Project Exhibition: Using Retouching Software to Beautify Your Photos Does More Harm than Benefit, Kelly Tan

One of the biggest differences between beginner level Chinese courses versus 300 level courses was the gap in fluency between me and my peers. In lower level courses, I felt like I could actively participate in class and engage in productive conversations with my professors and peers, but this became a challenge when I first started taking CHIN341. I wasn’t used to struggling to read the material, or not being able to understand what my classmates were saying during discussions. This really forced me to step out of my comfort zone and be okay with making mistakes in front of the class or in my assignments; language learning experiences are rarely linear. I am quite glad that the 300 level classes challenged me in this way—it not only forced me to put more time and effort into studying Chinese, but also presented me the opportunity to learn more from my peers.

Taking CHIN 341 helped me learn that it is okay to make mistakes in the classroom, and I’m really happy that the 300 level classes challenged me in this way. I felt drastically more confident in my language speaking skills, as the class encouraged me to put more time and effort into studying Chinese, as well as presented me with the opportunity to learn from my peers.

This objective really opened up doors for having conversations with my family, in that I felt more confident in talking about real-world issues with them. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to improve my Chinese was because I felt really disconnected from my family , in the sense that I didn’t have the adequate skills to communicate my thoughts and feelings to them. Learning how to argue and debate in Chinese was a huge help in reintegrating my own thoughts into conversations with my family, in turn making me feel closer to them.

I love the Chinese learning community and how tight-knit and supportive it is! This allows us to start meaningful dialogue about not only our classroom topics but our cultural identities itself. Everyone is here for the same reason—to improve our Chinese skills—and so we understand the joys, but also difficulties, that one might experience during this process. Because the classes are pretty small as well, it’s easy to make connections with most of your peers. The professors that I’ve had so far have been super supportive and patient as well, and never make me feel less than when I visit their extensive office hours for help. Overall, both my peers and professors make the language learning experience a very personal and involved one!

I would tell myself that it definitely gets better! It may not get easier, but you will learn to understand the fact that you cannot be the best at everything, and that learning from your peers is a valuable experience. I have almost given up so many times during the beginning of CHIN341, so I want the old me to know that even though these classes are going to be hard, my skills are going to improve immensely by continuing to take them.