Back where it all began: Shanghai. Today, a summer of learning (how to use punctuation), close calls, traveling, and unexpected surprises came to a close. Therefore, I’m writing this as my final blog post. I lived my dream of being a teacher for 2.5 weeks. And, after spending five hours a day chained to a printer, that dream has been lived in all of its mundane glory. Travelling from city to city, I learned quickly that no matter where you go, kids are kids. Boys will be boys; girls will be girls. Other than English ability, which was surprisingly good, there is little differentiation between students across the world. I had exceptionally hard-working, inquisitive kids as well as a handful of slackers. Kids who truly made the most of their time at camp as well as kids who stared blankly into space. Kids who put their heart and soul into each homework assignment I spent hours creating and kids who lost it five seconds after I handed it to them. School is school. Students are students. And, from this experience, I am so thankful for the teachers that I had growing up.
The rest of the internship was a crash course in surviving outside of my comfort zone. Illiterate foreigner in my own homeland. Severely limited in food options due to my picky palate (Nothing from the ocean or with enough spices to kill me). Learning how to communicate with Shanghai girls for the first time. Sorry mom. Making a handful of new friends. Trying every flavor of Lay’s potato chips in Family Mart. The Family Mart snack section in general. Family Mart.
All in all, my time in Shanghai has been filled with experiences, both good and bad, that I never would have had in the United States. I had the freedom to pursue my own projects, structure my own classes, and explore multiple different cities in China at will. I have no regrets looking back on this summer.
The rest of the internship was a crash course in surviving outside of my comfort zone. Illiterate foreigner in my own homeland. Severely limited in food options due to my picky palate (Nothing from the ocean or with enough spices to kill me). Learning how to communicate with Shanghai girls for the first time. Sorry mom. Making a handful of new friends. Trying every flavor of Lay’s potato chips in Family Mart. The Family Mart snack section in general. Family Mart.
All in all, my time in Shanghai has been filled with experiences, both good and bad, that I never would have had in the United States. I had the freedom to pursue my own projects, structure my own classes, and explore multiple different cities in China at will. I have no regrets looking back on this summer.
Vincent Song is a Junior at Columbia University. In Shanghai, he is most looking forward to exploring the nightlife, as he grew up in a small town in upstate Illinois.