In one week I'll be boarding a plane to Beijing with a few other Calvin Knights to study a semester abroad! Once we arrive in Beijing we will take a week to backpack the Silk Road before school starts. I will be staying in an international dorm (my address can be provided later for those that would like it) with other students from all over the world that will also be studying the Chinese language and history with me. I'm not entirely sure what to expect out of this semester but I'm going into it excited and with an open mind. I want to be cliche and "take every opportunity that comes my way". I'm prepared to make mistakes like crazy and embarrass myself to no end. I've come up with a small list of goals that I'm hoping to accomplish with this mentality. They are :
1. Obviously I have a goal to improve my Chinese skills. However, I would like to specifically improve my listening comprehension. When I went to China two years ago I couldn't distinguish accents among the Chinese people. So, my goal this time is to learn enough Chinese that I can recognize someone's accent when talking with him/her.
2. Never say no when offered new food.
3. I would like to make a friend (or two!) where our ONLY common language is Chinese. This may be a bit of a challenge because the majority of Chinese have been required to learn English in school, and the same goes for the other international students, but you never know!
4. Learn how to play ping pong like a pro.
5. Have a store/restaurant/place where I'm considered enough of a regular that the staff can greet me by name and treat me as a local -- not like a special foreigner that just visits their place. I'd be able to ask how their family is and know them personally, just like they would be able to know me personally and be able to ask how class is going, help me adjust, etc.
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