Voices

Today was my last “first day of school” at Cornell. As I was walking to my first class of the semester, I felt as if I had stepped back into a long lost life. I went into the already jam-packed Collegetown Bagels for my old-time favorite Honey Wheat bagel. (I cannot begin to count how […]

The billboard at the gate of my apartment complex read “210 days until the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.” The countdown reminded me every day while I was in Beijing exactly how long there was until the start of the games. Today, as the taxi driver pulled out of the gate, was the last time I […]

“Amy hui lai le! Qing jin! Qing Jin! Amy’s home! Come in! Come in!” My second great-uncle opened the door and welcomed me into his home in Taipei. Before I could say “Ni hao!” I was surrounded by a large group of my relatives.
In Taiwanese culture, the prime loyalty is to […]

I had 4 hours in the Seoul International Airport waiting for my friend to arrive, so I found a chair in the waiting area and started updating my journal from the past couple of weeks in Beijing. I also took the time to do some quality people watching. I love the environment in airports since it is always a time for […]

This past week was my last week in Beijing with IES. It was a crazy couple of days trying to do everything I’ve been meaning to do during my semester but never go the chance to. I managed to visit many famous sites in Beijing such as:
(1) 798 Art District - an avant-garde, hip area […]

A few weeks ago I got my nails done at a funky salon by my homestay. I got fun little snowflakes and snowmen painted to bring a bit of the holiday cheer to my Chinese routine. Some of my friends saw the artwork and immediately went to get their nails done too. When they got […]

Emei Shan (峨眉山) is one of the four major Buddhist mountains in China. It was originally a Taoist retreat, but has been converted to a Buddhist place of worship over time. There are dozens of Buddhist temples scattered throughout the sprawling mountain. The summit hosts various Buddhist temples and the Golden Ten-Directions Puxian Buddha Idol […]

Earlier this week, I went to a vocational high school in Beijing to conduct a survey report for my internship seminar. Our class interacted with eleventh grade students and their teachers to learn about their classroom dynamics. Upon entering the campus, a group of giddy students in their sporty blue and […]

“Dui bu qi, wo zuo le bu hao. I’m sorry, I cannot cook well.” This is my Nai Nai’s (homestay grandmother’s) favorite phrase to say to me. It is partly rooted in the Chinese courtesy to be humble. A Chinese person will never openly admit that they cook well. (On the […]

We entered the restaurant to see a made-up hostess greeting us at the platform. She took us to our seats and handed each of us our own menu. We were all giddy like little school children at a candy store. It was sensory overload trying to read the mouth-watering menu choices, […]