Dear Global Education Office:
This is a picture taken at the Great Wall at Simatai, a beautiful and unpolished portion of the famous wall. The trip turned out to be a memorable one given that we started at 3:30 in the morning when everything was pitch black and I was without a flashlight! That was also the weekend I consolidated the most meaningful friendships I made at the program.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the 2008 DSIC program. The faculty was very capable of adapting to the students' needs. Because there were a number of heritage speakers there who did not fit neatly into one of the language levels, the teachers made a separate class for us and altered their teaching methods to ensure that we would constantly be challenged as we worked on all aspects of the language. I also found that the program found a good balance between "work and play,' motivated by the desire to have us experience the city of Beijing and Chinese culture.
Before this trip, I was undecided about my interest in pursuing a career involving East Asian Studies; however, afterwards, I am thrilled about the prospect of learning more about the region and one day going back to study or work. For those considering studying abroad, I would say to simply be open to the people around you and try to interact with them as much as possible.
-Angela Chang
Credit: Angela Chang
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