It's the night before I leave for China, so I thought I'd make my first blog entry for my trip. Depending on what's happening during the summer, I'll try to update as frequently as I can. Hopefully you will find these posts informative and interesting, but hey no promises.
First I thought I'd give a rough itinerary of my upcoming trip. I'll be staying in Beijing for 8 weeks studying in an intensive language program. This will consist about 4 hours of class per day, 4 days per week. The classes are small and very intensive, and will no doubt be both challenging and extremely helpful. I have already completed 4 semesters of Chinese at Pomona, so I will be taking classes that match my current proficiency. Additionally, I will take a less intensive Chinese contemporary culture class. Throughout the next 8 weeks, I will have the opportunity to immerse myself in a completely new and exciting culture. When I arrive at the program center, I am required to pledge that I speak only in Chinese as much as possible. Though I do have some background already, this pledge will definitely be the toughest part of my experience! I will be living in a dormitory with a Chinese roommate who takes classes at a local university. I have not met nor been informed of who my roommate is, and I am looking forward to meeting him.
Finally, after my program ends, I will be traveling to Shanghai to see a good friend and explore another one of China's great cities. From there I'll fly back home. I'll be back August 11th!
Hopefully you enjoy this blog, and if you have questions/comments or just want to say hello, feel free to email me at brendan.bartanen@gmail.com
Until later, 再见！
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