At HBA, the 6th week is the equivalent of a start of a new semester. We get new textbooks, the structure of the class changes slightly, and, naturally, the workload significantly increases. What I think differentiates 4th year at HBA from the other years is that in the second half of our course our textbook begins to focus solely on authentic Chinese writings, whether it be literature, movie scripts, or science fiction excerpts. Personally, I’ve found this transition to be really cool as it’s an implicit indication of just how far my Chinese has come. While each chapter still does have some portions written by the textbook author, a fair majority of each chapter comprises of a selected piece of authentic Chinese material. Thanks to the instruction I’ve received both at Williams and HBA, I feel that I’m really able to comfortably get through these pieces. Beyond the academics, I’ve found that the second term at HBA is a pretty fluid continuation of the first. I’ve definitely found a comfortable rhythm in which I’m able to balance my work and daily leisure. As the program only draws closer to the end, I’ve also attached more priority to hanging out with friends and exploring Beijing and all it has to offer. I expect that the next few weeks will likely pass by as quickly and enjoyably as this one.