By Jillian Suprenant
“If you get the opportunity to do DukeEngage Zhuhai, do it. It was the most fulfilling summer I ever had,” two DukeEngage alumni reassured me as I struggled to choose between participating in DukeEngage or studying abroad in Italy this summer. Flash forward, a couple of months later, and here I am in China, eating delicious red bean buns for dessert, struggling to use squatting toilets, and saying the only phrase I know in Chinese – “xièxie” (“thank you”) – after every. single. thing.
It has only been about a week since stumbling off the China Southern airplane and instantly sweating in the brutal Guangzhou heat, but I already know I made the right decision.
The first two and a half days were spent exploring the sites and schools in Guangzhou, the third largest city in China. I was instantly struck by how generous the teachers and students were. The administrators of Win-Win Education Center – Joanne, Mr. Gan, Susan – welcomed us with smiles, gifts, food, and love. Our time in Guangzhou was filled with tours to many nearby middle and high schools. During these tours, I met so many ambitious young students who all spoke impeccable English. The pride both the students and teachers felt for their schools, beautiful and rich with Chinese history, was palpably infectious and I couldn’t help but think, “Wow, if my high school looked like this, maybe I would’ve hated going to school a little less.”
At Panyu Middle School, I remember feeling sheer panic as the principal of the school pointed at me to answer a question that he just asked in Chinese. Thanks to a translator, I was able to understand the question and answer (incorrectly, I might add). To show appreciation for my participation, the school’s painter hand-made me a calligraphy masterpiece on special rice paper. When translated, it reads “forever friends and soulmates.” To receive such a generous gift for absolutely no reason was extremely touching and is something I will never forget. I could never picture something like that happening in the USA. American, step your game up.
During our nights in Guangzhou, the staff of Win-Win treated us to wonderful dinners at fancy restaurants throughout the city. At dinner, I learned that many Chinese restaurants come with a Lazy Susan equipped on top of the table, allowing waiters to easily distribute food among the many guests at the table. I also learned how to determine the head of the table, how to ganbei, and how to semi-successfully use chopsticks!
However, I think my favorite part about the first few days in China was getting to know all my teammates better. I have heard many stories about DukeEngage groups not getting along and I am thankful that my teammates are all loving, open, bright and interesting individuals. We all have our quirks, but I think we will all end up balancing each other out in a really wonderful way.
As we leave Guangzhou to head to Zhuhai, I feel extremely blessed and excited, yet still terrified. I cannot wait to meet all the kids I will teach, but I am worried about my ability to communicate with them due to the zero knowledge I have about the Chinese language. But I am hopeful because I now know that I have a wonderful group, a wonderful program director and a wonderful site coordinator to help support me during my next two months being immersed in this wonderful culture.