As the school year winds down and summer draws near, Chinese language high school students from across the globe are searching for a place to pursue their linguistic passions while expanding their mind and soul. Finding an experience abroad can provide lifelong language learners with an opportunity to develop life skills, appreciate cultural understanding and provide global awareness. I reached this juncture as I looked to forge a bond with the Chinese customs, locals and way of life. There are many programs and study-abroad experiences available that can help meet these objectives while making you academically ready for the upcoming school year. As TDC’s International Outreach Correspondent, I am grateful to share some research, summer experiences, and encounters with people and places along the way.
Middlebury Language Academy/Middlebury Interactive Languages
https://www.middleburyinteractive.com
Middlebury Interactive Languages offers both a domestic and international adventure. A student can travel to either Saint Michael’s College in Vermont, for a more traditional American pre-college setting, or venture to Capital Normal University, in the heart of Beijing’s Haidian District for an authentic Asian immersion. The main purpose of this program is fluency, hence the mandatory language pledge to strengthen conversation. For me, at the onset, the pledge was certainly daunting, where you think, dream, imagine and even communicate with your parents at times in Chinese. There were three hours of class time in the morning, with engaging lectures, quizzes and interactive activities, and then an afternoon excursion to an historic site in Beijing, like Tiananmen, the Forbidden City, or the National Museum. Students get to experience local life as a group with daily lunch meals in the city conversing with classmates, teachers and locals. The most memorable experience was a day long exchange with a local school in Beijing, providing an interaction with students of similar ages discussing cultural differences of school life in the West compared with that in the East. The highlight of our visit was a friendly diplomatic basketball competition between new friends.
Where There Be Dragons
https://www.wheretherebedragons.com
Rather than a traditional program at a foreign studies university, “Where There Be Dragons” focuses more on community service and interactions with local people, while learning Chinese. Students are in a homestay program, where they not only speak Chinese in the classrooms with their fellow students, but with their host family as well. For instance, students may be placed in rural areas of China to learn their local dialects while also having traditional Mandarin instruction. Programs take you to Western Chinese Silk Road trading posts like Urumqi and Kashgar, the Tibetan Plateau and the southern farmland. There are different options available for specific age groups and travel and date preferences.
Hutong School
The Hutong School provides a different approach to learning Chinese over a summer. This offers students tangible work experience, providing different internships and volunteer opportunities. One may have the opportunity to explore a job in public affairs, or in private enterprises, like a bicycle shop or an art gallery. This can be experienced all over China, even in some of the most remote rural communities. Not only does this program provide practical work experience for students, but also gives them the chance to rent an apartment or small house with a roommate with similar interests and passions. One friend worked at a music summer camp for underserved communities.
Study abroad opportunities for high schools students are vast, intriguing, enterprising and adventurous. Whether you live with a host family in Lhasa, intern for a banking house in Shanghai, or study at a Chinese university in bustling Beijing, the important lesson is to embrace your linguistic passions, immerse in conversation, learn lessons of history and culture, make new friends, bridge cultural differences and share commonality.
What a great article! I think this program is such a great opportunity. It is such a great opportunity to make improvements with language skills and also make a bunch new friends. I may consider doing this as it can bring so much to me. Well written article!
Outstanding article. This program shows great potential in America; We can use this for people that don’t know the language well to be someone who uses it every day. This is a great way to influence kids to do something great with summer and make new friends and learn the Chinese language along the way.
This is a great article! This program sounds amazing! It sounds incredibly beneficial for many people. I will do some research on this, and I may consider doing it. Thank you fir sharing.
What an informative article! I never knew there were schools in China that teach Chinese during the summer. I really liked how they mix Chinese culture in with learning the Chinese language. I think that learning the culture and traditions is equally as important as learning the language. I would love to learn more about these programs. Thanks for sharing!
What a great article! I think this program is such a great opportunity. We can use this for people that don’t know the language well to be someone who uses it every day. I think that learning the culture and traditions is equally as important as learning the language. I would love to learn more about these programs. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for another great article, as I never knew that there were so many beneficial programs for learning Chinese. Each program provides a unique and once and a life time experience that I hope to partake in one day. I think that it is interesting how much immersion there is to all aspects of Chinese culture. The program “Where there be dragons” sounds very interesting, and it is amazing how somebody has the chance to explore rural China through this program. I think that all of these programs would be beneficial to learning a lot of Chinese culture and language. Keep up the good work!
Thank you for writing this article! This was definitely an eye-opener for me as I never even thought about exchange programs over the summer that were available. I’m interested in the Hutong School, where it allows you to learn about how the work lives of people living in China. This experience will definitely change the people that have finished this program. It’s a really good way to spend your summer. Thanks again!
Wow, great article!. I did not know how many programs help learn Mandarin. It is cool that the programs help any level speaker of Chinese. It is very important to learn about tradition in China as well. I would love to learn more about the Chinese traditions. I will definitely try these out.
Great article! I liked that you included many programs that can help students learn a lot more about China. I had no idea this many programs existed! I liked that you described Middlebury Language Academy using your experiences. That made it much easier for me to picture what it was like to be a part of that program. I liked that all the programs had a different approach to learning more about the Chinese language.
Very good article Matthew! The Chinese culture and language is so interesting and useful that I think everyone should have a basic understanding of it. It’s cool how there are so may programs to expose people to all different ways of life in China. I actually saw “Where be the Dragons” in a summer program showcase and it really intrigued me because it gave attention to the more rural parts of China that can be ostracized from society. I hope to be involved in an opportunity like this one day. Thank you for sharing these wonderful programs that people in our community can utilize!
Wow, thanks for another great article, I didn’t know such amazing Chinese programs existed. I think that all three programs provide unique, interesting, and useful opportunities to help immerse yourself in Chinese culture. Middlebury Interactive Languages definitely proves to be quite daunting of the three, with the pledge that requires you to speak as much Chinese as possible with no English, which I definitely wouldn’t be able to survive with. However, I think that the pledge will overall be worth it in improving your Chinese by giving you firsthand experience communicating in Chinese on a daily basis in China. “Where there be Dragons” sounds very interesting, as it provides a limited opportunity to visit China’s rural areas and still better yourself in Chinese and admire the culture while having fun. Thanks for sharing all of these amazing programs so that people in our community can experience China’s culture.
Wonderful article! I didn’t know these programs existed that would result in more of an exposure to Chinese culture and all the different lifestyles in China. I love how these programs allow for people to come together and learn about Chinese. The mixture of the language and culture seems really interesting. These programs can be very beneficial to bridge cultural differences in society.
All these programs seem fun at cool. But I can’t see myself going to China for a large portion of my summer. I think I would’ve worked and pursued my passion. But This looks like a good experience that the school should look at. I’m pretty happy with going to China next year, so I probably won’t look into these programs that much. But this was a great article. and very informative. Keep up the great work
Amazing article Matthew! Before I read this article i never knew what “Where There be Dragons” was. I also never knew what or where Hutong School was. But after i read this article, I now know that Where There be Dragons is a program that help students learn Chinese. Also Hutong School is the school that holds this program. I also like how you included sources to both of their websites. Keep up the good work!
Great article! It’s good to know that people can learn about the culture of china through schools, and also experience an adolescents lifestyle in China. It’s great to know about these diverse types of programs. It’s also good that more people become aware with these types of programs. Great job Matthew!
Wow, cool article! I never knew about this program. It’s amazing that people can go to a place to learn and understand a culture and a language. This is similar to our exchange program in Jericho, but instead of the students speaking English, the students speak Chinese. I can see this program really help a student learn a language and it’s culture. I am pretty interested. Thanks for the article!!
Amazing article! It must be such an honor to be TDC’s International Outreach Correspondent and be able to share amazing opportunities for students. All these opportunities seem so unique and amazing, and I love how you actually went to the Middlebury Interactive Language center yourself. It’s cool learning about so many opportunities that emphasize the learning and emersion into Chinese culture. Thanks for this informative article again!
Amazing, what a great another article I read the last one, I knew about stuff like this existed in other countries than China but I didn’t know they also existed in China. I feel that all three of these immaculate programs seem to have different pros and cons but, overall they all seem great in what they offer. (MLB) Middlebury Interactive Languages definitely proves to be quite challenging of the three programs which I hope to pursue one day if I continue Chinese, with the pledge requiring you to speak as much Chinese as possible (I don’t even think i could survive one day). My mom has always told me that she’s wanted me to spend two months during the summer in China by myself to see how good my speaking skills are. On the other hand, putting in all the time and dedicating my life to these Chinese programs and goals can really help me ground my skills in Chinese and I may be able to easily speak Chinese fluently in the future. Another program that I find interesting and captivating is “Where there be Dragons” if I’m feeling less ambitious I think this program has a great blend of learning the language and culture of China in one program which is great in it’s own right. This was a great article and it really opened up opportunities for other people like me who are learning Chinese but are on that border or boundary between knowing a significant amount Chinese but not enough but still needs progress for it to be at the fluent level.
Outstanding article. This program shows great potential in America; We can use this for people that don’t know the language well to be someone who uses it every day.I feel that all three of these immaculate programs seem to have different pros and cons but, overall they all seem great in what they offer. (MLB) Middlebury Interactive Languages definitely proves to be quite challenging of the three programs which I hope to pursue one day if I continue Chinese, with the pledge requiring you to speak as much Chinese as possible (I don’t even think i could survive one day). It’s good to know that people can learn about the culture of china through schools, and also experience an adolescents lifestyle in China. It’s great to know about these diverse types of programs. It’s also good that more people become aware with these types of programs. Great job Matthew!
That’s so great! There are many programs that Chinese high school students can particpate in abroad. These summer programs will no doubt enhance their world experience. I think my favorite is the Hutong school, though. It offers valuable work experience that can change one’s life!
Great article! I think this program is such a great opportunity, being able to learn such a variety of things. They really seem life-changing! It’s interesting to hear of your own experiences as TDC’s International Outreach Correspondent. Nice job!
I love this article! This program is a wonderful opportunity for America. This article also goes on extensive detail on what the program does. I wish I could do this program but I am almost busy all the time. Outstanding!
Great article! This program seems like a great opportunity to learn new and experience new things. It would be great to experience a different culture and a different lifestyle. It seems very similar to our exchange student trip. Thanks for sharing!