|
- Hannah J. •
- IRSEP Program in China
• - Asian Languages and Literature & History Majors
“In
a way that I never was before, I was really determined...I
really did make a lot of progress.”
—Hannah J. |
|
Hannah spent a year in Tianjin, China as a scholarship recipient on the Learning Abroad Center’s exchange program, IRSEP. In a challenging context she was determined to learn the language, and her speaking and listening ability improved greatly. Her experience helped her gain skills in her Asian Languages and Literatures major, and prompted her to begin a History major when she returned.
Hannah went to China having studied the language for two years, but she still struggled with understanding. After one semester, though, Hannah found that she understood more and more, and was able to communicate. “It encouraged me to study. I had motivation. In my first semester especially, in a way that I never was before, I was really determined, and I had the time, so I could focus on exactly one thing. I really did make a lot of progress.” Because of that experience, Hannah not only left with proficiency in Chinese, but she felt that she could accomplish anything she put her mind to.
Hannah began a new major in History when she returned to Minnesota. “History is so important in understanding China, America, Africa, everything. To be a well-rounded person who understands the world she lives in, I feel like I have to major in history.” As far as a career is concerned, Hannah isn’t clear on where she’s headed, but she thinks her time in China has been influential. “It’s influenced a lot of my interests, and what I might want to do for the next few years. I thought that maybe I’d go to China and decide if I wanted to work there or not. When I was over there, it opened different doors, and different interests that I didn’t even think about or consider.”
Hannah brought a unique background to her experience in China. She grew up in West Africa, and attended international schools there. Now, as a student at the University, she is living within a second culture. Visiting China gave her a third perspective on the world. “This was my first experience going somewhere for a significant amount of time, living there, and learning what the people are like, and how they think. It was completely different. This one I can understand and process in ways I could never understand my African experience, because that one is part of who I am. It’s an amazing thing, and it’s given me perspectives that I can see clearly.” Because of her experience, she has found that her biggest interest is to learn about how culture and personality work together to make people similar and unique at the same time. “As I travel more and see more things, I just find myself looking at people less like, ‘you’re African American, and you’re Asian, and you’re Chinese, and you’re this way and this way,’ but that we’re all kind of just people. I find annoying people in every culture, and I find people I really connect with. In general I’ve found that it’s your personality and how you look at the world that makes you able to make friends.”
Last modified on November 21, 2008 |