Where am I going and how long will I be there?
- Capital Normal University in Beijing, China: August 21, 2024 – December 7, 2024
- National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan: February 18, 2025 – May 17, 2025
Where am I actually living?
In Beijing, I lived in an on-campus dormitory with one local Chinese roommate.
In Taipei, I am living in an off-campus apartment with three American roommates from my program and one Taiwanese roommate.
What classes am I taking?
Beijing: A one-on-one class (just me and the professor!) about China’s relationship with surrounding territories, a class about the history and traditions of Beijing, an elective called “Contemporary Issues in China,” and a second elective called “Modern Chinese Politics.”
Taipei: An intensive language instruction class that meets once daily for 3 hours, plus one one elective called “Cross-Strait Relations Between Taiwan and China” that meets once per week for 3 hours.
What is the Light Fellowship?
The funding for my language study comes from a Yale University grant called the Richard U. Light Fellowship. This grant covers tuition, room & board, food, and travel expenses for students who have been accepted into study abroad/language immersion programs in East Asia and demonstrate a commitment to rigorous language training, cross-cultural exchange, and lifelong engagement with the region. One other Light Fellow will be joining me for my first program in Beijing.
Why am I here? What are my goals?
I could fill this whole page with goals, but I’ll list just a few here. My primary academic goal is to fly back the United States with the ability to use Mandarin and English interchangeably and on a whim. By developing confidence and comfortability with Mandarin, my language skills will be both more useful and more employable (yes, Mom and Dad, I do plan to get a job eventually). My primary cultural goal is to spend an equal amount of time exploring my new cities as I do studying in the classroom, with the intention of pursuing a culturally-informed perspective through ample curious and earnest observation. My primary personal goal is to be a “yes man” — to seek out spontaneity and avoid the comfortable option. I am often held back by fear, but I hope to look back on my Light Year and feel proud of every new challenge I conquered.
What do the characters below my website title mean?
“读万卷书不如行万里路” is a proverb that means “Reading 10,000 books cannot compare to walking 1,000 steps.” It captures why I’m in headed to China and Taiwan after studying Mandarin in classrooms for so many years.