Jennifer_ITA2

Yesterday I met with my ITA partner Serena. We went to Lake Ella and exchanged Chinese and American foods! It was very fun! I brought homemade Rice Krispie Treats, which is very a "American" snack. She seemed frightened of the Rice Krispie Treats at first, but then liked them once she tried them. Serena brought some Chinese raisins, a kind of sweet potato snack and a sugar-rice snack. I really enjoyed the Chinese snacks, especially the Chinese raisins. I asked her what the names were in Chinese, and she told me (but I have no idea how to spell them, haha). I then proceeded to pronounce them, and she was very impressed with my Chinese pronunciation! Hopefully that's a sign that I can one day be successful at an Asian language! I got to know Serena better, which was very enjoyable. She was telling me how she is a PhD Biological Science student, yet she is only 22 years old! She is unsure of her major even though she loves science. When I asked here if there was another major she would consider, she said "Biological Engineering." I thought "Wow, she must really love science, because I could never handle that!" She asked why I was a conversation partner and I explained that I was in the TEFL program and loved working with international students. We also talked about some differences in China and America. For instance, movie tickets in China are almost $10 more than what they cost in America! She also talked about how duck is a common food in China, while you only see it in fancier restaurants in America. She also said they do not eat cats and dogs in China. Dog is very rarely found in restaurants in China although you can find it, but it is not as stereotypical as Americans think. She seemed very talkative the whole time and eager to share her culture with someone. I really enjoyed talking with her and the insider's perspective about China. She seems to really be enjoying America and her studies at FSU.