"Acceptance.
I finally reach it.
But something is wrong.
Grief is a circular staircase.
I have lost you."
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Mandarin and May Term.
I'm learning Mandarin right now as a requirement for my study-service term in China next fall. Usually language classes last a semester for Goshen, but since I travel in the fall, I'm learning it during "May Term," a month-long term that Goshen has where one class is offered all day.
Basically, in other words, I'm learning Chinese in a matter of THREE WEEKS. Don't worry, it sounds just as ridiculous to me. I don't think I've ever taken more of an intense class. 8am-3pm every day with at least 50 vocab words to memorize every night...wowza. Stress has been high but it's been an exciting challenge. Tomorrow our actual language teacher will be arriving from China to teach us. It's the real deal!
I'm getting more and more excited about traveling next year. As a guest speaker described to my class, China is not a "typical" SST in that there is mass poverty, no-running water, and small villages. However, it is still an entirely new, complex culture that will require mass adjustments. Already hearing a bit about the history and cultural implications of China makes my adventurous side just want to know any and every detail. It's just a matter of surviving this craaaazy language part.
That's my brief update! In a short few weeks I will be back in Lancaster for the summer, working (somewhere) and preparing for late August. It's hard to believe this school year is ending, it's been such a great one.
Zai jian! (Goodbye.)
Basically, in other words, I'm learning Chinese in a matter of THREE WEEKS. Don't worry, it sounds just as ridiculous to me. I don't think I've ever taken more of an intense class. 8am-3pm every day with at least 50 vocab words to memorize every night...wowza. Stress has been high but it's been an exciting challenge. Tomorrow our actual language teacher will be arriving from China to teach us. It's the real deal!
I'm getting more and more excited about traveling next year. As a guest speaker described to my class, China is not a "typical" SST in that there is mass poverty, no-running water, and small villages. However, it is still an entirely new, complex culture that will require mass adjustments. Already hearing a bit about the history and cultural implications of China makes my adventurous side just want to know any and every detail. It's just a matter of surviving this craaaazy language part.
That's my brief update! In a short few weeks I will be back in Lancaster for the summer, working (somewhere) and preparing for late August. It's hard to believe this school year is ending, it's been such a great one.
Zai jian! (Goodbye.)
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