CIEE TAKES YOU PLACES

Generally speaking, I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to study abroad in China, a place that has been the object of my fascination for quite a while. Studying abroad through CIEE was a great way of doing so. Being that this is a country with a different primary language from my own, it was quite the challenge getting around on the first day despite having taken an Elementary Chinese class before. Fortunately, the CIEE office is right in the university, and we did not have the "always speak Chinese" rule in effect yet :). The CIEE staff are more than willing to assist with getting settled in and any other matters that may be of concern during your stay in China. Once the "always speak Chinese" rule was effected, the fun began. While it might have initially seemed overwhelming, it really did help me improve my Chinese and my confidence in speaking it. The teachers are awesome, as are the teaching assistants from the university who helped the teachers with the lesson. There is a variety of classes to choose from besides Chinese and a number actually improve your understanding of China and the people around you (I took a sociology class and Chinese film class). I really love how CIEE organized trips and tours around China and Shanghai; in case, like me, you hadn't much time to tour places on your own, these opportunities had you pretty well covered. I do suggest taking advantage of breaks to travel around as much as you can. There are a couple of Chinese speaking, writing etc. competitions CIEE plans, and they are great ways to practice as well (and get some tasty treats out of it). I could go on and on about my experience, but that should suffice for now. Long story short: CIEE is a wonderful organization and they plan out the program in a way that enables you to make the most of your time abroad, especially if you take advantage of the resources they have for you.