I decided to answer some of the questions Alliance sent us as an end of trip reflection.
1. What were the most challenging aspects of living abroad? Were they the things you had expected before you arrived?
I’ve been to Beijing last year to study at Peking University for a summer, so I was used to living in a big city in China, but last year I had a much higher budget. Even though I’m a Boren scholarship recipient, this summer experience was my own decision and I had to take out loans for it. However, I did not regret my decision one bit. If I had to go back, I would choose this program all over again.
In just 8 weeks, I went from just being able to discuss everyday topics such as the weather, food, and some history, to being able to express my thoughts on government policies, economic development, women’s rights, and international conflict. This proves that there is no better alternative to learning a language other than totally indulging into the country and culture. I especially enjoyed having my Chinese roommate. When I first came, I thought that in China, almost no one could have original thought when it came to politics involving China, but he showed me that some students took initiative to obtain their own education, to get more of a global perspective. I owe it to him for changing my views of the Chinese young and educated.
2. Do you feel like you’ve reached the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the term?
My goal was to increase my Chinese level to a proficient level, and at this point, I feel like I’m on the brink of reaching that dream. Just today, I was taking a taxi from Hangzhou’s train station to the airport, and I had a full conversation with the taxi driver talking about Vietnamese food, people, international relations, and my studies. I’ve achieved my goal of being able to have conversation with regular people, and now I’m working on business and more formal Chinese for my future work (whatever that may be).
Good bye Alliance! I'm onto Malaysia and my next adventure in Taiwan.
Best regards,
Kayden Hoang Bui
裴皇