Final Thoughts on IUP

the IUP building

Academics:
The atmosphere is pretty laid-back, so it depends on what you put in. Especially since class is discussion-based, you really need to prepare ahead of time, but precisely because classes are so small, you'll definitely be able to focus on what you want to improve.

Extracurriculars:
IUP plans a lot of events - 2 weekend trips and weekly activities (ex. mafia, food tours of Wudaokou, barbecues, calligraphy and mahjong classes, Friday movies...) Plus hanging out with friends (and teachers and roommates)!

Life in Beijing:
Because you have many housing options, I highly recommend sharing an apartment with native Chinese people. It's a great way to put yourself out there and meet some new people! Food is also great in China, especially if you're willing to explore, so indulge. Overall, IUP gives you a lot of freedom outside of class =)

I can't believe 8 weeks flew by so fast - there are too many stories to tell, too much advice to give, too many thoughts to develop than can be shared in this blog. I'll be here for the next two months researching, so I'll try to capture some more quintessential moments in Beijing. If you have any questions about IUP, Beijing, research, etc. feel free to e-mail me! Thanks for joining me on this adventure thus far...onto part two! =)

Last Day at IUP

with Li Laoshi, my hebanke teacher, during our last class

I used to come and hang out with Cai Laoshi and Yang Lihao
after class everyday

silly Huang Deji thanking Zhang Laoshi

IUP graduation party

we (Huang Deji, Yang Lihao and I) were asked to perform
our speech contest poems again

Cai Laoshi, Zhang Laoshi, Li Laoshi and Yu Laoshi's skit:
imitating students (namely, Yang Lihao, Huang Deji and me)

Yao Laoshi, Yuan Laoshi and Zhan Laoshi performing the Chinese piggy version of "Who's on First, What's on Second and I Don't Know's on Third"

Linguistic Accomplishments

Some changes that I've noticed in my language abilities...

I can read magazines! I purchased a copy of the Chinese equivalent of Time magazine, and found that I could understand at least 80% of it. Granted, my reading speed is still pretty slow, but I definitely could not read newspapers or magazines before this summer.

I use Chinese to chat with and e-mail friends, teachers and family members. Unlike before, it no longer takes me forever to write a response, and I don't stress out about using Chinese either. (tip: Google Pinyin is awesome! It lets you type the pinyin for entire sentences so that you don't have to select a word every few seconds. Also, based on your sentence structure, it'll choose the correct “de” and other words for you.)

I understand song lyrics, both listening (on the bus, passing by shops, etc.) and reading (while singing karaoke, of course!). I think a person's ability to process song lyrics really reflects his/her mastery of the language, since the pace is pretty fast and singers often slur words.

I sometimes express myself better in Chinese than in English! While most of my life this summer has been China-centered, a very important part has been English-only: my med school application essays. With each passing day here, I find myself wanting more and more to use Chinese terms, which are often more precise and concise than the corresponding English term, to express my thoughts. Needless to say, using Chinese isn't possible on med school essays, so it has been quite the struggle writing those essays.

My English has gone down the hill (This is not an accomplishment per se, but it shows how much Chinese has seeped into my life). I sometimes find myself, when struggling to find the appropriate English term, trying to translate from Chinese into English. Most noticeably, I really like run-on sentences now, since Chinese sentences often go on and on and on, phrase after phrase, comma after comma without a period in sight...

Speech Contest (follow-up)

Here are the pictures of the teachers, as promised!

Hua Laoshi

Yu Laoshi (left)

Liu Laoshi (right)

Cai Laoshi (right)

Zhang Laoshi

Yuan Laoshi

Li Laoshi

Measuring Progress

Last Thursday, I took the IUP entry-exit test and got my results back today. Unbelievable how much I've improved! I feel such a sense of accomplishment - I went up over 35 points on a 220-point test, with the most improvement in vocab, which is exactly what I wanted to work on this summer.

Also, I'm becoming much more conscious of my s/sh, c/ch, z/zh problem, often correcting myself before my teachers even have time to mention it. And the sh/ch/zh sounds don't sound nearly as forced as they used to.

I'm seriously contemplating coming back to IUP in the future, whether it's for a summer or for an academic year. If my Chinese can continue to improve at this rate, it's definitely worth it. Plus I'll be able to take electives and self-designed courses!

Meteor Shower

I know you're thinking, how can you possibly see meteors with the light pollution in Beijing? Well, we trekked all the way to the Thirteen Ming Tombs to catch a glimpse of the meteors at 1 am, and it was absolutely amazing! Not only could you see the streaks of shooting stars, you could also see the nebulae of the Milky Way, and the tottering orbits of satellites. One of the coolest things I've done in Beijing by far!

Speech Contest

My friends and I wrote poems about the teachers, complete with caricatures. The teachers were great sports, so I'm sure they don't mind me posting their cartoon selves here. I'll search for actual pictures for side-by-side comparison:

Hua Laoshi

Yu Laoshi

Liu Laoshi

Cai Laoshi

Zhang Laoshi

Yuan Laoshi

Li Laoshi

Result: SUCCESS!