CET Greater China

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.

One of my favorite memories from this summer is biking around Kunming with two CET roommates, Wei Hao and Tai Xiong. We biked to the big bus station to buy Tai Xiong's little sister a ticket home. We set off in the morning and the weather was perfect, as always taken for granted in Kunming. Three of us on cheaply bought bikes peddling away, weaving through traffic, and sprinting across intersection. We would wait for each other and sprint passed each other shouting things in Chinese that weren't always understood. It was a brilliant way to see the city, and a brilliant way to connect with friends.

I love biking in Kunming--it is so dynamic. The traffic reminds me of a reef. There are big fish and little fish. Fat buses and skinny motorcyclists. And all of us swim together on roads around the city. The little ones give way to the big ones, but all are aware--and forgiving. When a little fish, young and unwise, sprints across an intersection a bus will squeel to a halt, waiting for the kid to join the other scooterist in an effective little school, with a nudge and a smile.

We bought duck for lunch and talked about our siblings. High from the thrill of biking, our eyes were sparkly and awake. I felt like a kid again with eager playmates and a whole new world to explore.

I remember this day vividly. To biking with friends, to a new world to explore.

Going to China to see the Great Wall and other sites is a cool experience, but I simply can't overlook the food. Everything I ate was different. If it was fried chicken, it had its own unique flavor, and it was absolutely delicious! I remember my friend taking me to a restaurant where we had this amazing bread dessert! Okay, I'll explain. It was the size of a third of a loaf of bread you get from the store with the inside diced into lovely little squares with ice cream on top. It wasn't just ordinary bread, though. The softness and texture wasn't expected at all. I went to another restaurant requesting the same bread to be let down by their "sorry, it's too late for us to make" notice. You will find so many other incredible dishes in China, so don't be afraid to to eat, eat, and eat more!

I participated in this program twice and both times I learned way more Chinese and way more about China than I even expected, forming lifelong friendships with American and Chinese people along the way. Harbin is a wonderful city and a perfect environment in which to study Chinese, and CET provides a huge amount of institutional support.