HBA Week 1 Reflections

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 from their country: namely culture shock and homesickness. However, I now realize that I was not at all prepared for what China had in store during my first week. Throughout my first week, I was unable to adjust to the time zone, cuisine, culture, and general pressure that come with studying at an intensive language program in a foreign country. To its credit, HBA generates an intensive atmosphere from the second day you’re there until what I imagine to be the day of your final exam. You’re quite literally thrown into the deep end and have to find a way to manage adjusting to a new culture and language while also managing a rigorous, unrelenting workload. Naturally, that presented me with a lot of challenges at first. Everyday I felt like I was fighting a war on two fronts against both my own body/mind adjusting to the country and the coursework being put in front of me each day. I even seriously considered dropping down a level just to ease the psychological burden all of these challenges put on me. However, now that I’ve seen just how much support the teachers at HBA are willing to give you when you’re doubting your own abilities and have had a weekend to rest and sort out my thoughts, I feel that I can finally say that I’m feeling like myself again and am ready to tackle whatever future challenges might come.

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