August :j9, 2012
Features
Tin; VoK K, For Students, Hy Students
My Summer
Trip to China
By Jennalne Coble
^ nt Government Associafoo
This past summw, I was given the o^Jortunity of a life
time, to not simply study Mandarin Chinese, but to actu
ally go to China and leam the language. A former recruiter
for Altria suggested that I take the opportunity to get out of
the country, as 1 had two Fortune 500 companies on my re
sume, and pursuing any chance to travel to China would be
beneficial to my career and personal development. The of
fice of International Education in Hackley Honors hall was
instrumental in helping to make the trip to China possible.
The search for a school that offered a program that
matched my schedule was difficult at first, but eventually
we were successful in finding a program and school that
could accommodate. A lack of scholarship availability
meant that I would have to foot the bill, which included tu
ition, plane fair, a visa, a passport and transportation while
in Shanghai.
Once I arrived in China, I found that my classmates in
cluded Mongolian, French, and Korean students, and we
were to be taught by two Chinese instructors. Many people
say that to leam another language, it is best to immerse
yourself in the culture. As I was surrounded by those who
only spoke the Mandarin Language, I was forced to ask
questions in their native tongue, as well as to use coaitext
clues to figure out what was being said.
During my down time away from the classroom arui
studying, 1 was able to visit the Zhujiajiao (pinyiri;
ZhQjiajiSo, jew-gee-ah-gee-ow) Urban watering tower as
well as the city of Wuxi (pinyin: W6xl, woo-shi>. Proof
that Fayetteville State is far reaching and produces great
graduates, I able to link up with alumni. Ivory Osbourne
and Brittany Harrison, who are bofll pursing their Master’s
in International Business. Bodi were helpful in getting me
acclimated to the culture, as they have had more time in
China. Some of the cultural differences noted while there
was the political correctness we attempt to embody here
in America does not apply to Chinese culture, they simply
state things in a blunt manna- and with little regard to how
it may sotmd. Also, a big shock was seeing children us
ing the bathroom in the streets; they actually had slits in
their pants for this sole purpose. Of course eveiy Ameri
can wants to know if the food is like our American Chi-
nese food; not at all. In China the food is fi^sh and served
family style, which encourages sharing ani interacting
swith others. Having rarely seen African Amwican people,
people outside the city were very eager to take pictures of
jne, which often caught me off guard.
Easily one of the most important lessons 1 learned wfajle
on this amazing adventure was that people an not all that
different, it is simply a language barrier. We all want the
same things for ourselves and those we care about, al
though achieving and representing those emotio® »e dif
ferent. I recall my Mongolian friend who 1 g^e the nick
name “Slim” who did not speak as me but could be fotind
with headphones in, listening to the same music.