Category Archives: Summer 2018

Almost at the halfway mark! We got through our first typhoon in Taipei this week. It was basically just a big rainstorm by the time it got to us. Over the weekend Jenna and I went to Kiki (a restaurant … Continue reading →

This is the last week of the first semester so there was a lot of review going on besides the usual classes. I also got chosen to present HBA on an inter-program speaking contest. I knew this was going to … Continue reading →

It’s hard to believe that midterms are next week—it’ll mark the halfway point! I think this week was unfortunately a little more discouraging than the last. I felt like my brain was having a tough time processing all the grammar … Continue reading →

The 社会调查 is definitely HBA’s most distinctive feature. Acting as a buffer between the two “semesters” of the program, the social study trip gives us an opportunity to learn more about Chinese language and culture outside the classroom in a … Continue reading →

I’m only able to post week 4 now as this entire past week I’ve been in Inner Mongolia and have not had a proper chance to sit down and reflect on/write about my experiences. While I’ll use week 5’s post … Continue reading →

Again a tiring week. There’s not much to say except that I went to class and did my homework and then slept. But I am overall having a good time because I really like my teachers. One of my favorites … Continue reading →

周六早上我的东西都整理好了之后，我打了车去附近的酒店登记住宿。如果一切都过得顺利的话，我在那边只要待几天，三号就可以搬到另一个公寓。 那天晚上我北大的朋友要请我和我北语的朋友去他那边吃他自己做的晚餐。我们下午见面的时候，他问我，“伯伟，你今天想吃正常的中国菜还是比较有中国特色的？” 我说，“当然想吃有中国特色的！” 他道：“好，那我今天晚上给你做一顿在国外买不到的饭菜，就是小龙虾。” 看来，这顿饭菜确实是在国外买不到的，因为我虽然之前听说过，但从来没有尝试过。 商量完了之后，我们去了超市买那天晚上所需要的东西，包括酱油、盐、多宝鱼、猪蹄，最后当然还有虾。我还记得他像专家厨师一样很精心地挑选了最大、最具活力的虾，因为这些也就是最好吃的！那个超市的每一家商店虽然都很小，但是还是会有自己的微信支付二维码。我去年在北京的时候也发现了微信支付与其他类似的支付服务也非常普遍了，但是现在甚至可以说已经成为了一个基本的生活用品！因为截至目前还没找时间开一个中国银行的账户，所以我像上个时代的人一样需要把现金一直带在我身上… 东西都买好了之后，我们就离开了超市去他公司的办公室。这个办公室有厨房，而且他因为最近常常得加班，所以也住在那边。我自己在想，这样好不容易逃避工作的责任！到了办公室，我们三个人都一边做饭一边看世界杯。我之前没想到中国人会那么喜欢看足球比赛，但是看来，世界杯确实是一个全球的现象。下面可以看一下我们做饭菜的过程，我们都同意结果还不错！      那天晚上也突然发生了很奇怪的一件事。我们做饭的时候开始下雨了。这是很正常的，我知道，但是过了一段时间，外面下雨的声音越来越大了。我们都跑到了窗户看一看，居然发现外面下冰雹了！北京的夏天那么热，我真的没想到这种现象会发生… 我虽然之前刚来到中国的时候碰到了一些问题，但是现在已经开始适应北京的生活了。暂时有酒店可以住，而且还有朋友愿意请我吃饭。我那天意识到了，面对困难或者压力大的时候，你往往只要换个角度来看事情，就会发现这些困难其实没有你想象的糟糕。 过两天我会开始上班，然后三号就可以搬到新的公寓!

Third week was the time when I started to think about how to make both my Chinese speaking and writing more natural. In class, the social problems we discussed overall reminded me a lot about the same social problems that … Continue reading →

Since I have no experience/interest in cooking, I seldom cook at home. Finding a place to eat outside that is both affordable and delicious has not been easy, so I ended up not caring about nutrition as I should be. … Continue reading →

This week I was able to retrieve my wallet! Someone had picked it up and reported it to the police, who saw my NTU student ID and contacted ICLP. Everything was exactly as I had left it, and I am … Continue reading →

For the most part, I think this week went a lot smoother and better than last week. I’m for the most part accustomed to the amount of work given, even if not entirely succeeding at doing it all well. I … Continue reading →

我在北京的第一天过得不太顺利。 我周五早上九点从荷兰飞到了北京。去机场的星巴克买一杯摩卡之后，我打了车去北京语言大学见我去年在哈北班交的一个朋友。来北京之前，我们经常联系，因为她跟她北大的一个朋友都在帮我找房子。让我最惊讶和高兴的一点就是，我虽然从来没有见过这个北大的朋友，但是他还是很愿意帮我的忙。我一见到他就知道他人特别好。我对他说：“谢谢你花这么多时间帮我找房子”，他道：“没事儿，都是朋友。” 那天下午我和我北语的朋友去了附近的超市买很多生活用品，比如床的被褥，厨房的餐具，等等。过了几个小时，东西都买好了之后，我回到了公寓整理房间。把最后一个东子放在衣柜里以后，突然有人给我打电话。是我北大的朋友。他说：“伯伟，很可惜，房子出问题了。房东不愿意租给外国人。” 我一听到这句话就很惊讶，但他解释完之后，我发现了原因就在于我来北京没有身份证，而且是短期住的。房东以为是我北大的朋友要租房，而且会租到几个月… 我们决定去旁边的肯德基一起讨论，尽量找个解决办法。我北语的朋友也许因为看到了我不安的表情，对我说：“别担心，我们肯定不会让你无家可归的。” 说实话，这不是我听到的最会安慰人的一句话… 吃点鸡肉，喝点汽水后，北大的朋友说：“我刚才跟朋友在联系，他说还有另一家附近的公寓，而且外国人住得比较多。但是你下周二才能搬家，你这几天需要找个宾馆住。可以吗？” 我自己在想，当然可以，不然我就是无家可归的！我点了头，道：“可以。” “好的，那微信联系吧。明儿见。” 告别了之后，我自己一个人回到了公寓。我虽然被房东开除了，但他还是会让我住一夜。我一进去了房间，马上就躺在床上。仰望着天花板，我还保持乐观的态度自己想，“看来，这次到北京旅游会很有趣…”

I wake up at 6 a.m. everyday to get ready for school, take a 30 minute bus ride to the language center, review my homework before classes start, have lunch, have more class, go home, do homework, and then sleep… … Continue reading →

Learning a new language is always challenging, especially when you are neither a complete beginner nor an advanced speaker. ICLP teachers always try their best to make students freely express their own opinions or share their relevant experiences in the … Continue reading →

Seems that we’ve now finally reached the point of smooth sailing. After what was an extremely turbulent start to the program, I am now fully confident that I’ve found my groove and have settled into an extremely comfortable and rewarding … Continue reading →

I was getting more used to the workload now. I enjoyed the one-on-one session for the chance to speak to teachers and have them check my pronunciation and tone. Back at Williams, I thought my pronunciation was fine because we … Continue reading →

This was the first full week of classes at ICLP. Honestly, I’m still not completely adjusted to the schedule and workload, but I’m starting to enjoy my classes more. I like all of my teachers and classmates, and I think … Continue reading →

While it hasn’t yet been a week full of classes, it has been a week since I’ve arrived to Beijing. I was firstly amazed by how luxurious my “room” was. ACC students are located in what I believe is a … Continue reading →

It was hard to find the right class for me at first since ICLP’s curriculum differs from Williams’. Level 3 classes focus more on a colloquial side of Chinese, and a lot of grammars and contents are the ones that … Continue reading →

This week went significantly better than last week. I finally feel as if I’ve settled into Beijing and have found a healthy routine to which I can keep myself anchored. This week in classes, we won’t over art and commercialization, … Continue reading →

It was the first week of classes. I asked my teachers if I could 换班 and it took them a while before they could say yes. I am now a week behind my new classes and am drained from stressing … Continue reading →

It was the first week of classes this week. I only ended up making two out of four days of classes after catching a cold, but I’m already pretty intimidated by the workload. I think it’s an issue of time, … Continue reading →

I had been pretty excited to be back in Beijing after a year since my one-week summer vacation there. At Beiyu, I was happy to have my own room and my own space to settle down during the first week. … Continue reading →

My first week abroad was definitely one of the most tumultuous weeks of my life. After studying in Europe for the year, I thought that I was entirely immune to the usual setbacks that face a student when they’re displaced … Continue reading →

It’s still dead week for ICLP, as we are waiting for classes to start this Tuesday after Dragon Boat Festival. I’ve been taking advantage of the holiday season to eat zongzi whenever I can. Jenna and I have also been … Continue reading →

This week, we attended mandatory lectures about learning Chinese, recycling in Taiwan, etc. There was a lot of free time, so I spent most of it eating and walking around Taipei. We had really good iced drip coffee at a … Continue reading →

After traveling for more than 24 hours, I was very tired for my placement exam the next morning. During both interviews, I was asked what my first impression of Taiwan was… I had no other answer except that it’s hot. … Continue reading →

Jenna and I have been taking advantage of orientation week to explore and eat (mostly eat) around Taipei. We went to Qing Tian Qi Liu, a Japanese tea house near NTU, where we shared a vegetarian lunch set, a few … Continue reading →