CET Greater China

I arrived in Harbin on the 4th day of the Spring Festival, a sharp scent of gun powder punctuated the night air and the rattle of firecrackers cut through the weary numbness then descending on my jet-lagged brain. I had strained to understand the signs in the airport and I couldn't seem to get a single tone right when I tried asking for help, 'what am I getting myself into?' was the prevailing thought of the day. Luckily, all of the exhaustion of travel and the shock of entering a new cultural environment were assuaged as soon as I arrived on campus at HIT and met with Li Laoshi, Xuan Laoshi, our RA, the other staff whose patience and kindness left me smiling and ready to take on the challenge of the language pledge. As soon as the pledge started, all the students began getting used to the sounds of our Chinese names and growing into our new identity as foreigners, although we made many mistakes, confusing tones or flipping characters around, our roommates and teachers were always patient and encouraging, laughing with us and helping us take the next steps to making our Chinese more 地道。We had fantastic courses where small class sizes allowed everyone to participate and get our questions answered. Our teachers were super willing to answer questions after class hours and supported us to make sure that we all got the most out of the program. Some of my favorite memories also come from outside of class: cooking wonton soup, and going out for hot-pot, learning to play Harbin Majiang, taking my first high speed train ride on our class trip to Beidaihe (where we saw the eastern-most section of the Great Wall), and learning to bargain, and picking up on local slang from our roommates.

For most Americans, when they say "Asian" or even "Asian-American" they lump all of East Asia and South-east Asia together. However for me as someone with cultural heritage from both Thailand and Hong Kong I find it really important to tell people that I'm not just a Asian-American or even a Chinese-American, I am a Hong Kong-Thai- American. I've heard stories, whether from my co-workers in China or from CET, that Chinese-Americans are usually judged at a higher standard than most people. While this might be the case for others, I really didn't feel this was true. First, my name in English is "translated" from my Cantonese name, sounds that don't even exist in Mandarin, so whenever I introduce myself people, including the CET teachers, assumed I was Korean. I also have really dark skin so people assume that I have southeast Asian blood in me and therefore can't speak Mandarin either. For me, I was really lucky because I looked foreign enough where most people wouldn't judge me too harshly if I messed up, but at the same time I looked "Chinese" enough that people wouldn't feel like they should practice English with me.
In terms of how my background affected my Chinese learning in class, I'm really grateful for the teachers at CET. One thing I was really worried about is the fact that a lot of the words I know in Mandarin Chinese are more Southern/Taiwanese style Mandarin, but the head teacher, Qu laoshi, assured me that this wouldn't be a problem. Her reasoning is that as Chinese-Americans, we've grown up using that terminology and while that terminology isn't necessarily standard, it isn't incorrect either so she sees no need to force us to change that habit. I was also horrified that they would try to change the way I said the pinyin "sh" and "s"s. Once again I say it with a Southern accent. Actually at one point I did get into an argument with one of my teachers, but that argument quickly melted away as we continued the lesson. My other Chinese teacher said that as we are in the 300 level class, it is too late to change our accents. She thought it was more valuable to learn new grammar and words rather than to change something like grammar. I agree with this reasoning. The point of language is to communicate and I feel like no matter what accent you have, some one will always think you have an accent.
My Chinese teacher was also really good at telling me when I was using a Cantonese/Southern way of saying something rather than the Mandarin way of saying something. Rather than saying I was wrong, she would simply say that in the mainland they don't use that phrase/word and tell me what they use in the mainland. The teachers I've had in the past would straight-out say I was wrong so I'm grateful that the teachers in CET have a basic understanding of other dialects.

One of my favorite experiences when I was studying abroad in China happened over Fall Break. When my friends and I were in Shangri-la in Yunan, we were tired and hungry from a long and windy bus ride. We decided to have a recommended Tibet-style meal for late lunch. We ate ground yak meat (amazing), spicy Tibetan tofu (amazing), bread with caramelized cheese honey (amazing), and yak milk tea (amazing). This was one of the most unique, memorable, and tasty meals of my life.

I first attended CET Shanghai program with the simple reason to learn more Chinese and for cultural immersion. However, CET provided me with much more than I had expected, even linking me with some of the best corporate internships in Shanghai. The experience later proved to be invaluable, enabling me to work with Chinese companies after graduating from college as I pursued the path of an entrepreneur. CET's Wide selection of internships not only helped me to think about my future career, but also provided me with professional knowledge in the industry that I was interested in. I can also say that my internship placement at the marketing/PR agency also facilitated an extensive improvement of my Mandarin skills because my supervisors often instructed me in Chinese and I was placed to research, write, and speak in Chinese during working hours. Also, weekly seminar sessions with the director of CET program helped me to organize my internship career and how to quickly solve problems so I could balance both internship and coursework effectively. Even after I completed the program, the director continued to provide students with opportunities for career advancement and developing tight networks among CET students.

Besides from internships, intensive language coursework and my awesome Chinese roommate helped me learn and experience Chinese culture! Due to small class sizes, I could maintain close relationships with Chinese teachers and weekly 1:1 discussion sessions with them were especially helpful in improving my Chinese oratorical skills. It is true that there was not enough time to hang out with my roommate because of homework and internships, but weekend getaway with her was definitely memorable and such intimate gathering helped me learn Chinese slangs that were not in textbooks.

The program director and the staff of the program are family-like and are always ready to listen and help students. When I became sick during the program, all of the staff members not only helped me to receive proper treatments, but also even arranged me with extra study sessions to catch up on the course materials. Also, because of thorough care and instructions of staff members, my worries about safety in Shanghai dissipated as silliness. Due to the warmth and reliability of the director and staff members, I was able to have a great time in Shanghai without concerns.

CET Beijing was a decent experience that could have been made great with better planning,and more consideration for its students. However, the social experiences that I had with actual people from Beijing was fantastic. I made more than one friend, who could only speak Chinese, and it forced me to use my limited knowledge, and knowledge I gained through the course of CET, to actually communicate. To me this was the greatest, and best, part of CET.

To call this program anything other than life changing would not do it justice. In many ways it was the most difficult thing I had ever done, and yet at the same time most rewarding. During the week it was constant Chinese classes, and much homework. However, the weekends in Beijing were what made the trip so memorable. I think this combination of challenge and fun is what made the trip so enjoyable. I definitely improved my Chinese, yet at the same time had the time of my life out on the weekends.

The program is top quality, with very good teachers willing to help at all times. Outside of this, I really did fall in love with Beijing. Everything is really cheap, so your dollars will go a long way, and there are many activities to do.

I would recommend this program to anyone.

Not only was this program very challenging because of its high language requirements and heavy workloads, but it also emphasized the importance of personal experience and growth. Students spent a large amount of time drilling vocabulary and grammar, but were often given opportunities to become familiar with Chinese traditions. Intermediate level students learned the necessary vocabulary to talk about traditional Chinese medicine. In addition, they were required to talk to doctors specializing in this type of medicine, and encouraged to convey utilize the practice if they saw it necessary. As always, this type of program is only as effective as students are willing to participate.

I arrived in Harbin ready to make the most of this opportunity to participate in a semester of CET, funded by my Fulbright fellowship. My Mandarin abilities were minimal so the first month under the language pledge was excruciating. But I persisted through the discomfort of sitting silently at the dinner table because I knew this all-Mandarin environment was rapidly improving my speaking and listening abilities. I was forced to figure out how to express myself in Chinese, even if it meant stumbling through butchered sentences at first. By the half-term Fall break my Mandarin had already improved at an exponential rate. By the end of the program, my Chinese roommate was my best friend and we were regularly staying up late at night giggling in bed over stories from each of our days. The subject of these stories was often boys. My uncle told me there are several truly beautiful things one will experience in life: having a baby, falling in love, and making a friend in another language. Needless to say, my Mandarin has improved dramatically since my first week of “你好吗？”.