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.