School is in Session

Wednesday was the first day of summer classes here so I have already had a lecture in both of my courses this summer! On MWF I have my Introduction to Mandarin course from 2-4:30. My class has only five students in it, which is common for Lingnan both during semesters and summers as it boasts a 4:1 student to faculty ratio. This small number is great as everyone in the class gets many opportunities to participate and ask questions, but learning the fundamentals of the language in fifteen classes is not going to be easy. Upon leaving my lecture my head was pounding as I tried to process the material. Not helping is the fact I am musically inept paired with Mandarin vowels being pronounced in four different tones. Depending on the tone, the meaning of a word can change so understanding them is paramount. I can conceptualize the differences between them, but hearing them and pronouncing them has proven challenging. Practice will make perfect I guess. Fortunately my roommate Allen moved in yesterday and is a Chinese national who studies in the UK. Conveniently, he is taking Spanish here so we've agreed to help one another in our new languages!

Mandarin classroom - very similar to CMU

My other course is called Government and Politics of Hong Kong. This class meets Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:30-1pm, although we got out early on Thursday as it was the first day. There are about 30 students in this class (which the professor noted as atypical) and I am the only international student. Already the professor has asked me to provide the "American perspective," and I feel like that will be a common experience as the course focuses primarily on Hong Kong's shift from being a British colony to becoming a Special Administrative Region of China in 1997. I think the class will be interesting, but I am nervous about being asked to speak for all Americans or appearing ignorant by not knowing certain information. There is a chance I may have to switch classes, too, as this class' final exam is a group presentation which is proceeded by a group paper that is due July 10th. As Lingnan closes on July 6th I will not be able to meet with my group for those last few days so I have e-mailed my professor asking him to advise me as to whether or not I should switch courses. We'll see!

Away from classes everything else is great! Allen moving in yesterday has given some life to our room and our local student buddies have been beyond helpful. Last night I went to dinner with Allen and a buddy who lives on our floor named Tony at a small restaurant about 10minutes away from school. Allen does not speak Cantonese, but Tony does and it is awesome to experience authentic Hong Kong life as opposed to having to seek out certain restaurants that provide bilingual menus. My next post will be about our excursion tomorrow and hopefully visiting the Big Buddha on Sunday. I promise to include pictures too, I have just been too lazy to upload them!