In slightly more than a month I will be sitting on a plane, on my way to Beijing. I will be studying two semester's worth of Chinese over the course of 8 weeks, through the Princeton in Beijing (PiB) language study program, with full support provided by the generous Richard U. Light Fellowship.
While we've talked about the Great Wall and Beihai Park in class, I have no idea what to expect. Although I went to China in July 2004, the last time I set foot in Beijing was when I was three years old. It's been a long time since I was last in China, and I'm fairly certain that a lot has changed.
As I wait for this adventure, I am staying in New Haven to conduct chemistry research on Science Hill. In the meantime, I am also trying to review my Chinese as best as I can. While I stand to improve in all areas, my speaking ability is the weakest. For that reason in particular, I am very excited to study in Beijing.
Right now, these are my goals for my time in China
1) maintain a conversation in Chinese with a local for more than 5 minutes
2) get a good bargain on an item on my own
3) eat Peking duck while in Beijing
4) note down an interesting phrase I see or hear in the city everyday
5) get an A- or higher in the program
6) take at least one picture a day
7) blog at least once a week
8) speak in Chinese without hesitation (no pausing for more than 5 seconds)
9) speak in Chinese at every opportunity given
Aside from the last goal, all of these are very quanitative. Some goals are much simpler or more practical than others, while others have been suggested to get some sort of routine going. While I may add to this list in future posts, these are my current thoughts for my time in Beijing.
