New York, New York

I've decided to start a blog because I've been wanting to blog for the longest time, and also because I want to document my adventures this summer.    I've travelled a lot around the US and was born and raised in the multicultural melting pot that is New York, but I haven't had the opportunity to spend an extended period of time in another country.    That is why I am psyched to be going to both China and Japan this summer.   This week, I am leaving for Chengdu to participate in a language and cultural immersion program at Sichuan University.   And at the very end of summer, I am participating in the HLAB program in Japan where I will be soaking in more culture and teaching a mini-course to high school students.    

During the school year, there were a lot of times when I wanted to push a "pause" button and reflect on all the experiences which I've had in college so far.    I think that by experiencing another culture, I will be forced to reconsider all the strange American customs that I consider normal.    Some of the most important moments of learning that I've had at Harvard have been discussions with friends about how our backgrounds differ.    A lot of those differences have been about growing up in the suburbs versus in a big city like New York, and race, class, and gender more generally.   So one of the aspects of the program that I am most looking forward to is becoming friends with students at Sichuan University and sharing experiences across continents.   

Mostly, I'm looking forward to the adventure.   I want to be immersed in another culture because I want to be placed outside of my comfort zone entirely, and even redefine myself.   In general, I really like to know exactly what I'm doing, where I'm going, and how to get there.   Which I can't exactly control when traveling.       

I am also going to learn as much Mandarin as I can in eight short weeks.   I actually don't know any other languages besides English (and programming languages...) and so I am very excited by the prospect of being able to sort of converse with someone in Mandarin by the end of summer.    (You might be wondering how I don't speak another language and passed out of Harvard's language requirement.   My secret?  Latin.)      

Zou ba!