CET Greater China

This was the thought that ran through my head throughout the first few weeks I was experiencing my time as a student under the dreaded Chinese language pledge. Before arriving I did not realize how serious this pledge would be, and I also did not realize how well it would actually improve my Chinese.

The program was intense, but it does its job. My Chinese has become remarkably better than when I started my semester in Harbin. It is also possible to form deep friendships with Chinese roommates and classmates in the program. I feel like I have been left with friendships that will last a long time. I am also thankful for the unique experiences that CET has left me. For example, visiting the China-North Korean border, Great Wall and other excursions!

I forced my tired eyes open and caught sight of a twelve-year-old boy stepping up to bat in a baseball game. My thoughts quickly returned and I found myself back in my place on first base covered in dirt stains. The young boy before me was named Ye Xiu Wen. His family belonged to our church congregation and I was assigned once a week to visit with his family and provide food, care, and other support. Every time I would greet Ye Xiu Wen with an enthusiastic greeting in Mandarin Chinese, “Hello, my friend, how’s it going?” I would only receive a blank stare and a slow head-nod in response, evidence that my words had once again failed to produce any meaning. I quickly found the language to be a barrier in building up a relationship with this young man, but one day made great strides when I discovered his love for baseball.
I had found an old orange beginning to rot in the bottom of my backpack. I removed the moldy mess and tossed it to Ye XIu Wen in a joking gesture. He caught the orange and pitched it right back at me. I grabbed it and this time wound up in an exaggerated mimic of the pitchers you would usually see on TV. Ye Xiu Wen didn’t miss a beat and grabbed a nearby stick and immediately wound up for a swing. I didn’t think he would actually hit it, so I pitched the orange directly his way. I was wrong. His contact sent exploding remains of my orange in every direction leaving behind a cloud of citrus. Our eyes met and lit up. It was the first time we communicated. We quickly converted the neighboring rice field into a baseball diamond and made a weekly tradition of playing backyard ball, inviting all the local children to join us in our competitions. Today was game day and as Ye Xiu Wen approached the plate my competitive nature took over. I was ready.
Knees bent, back arched, broken pool stick in hand this kid stood poised and ready for action. The pitch was made and yesterday’s edition newspaper - wadded into a ball and, bound in duct tape - went hurling towards the batter. A giant swing followed by contact sent our makeshift baseball high into the air. I took off towards the pile of rice stocks that marked second base, laughing all the while at the comical sight before me. The wind was in our favor and carried Ye Xiu Wen’s hit to the far outskirts of the rice fields. I could now hear his excited footsteps close behind me as I rounded second, my black shoes collecting new stains with every step. It was so refreshing, the humid air running across my face, my perfectly combed hair now rebelliously running free in the wind, and my new friend and I united in our sprint home. After rounding the bases safely I turned back to find my teammate in a struggle for home plate. His skinny legs, crafted from a simple rice-based diet, were in full stride, propelling that little body home. A dramatic final step was made casting up a patch of dirt. Through the cloudy aftermath the call was made: “Safe!”
I looked over to see the stern, determined face melt and give way to laughter. It was the first time I had ever seen him laugh. Such a small, seemingly insignificant image, yet it was one that resonated and burned within me. For the first time since I had arrived, I finally felt like I belonged. Ye Xiu Wen was no longer himself, no longer a young boy with a dream to be the first in his family to graduate high school, no longer a boy with the burden of taking care of a single, disabled, and bed ridden father and two sisters, no longer a boy with the responsibility for providing for his family’s financial needs, no longer the boy laughed at in school for the deformities on his face. No, he had risen above all that and in the moment he was a baseball player.

I loved my study abroad experience with CET. I met some incredible people during my time here, had a lot of fun in the confusion and misunderstandings of the language barrier, and greatly improved my Chinese skills. This program will challenge you, force you way beyond your comfort zone, and will support your endeavors of learning Chinese. I'm so grateful for my time at CET. I will never forget this wonderful experience.

I loved my semester in Beijing. CET's rigorous Mandarin classes quickly elevated my language skills. By the end, I was thinking and dreaming in Mandarin!

The thing I cherish the most from my time in Beijing is the relationship that I created with my roommate, a local college student. We are still in touch today and often help each other with our various homework.

Another great thing about CET was our opportunity to travel over fall break. I went with CET students to Kunming where we hiked Huashan and a few other mountains. It was so exciting to use my language skills to travel on my own in China and CET made me ready to do that.

This program was an amazing experience in every single way, and one I would recommend to any college student, regardless of academic background, as a right of passage. I studied Mandarin in college for the heck of it -- it did not fulfill any requirements and was not part of my major, but I decided to take on this program as a personal challenge. Not only did my Mandarin skills skyrocket, I developed in a million personal ways, too.

Studying abroad in Harbin was an experience! I was able to learn so much about Northern Chinese culture, as well as experience other cultures that are prominent in the North. Visiting the museums and memorials was astonishing, Harbin is a historically and culturally rich area. I found it interesting that I was able to learn so much about Russian, Jewish, and German culture. One of my fondest memories was when we stumbled upon a German restaurant that wasn't far from campus. It was a lively restaurant that happened to be having live karaoke. It was a wonderful night where we were able to drink delicious beer that was a brewed in the restaurant, enjoy some snacks, and the live music. As I look back on my time in Harbin, that was one of my favorite memories.

Studying with CET Shanghai was one of the highlights of my college career. The rigorous language coursework and local roommate program helped me improve my Mandarin skills beyond my expectations, and the staff were incredibly supportive. My internship placement at an international school was a bit different from many of the business- and finance-related positions that many of my classmates held, but it was perfect for my interests and professional goals.

Bus stops and a subway station right off campus made it so convenient to explore the city -- to the local mall for groceries or to catch a movie, to the Bund skyline for touristy pictures and people-watching, and even to the countryside outskirts of Shanghai for a break from the bustle of the city.

This was my first trip overseas, and I tried to take advantage by traveling as much as possible. Shanghai's transportation options include multiple terminals for long-distance buses and trains, as well as two airports, making it a great home base for travel all around mainland China as well as into Hong Kong and Taiwan.

I will always be grateful to CET Shanghai for helping me build strong friendships abroad and for giving me a home away from home.

Studying abroad with the CET Intensive Chinese Language in Beijing Program was my first time abroad, and it was a decision that I will not regret. Although I felt homesick at first, I quickly adjusted to ways of life in Beijing thanks to my teachers and the CET staff. From all the exclusions and all the fun I had in Beijing, I never felt that it was actually an academic program and that I actually am studying Chinese. To me, having to speak Chinese all the time make things seemed like I am a local there which make time flew by fast. Therefore, studying abroad with CET was one of the best experiences I have.