As a U2 Linguistics major, the idea of language acquisition through immersion is fascinating to me. During my time at Shantou University, I had the privilege of experiencing this phenomenon first hand.
Prior to the trip, I decided my goal for this program was to make my brain a constant Mandarin classroom. Every single day, whether we had classes or not, I was forced to speak, read, or at the very least, comprehend Mandarin. This big change was frustrating at first, as I had just finished the Elementary Chinese class at 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ, and my Mandarin was not very strong. I noticed though, that over time it became more and more intuitive to speak Chinese. My brain started defaulting to putting English on the back-burner. With these intuitions at play, I realized I had achieved my goal.
Not only was my Mandarin level increasing, but my understanding of the people and world around me as well. A notable experience was learning about Chaoshan Tea Culture. At the beginning of the second week in Shantou, we were taught the methods of pouring and serving tea in the Chaoshan region. We taste-tested a tea called ¡°ø†ÊºÏ㡱 which means ¡°Duck Sh*t Fragrance¡±. Despite the name, the tea was delicious. We learned that it was given this name to gatekeep the tea because it was so ºÃºÈ (yummy to drink). I thought it was beautiful that the people of Chaoshan region dubbed the tea to be more valuable to them than whatever profit it might have generated.
Going into this experience, I thought it was going to be challenging for me to make friends with the tutors. Because we came from such different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, I was scared we wouldn¡¯t find anything in common with each other. I was very quickly proven wrong. It took some pushing out of my comfort zone, but I soon found that every single tutor not only wanted to help us learn Mandarin - but to also be our friends. Despite the language gap, I was able to learn very valuable lessons from them. I learned that without confidence, language acquisition through immersion does not work as well. The tutors at Shantou University gave me that confidence. Somehow, in just less than a month, they became people that I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Although this was the last year of the program, I feel like this goes for all study away programs: do it. Apply to that program. No matter how nervous or afraid you are, you will learn so much about yourself and your field. This kind of experience and the knowledge you will gain from it is irreplaceable. Never let your fear hold you back.
I am beyond grateful to have been a Li Ka Shing Arts Initiative Recipient. During my time at Shantou University, I made priceless memories and met unforgettable people. I will carry this experience with me for the rest of my life. лл£¡
