Wrapping Up This Semester

These past couple months have flown by. Seriously, time is catching up with us so fast. It’s strange. It feels as if it was just yesterday that I was stepping off the plane, nervous, excited and totally lost. Now I feel that China is my home. I feel like I’ve been here for years. Now we’re all rushing to finish final papers, prepare for our final exams, and pack our souvenirs into our little suitcases.
And with all this end of the year craziness, my friends Sarah, Will, Sam, and I all decided to forget about our responsibilities and go for a day trip to Tianjin. It’s just about a half hour from Beijing by high-speed train.

Students standing Underneath an arch in Tianjin
Underneath an arch in Tianjin
Tianjin markets
Tianjin markets
Biking on a riverside path in Tianjin
Biking on a riverside path in Tianjin
Tianjin at night
Tianjin at night
Group photo on bridge overlooking river and skyline in Tianjin
Group photo on bridge overlooking river and skyline in Tianjin

Tianjin is a curious little place. First of all, it’s not really little at all, but compared to Beijing, it does feel quite small. There’s a lot of really interesting architecture in Tianjin, much of it being modeled after European architecture, which makes it feel like some weird fusion city of East and West. In some places it almost feels as though you could be in Europe (if it wasn’t for all the Chinese people). They even have a “Little Italy Town” and a huge sightseeing ferris wheel known as the Tianjin Eye. My friends and I sent a photo to our parents in front of the Eye and captioned it “Hi from London”. For a second, we did actually fool them.

Students posing in front of the Tianjin Eye
Photo in front of the Tianjin Eye

Little Italy Town had amazing authentic Italian food, and later we ventured downtown.

Authentic Italian food in Tianjin.
Authentic Italian food in Tianjin!

We visited a sort of “heartbreak museum” on the top floor of a mall. It was filled with love letters detailing lost loves, and random artifacts tied to stories of unrequited love or broken hearts.

I didn’t want to return to studying for my finals so we went on another adventure the next day. My friends Aili, Kathleen, Will, and I also explored a Hutong for the first time this semester. A Hutong is a Chinese alley that is basically its own little neighborhood, with shops, homes, and restaurants.

People walking up and down Hutong alley
People walking up and down Hutong alley
Friends posing in front of Hutong Alley
Friends posing in front of Hutong Alley

They’re very popular with tourists. You can buy any kind of souvenir there and taste a bunch local speciality dishes and snacks. Later that night we went to see a traditional Beijing Opera performance, something we’d been dying to do since we arrived in Beijing.

Beijing Opera stage and performers.
Beijing Opera stage and performers

Beijing Opera is a long-standing cultural tradition in China. Actors paint their faces, sing, dance, and depending on the show, perform martial arts. If you’re interested, I recommend watching Chen Kaige’s critically-acclaimed and award-winning film “Farewell, My Concubine”. It’s quite graphic, so I do advise caution.

I ended this packed period with another top Beijing experience. I had the huge pleasure of participating in an American Classroom panel at the US Embassy as part of my Gilman Scholarship. The Gilman Scholarship is a US Department of State scholarship that helps support students like myself who study abroad. I am extremely thankful for this scholarship as it has helped me afford this amazing opportunity.

With our wonderful audience at our Gilman scholars panel about the Asian-American experience. Selfie photo credit to our wonderful organizer Nick Grandchamps!
With our wonderful audience at our Gilman scholars panel about the Asian-American experience. Selfie photo credit to our wonderful organizer Nick Grandchamps!

The panel was about the Asian-American experience, and myself and two other Gilman scholars talked with current Chinese university students about how we define our Asian-American identities, Asian stereotypes, and safety studying in the United States. The two other panelists, Linda and Wendy were Vietnamese-American and Cantonese-American respectively.

Group Picture with the organizer and fellow panelists
Group picture with the Nick (the organizer) and Linda and Wendy (fellow panelists)

Myself being Chinese-American and adopted meant we all had very different experiences to share with everyone. I enjoyed how listening to the other panelists share their experiences and really enjoyed how diverse the panel was because it shows that there is no single Asian-American experience. We are different people, with different cultures, communities, struggles, and triumphs. It’s something that’s very important to remember.

Mara

Talking on a panel about our experiences as Asian-Americans in the US and studying abroad
Talking about our experiences as Asian-Americans in the US and studying abroad