Today I met up with my ITA conversation partner, Shuying, at Lake Ella and we enjoyed a nice cup of coffee at Black Dog. I had such a great time getting to know more about Shuying! She opened up to me about every aspect of her life including her fiance in China, her family, and her life here in Tallahassee. I feel like I learned so much about Chinese culture today too! We also shared pictures of our travels and family members. It felt as if I were catching up with an old friend. We strolled around the lake and then went grocery shopping together. Shuying walked out of Publix with hot dogs, chicken wings, watermelon, and cake; she is an American at heart, in my opinion. Shuying decided that she wants to go to Applebee's and then go to the mall next time we meet. I had such a positive experience today with Shuying and I am so glad she feels comfortable enough around me to ask questions about English and our culture.
Sounds great, Claire! What were some specifics that you learned about China and Chinese culture?
ReplyDeleteThe government has strict rules in terms of censorship and the media. Shuying told me that Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites are banned in China. Before she came to America, Shuying grew up being told that America was extremely corrupt and people were starving. Also, Shuying is the only child in her family because Chinese law only allows one child per family due to overpopulation. I have grown up hearing things similar to this, but hearing it from Shuying was a completely different experience.
ReplyDelete