Before I came to China to participate in a rigorous language program called Chinese Flagship Capstone, I was determined to improve my Chinese to the best of my ability; this meant working very hard in all of my classes, in addition to exploring my surroundings and getting in tune with the local culture. Before arriving in China, I was confident that since my Mandarin abilities were already at an advanced level that I would be practically fluent by the end of my year abroad, since the program I am currently participating in only accepts those who are already somewhat proficient in Chinese. However, as I am reaching the midway point of this program, although I am extremely satisfied with how my Chinese ability has progressed thus far, I am beginning to realize, if I plan on being completely fluent in Mandarin, I still have a long way to go.
If I had one word to describe my study abroad experience thus far, it would be enlightening. This is due to the fact that I have recently had a change of heart concerning my language goals; although I can communicate most of my ideas in my second language, and understand what is being said in conversation and in classes, I cannot yet express my ideas the way a native Chinese speaker can. Simply put, I still use my native language, English, to translate my ideas, and I do not have the strongest grasp on Chinese language and culture in order to optimally communicate in my second language.
I quickly came to this realization after being immersed with many other American students learning Chinese. No longer was I one of the best students in my language classes; not even close. However, instead of deterring me from further studying Mandarin, I have decided to keep on pushing, and have become inspired by my classmate’s knowledge and perseverance in their language studies. From this experience, I have learned that, no matter how well I might think I understand a subject, there is always room to improve.
Thus, my current goals have greatly changed. Even though, at the moment, I am in an intensive program in order to improve my Mandarin, I have begun to consider ways to keep up my language abilities during the internship portion of my time abroad, and after I return back home to the United States. The latter goal, keeping up my Mandarin abilities after I return to the United States, will undoubtedly be a huge task. This is especially apparent because I will no longer have access to the language resources that provided by my college after I graduate, and I won’t be constantly immersed in my second language. Therefore, I am very motivated to find a job that utilizes my second language ability soon after I arrive back in the United States so I can easily keep up my language skills, and hopefully, continue to improve.
In conclusion, although this experience abroad in Nanjing, China has been one of the hardest experiences I have had to go through in my life, during my time here, I have undoubtedly learned quite a few life lessons, and have a more humble perception of my language ability. For this experience, I will be forever grateful.
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