Study Abroad in China: Intensive Chinese Language in Harbin – Contact Alumni

Harbin Alumni

Melissa Horadam
Washington and Lee University
2011 Summer, Intensive Chinese Language in Harbin
E-mail Melissa
I am junior at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA, where I major in East Asian Language and Literature with a focus in Chinese and Religion. This past summer I studied Chinese Language in Harbin, China at the Harbin Institute of Technology. My favorite memory of Harbin was visiting the famous Siberian Tiger Park where they house nearly 1,000 tigers!

Claire Jensen
Bryn Mawr College
2011 Spring, Intensive Chinese Language in Harbin
2010 Fall, Chinese Studies & Service-Learning in Beijing
E-mail Claire
I’m an East Asian Studies major and Sociology minor at Bryn Mawr College. I participated in CET’s Chinese Studies program in the fall of 2010 and returned to China in the summer of 2011 to participate in CET’s intensive language program in Harbin. My favorite memories of CET include the internship I had with Women’s Watch China and taking a trip to Xi’an with friends from the program.

Caroline Marsden
University of Massachusetts, Amherst
2011 Spring, Intensive Chinese Language in Harbin
2010 Fall, Chinese Studies & Service-Learning in Beijing
E-mail Caroline
I spent my fall semester in Beijing, where a small child in Tian’anmen Square got one look at me and then ran away screaming and crying. Besides him, every Chinese person I talked to asked me why on earth I wanted to go to freezing cold Harbin, which is where I spent my spring semester from underneath a very heavy blanket. Somehow I still absolutely adore China. I am now back at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, double-majoring in Chinese and Philosophy.

Josh Pivirotto
Norwich University
2011 Summer, Intensive Chinese Language in Harbin
E-mail Josh
I am a third year cadet at Norwich University, where I’m majoring in International Studies. During the summer of 2011, I studied with CET in Harbin. I have many great memories of the program. One was taking a boat ride along the Yalu River in Dandong right along the China/North Korean border. The boat driver began to play some pop music to get us to dance. It was an amazing experience to wave at North Koreans while dancing on the boat. Another great experience was bonding with my roommate. Our friendship allowed us to more deeply understand one another’s language and culture.

Justin Thomas
Georgetown University
2010 Fall, 2011 Spring, Intensive Chinese Language in Harbin
E-mail Justin
Hi, I’m Justin M. Thomas, a senior at Georgetown University. I spent a glorious two semesters in Harbin, China. My favorite part was talking with Chinese people day in and day out. Whether I was in class, eating dinner at the Hong Kong restaurant, buying fruit on the street, taking a taxi, working out either outside or at the nearby gym, doing homework in my room, or talking in my sleep, there were constant opportunities to interact with all kinds of Chinese people and, for that matter, people from all around the world (South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Russia, Georgia, Central African Republic, Rwanda, Palestine, Pakistan, Spain, Australia and Canada, among other countries). I believe that my stay in China has planted the seeds of some lifelong friendships, and certainly the seed of a lifelong connection to Harbin.

Tony Valenzuela
Yale University
2011 Summer, Intensive Chinese Language in Harbin
E-mail Tony
I am a junior biology major at Yale University and spent my 2011 summer in Harbin, China. My favorite memory would have to be my side trip to the Chinese city of Dandong with a couple of other CET students where we got up close and personal with the Chinese people on our 15-hour hard-seater train ride.

Evan Wells
University of Wisconsin – Madison
2011 Summer, Intensive Chinese Language in Harbin
E-mail Evan
I am a first-semester graduate student studying history at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I studied at CET’s Harbin Intensive Chinese Language program during the summer of 2011. My most memorable memory from Harbin came about a month into the program when I bought a Chinese language newspaper at small, street-side stall, sat down on a nearby bench, and read an entire article from the first sentence to the last period without once referencing a dictionary! It was the first time I had recognized and understood the meaning of every character and sentence of a Chinese language news article. After months of unrelenting and thoroughly exhausting study, this quiet, solitary moment gave me a tremendous feeling of accomplishment I won’t soon forget.

More
Read more alumni reviews of the Intensive Chinese Language in Harbin program at Zinch.com.