Members of the China Study Abroad program gather after an afternoon of exploration.
Picture the crowded metropolis of Beijing. Skyscrapers shoot into the sky, the Great Wall winds through the city, and the imposing Tiananmen Gate welcomes all to China’s capital. It’s a big change from the red-brick buildings of Choate, yet Beijing is also a part of Choate’s campus. Four students — Rebekah Agwunobi ’19, Jeanne Malle ’19, Will Raccio ’18, and Orie Ulu ’18 — are enrolled in Choate’s Beijing Study Abroad program this term. Another student, Maya Scandinaro ’18, is also in Beijing, taking a year-long break from Choate through an outside academic program called School Year Abroad (SYA).
The China term abroad program runs for nine weeks, with two weeks of excursions. Students live and study in Beijing, and they visit Shanghai, Xi’an, Shangri-La, and Hong Kong to get a broader perspective of a complex country.
Head of the Chinese Department and Coordinator of the China Study Abroad Program Dr. Carol Chen-Lin said, “The purpose of this program, besides developing students’ language skills, is to relay them to global society and let them have exposure to a rapidly changing China. Through their host families, students also get exposure to the Chinese lifestyle.”
Raccio agreed that a desire to learn more about Chinese culture hugely influenced his decision to go abroad. He said, “My belief is that there is no comparison to learning abroad, especially because I want to go into international relations in the future.”
Raccio noted the differences between Chinese and American culture: “It’s really interesting seeing how people from other cultures live — even the little things, like how the dessert comes out at the same time as the main course and appetizer, and how I clogged the toilet in my host family’s house the first day because I didn’t realize that I was supposed to throw the toilet paper in the trash.”
Raccio also stressed the importance of pushing oneself while studying abroad. He explained, “Whether it’s trying the duck intestines that are brought to the table or going grocery shopping by yourself, the more I do, the more I feel like I’m taking advantage of my opportunities.”
Malle noted the importance of learning outside of the Choate community: “We learn so much compared to the average teenager, yet we are still part of a small bubble that keeps us from furthering our knowledge, and even more than that, applying it. Going to China, I am learning completely new things and helping my personal bubble grow.” (Malle did acknowledge that so far in China she has been “rather sheltered by teachers and Choate faculty” and said,“Maybe doing something a little bit riskier once in a while would be nice.”)
For SYA participant Scandinaro, the impetus to study in China was different. Scandinaro, who is Chinese but was adopted by an American family when she was ten months old, said, “I wanted to return to the country I was born in to learn about the culture and get a deeper sense of what it’s like.”
Since arriving in Beijing last September, Scandinaro’s language skills have developed significantly. She explained, “At first, it was very hard to talk to shopkeepers and taxi drivers, but now it’s second nature.” Scandinaro also mentioned the significance of her host family: “My host parents helped me adjust to the culture, and I’ve become good friends with my 15-year-old host sister.”
Although the distance between Wallingford and Beijing is vast, both locations allow Choate students to further their academic pursuits. Scandinaro summarized the experience: “Before the program, I only really knew how it was in America. I didn’t realize how differently people lived and didn’t understand some things they did. In Beijing, I’ve met so many cool people, joined an orchestra and a bilingual club at a local school, have become more independent and confident, and have drastically improved my language skills.”
