishments while studying in China?
The main goal I established for my experience studying abroad was to improve each area of my language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) by at least one level before I left (levels as determined by a pre- and post-test). Although I still have yet to receive the results of the post-test for my program, I feel that I can confidently say that I believe I have achieved this goal. After successfully completing this program, I feel much more confident in my Chinese language skills as a whole. While abroad, I certainly went through stages of believing or not believing I could achieve this goal. At times, the overwhelming amount of new information and fast pace made me feel as though I could never keep up or retain the information I was learning. However, when I took a step back and realized how many more signs I could understand when walking around Taipei, or how much easier it was to understand my teacher during class, I felt much more confident in my ability to improve. I was most proud of myself for how much I improved my listening skills, which I didn’t expect to see quite so much growth in. This area was always a struggle for me and held me back from talking with native speakers, but now I feel more confident in my ability to hold a conversation.
How do you plan to use this experience or your Chinese language skills in the future?
While attending ICLP, I aimed to improve my ability to work in a team, improve my written communication skills, and gain a stronger work ethic, all of which I believe did improve in some way. These three talents will allow me to be a stronger candidate for internships, jobs, etc. Although the majority of my assignments were individual, I still had the opportunity to work with many international students and share our unique ideas. Also, I completed many written assignments for my various classes and improved my Mandarin email skills, which will be quite valuable should I work overseas or with Chinese-speaking colleagues. Lastly, I improved my work ethic by practicing methods of combating procrastination and removing my common distractions. This experience also had some effect on my personal values. I have always highly valued my education and making the most out of my educational experiences and opportunities. While I still hold true to this belief, my time abroad also taught me that it is okay to sometimes prioritize other aspects of your life over education. For example, I had considerable homework every day of the program, but still had many “non-educational” things I wanted to do in Taipei. As a result, I sometimes made the decision to sacrifice an hour or two of study time in order to prioritize exploring the country I had limited time in. Although I certainly felt guilty about this decision at times, I was also thankful that I didn’t let myself spend my 2 months abroad solely studying. This summer showed me that I can still be a highly successful student while not necessarily having education as my single priority. School will never stop being a priority of mine, but I want to allow myself to develop other aspects of my life further, such as my hobbies, research commitments, and community involvement.