Nick's Story - NSLI-Youth Mandarin Program - United States  

For more on the NSLI-Youth group's experience in China, click here.

Living in Zhengzhou has been an experience like no other. Life here, although not a local life per se, is far from a tourist’s life. I live in a regular Chinese apartment, take a public bus to school everyday, and participate in the activities of a Chinese family. We eat traditional Chinese meals, take trips to the park, and watch TV together. The host family experience is what “makes” this trip; in fact, I’ve learned more Chinese with my host family this summer than I learned at school! At home, I speak only Chinese, especially with my host parents, who don’t speak English. This is the perfect environment to learn a new language: full immersion.

At school, we study the Chinese language and the Chinese culture. The classes are challenging, but teach a lot of Chinese. In addition to learning in a classroom, we’ve taken trips to places like a tea market and flower market, where we simultaneously learn about Chinese culture and practice language skills. Lastly, we’ve worked on volunteer projects at a place for disabled kids and a place for kids who don’t have parents.

Overall, living in Zhengzhou has been an invaluable experience that I’ll never forget. Spending six weeks living daily life in China has taught me so many new language skills and given me a much deeper appreciation and understanding of Chinese culture. Again, what a wonderful opportunity!

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