I Need More Time

T-Minus 3 days:

I suppose as is the case with this sort of expedition, it is in these last few days that I'm finally beginning to realize how shallow my understanding of China is, and how much more there is that I am eager to experience. I say this not from a regretful point of view, but rather as an affirmation of a sense that I felt going all the way back to the start of this summer, which I believe has a lot to do with the nature of my interest in China. Clearly I'm very intrigued by this country, but if I had to pick an area of particular interest, I would have to say I'm most excited to learn more about this culture and to potentially witness China's ascent to a predominant position of geopolitical and economic influence (in case you're wondering, I stole that last phrase from the personal statement portion of my application of HBA).

The more time I spend here in Beijing, the more I begin to realize how much more I have to learn, and I'd like to think I'm relatively China-savvy (at least as far as the average American goes). Granted I say this on the basis of relatively limited experience, but I get the sense that most Americans really have no clue what life is like China. Perhaps the most worrisome aspect of this American ignorance is the fact that a lot of people have this idea that modern day China has retained the Big Brother-esque aspects that some might argue were characteristic of Chinese society during the Mao Zedong era. And while Mao's policies certain continue to influence the culture here, they are, as of late, getting some serious competition from Western ideals. We recently read an article in our textbook which asserted that the Chinese political environment is getting increasingly more liberal (liberal in the freedom sense, not the left-right spectrum sense). Whether it is due to conscious changes in the system or simply an unintentional result of the government's economic development policies is not entirely clear, but it would appear as if change is certainly on the horizon.

This past Monday, I went out to eat with my Chinese parents, and had a wonderful conversation with my "mom" regarding the whole aspect of personal freedom here in China. Obviously, the idea of a set of natural rights is something that American society is based upon. Historically, that has not been the case here in China, but from what my Chinese mother told me, the amount of personal freedom that the average Chinese person has today is steadily growing. At this point, Chinese people are comfortable with speaking their mind regarding politics, the economy, and the rest of the world. And although you would have a hard time finding any public protests in Beijing, there is a thriving underground world that fearlessly criticizes the government and shines light on the relatively oppressive aspects of Chinese culture through music, art, and other media.

I'm now three paragraphs deep in this post and beginning to regret starting off on this subject due to the fact that I could literally go on for days discussing the things I have learned and still wish to learn about this country. In the interest of time, I'll leave you with this: There is no doubt in my mind that I'll head back to China (perhaps a few times) before my college days are over. The more I learn about the culture here the more new doors open up, and the more I realize how much more there is to learn. At this point in time, I think it would be naive to deny the responsibility the Western world (especially America) has in trying to gain a better understanding of China (I would say this goes both ways, but considering English is a already a mandatory class at all high schools here, I'd say they have a significant head start). It's my own personal opinion that the residual fear/hatred many Americans harbor towards anything having to do with the "Commies" has kept us in a state of relative denial and unfamiliarity. But I am also confident that the walls are rapidly crumbling, and programs like the Light Fellowship have the potential to bring America and China into a new era of understanding - economically, politically, and culturally.

I'm truly blessed to be a part of this amazing process.

As always,

Jamey

For Next Year's HBA Students

My Daily Schedule (usually)

6:00 AM - Wake-up, shower, review characters for morning dictation

8:00 AM - Large Class: Overview of current lesson's grammar points (12 students, 1 teacher)

9:25 AM - Reading Class: Read over lesson text with teacher (4 students, 1 teacher)

10:10 AM - Small Class: In-depth review of grammar, students respond to questions using new grammar patterns (4 students, 1 teacher)

11:20 AM - Discussion Class: second-semester only, students discuss the day's lesson and engage in debate regarding issues brought up by the text (2 or 3 students, 1 teacher)

12:00 PM - Lunch break

1:30/2:25 - One-on-one with teacher, relatively relaxed conversation and speaking practice

3:30 PM - Freedom

11:00 PM - Sleepy-time

Notes:

There is a ten-minute break between the Large and Reading classes and a twenty-minute break between Small Class and Discussion Class. As I mentioned above, Discussion Class only took place second-semester, so first-semester we had two sessions of Small Class (10:10-11:00 and 11:10-12:00). In terms of the seven-and-a-half hour period I call "Freedom", I never had a completely set in stone plan. Usually I'd spend the afternoon/night reviewing the next day's lesson, working out, relaxing, and eating dinner.

Suggestions:

1) I found that it was a much better use of my time to use my 10 and 20-minute break periods working on homework as opposed to chatting in the hallway. Call me anti-social but it really made my afternoons a lot more enjoyable/open.

2) Bring note-cards for learning vocabulary. My primary method for learning new words, starting from back at Yale, was writing them over and over on my blackboard. But this past week all my dry-erase markers dried out, so I was forced to start making little note-cards from a small note-pad I brought along. So far I think this has turned out to be a better method.

3) Find something to keep your mind off all the work, e.g. working out, talking to friends back home, watching TV/YouTube, blogging, etc.

4) If you don't have a good friend here in Beijing, make one. It's really hard to get through the first few weeks on your own, so it's a good idea to find someone you enjoy hanging out with, this really helps take the edge off homesickness and the anxiety that HBA's workload sometimes causes (more on the whole workload aspect in a sec).

5) Go on as many HBA sponsored trips as possible. HBA sets up weekly field trips to the coolest, prettiest, and oldest places in the Beijing area, and anyone who has seen my Facebook photo albums knows how much I enjoyed these excursions.

6) Have fun. Beijing has an awesome bar/club scene that is definitely worth checking out. Even if your not into that stuff, there is no shortage of interesting places in this city. Don't be overly anxious about studying, especially on the weekends.

Now for the part that everyone has been waiting for...

The HBA Workload (my estimation)

- 65 new words per night (on average, some lessons it's closer to 75 and others more like 50)

- 8 pages of homework per week (4 lessons a week, 2 pages per lesson)

- 1 essay per week (used for Oral Exams)

- 1 test per week (Written and Oral)

This may sound like a lot to kids who haven't even finished L2 at Yale, especially in light of L1/L2's new vocabulary requirements. To be honest, it is not bad at all. I am completely confident that anyone talented enough to get into Yale has what it takes to get through HBA. There have been some nights that required more effort than others, and certain tests are rougher than others, but all in all it's nowhere near impossible.

I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression - HBA is rigorous, it lives up to it's reputation, and it will test your ability to learn Chinese at a very fast pace. I can remember some nights feeling like I'd never get through all the new words. And there were certainly weeks (towards the beginning) where I wished I was back home hanging out at the beach getting a tan. It is tough, and performing well here requires dedication and a willingness to bust your ass. That being said, the reward is certainly worth the hard work.

Before coming to Beijing, my Mandarin speaking and listening proficiency was mediocre at best. I can remember eating at the mandatory Chinese table sessions back at Yale and struggling to communicate effectively with teachers and higher level students. At this point, I feel comfortable engaging in full-blown conversations with real Chinese people. I've had the opportunity to chat with kung-fu students about their lifestyles and potential future careers. This past week, I wrote a 300-character composition on my attitude toward people who cheat on their significant others. I've already told my parents and teachers that my Chinese now, after one year, is better than my Spanish ever was (I took Spanish for five years in junior high and high school). HBA is the real deal, and anyone who is really interested in learning this language would be do themselves a huge favor by coming here.

Overall Message:

HBA is certainly deserving of the description "intensive language-study summer program". But for anyone who has a serious interest in Mandarin, and learning as much as possible in two months, studying here is a phenomenal idea. Contrary to what you may have heard, it's very possible to get good grades (even by Yale standards) while enjoying yourself here at HBA. I'd be hard pressed to find a fellow student who did now have a blast this past summer.

HBA>Duke>PIB,

Jamey

Blogging > Studying

Hey guys,

Question #1.

With tomorrow's test looming large on the horizon, am I currently...

A) Playing Mario Kart 64 on my computer

B) Listening to Nujabes/Non Phixion Radio on Pandora

C) Reviewing grammar patterns and new vocabulary

D) Watching episodes of "Lost" on hulu.com

E) A, B, and D

I'll leave it up to you to decide for yourselves.

For my parents' sake I'll have you all know that I've already looked over this weeks lessons and feel prepared to take on the test tomorrow. Unlike some other Thursdays, which sometimes get pretty hectic, I've got a bit of free time on my hands today. It's so hard to believe that a week from now I'll be sitting in my room studying up for the FINAL EXAM. Speaking of finals, I was just talking to my Yale roommate Nick earlier today who is also studying here in Beijing - he's doing the Duke in China program. Unlike us HBA kids, this was their last week, so he's probably buried in 语法 and 生词 right now. I certainly don't envy that, but I am a little jealous he'll be heading back to his family within a few days.

Since I landed in Beijing, my attitude has constantly oscillated between loving Beijing and wishing I was back home (maybe that's a little bit off - I would say it wasn't until the second or third week that I felt really comfortable here). But ever since then I've managed to slog through all the school work while exploring some of China's most impressive sites on the weekends and during the social study week. It hasn't really hit me yet, but I think I'll start to realize next week how much I'll miss this place and all the fun I've had with all the teachers and students. It's a strange thought that I might never see some of these teachers ever again once I head back to the States, but there's no doubt that I'll never forget them.

In terms of the whole missing home aspect, I think I've reached a new level of awareness regarding my own age/maturity. I'd like to think I'm a pretty independent kid - someone who isn't fazed by attending college miles away from home or spending a summer on the other side of the planet - and while I would say that is the case to a degree, I think I've still got some room to grow as far as taking on the real world is concerned. I think this is especially reflected in my current indecisiveness toward my major/potential career paths, as well as the fact that I was really homesick for about the first ten days here in Beijing. But like I said in an earlier post, not being certain about the future isn't a bad thing as far as I'm concerned, and I think the fact that I have some maturing to do before I graduate college makes me even more excited to take advantage of my next three years at Yale.

But anyway, it's right around dinner time here so I'm going to head out. This weekend is bound to be pretty frenzied, what with our gongfu performance at Beijing Night on Saturday and the speech contest on Sunday. I'll have my hands full to say the least, but I'd like to get in another post before next week, so stayed tuned.

T-minus one week,

Jamey

Sorry for the Confusion!

Hey guys just wanted to make a point to say that I completely made up the whole thing about Jimmy Page climbing Song Shan and coming up with Stairway to Heaven. Hope it's not too big an issue.

Still Playing Catch Up

Hello all,

So unfortunately I'm still about a week behind on this whole blogging thing. I'm going to try to catch up within the next week or so, if for no other reason than to make sure I'm meeting the 2 post per week average that I'm supposed to be following. For that reason, these next few posts will likely be on the shorter side, but I'll still try to hit on the coolest things going on here in China.

Last weekend we took a trip to the 798 Art Festival in Beijing. Those of you familiar with my tastes in art know that I'm have somewhat of an obsession with graffiti/street-style art, which explains the feeling of being overwhelmed I felt while walking around 798. I have a hard time explained what this "art festival" actually entailed. I guess the best way to describe it is what appears to be a former industrial area that is now covered in graffiti, and features emptied out factory rooms which now hold every type of modern-ish art imaginable.

[interpretation of my thoughts] : THIS PLACE IS TOO COOL.

I don't really know what it is about graff that really gets me going. Too be honest the only reason that comes to mind is that it looks "cool". But I don't really know what that means...

Some people appreciate art for it's historical value. Others appreciate art because it challenges the viewer to make his or her own interpretation. Others still appreciate art because it's just a "sophisticated" thing to do. I've always been a very visual person in terms of learning and understanding concepts, and for whatever reason the shapes that graffiti artists use just really strike me.

I feel like right now I should say something like "So forum, what is your favorite style of art, and why? Leave your interesting or creative responses in the comment section below." Sort of a strange post, I know. That's what happens when you have been listening to dubstep and have about a million things going on in your mind besides blogging. This week is going to be a busy one for me. I'm planning on taking the HSK Test this coming Friday, which is a standardized test that anyone who wants to work in China has to take. To friends and family, don't worry I'm not planning on doing any work in China anytime soon, it's just that HBA offers the HSK free of charge while signing up on my own could run upwards of $100. Besides the HSK, I'll be participating in the annual Beijing Speech Competition, which features students from all the various American summer programs in Beijing and Tianjin. The topic of my speech is my week at the Shaolin Temple and my experience learning gongfu (and here I was thinking high school graduation was the last time I'd have to give a speech in front of a bunch of people).

Anyway hope all of you are making the most of the last few weeks of the summer. I still can't believe two weeks from now I'll be sitting at home in Palatine. I think I'll do another post regarding the whole "time flying" aspect of this trip, so check back for that next time. Until then have a great Sunday.

Cheers,

Jamey

P.S. Check out Facebook for my 798 Art Festival photo album. Pretty cool stuff if you ask me.

Longest Staircase on Earth (Shaolin Temple Part 2)

A little rock n' roll history for your troubles, the picture to the left was taken at the exact location from which the phrase "Stairway to Heaven" originated. In 1968, Jimmy Page spent a summer in China's Henan province and at the foot Song Mountain's longest set of stairs composed the piece that would later become Led Zeppelin's most celebrated, well-know song.................. just kidding.

On to Part 2 of our (# yet to be determined) part revisitation of my week at the Shaolin Temple. While I absolutely loved learned gongfu, I would have to say the most memorable experience I had was climbing Song Mountain. This mountain range, on which the Shoalin Temple sits, is the central of China's Five Great Mountains. These five, Tai Shan, Hua Shan, Nan Heng Shan, Bei Heng Shan, and Song Shan, are said to be sacred under the Taoist religion, and in the past have served as destinations for pilgrimage. I'm not entirely certain of the role these mountains play in today's Taoism, but the views from the peak and the general scenery certainly seem deserving of the label "sacred".

As evidenced by the picture, I say that we climbed Song Shan in the climbing stairs sense, not the whole rope and carabiner routine. But walking up what I imagine must have been thousands of stairs was no small task, especially having practiced gongfu for six hours the day before. There was a distinct humbling aspect about this experience, as I watched 60+ year-old Chinese women keeping pace with me and the rest of our group, not to mention the absense of sweat on their faces and clothes (I looked like I had jumped in a pool fully-clothed by the end of it). From what one old gentleman told us, it isn't uncommon for him and his friends/family to make weekly trips up and down the mountain. As I spend more time here, it's becoming more and more clear how China has managed to kept obesity in check, despite the efforts of American fast food joints.

As exhausting as the whole process might have been, the landscapes I witnessed on Song Shan made it all worth it. I have no significant complaints about growing up in the Midwest, but that part of the United States doesn't really offer up any great opportunities for witnessing the true power and beauty of nature. To say the least, the views at the peak of Song Shan rendered me speechless. It's still difficult now to put into words my feelings as I stood thousands of feet above sea level, looking out over the mist-shrouded landscape. Contrary to my initial reaction (one of dismay), the foggy atmosphere just added to the almost surreal nature of the surroundings. For those of you who have climbed mountains, I'm sure you understand what I am trying to convey, and for those of you who have not had that opportunity I encourage you to check out the rest of the photo album on my Facebook. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, or as I say, a picture is a good way to distract people from my inability to use words as an effective was of describing my experience...

Anyway that's all for right now. It's actually Sunday afternoon right now, and I'm about to start my third to last week here in Beijing. At this point, as the Light Fellowship people promised, time is really starting to fly by, and I'm going to try my best to really take advantage of the time I have left. Hope you guys enjoyed Part 2 (which may or may not be the last part of the Shaolin trip posts), and I'll see you next time.

明天见！

Jamey

Way Too Much to Talk About (Shaolin Temple Part 1)

So it's already been more than two weeks since my last post (which probably won't go over well with the Light Fellowship people), but you can't blame me because all of last week was spent at the Shaolin Temple, without any internet access. Even so, I have a feeling that had there been an opportunity to get on the internet I still wouldn't have had time to write anything given the nature of my week. I don't really know how to go about chronicling everything that went on, because I think I could literally go on for hours and no one wants to read a timeline anyway. So here are some of the highlights.

Over the course of last week, we visited the Shaolin Temple, Zhongyue Temple, Songyang Private School, White Horse Temple, Tagou Martial Arts Academy, Longmen Caves, and Song Mountain. The picture up above was taken in the monk cemetery that sits next to the Shaolin Temple, and you can check out my Facebook for more pictures of the other destinations. Every morning, we would wake up around 5:30 AM to prepare for our 6 AM morning workout, which was essentially little more than a warmup. Then, after 7:30 breakfast, we would either head off on a trip or begin the real gongfu.

Out of the six full days at Shaolin, we had two full days of gongfu, while the rest were spent visiting the temples, caves, and mountains. The gongfu days were surprisingly difficult. Since I haven't exactly been working out as often as I would like to here in China, my legs were in rough shape after five or six hours of squatting down into the various gongfu "positions". However, I quickly realized that it wasn't brute strength that I lacked, but flexibility. Like many Asian martial arts, gongfu is more about mastering grace, control, and finesse than it is about raw power. To that end, many of the students and teachers at the Martial Arts School were smaller in build than me, but I still wouldn't want to come face-to-face with any of them in a fight. Due to the fact that most of the sports I've played don't place a high price on flexibility, my legs are a little more stiff than I'd like, and at times when practicing gongfu I struggled to imitate the motions and fluidity of our teacher. That being said, I'd like to think I'm always up for a good challenge, and studying gongfu ended up being a truly phenomenal experience.

Right now it's 9:15 PM here in Beijing, and I have yet to start studying tomorrow's new vocabulary. That being the case, I think I'm going to stop here, and save the rest of the Shaolin trip for tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed this little snippet, and I'll get going on Part 2 tomorrow.

Best,

Jamey