Write a letter to your younger brother who is going abroad suggestion him some precentre
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Dear little brother,
You’re probably getting all the last minute things taken care of in anticipation of your arrival on the sunny island of Hainan. At any rate, I thought it would be fitting to write a letter to you as you prepare for your abroad program. I know you’ve never really taken with any of the advice I’ve given you on anything, but I know a fair thing or two about studying abroad in China. And while you may never read this letter (pretty sure you don’t read my blog), it’s still something I think is worth writing anyway.
Even though this is your first time in Hainan, you’re more familiar with mainland China than I was when I arrived in Beijing. (Tip: while Hainan is considered “mainland China” to people from Hong Kong and Macau, Hainan natives will refer to the rest of China as the mainland, too. Makes sense, as Hainan is a lone little island that isn’t physically connected to the greater land mass of China. Culturally, though, Hainan is just like the mainland.) You know what to expect from life in China, both from the visits we made in our childhood, the stories I’ve told you from my year abroad and the time you came to visit me in Beijing and experienced life in mainland China in all of its wild, uncensored glory.
Where do I begin? So much of what I would tell you I’ve already shown you when you visited me in Beijing. Remember that time we ordered 串儿, or meat skewers, at that roadside stall at some ungodly hour in the night? And while the chunks of lamb were roasted atop the fiery coals, the man selling them to us whipped out a hairdryer and used it to fan the meat from above? Or that time we were trying desperately to get a cab from the railway station to the hostel and cab drivers asked where we were going, and then quoted us some ridiculously obnoxious fare so I cursed out all the drivers that were trying to take advantage of us? Or that time we were in Tiananmen Square trying vainly to cut through the crowd to get to the Forbidden City and decided to yell “EXCUSE ME, COMING THROUGH!!!!!!” in English as we waved our arms around like birds flapping in the air and ran through the parting crowd, leaving a clear open path behind us so Mom could follow? Gosh. Only in China, right?
If your language program is anything like mine was, it will be hard. Insanely hard, but not impossible. You will get better at Chinese than you ever thought possible. You will despair at your Cantonese accent in the beginning, but you will slowly learn to overcome it as you find yourself becoming more immersed in the language. (I wonder what Chinese province your instructors will be from. Wherever they’re from, I hope they will instruct you in the “standardized” accent like how I was.) Locals will treat you slightly differently when they realize that your Chinese accent is not an American one, unlike your classmates. (They will also treat you very differently after they find out you’re part Chinese.) You’ll also realize that knowing Cantonese helps you with context clues. You’ll be able to pick up nuances that your American classmates won’t be able to simply because you’ll be able to recognize words that they have never heard before. You’ll justify going out for any and all occasions easily because you’ll tell yourself that speaking with locals is practice for that oral exam, right? Never mind that most of the Chinese you’ll feel most comfortable speaking and understanding is colloquialisms that you picked up in bar conversations.
You’ll make your own memories in China, I know, and will begin to understand why I speak so fondly and longingly of my days there. You’ll make the best of friends, both with kids in your program and with locals. You’ll feel more connected with the Chinese side of our heritage. And, after the whirlwind that is life in mainland China, you’ll be more excited than ever to return to Hong Kong, the city we know and love so well, to begin to process your abroad experience and be welcomed into our family’s open arms.
Get ready, little brother. You’re in for the time of your life. As jealous as I am of the summer you’re about to have, I’m also incredibly happy for you. I can’t WAIT to hear all about it.
Love,
Manda