The Young Man and the East

Graduation season is drawing to a close. Congratulations to both my brothers - one graduated from Texas A&M and the other graduated from high school. Exciting steps for them! Even though my "graduation" from junior to senior year is seen less as a hallmark, it has gotten me thinking long and hard about where exactly I will be going in just a year.

For about a year now, I have been saying I want to go to grad school at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center (HNC) in Nanjing, China. It is a two year graduate degree program in International Affairs which takes place in China but has an American curriculum. I had the opportunity to visit this program last Tuesday - take a tour, talk to current students, and attend classes. It was an amazing place. The campus, facilities, and people were all incredible. The classes were difficult. They are in Chinese, and my level is just not quite high enough to handle it yet. I was amazed, though, watching all the other foreigners around me as they were able to pay attention and quickly ask and answer questions in Mandarin with the professor. It gave me something to aspire to. But it also showed me that, no matter how much I would love to do this program, my language level is just not quite high enough to get there yet.

How do I get it that high? Well, I could simply take language classes in China for a year or two before applying to the HNC. That would get me high enough, but it would be a whole two years where I am kind of stagnated - just going through only language classes without getting any other work or field experience. There are definitely merits to that and I have a few friends who are doing just that. However, I think I need something different than that. The Peace Corps is something I had thought about for a long time. I could apply to be an English Language Teacher in China for two years, which would get my Chinese level up, give me work experience, and enroll me in an amazing opportunity which would not only help me when applying for high level jobs later, but also surely change me for the better as a person.

When looking at Peace Corps jobs, I saw the same position for Mongolia as well. This, too, sounds exciting and promising. But if I apply for Mongolia and get it instead of China, I would have to reorient myself. Instead of doing the Peace Corps for the Chinese language improvement, I would be doing it for the experience which would help when I apply to other jobs. Therefore, I wouldn't go to the HNC, but would instead apply to other graduate school programs in the United States.

What if I don't get the Peace Corps? Or change my mind about it? What then? Well, I'll also apply to some other graduate schools in the United States. That way I have those opportunities in line just in case. There are other programs I could apply for in China as well, such as one in Beijing which is similar to the HNC but only one year and taught in English. Also, I have been looking into the possibility of getting a job straight out of undergrad instead. I could simultaneously take some extra Chinese classes, get some work experience, and then apply to the HNC. Or, better yet, get work experience, transfer to a job in China after at least two years of work experience (as the work visa laws in China require), then apply to the HNC after working in China and improving my Chinese abilities that way. I would love to get a job in DC. I have looked into several different think tanks and believe I would fit in wonderfully at a place like the Council on Foreign Relations.

Plans and goals always change. For years, I knew I wanted to go straight to law school after undergrad. Then it changed to getting my masters degree. Then it enhanced itself to a masters degree in China. Now, it could be Peace Corps or an American graduate school or a Beijing graduate program or the HNC or a real grown-up job. Who knows? 

Now, this wasn't a post explicitly about China, but it is the kind of thoughts going through my head here constantly. That's what happens when they give me some down time, I suppose. I am finished teaching at the high school, had a week of travels and activities, and begin my internship at Rockwell on Monday. I have been running and exercising more. My routine has been to go to the track at around 8, buy two cups of watermelon and one dragonfruit afterward, and then trying to read a page or two of 老人与海 before sleep (yes, that is "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway in Chinese).

 

You never know what the future holds, but as long as you're participating in the present, it will all work out. That's what I keep telling myself at least...

Until next time!

外国人

外国人 － wàiguórén

Literally, "outside country person"

Used by Chinese to collectively describe anyone who is not of Chinese ethnicity. In my view, an endearing name given to me (and people like me) in a nation not accustomed to outsiders. Sure, there is much Western influence here - you can see it in the fashion, hear it in the music - but China is still very much a country steeped in thousands of years of history which will not (and should not) easily go away. Being called a foreigner is not something to be offended by here; rather, my experience leads me to believe it is used in appreciation of those who come here and try to be a witness to the rich culture they have. It is rather amusing, though, when some Chinese assume I do not speak any Chinese. Yesterday, as I was opening a taxi door, I hear a young man about my age say  "外国人" to his friend next to him. While getting in the taxi, I turn around, look at him, say "你好" (nǐhǎo - hello), and shut the door. Pulling away, I smile as I watch the pair of them laughing (in amusement? Embarrassment?), obviously caught off guard by my reply.

I have been in China a week now. It has been very different than when I stayed here last summer. Then, I was with 11 other Aggies and a familiar teacher and followed a strict schedule which varied between attending organized events, classes, and completing homework. Even after the week long break and our teacher left, the class schedule and attempts to get as much out of the Chinese experience as possible before leaving seemed to keep me very busy. This summer, I have found myself with a lot of down time. Each morning, I have breakfast at around 8:30 before going off with a new volunteer to practice my Chinese from about 9 until 11:30. Then, we are joined by Jerry (the head volunteer, it seems) for lunch, after which they let me "have a rest" before leaving to a nearby Xi'an high school (which we travel to by 公共汽车 gōnggòngqìchē - public bus #48 every day). We are usually at the high school from around 2:00 until 4:30 every day, during which I teach two different classes. After that, I am free to do as I wish. So far, this has meant karaoke, ping pong, billiards, and Chinese movies. This evening, a blog is born.

 

My Chinese is improving, but in a different way than what a class would teach me. I'm having a harder time learning new vocabulary. Now and then, something a new friend says will stick with me. But, more than anything, I am gaining more confidence in the Chinese which I already know. This is helpful. This is practical. But I'm craving a little more. I've been confident for almost a year now that I would like to attend graduate school in China. There are options in Nanjing and Beijing which I am considering. I even have a trip to visit the graduate program in Nanjing a week from tomorrow. For the Nanjing one, my Chinese will need to be very good. I'm passable right now, with very good somewhere on the far (but visible) horizon.

I have met people here that have been teaching English in China for a little over a year now. Their experiences, plus the surprising amount of enjoyment I am getting from teaching English here after only a week, makes all of this seem more plausible. Perhaps teaching English for a year while simultaneously taking formal classes in Chinese would get me at a level where I could excel in Nanjing while also making money on the side. Or, hopefully my Chinese gets to that level without the extra year. Regardless, options are there.

Why did I pick "wayfaring waiguoren" as my blog name? Simple. I love to travel. One thing I'm sure of is that I want my future career to include traveling, as well as the ability to learn more languages to go along with the places I will see. Wherever I go, I want to be a 外国人 type of foreigner. That is, I want to be able to show a true love for whatever I do and wherever I go in this world while respecting their culture, but I also must know that I am always a foreigner in their land and never forget the amazing opportunities I have found at home which led me to where I am today.

Until next time,

再见 (zàijiàn - goodbye)!