Exit Tests and Leaving Nanjing

Goodbye Nanjing!

     This marks my last trip to Nanjing! Not only does this mean that I have to take all of my exit tests (yikes), it means that I have to say goodbye to many of the friends I met abroad.
     First things first, I'll talk a little bit about my exit tests and how I prepared for them (get the more dry stuff out of the way first). There were three tests in total, reading and listening, which were both taken on the computer, as well as a spoken test (formally called the Oral Proficiency Interview, or OPI for short), in which a native speaker of Mandarin leads the interviewee through a series of questions to test their Mandarin speaking abilities.
     As for the reading and listening tests, there wasn't much to prepare for besides reading and listening to Chinese media, which the program does a good job of preparing students for. With this being said, it is a smart idea to take each of these tests with a strategy, whatever works best for you.
     In my case, for the listening test, if I was stumped by a question, I used the process of elimination to decide which answer to pick. However, the reading test was a lot more complicated; since time was limited, I knew I wouldn't be able to read each article very throughly, so I read the multiple choice questions first, and then read the article; whichever multiple choice question popped up as (seemingly) correct first, I chose. Also, if I was confused by a question, or was unsure of the answer, I skipped it and saved it until the ending an effort to answer more questions correctly.
     As for the OPI, it really is a toss-up what the interviewer will ask you; anything is on the table from politics to small talk to issues involving your major, and everything in between. Teachers do help students prepare scripted answers embellished with high level language, but ultimately, it is up to the student to remain coherent and confident in their responses, and to steer the conversation in a strategical way (don't mention something you don't know how to talk about). The best advice I could give before taking this test is to loosely memorize scripts about what's happening in the news that week, as well as all of the material that was covered the first term in Nanjing. In addition, come to the test early, eat a healthy meal beforehand, and come in a well-fitting, dressy outfit (something to make you feel comfortable and classy). Then, gather some confidence and go in head first guns blazing and get that test done! Fake it 'till you make it if you have to, and know that whatever score you end up with does not necessarily reflect your abilities and hard work.
     With that being said, I would like to share some of my last memories of being in Nanjing!

Me and Coffee

     Not only was I able to say goodbye to Coffee, a cuddly cat that lives in Lava, the coffee shop, one of the waiters that worked there told me her origin story! It turns out that one of the waiters found her on a street nearby as a kitten, and took her in. As I was leaving after saying my goodbyes, I saw a cat I had never seen before not a block down the street from Lava that looked just like Coffee. Could that cat be one of Coffee's long-lost relatives? I suppose it doesn't matter, but it made for a sweeter, more meaningful goodbye. 

Left to Right: Me, ZhangYi and Alison

     Just in case anybody was wondering, I definitely made some human friends on this trip, the most memorable being my roommate, ZhangYi.  She was a spectacular roommate (she was very cleanly in addition to being a sweet and thoughtful person in general who was very openminded), and I wish I had spent more time with her. Undoubtedly, I was extremely stressed out the term I lived in Nanjing, and I wish I had been in a more giving and positive space when I first met her. However, I am very happy that one of my best friends from the states (who is also a former roommate of mine), Alison, was able to be roommates with ZhangYi and bond with her as well. 

Saying our last goodbyes!

Left to right: Me, Mace, Melissa

    LinDan was another person I will dearly miss! Although he has an English name, it feels strange to call him by anything other than his Chinese name, or Linda (which kind of sounds like LinDan anyway). I will definitely miss his out-there musical taste and interest in anything psychedelic; he even turned these interests into a full blown thesis, and I was fortunate enough to do a little bit of field research with him. 

     Last, but not least, is Mace! I saved this story for last because it's a story of reunion; we first met in Taipei the summer of 2016, and we were able to reunite in Nanjing after he took a job working for the Flagship Program. It was a pleasure catching up and exploring new craft beer spots! 

     As always, thanks for reading! Feel free to leave any comments or questions below, and stay tuned for my next blogpost about leaving China and my next adventure!