Chinese 101
I suppose this entry is mostly for my Mom since I called to freak out on her yesterday. Oy-VEY!
Yesterday was orientation for the 1st-year grad school students of the Jackson School of International Studies. The Director of the school, Dr. Anand Yang began the orientation with a rousing speech about the vast and often overwhelming resources available to us new students. My eyes were as big as saucers by the end of his speech and then we were introduced to the eight program chairs. The resounding message seemed to be that as grad students, we should take advantage of the Jackson School as a whole and not limit ourselves to our individual programs. Apparently I'm on the right track as I'm taking a class offered in the Japan Studies program this quarter: Japan's Relationship with China. The China Studies program chair is Madeleine Yue Dong and she spoke last of the eight chairs. She began by saying that she would bypass the typical Chinese trait of modesty and restraint and proceeded to rattle off statistics helping to support her claim that the China Studies program is the biggest and best funded within the Jackson school. After her introduction, I was surprised to learn that there were only five of us in the 1st-year class. But, it was later explained that under the umbrella of China Studies, are the most specialties from which to sculpt an education in the next two years.
I was sitting next to a sweet girl from Southern California who is a 1st-year Middle Eastern Studies grad student. Her program has only three new students. The majority of the 150 students in the room were foreign exchange students or International Studies students with concurrent programs in law, policy, business, etc.
After we each stood up and introduced ourselves, we went to Thompson Hall - where the Jackson School is housed - and met with our program heads. The academic adviser for my program is Professor David Bachman. He is a truly gentle human and I see excellent potential for guidance coming from him. We met on the 3rd floor, across from the room where I took Italian my second year of college, back during the 1999-2000 academic year. Walking up the stairs of Thompson, and later going into the bathroom where I'd left a very special ring after washing my hands and, upon going back a day later found it still there on the window sill (I lost that durn ring at least seven times and always found it again, except for the last time), I was flooded with many different emotions, most good, but some questionable.
The other four students are very different from me - undoubtedly - and yet, I had this vision of becoming a close-knit group. Of course, I've spent a only few hours with them now, and I shouldn't write off the chance yet, but I just don't know. Our experiences are so different and my approach to grad school seems to be different as well. I'm here to pull the various vines of my interests into one bouquet and to learn from all of the resources available to me. I want to be a big, soft sponge. There was a strong competitive nature playing out in the room yesterday and I've had time to regard my reaction to all of that with a calmer perspective and I can only assume that my own competitive nature is feeling threatened and awakened.
I'm by far the furthest behind in language acquisition and will have to work doubly hard to pass the winter and spring quarter seminars, let alone have competitive standing for TA-ships and RA-ships. This fact alone doesn't frighten me. What shut me down yesterday was the frank surprise from some of the professors at my low standing in Chinese language ability. Today, away from their startled reactions, I've gained my confidence back, but yesterday, I was rendered traumatized. I walked about in a daze after lunch, left the library tour early (I know where all the libraries are on campus) and immediately called Mom to cry. She wasn't very sympathetic, but it was good. She has complete confidence in my abilities and wasn't reacting to the ego blows I'd received. I know I'll be fine...today...but I really have a lot of work ahead of me and will have to focus like I've never done before. That part of my personality that can't spend too much time doing any one thing will have to get together with my organizational side and figure out how to multi-task WITHIN my studies. Did I mention OY-VEY!?!
To finish up with some positives from yesterday, I spoke about my experience (though miniscule) with manufacturing in China and with safety testing and lead paint, etc. and Professor Bachman became quite interested, quipping that he saw a thesis in the making. It's funny how now that I've been away from Becker & Mayer for some time now, I'm becoming more aware of the vast knowledge I gained in my various employments with the company. I really appreciate the opportunities Jim and Beth gave me.
I also asked about 2nd-year students and PhD students who might be working on environmental issues and was given a couple of names of people to stalk. In fact, there is an Anthro professor in the department who helped organize an annual summer project that works on environmental issues in a village that the government has turned over to the Academic and Scientific worlds as a practice village for sustainable development to be implemented on a wide scale once the kinks are worked out. Can I get a witness?!
So Mom, all is well; please don't fret (though you said yesterday, "I don't worry about you"). Classes start Wednesday, but this quarter I've only got one class on Wednesdays - Chinese 101!!! And here I come...
Yesterday was orientation for the 1st-year grad school students of the Jackson School of International Studies. The Director of the school, Dr. Anand Yang began the orientation with a rousing speech about the vast and often overwhelming resources available to us new students. My eyes were as big as saucers by the end of his speech and then we were introduced to the eight program chairs. The resounding message seemed to be that as grad students, we should take advantage of the Jackson School as a whole and not limit ourselves to our individual programs. Apparently I'm on the right track as I'm taking a class offered in the Japan Studies program this quarter: Japan's Relationship with China. The China Studies program chair is Madeleine Yue Dong and she spoke last of the eight chairs. She began by saying that she would bypass the typical Chinese trait of modesty and restraint and proceeded to rattle off statistics helping to support her claim that the China Studies program is the biggest and best funded within the Jackson school. After her introduction, I was surprised to learn that there were only five of us in the 1st-year class. But, it was later explained that under the umbrella of China Studies, are the most specialties from which to sculpt an education in the next two years.
I was sitting next to a sweet girl from Southern California who is a 1st-year Middle Eastern Studies grad student. Her program has only three new students. The majority of the 150 students in the room were foreign exchange students or International Studies students with concurrent programs in law, policy, business, etc.
After we each stood up and introduced ourselves, we went to Thompson Hall - where the Jackson School is housed - and met with our program heads. The academic adviser for my program is Professor David Bachman. He is a truly gentle human and I see excellent potential for guidance coming from him. We met on the 3rd floor, across from the room where I took Italian my second year of college, back during the 1999-2000 academic year. Walking up the stairs of Thompson, and later going into the bathroom where I'd left a very special ring after washing my hands and, upon going back a day later found it still there on the window sill (I lost that durn ring at least seven times and always found it again, except for the last time), I was flooded with many different emotions, most good, but some questionable.
The other four students are very different from me - undoubtedly - and yet, I had this vision of becoming a close-knit group. Of course, I've spent a only few hours with them now, and I shouldn't write off the chance yet, but I just don't know. Our experiences are so different and my approach to grad school seems to be different as well. I'm here to pull the various vines of my interests into one bouquet and to learn from all of the resources available to me. I want to be a big, soft sponge. There was a strong competitive nature playing out in the room yesterday and I've had time to regard my reaction to all of that with a calmer perspective and I can only assume that my own competitive nature is feeling threatened and awakened.
I'm by far the furthest behind in language acquisition and will have to work doubly hard to pass the winter and spring quarter seminars, let alone have competitive standing for TA-ships and RA-ships. This fact alone doesn't frighten me. What shut me down yesterday was the frank surprise from some of the professors at my low standing in Chinese language ability. Today, away from their startled reactions, I've gained my confidence back, but yesterday, I was rendered traumatized. I walked about in a daze after lunch, left the library tour early (I know where all the libraries are on campus) and immediately called Mom to cry. She wasn't very sympathetic, but it was good. She has complete confidence in my abilities and wasn't reacting to the ego blows I'd received. I know I'll be fine...today...but I really have a lot of work ahead of me and will have to focus like I've never done before. That part of my personality that can't spend too much time doing any one thing will have to get together with my organizational side and figure out how to multi-task WITHIN my studies. Did I mention OY-VEY!?!
To finish up with some positives from yesterday, I spoke about my experience (though miniscule) with manufacturing in China and with safety testing and lead paint, etc. and Professor Bachman became quite interested, quipping that he saw a thesis in the making. It's funny how now that I've been away from Becker & Mayer for some time now, I'm becoming more aware of the vast knowledge I gained in my various employments with the company. I really appreciate the opportunities Jim and Beth gave me.
I also asked about 2nd-year students and PhD students who might be working on environmental issues and was given a couple of names of people to stalk. In fact, there is an Anthro professor in the department who helped organize an annual summer project that works on environmental issues in a village that the government has turned over to the Academic and Scientific worlds as a practice village for sustainable development to be implemented on a wide scale once the kinks are worked out. Can I get a witness?!
So Mom, all is well; please don't fret (though you said yesterday, "I don't worry about you"). Classes start Wednesday, but this quarter I've only got one class on Wednesdays - Chinese 101!!! And here I come...
