CET Beijing

CET Beijing was great. I went into the program hoping to improve my Chinese language ability, make new friends, and learn more about Chinese culture. However, I believe I accomplished all of this, and much more.

The program was very challenging at first, but as the weeks passed I got more acclimated to the work load and culture, and they became easier to manage and understand. The workload was heavy, but the hardest part was the language pledge. The students in my program had different backgrounds with Chinese study - some had studied it for years, and others not at all - and after knowing each other for only a few days we were left with very sparse conversational tools. However, this created a perfect environment for not only drastically improving my Chinese language ability, but also for forming incredible friendships with my classmates, who were facing the new challenges with me. Additionally, thanks to the subjects we learned in class, the trips we took with CET, and living in the capital city, I gained incredible knowledge and perspective on Chinese culture.

Finally, the program led to immense personal growth. Being thrown into a completely culturally and linguistically foreign environment allowed me to learn better how to care for myself and live in the real world.

After completing CET, I feel confident I can tackle whatever new challenges come my way, and I can't wait to continue my Chinese language learning, and hopefully gain complete fluency in the future.