#ciee

I'm truly fascinated by your photography and videos of Chongqing and I have decided to visit China in the future, in fact I am already studying chinese! I have a couple questions, I'm not sure if I'm asking the right person here, but you seem to travel a lot so I thought I could ask, how can I approach learning about china and its language? I am studying through youtube courses (and of watching various videos about life over there) but I am missing a vital part, which is culture, I was wondering if you know or know someone/something that could help me with culture?

that's all, again, thanks for the photography, the pictures are so good!

I was fortunate to begin my journey learning Chinese and all things China in college (and ended up getting a PhD in East Asian Studies--long story!), so I would recommend starting with a formal education in a University setting if possible. Studying abroad through a program like CET or CIEE or working in China as an English teacher are also fantastic and genuinely life-changing opportunities.

If those are not an option, for language, the first thing I would recommend is downloading the dictionary app Pleco, which is easily the greatest Chinese learning resource ever made. It is free to use and comes prepackaged with a lot of features, but you can also pay one-time fees to add additional dictionaries and other functions (it is the only app I have ever spent money on in my iPhone!). I have used it for fifteen years now and have accumulated over 30,000 flashcards!: https://www.pleco.com/

For culture, textbooks like Ebrey and Walthall's East Asia: A Cultural, Social, and Political History (2014) and Rana Mitter's Modern China: A Very Short Introduction (2016) are helpful primers for familiarizing yourself with the culture and history of China. While these textbooks are now a little outdated, you should be able to find them for free online (if you know where to look).

One thing that has fundamentally changed about the Chinese language-learning landscape since I first started in 2011 is the number of resources available online: There are countless language programs and individual Chinese teachers who offer courses and advertise their programs on Instagram and TikTok; even just by following their accounts you should be able to make a lot of progress, as they often teach a lot of basic but very useful vocabulary and grammar.

Well gang, it’s official. CIEE just approved my application to go to St. Petersburg, Russia, this summer. Definitely very excited.

I’ve only ever been out of the country once, and that was to Canada, so I’m not entirely sure if Russia’s Customs are designed the same or if it’s any different. I know for sure you need a Visa, so I’ll be working on getting that—although it’s possible CIEE will give me one, I don’t know.

Image Description: Inside a restaurant and group of students is sitting on both sides of a very long table. The students are looking at the camera and smiling.

This study abroad program was an important part of my college experience. It offered me the opportunity to meet Deaf people, explore new places and their history, and develop strong relationships with my professors and other students. With my classmates, we shared our experiences of life in the U.S., school at Gallaudet University, and American culture with the Spanish Deaf people and they did the same for us. This was very important for my degree plan at Gallaudet and my future career because I learned how to approach international students, people, and employees by giving them respect, acceptance, appreciation, and treating them with equality and I learned how to work as a team with my classmates. This experience helped me to increase my academic awareness.

Image Description: A group of six sits on a concrete ledge with the city of Toledo behind them. Professor Pilar Pinar is on the far left and Juan is the third from the right. Everyone is smiling.

My classmates and I went to Toledo to explore their history, religion, and tradition. It was interesting to learn more about those topics. We learned about the history of these topics and I understood why it is good to analyze things like that. I enjoyed trying to uncover the mysteries I encountered. It helped me to increase my skill for analyzing new topics.

Image Description: Juan smiles on the left, next to him is one of his LSE professors, Sete, and then two of his classmates from the Madrid program. All are smiling.

Crowley in every episode - 7x1; Meet the New Boss

Almost two years ago, I was in Berlin. 

I never really gave Berlin much of a chance. It never seemed to fulfill my standards of “enough-ness.” It wasn’t German enough (like my visions of Bavarian half-timbered houses wanted it to be), it wasn’t foreign enough (everyone spoke English; English translations for things were everywhere), it wasn’t glamorous enough (like the beautiful architecture of Paris).

It was also my first destination during my study abroad journey, so along with being in a new city, I had to work through culture shock, shyness, and safely navigating (usually on my own).  By the time I was comfortable enough with my new study abroad “lifestyle,” I only had four days left in Berlin and was also getting over a cold.

In some ways, I’m glad Berlin was my first city abroad, because I was more excited to visit London and Paris, and Berlin allowed me to overcome some study abroad acclimation challenges.

To be honest, I spent an inordinate amount of time scouring the city for cheap plus-size clothing because the students I was at school with seemed better dressed than I was. I struggled immensely with self-confidence, self-image, and anxiety issues during my first few weeks in Berlin. I had horrible, horrible acne. I had to wear “ugly” shoes because my weight made wearing cute ones really uncomfortable walking around in the city. All my roommates were good at doing their hair and makeup and flirted with our classmates and Berliners. I felt like a troll person. 

I had long internal dialogues with myself about how I was going to move forward. I hated how I was feeling, and I was still so excited to be there, in Europe, where I had always dreamed of being. I also remembered to give myself a break. As someone with a history of mental health struggles, it was important to remind myself that I was taking big leaps and not to be upset if others around me seemed to be making their big leaps without effort.

Now, having been back in the States for two years, and with my Bachelor’s degree complete, all I can think about is going back to Europe. Knowing what I know now, with two more years’ experience under my belt, I want Berlin to give me a second chance--

--A second chance for me to actively break out of my comfort zones and actually interact with locals. A second chance to experience a new place without panicking about how I am perceived by the people around me. A chance to delve deeper into both current and historic affairs. A chance to observe less and experience more.

For those of you who might be studying abroad right now and struggling with similar issues, I invite you to cut yourself some slack. You are going through multiple physical, emotional, and social changes all at once. Your body is eating different foods (with less American preservatives). You are presumably exercising twice or three times as much as you did before since you are walking around and exploring new destinations. You have to quickly form an entirely new set of friends so you won’t be alone during your time abroad. You have to quickly pick up basic foreign language vocabulary to get around. You also have to do all of these things while (hopefully) working on your study abroad.