A School Year Abroad

 

 

If you're one of the many Beijing expats painfully picking up Putonghua, then you've probably wondered if there was a quicker way to become fluent than attending evening classes or studying the occasional flashcard. As foreign students at the School Year Abroad (SYA) China Programme quickly learn, living with a Chinese family, especially a family that doesn't speak English, can really kick-start your understanding of the language. It also provides a fascinating insight into China and the Chinese that most foreigners regrettably miss out on.

SYA China, located on the campus of Middle School No. 2 (attached to Beijing Normal University), opened its doors in 1994, and was the first educational establishment in China with governmental permission to place students with host families for an entire academic year. The major objective of the 12-month programme is to rapidly develop the students' Chinese and to allow them to experience, understand and enjoy the diverse nature of the Chinese culture. All students in the programme, who are predominantly from the United States, are taught Chinese by Chinese teachers and also receive regular classes in a wide range of other academic subjects.

For some students, especially those who have never left their home country before, the term rapid immersion can seem a bit of an understatement as they depart Beijing airport and hours later sit down to eat their first meal with an average Beijing family. However, all families are carefully vetted by the school first, and the students soon become acclimatized. Indeed, home-stay is the beating heart of the SYA programme in Beijing; it gives students a unique opportunity to experience the daily rhythm of Chinese life and Chinese family relations.

Talking to SYA students, a marked lack of homesickness quickly becomes apparent. Although many are accustomed to living abroad and frequently move around the globe, for the majority, China is the country most radically different from their own. But, all seem to be relishing their time here.

Kimberly Shastid of Kentucky said, "There are three things I love about living in Beijing. Firstly, there is a chance to meet new people. There are so many people here that you hardly ever meet the same person twice. Secondly, the prices. Everything is so cheap compared to the US. Thirdly, I enjoy the freedom. It's nice being able to take a cab anywhere you want and have your host parents' trust."

All the SYA students seem to have quickly adjusted to life with their host families. Kimberly continued, "It's actually pretty easy living with a Chinese family. My host mother is very kind to me and treats me like a daughter. She is really talkative and even complains about her neighbours to me!"

As with most foreigners who first arrive in China, certain aspects of Chinese life did initially give rise to equal amounts of irritation and amusement among 2006's SYA contingent. Spitting, staring and the state of public toilets, all regular gripes within the expat community, are mentioned, as is the tendency of many Chinese to overcharge anyone with a foreign face. All in all, however, the students are far more critical of other laowai (foreigners) in Beijing than native Beijingers.

As one student said, "Many foreigners never learn the language; they just stay in their own little bubble. The same goes for many international school students; they miss out because they don't really integrate into Chinese society." 

There are still things that some students miss from back home. Doug Proctor from Washington, D.C., talked about his favourite cereal, Captain Crunch, with misty eyes. His classmates mention baths, the ocean and big department stores. The longer they live in Beijing, however, the less the students seem to miss the little luxuries, and the way they view their own country tends to change.

Zander Pease from Boston said, "In some ways you learn to value your own country more. We certainly don't envy the Chinese school kids with their high pressure educational system and lack of personal freedom. They work so hard it's crazy. On the other hand, I've come to realize how materialistic my own country can be. Living in China has given me a real appreciation of money; I even started bargaining when I went back home! The West can certainly learn from the Chinese in terms of family values, hospitality and general politeness and sincerity."  

Sitting down to eat dinner with Nawa Lanzilotti from Hawaii and her host family, the close relationship between host parents and host daughter is apparent and touching. Nawa lives with the Zhao family in a small apartment about 15-minutes by bus from her school. This is the second year that the Zhaos have had an SYA student to stay with them, and they, too, seem to appreciate and benefit from the experience.

Mrs. Zhao said she and her husband, a musical instrument maker, applied to be a host family because: "Actually it wasn't our idea; it was our daughter's. She didn't tell us she had applied to the SYA; so when we first got a phone call from the school it was a bit of a surprise! Being an only child our daughter wanted someone near her own age to communicate with and practice English."

Mrs. Zhao said that over the past year and a half she and her husband have learned a lot from their two American host daughters.

"We've taught each other. The way my husband and I think about certain things and handle problems has changed because of our experience. I have really enjoyed passing on the beautiful aspects of Chinese culture to my host daughters, and in return they have given me special things too."

To give students an experience of China beyond Beijing, SYA organizes a number of study trips, usually by train, to places of historical and cultural importance.
During these trips students frequently participate in activities with local schools so that they can get a taste of what life is like for their Chinese counterparts in various areas of the country. The students of 2006 recently returned from three weeks in Yunnan, and they will be travelling to Tibet at the end of this semester.

Jeff Bissell, resident director of the SYA China Programme, said, "I arrange these school trips with a few things in mind. We want to go to places and do things that will give kids a view of China that reflects more accurately the way most people here live. Two-thirds of Chinese live in rural areas, and the students need to understand how these folks live if they really want to claim to know something about this country.

"Because our students are quite proficient in Mandarin they are able to enjoy a significant amount of contact with local people wherever we go, and the potential for them to learn a great deal about peasants in Sichuan or monks in Yunnan is pretty high."

He continued, "Most SYA students would admit that trips are both physically and psychologically challenging. This is intentional; most of our students come from relatively comfortable backgrounds, and my perception is that American kids are less tuned in to the fact that people around the world live differently, more simply, and less comfortably. It is good for them to see and experience this first hand."

Despite its fairly demanding nature, travel to other provinces, together with host family life, is a highlight of most SYA students' time in China. Kimberly Shastid fondly recalls a journey in 2005 to Southwest China's Guizhou Province.

"We stayed in a village called Gaoyan. I liked it because the mountains were hidden behind fog in the mornings, the kids in the village like dancing the Macarena, my host mother let me help her cook, my little brother gave me his last piece if candy, they grew their own food and because my host grandmother put her hand on my knee."

It seems like more than a few students will be reluctant to leave China when their stay is up. When asked what she'll miss the most about life in Beijing, Kimberly replied without hesitation, "The food; my host mother's food. Before I got to China I thought the Chinese ate fortune cookies, but now I realize how ignorant I was. I can just imagine myself ordering Chinese food back home and being disgusted by how non-Chinese it'll be. I'll really miss chopsticks and communal eating too."
Given the continued breakneck development of the Chinese economy, the increasing popularity of Chinese-language study and the school's discerning approach to study abroad, it's a safe bet that the SYA China Programme will be welcoming an ever-growing number of foreign students in the coming years. Even if your formative years are well behind you, and your language skills are a bit lacking, remember that the best way to master Mandarin is to just get out there and speak it. After all, we're all foreigners living in one huge Chinese family.