Harbin Study Abroad

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.