Students embrace China experiences

Study Abroad, the Sophomore International Experience, and internships help students immerse themselves in Chinese culture.

Adam Noga '10 (Southbridge, MA) never envisioned himself studying abroad when he enrolled at Bryant. That was until he learned about the Sophomore International Experience (SIE) and spent two weeks in China last winter break. (Read Noga's blog from China.)

"After returning from the SIE, I knew I wanted to go back to China, and I saw studying there as the perfect way to do it," says Noga, a management concentrator.

Through Bryant's Study Abroad program, Noga realized his dream. He has spent the last four months taking "Chinese History" and "Civilization and Chinese 101" courses at Beijing Foreign Studies University. He has also explored a number of cities and visited sites like Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, and the Forbidden City.

(Photo on the left) Adam Noga '10 (Southbridge, MA) on a city bus. (Photo on the right) The sunrise over the Great Wall. (Photos from Adam Noga '10)

"I was always finding something new to do," says Noga, who will return to the States next week. "Whenever I had an afternoon or weekend free, I would grab a bus, subway, or overnight sleeper train and explore what China had to offer. There's just something about a walk through Tiananmen Square, sharing a meal with some locals, or a 10-mile hike on the Great Wall that gives you a great sense of accomplishment."

He will return to Southbridge with a computer hard drive full of pictures and countless stories to share with family and friends.

"After taking a few months of the language and seeing the great opportunities presented here, I can definitely see myself returning to China and spending a few years working here after I graduate," he says.

(Photo on the left) A street vendor in China. (Photo by Adam Noga '10) (Photo on the right) The 392 steps leading up to the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing. (Photo by Amy Cullum '11)

Don't be afraid to explore

William Taylor Sabo '10 (Scarborough, ME) is part of a group of nine students studying this fall at Fudan University in Shanghai. This experience comes on the heels of his participation in Bryant's Summer Internship and Immersion program.

For the first 10 days of the summer trip, Sabo and his classmates toured Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing. Then, for three weeks, they studied at China University of Geosciences and interned at Wuhan Humanwell Hi-Tech Company. Before returning home, the students spent a few days in Beijing in the days leading up to the Summer Olympics.

Sabo says his time in China during the summer helped him establish a comfort level living in a new culture. While studying this fall in Shanghai, he had the opportunity to interact with local business people and even joined an expatriate soccer team. Sabo and his classmates will return to the United States in two weeks.

(Photo on the left) Terracotta soldiers in Xi'an from the tomb of the first emperor of ancient China. (Photo on the right) Great Wall in the suburbs of Beijing. (Photos by Amy Cullum '11)

The experiences of Noga and Sabo are more the rule than the exception.

Aaron Kirsch's desire to study in China was fueled by the Sophomore International Experience trip he took there last winter. The junior International Business major from Weymouth, MA, returned to the Far East over the summer to take part in the immersion program. (Read Kirsch's blog from China.)

He encourages students who study abroad to practice their conversational skills by interacting with the locals. "Don't be afraid to venture out on your own," says Kirsch. "The majority of my learning took place when I was not around other English speakers."

(Photo on the left) The view from the top of the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan) (Photo on the right) A woman pouring tea at a teahouse in China. (Photos by Molly Briggs '11)

Learning by doing

Amy Cullum '11 (Southington, CT), who also took part in the summer program, says living in China allowed her to experience firsthand a rapidly developing economy while exploring potential careers and living in a new culture. (Read Cullum's blog from China.)

"My favorite part about studying in China was that I was able to learn something in the classroom in the morning and then use it exploring the city in the afternoon," she says.

Vinzi Chan's participation in the summer trip was her second experience in China. She took part in Bryant's inaugural exchange program with Lingnan College in 2006. "I most enjoyed the lifestyle and education system in China," says Chan, a junior from Milton, MA. "I especially loved the campus, which was like a little town with hotels, restaurants, and mini shops. The professors there were so nice - it felt like we were friends."

(Photo on the left) The mountains in Xi'an. (Photo on the right) The view from a bamboo boat cruise in Guilin. (Photos by Molly Briggs '11)

Molly Briggs '11 (Sanford, ME) says that despite being homesick as a first-year student at Bryant when she was just three hours from home last year, she relished the opportunity to be half a world away during the summer immersion program.

"Chinese is such an interesting language," says Briggs, whose only exposure to the culture was ad been through Bryant. "What better place to study it than in China."