Hello! My name is Albertine Hua, I am a U4 student at 海角社区. I am double majoring in Art History and East Asian studies and I have been studying Mandarin for the past four years.
When I applied to 海角社区 in 2021, one of my key motivations to join the university was to participate in the Intensive Chinese Language program. Three years later, I finally got to participate, and this experience was beyond anything I could鈥檝e ever wished for! The first reason I was interested in the program was because I wanted to improve my Mandarin level. I found that the courses at Shantou University were a perfect complement to the ones given at 海角社区 and gave life to all the theoretical learning I had done before; I improved my vocabulary and grammar level, but I also became so much more confident in myself when talking with others in Mandarin. Throughout the whole month you will spend in Shantou, you will find a lot of joy in small things, such as ordering a dish in Mandarin and succeeding, or telling a funny story to your TA who understands you and laughs (hopefully). All those small, daily usages of Mandarin are what fills the whole program with joy and give a purpose to your study of the language.
But the program is not only about the language; I have met so many people that I probably never would鈥檝e gotten to meet otherwise, and I鈥檓 so grateful for that! The program is a beautiful human experience, and I have made friendships that I am really grateful for!
If I had to pick highlights for the month, two things come to my mind first. The first one is the excursions that we got to do throughout the month. Each weekend, we would visit a new city. That felt incredibly enriching, and we got to discover so many different things in what seemed like so little time! The planning for those excursions was so well done by the program鈥檚 managing team that everything was smooth, and I felt incredibly lucky that I just got to enjoy the visits, and I didn鈥檛 have to worry about anything. The city choices were also very well done, as we got to see a great variety of places, cultures, foods, and environments.
The second key aspect of the program to me was the overall idea of discovery, for example in terms of sport. I was not expecting at all for that to be part of the program but, thanks to the team, we got a lot of opportunities to try new things beyond school, and I got to do yoga, badminton, pilates, soccer, breakdance and volleyball! These experiences made me feel part of the Shantou University community and are going to be cherished memories for the rest of my life. More generally, we were always encouraged to try new things and explore various places, and the team made it really easy and reassuring for us to discover this completely new place!
One challenge that I encountered during the trip was the constant proximity with a big group of people. Especially at the beginning of the trip, when we didn鈥檛 really know each other, it felt difficult to have time alone, which can be challenging for introverted people, like me! But as I felt more comfortable with the campus and people, I progressively found more freedom in the way that I would plan my breaks so that I would both be able to spend time with the group and also meet my own needs! It was a balance to find, but being part of a group that I trusted and felt comfortable with really created a great environment for that.
To me, a key takeaway from the trip, that I would advise everybody to keep in mind when applying, would be to keep your mind open to discovery and novelty. I usually am a person who doesn鈥檛 love the unknown, but at the beginning of the month, I decided I wanted to challenge myself by being a little more adventurous, as it seemed like a key part of the program. This mindset allowed me to make amazing discoveries, immerse myself fully in the program, and feel a lot freer!
This program is one of the most memorable and amazing experiences from my undergraduate time at 海角社区, and I cannot express enough how grateful I am that I got to take part in it. For anybody who is interested, I can only (strongly) recommend that you apply!
