An end to my 2012-2013 year as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student! What a year it has been.
In a year...JUST A YEAR...I have experienced so much. When I look back on the previous nine and a half months in my life, I take a huge deep breath in. I think about the first night I arrived, my first day in the place I would call home for months, the hot, hot, hot weather, my first week of school...ooph...and then the rest of the year at the school, my challenging experiences with host families in the first months, Rotary frustrations with the language and culture, strong times of homesickness, language classes, the non-stop rain my winter vacation travels around the island, the CRAZY food that I ate, my day trips, my rides on the MRT, or a bus, at rush hour, my long walks, the many people I met, my friends, the fun, and with it all, the great amount of knowledge that I have from the experiences and the memories I have created, and how fortunate I am to have the experience to be an exchange student, who lived abroad from her country, friends, regular life, family, and then lived in Taiwan away from it all and created a life that I was successful in. Then, that is when I take that big deep breath out.
As I have throughout my year, I will continue to articulate and learn from the experiences as I continue my life back in the states. Although my year as an exchange student has come to an end, my year will "live on" for a long time to come. I am still Anna, but with a few changes! I may indeed be a bit taller, have lost a little weight here and gained some there, my hair is a little longer. But, more importantly than the outside changes, I have gained new qualities, strengths, and passions from the inside, that most people may not see. I know that during my year, I have gained this sense of inner peace. I roll with changes "like a pro," if you know my Anna stress! I learned how to better handle difficult situations with strength and respect. I have slept on four different beds and one couch and I have had a REALLY long sleepover with five very different host families. And yes I did it! I have the Mandarin Chinese language as one of my greatest passions and strengths! I have a tight group of friends who I have created incredible relationships with and who I hope to call lifelong friends. I have realized how much I appreciate the fresh, clean air that I am lucky to live around. To have the clean home, a bed, and food in my home to eat. But more than it all, I don't just have A family to live with, but I have MY family to live with and LOVE! My changes haven't been dramatic but certainly present. Although I don't know where I am going yet in life, I do know what is important to me and that feels good!
Thank you to the wonderful friends I have made this year. I met so many great people this year and I have incredible people who I now call great friends. All of you are from different countries and we all came into each others lives in such unique and memorable ways. The little adventures, the food eating, the long talks, the laughs and smiles, none of it would be the same if I didn't have you to share it with. You hold a special place in my heart!
Thank you to Rotary International, Rotary District 3520 Taiwan, District 5470 Colorado, and Rotary Clubs Vail and Edwards for your support as one organization for my exchange year. From the interview and application process and throughout the challenges and the great times, I appreciate you.
I have loved using my blog to share with you the exciting opportunities and new experiences I had throughout my year. My blog has been a fantastic way for me to muse about the times I had that were very exciting, scary at times, and oh so unique. You really were able to read and imagine my true feelings in each and every new experience that I had. All my blogs are written late at night after a great day or a couple days later after school, so I apologize for the times that my spelling or grammar was a little funky. My mother is as quick as lighting to let me know of a change needed in my late night editing sessions before I sleep…thank you mom! This year, writing has been the greatest way for me to reflect and release all the emotions that I go through on a daily basis. I highly encourage writing to you if you are embarking on any journey, big or small. Thank you to my friends and family who followed Anna’s Year Abroad in Taiwan this year, I appreciate you reading along!
I am beyond words excited to not just have A family but to have MY family! No more crazy WIFI or Skype connection to be the line in which we communicate. Our LOVE gave each other the courage and the strength to complete this year apart from each other. To my parents Jana and Steve, thank you for your support and love for myself and the incredible year I have had. I am so, so lucky to have you as my parents. Zach, you are the best big brother and you are never a miss when I need a laugh. Thank you! I love you!
Thank you.
Anna Trombetta
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Saturday, June 8, 2013
I Graduated!
Yes! Yes! Yes! I can finally say it...I have "graduated" from my year as an exchange student at Songshan High School of Agriculture and Industry!! You know, the place where I wear the bright turquoise and white striped uniform five days a week, am surrounded by thousands of Taiwanese students everyday, who yes...sometimes I cannot tell apart, where I spend two days a week at a farm, and the place where I have experienced SO MUCH! I might just be singing and dancing along to the music in my ears, as I lay in bed writing this tonight! Woooohoo!
My year of education at this school has not been an easy journey. More often than not, it was a difficult. There was surely not much to the education that I received in terms of studying a book or listening to a teacher. It certainly was a different sort of education. I will explain. In Taiwan, from a young age, the students are subject to a great deal of pressure about their schoolwork from both their parents and teachers. This so unfortunate and intense for the students. When I say intense I mean, a school day that starts at 7:30a.m. and finishes around 5:00p.m. For most students, a CRAM school follows at least one of their school days, ending class at 9:00p.m. In either case, a regular school day, or one including a CRAM school is always followed by a lot of studying. There is testing everyday, and school on Saturday and Sunday too. "Intense", may not be a word big enough to explain it.
I use the word "unfortunate" when explaining the education system here, because it simply just is. As a girl who will proudly say, I really enjoy school, homework, and learning, there was not ONE day that I spent at this school where my heart didn't hurt for my classmates and the other students here in Taiwan. Lucky for me, because I am an exchange student and I chose to spend my year learning the Mandarin Chinese language, I had no ability to be an actual part of class everyday, attend the hours of class on weekends, or complete all the homework required. But, I did have the opportunity to spend everyday in the back of my classroom or in the library as an observer, while studying the language I so wanted to learn.
As my classmates and other students study to get that A in order to fulfill their parents expectations, I watched and studied three books of Chinese. I watched as a room of students dressed in turquoise in blue sat quietly for fifty minutes every class because they are not allowed to raise their hands and ask questions. My room has fifty students, sitting at fifty brown and green desks in a white room, a chalkboard (not a whiteboard, or a SMARTboard), a closet to store the trash cans and the dust mops for them to clean the room in the morning, lunch, and afternoon, and that's it. They sit in the same classroom for every hour they are at the school including lunch. Their ten minute breaks in between each class of the day, are spent studying or sleeping. At age 17 and 18, they still have an hour for nap time and eating lunch. They don't enjoy a class like P.E. for fresh air or exercise, but instead bring their books and study as they walk around the track or sit under a shaded tree. I could probably go on, but I am going to stop here. All of that, are things that are missing so much CREATIVITY AND LIFE. Think about those two words for a second. Creativity and life...such wonderful words full of creativity and life themselves. I could write about the way my education has been for the last fifteen years, but, I think for most of you, the differences are obvious.
And again, it is just simply put by saying it is unfortunate. From the moment I walked into the school on September 5, 2012, I was ready for a learning challenge, to meet the classmates I would be spending a year with, and the teachers that could help me with my Chinese.... because boy....I knew I was going to need it, and to live the life of a Taiwanese at a Taiwan high school. But soon after September 5, all my hopes, which at the time I don't think were set to high....were slapped right back in my face. None of it was seemed to even be a possibility, no matter how hard I tried. The first month at school, I held back that lump in my throat to not cry, until I arrived home and could let it out to my pillow. Every day that first month was the same. The next day, I would get up and try again at school, entering my classroom, attempting conversations with my teachers, and my classmates, trying to find ways to challenge myself with ways to learn at the school, and become a part of the life that I threw myself into! But as each day went on, my hope was dwindling and so was my positive attitude.
This education system in Taiwan completely influences the culture and people. For me, it is too much and in too many ways. Education in Taiwan takes over lives. It is the reason for lack of family life in the country, the reason most people are so shy and insecure. It is the reason they lack interest in the world they live in and the people in it. Taiwanese rarely show their emotions and seem to lack creativity from within. For many, it seems they just don't have a LIFE that means something more than studying and moving on to the next test. This hurts to write, but hurts even more to see and experience first hand. I wish I could just snap my fingers and make things better. It seems like it could be so easy to change. But this is life in Taiwan.
As the year progressed, my language improved. It was easier to accept the way of life here and conisder it all a challenge and do what I would needed to do to be successful at school and on my exchange. I was often able to help the English teacher with her English class. I found this was a great way to exchange language. When I had the opportunity, I shared myself with my classmates and teachers, even if I knew I wouldn't get much back. I know that as I return home to the US and continue with high school, I will continue to reflect on my experience here in Taiwan and realize many other things about my exchange for the past year in Taiwan.
But, I DID IT!!! I have learned a lot about an education system and experienced what a Taiwanese school and classmates are really like. I was given my completion certificate from the school principal and made a small speech to the graduating class. My classmates gave me a nice going away party full of unhealthy snacks and some not so good karaoke. I am glad we got to spend our last moments together having a little fun! Thank you to the teachers and students at Songshan High School of Agriculture and Industry for hosting me at your school!
My year of education at this school has not been an easy journey. More often than not, it was a difficult. There was surely not much to the education that I received in terms of studying a book or listening to a teacher. It certainly was a different sort of education. I will explain. In Taiwan, from a young age, the students are subject to a great deal of pressure about their schoolwork from both their parents and teachers. This so unfortunate and intense for the students. When I say intense I mean, a school day that starts at 7:30a.m. and finishes around 5:00p.m. For most students, a CRAM school follows at least one of their school days, ending class at 9:00p.m. In either case, a regular school day, or one including a CRAM school is always followed by a lot of studying. There is testing everyday, and school on Saturday and Sunday too. "Intense", may not be a word big enough to explain it.
I use the word "unfortunate" when explaining the education system here, because it simply just is. As a girl who will proudly say, I really enjoy school, homework, and learning, there was not ONE day that I spent at this school where my heart didn't hurt for my classmates and the other students here in Taiwan. Lucky for me, because I am an exchange student and I chose to spend my year learning the Mandarin Chinese language, I had no ability to be an actual part of class everyday, attend the hours of class on weekends, or complete all the homework required. But, I did have the opportunity to spend everyday in the back of my classroom or in the library as an observer, while studying the language I so wanted to learn.
As my classmates and other students study to get that A in order to fulfill their parents expectations, I watched and studied three books of Chinese. I watched as a room of students dressed in turquoise in blue sat quietly for fifty minutes every class because they are not allowed to raise their hands and ask questions. My room has fifty students, sitting at fifty brown and green desks in a white room, a chalkboard (not a whiteboard, or a SMARTboard), a closet to store the trash cans and the dust mops for them to clean the room in the morning, lunch, and afternoon, and that's it. They sit in the same classroom for every hour they are at the school including lunch. Their ten minute breaks in between each class of the day, are spent studying or sleeping. At age 17 and 18, they still have an hour for nap time and eating lunch. They don't enjoy a class like P.E. for fresh air or exercise, but instead bring their books and study as they walk around the track or sit under a shaded tree. I could probably go on, but I am going to stop here. All of that, are things that are missing so much CREATIVITY AND LIFE. Think about those two words for a second. Creativity and life...such wonderful words full of creativity and life themselves. I could write about the way my education has been for the last fifteen years, but, I think for most of you, the differences are obvious.
And again, it is just simply put by saying it is unfortunate. From the moment I walked into the school on September 5, 2012, I was ready for a learning challenge, to meet the classmates I would be spending a year with, and the teachers that could help me with my Chinese.... because boy....I knew I was going to need it, and to live the life of a Taiwanese at a Taiwan high school. But soon after September 5, all my hopes, which at the time I don't think were set to high....were slapped right back in my face. None of it was seemed to even be a possibility, no matter how hard I tried. The first month at school, I held back that lump in my throat to not cry, until I arrived home and could let it out to my pillow. Every day that first month was the same. The next day, I would get up and try again at school, entering my classroom, attempting conversations with my teachers, and my classmates, trying to find ways to challenge myself with ways to learn at the school, and become a part of the life that I threw myself into! But as each day went on, my hope was dwindling and so was my positive attitude.
This education system in Taiwan completely influences the culture and people. For me, it is too much and in too many ways. Education in Taiwan takes over lives. It is the reason for lack of family life in the country, the reason most people are so shy and insecure. It is the reason they lack interest in the world they live in and the people in it. Taiwanese rarely show their emotions and seem to lack creativity from within. For many, it seems they just don't have a LIFE that means something more than studying and moving on to the next test. This hurts to write, but hurts even more to see and experience first hand. I wish I could just snap my fingers and make things better. It seems like it could be so easy to change. But this is life in Taiwan.
As the year progressed, my language improved. It was easier to accept the way of life here and conisder it all a challenge and do what I would needed to do to be successful at school and on my exchange. I was often able to help the English teacher with her English class. I found this was a great way to exchange language. When I had the opportunity, I shared myself with my classmates and teachers, even if I knew I wouldn't get much back. I know that as I return home to the US and continue with high school, I will continue to reflect on my experience here in Taiwan and realize many other things about my exchange for the past year in Taiwan.
But, I DID IT!!! I have learned a lot about an education system and experienced what a Taiwanese school and classmates are really like. I was given my completion certificate from the school principal and made a small speech to the graduating class. My classmates gave me a nice going away party full of unhealthy snacks and some not so good karaoke. I am glad we got to spend our last moments together having a little fun! Thank you to the teachers and students at Songshan High School of Agriculture and Industry for hosting me at your school!
Friday, June 7, 2013
Wulai Waterfall
This past Friday, I headed up to the mountains of Wulai with my friend Sister Mary-Beth. We visited the famous Wulai Waterfalls that are tucked behind the lush green mountains surrounding the city of Taipei! In just thirty minutes you can get to the traditional village and see the waterfalls.
We hiked in to one waterfall, and then we were able to hike around the waterfall and see it from all different vantage points. The weather was hot and humid, but the sun was shining and the afternoon didn't bring the big thunderstorms that it has been. It really turned out to be a perfect afternoon spent with a good friend, enjoying the scenery, talking, and getting some sun!
Thank you Sister Mary Beth for taking me on this afternoon adventure and being a great friend to me this year! I will forever remember the special times we had together.
Friday, May 24, 2013
University Graduation Trip -Fulong!
To wrap up second semester at my language university, I traveled with 30 foreigners who are classmates in Chinese, to a place called Fulong, in Northeastern Taiwan.
We hopped on our tour bus in the morning and drove an hour to Fulong. My language university has a wide variety of foreigners learning Chinese and living here for periods of time, just like me. I was the only American in a mix of Vietnamese, Japanese, English, Australian, French, South American, Thai and Indonesian. That morning, we arrived in Fulong for a bike ride. There were some fun tunnels to go through to get a break from the morning heat. Very necessary! It was a nice way to start the morning. This was a Taiwanese organized trip, so of course in just one hour, hundreds of pictures were taken, many of which look a lot alike. The time we take to set a picture up, go through what seems hundreds of cameras, and finally get a picture is truly incredible. It quite an experience and I can tell you that my patience level has grown leaps and bounds from just these picture taking moment alone!
It is days like these that I remember how lucky I am to have had the opportunity to come across the world and learn Chinese here in Taiwan, and meet all the great friends who I have at the university. I often forget, until I lay in bed at night and realize that I didn't speak to one person who speaks American English as their native language or that looks like me. This experience is incredible and really fun!
After biking, we headed to lunch by the riverside. For lunch, we had Fulong's famous "biandang", which means lunch box in Chinese. The Taiwanese eat these everyday for lunch and on occasion for dinner too. It is a little cardboard box that is sectioned of to put rice, vegetables, meat, egg, and other food items. I don't really enjoy them because the Taiwanese cook with a lot of oil. The vegetables, meat, eggs, and the rest just don't taste good to me after being cooked in all the oil. In the beginning of my exchange I was able to try it and find the joy in eating it, but I am now bored of it and try and pick out the few things I can eat in every box! I think of it as a scavenger hunt...find the healthiest food and then make sure it is not oiled out.
Once finished eating, we headed out to the river for some kayaking! We were able to play some fun games in the water and just ride around the river. Fulong has a famous sand castle building contest that was happening while we were there, so we were able to see some of the creations. Of course, we had a hard downpour of rain while we were in the river! Seems to be a daily event in Taiwan. But, overall it was really fun to just enjoy the water and end the day with a fun activity.
Thank you to all the great friends I have met over my year taking Chinese classes. I have enjoyed getting to know you using one common language!
We hopped on our tour bus in the morning and drove an hour to Fulong. My language university has a wide variety of foreigners learning Chinese and living here for periods of time, just like me. I was the only American in a mix of Vietnamese, Japanese, English, Australian, French, South American, Thai and Indonesian. That morning, we arrived in Fulong for a bike ride. There were some fun tunnels to go through to get a break from the morning heat. Very necessary! It was a nice way to start the morning. This was a Taiwanese organized trip, so of course in just one hour, hundreds of pictures were taken, many of which look a lot alike. The time we take to set a picture up, go through what seems hundreds of cameras, and finally get a picture is truly incredible. It quite an experience and I can tell you that my patience level has grown leaps and bounds from just these picture taking moment alone!
It is days like these that I remember how lucky I am to have had the opportunity to come across the world and learn Chinese here in Taiwan, and meet all the great friends who I have at the university. I often forget, until I lay in bed at night and realize that I didn't speak to one person who speaks American English as their native language or that looks like me. This experience is incredible and really fun!
After biking, we headed to lunch by the riverside. For lunch, we had Fulong's famous "biandang", which means lunch box in Chinese. The Taiwanese eat these everyday for lunch and on occasion for dinner too. It is a little cardboard box that is sectioned of to put rice, vegetables, meat, egg, and other food items. I don't really enjoy them because the Taiwanese cook with a lot of oil. The vegetables, meat, eggs, and the rest just don't taste good to me after being cooked in all the oil. In the beginning of my exchange I was able to try it and find the joy in eating it, but I am now bored of it and try and pick out the few things I can eat in every box! I think of it as a scavenger hunt...find the healthiest food and then make sure it is not oiled out.
Once finished eating, we headed out to the river for some kayaking! We were able to play some fun games in the water and just ride around the river. Fulong has a famous sand castle building contest that was happening while we were there, so we were able to see some of the creations. Of course, we had a hard downpour of rain while we were in the river! Seems to be a daily event in Taiwan. But, overall it was really fun to just enjoy the water and end the day with a fun activity.
Thank you to all the great friends I have met over my year taking Chinese classes. I have enjoyed getting to know you using one common language!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
IT IS HOT....REALLY HOT!
The temperature, it is HOT...HOT...no....REALLY HOT! These past two weeks have felt like my first couple months in Taiwan. The high humidity is back, and the weather is just HOT! I wake up in the morning in a sweat and my skin is sticky. After getting dressed, brushing my teeth, brushing my hair, and packing my school bag, you would probably look at me and say "Anna, did you just get in a good workout? You are really working up a sweat!" My morning apple is a struggle to get down. Eating is just the last thing I feel like doing when it is hot, sticky, and wet out. My run in the morning really puts the sweat into overkill! It is like this until about noon and then the downpour of rain begins. Everyday at noon for the past two weeks, the sun disappears and the biggest downpour of rain starts. Acid rain, humidity, phew....it's good! Top all of that with probably at least ten new bug bites in a day, I FEEL GOOD! I look at the amount of sweat that pours out of my body and the amount of water that I am drinking as a great cleanse and the rain and overall weather an adventure and an experience everyday !
OK...I am going to go fill my water bottle and put my head in the fan for a sec! :)
OK...I am going to go fill my water bottle and put my head in the fan for a sec! :)
Jiufen
I recently spent the day with my two RYE friends, Connor (from USA) and Rike (from Germany), at the famous old street Jiufen! We met at the main MRT station here in Taipei in the morning and took a bus to our destination. I enjoy taking busses every now and again, because they are cheaper then taking the train, they give you time to see the outside surroundings, and just sit back for awhile without having to rush and worry about transferring or the large number of people around you.
We arrived in Jiufen in perfect time for a little snack. Connor, Rike, and I are big fans of the red bean soup Taipei and often meet up just to try a new restaurant that has it. We had done some research before and discovered a famous old restaurant at this location that had it. The restaurant was located at the very end of the old street, tucked away in a shop. It had no sign, and looked like a big workshop for food. We ordered our red bean soup with our add-in's of sweetened sweet potato balls and taro balls. Then, worked our way around the many people sitting on stools peeling sweet potatos, rolling the balls, and washing dishes. It was raining so the nice warm bowl hit the spot! I am an expert on this dish now and am looking forward to making it in the USA soon.
Once we finished our lunch, it was time for some shopping! The three of us all had important items that needed to be purchased at this particular old street that is known for it's traditional Taiwanese goods. This was a perfect time to pick up these items to bring home to our countries. The items we each purchased are things we often use in Taiwan, and over the course of this year have become quite knowledgeable and have strong opinions about these things. Being able to look at an item, pick it up, and either know that it is good, bad, fits my preference, or the price is right is really cool! The things I am bringing home are a surprise to some reading, so I don't want to say what I purchased, however I am very happy with my purchases!
After we finished our shopping, we had lunch at a traditional Taiwanese restaurant. We ordered some noodles, rice, vegetables, tofu and egg, and some fish ball soup to share. I think one of the hardest adjustments I will have returning to the USA, is getting used to the price of things. Everything we ordered at lunch for the three of us to share, cost less in Taiwan than one entrée in the USA would cost. All together, our food cost 175NT which in USD is the equivalent to $5.85. CRAZY, when you think about it!
After lunch, we purchased a famous ice cream wrap! The outside is like a crepe, but it is a very special wrapping. Inside the wrap there is shaved sweetened nuts, one scoop of taro ice, one scoop of mango ice, and mint. It is very light and nice! We then headed back to Taipei by bus and finished our night with a small dinner at Sushi Express! A nice day spent with good friends!
We arrived in Jiufen in perfect time for a little snack. Connor, Rike, and I are big fans of the red bean soup Taipei and often meet up just to try a new restaurant that has it. We had done some research before and discovered a famous old restaurant at this location that had it. The restaurant was located at the very end of the old street, tucked away in a shop. It had no sign, and looked like a big workshop for food. We ordered our red bean soup with our add-in's of sweetened sweet potato balls and taro balls. Then, worked our way around the many people sitting on stools peeling sweet potatos, rolling the balls, and washing dishes. It was raining so the nice warm bowl hit the spot! I am an expert on this dish now and am looking forward to making it in the USA soon. 
After we finished our shopping, we had lunch at a traditional Taiwanese restaurant. We ordered some noodles, rice, vegetables, tofu and egg, and some fish ball soup to share. I think one of the hardest adjustments I will have returning to the USA, is getting used to the price of things. Everything we ordered at lunch for the three of us to share, cost less in Taiwan than one entrée in the USA would cost. All together, our food cost 175NT which in USD is the equivalent to $5.85. CRAZY, when you think about it!
After lunch, we purchased a famous ice cream wrap! The outside is like a crepe, but it is a very special wrapping. Inside the wrap there is shaved sweetened nuts, one scoop of taro ice, one scoop of mango ice, and mint. It is very light and nice! We then headed back to Taipei by bus and finished our night with a small dinner at Sushi Express! A nice day spent with good friends!
Monday, May 6, 2013
Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language / Education Journey
If you know me well, you probably know that I stress about tests and I will push myself hard to find perfection in all my work. But this year, my work has been incredibly different. I have written before, learning Chinese has been an incredible journey. It is the most exciting, happy time in my day, it is what gets me through to the next day, and it truly makes me glow. Every Chinese class, I am faced with challenges, some days more than others. Monday through Friday I spend my mornings in class, followed by high school, where I study on my own for four hours, I come home and have to, but willingly, speak Chinese with my host family when it is necessary, and every week I am given a test. It is true -when you are passionate about something, you will work harder and the results mean more in the end. I do not expect perfection from myself and I do my best to realize my knowledge and areas for improvement. Not only have I learned an immense amount about myself through doing this, but also about the way I look at education.
This year, I have not taken one math class, one history class, one science class, and the list could go on. I have taken one class- Chinese class. I am taking this class because I want to take this class. Not because I am required to. I have taken a huge leap this year. Learning a new language and not being sure at this time where it will take me in the future, I am loving the process. This is when I cannot help but reflect on the education system in the US. I can't remember a time when my classmates or I were not trying to get an A. The A was what everybody wanted, but it didn't necessarily mean that you understood or it was your honest work. This frustrates me now. Students take the SAT and the ACT and the AP classes all trying to get into college. Looking at it from the outside now, it is a bit crazy. When people ask me what it is I want to do when I am finished with high school or what I am going to do when I head back to the US, I honestly have no answer. For now, I am enjoying the learning path I am on and will continue in my mindset when I head back to the US.
Saturday May 4, I took the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language. This test is a government based test, created for foreigners to test their language proficiency. As I sat for the test, the youngest, in a room full of foreigners from all around the world, the only thing on my desk was my United States of America passport. I was overwhelmed with pride. It truly was an awesome feeling! I was sitting to take an important MANDARIN CHINESE test, and I didn't feel nervous, rather I was super excited. The Vietnamese boy sitting next to me looked at me and smiled while I typed my user name and password into the computer to begin the test. I could not type fast enough! Just imagine the feeling. Typing my feelings now, I just received the same happy, giddy, proud feeling back!
I tested Level 1 and Level 2 listening and reading Chinese. Both tests went well and after receiving my results, I learned that I passed both tests! Meaning, I have successfully learned Level 1 and Level 2 and I am currently preparing Level 3! I am so happy with my results and I look forward to working hard these next two months on improving my Chinese even more. :)
This year, I have not taken one math class, one history class, one science class, and the list could go on. I have taken one class- Chinese class. I am taking this class because I want to take this class. Not because I am required to. I have taken a huge leap this year. Learning a new language and not being sure at this time where it will take me in the future, I am loving the process. This is when I cannot help but reflect on the education system in the US. I can't remember a time when my classmates or I were not trying to get an A. The A was what everybody wanted, but it didn't necessarily mean that you understood or it was your honest work. This frustrates me now. Students take the SAT and the ACT and the AP classes all trying to get into college. Looking at it from the outside now, it is a bit crazy. When people ask me what it is I want to do when I am finished with high school or what I am going to do when I head back to the US, I honestly have no answer. For now, I am enjoying the learning path I am on and will continue in my mindset when I head back to the US.
Saturday May 4, I took the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language. This test is a government based test, created for foreigners to test their language proficiency. As I sat for the test, the youngest, in a room full of foreigners from all around the world, the only thing on my desk was my United States of America passport. I was overwhelmed with pride. It truly was an awesome feeling! I was sitting to take an important MANDARIN CHINESE test, and I didn't feel nervous, rather I was super excited. The Vietnamese boy sitting next to me looked at me and smiled while I typed my user name and password into the computer to begin the test. I could not type fast enough! Just imagine the feeling. Typing my feelings now, I just received the same happy, giddy, proud feeling back!
I tested Level 1 and Level 2 listening and reading Chinese. Both tests went well and after receiving my results, I learned that I passed both tests! Meaning, I have successfully learned Level 1 and Level 2 and I am currently preparing Level 3! I am so happy with my results and I look forward to working hard these next two months on improving my Chinese even more. :)
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