A True Immersion Experience Past Review
By Justin T (Chinese, Georgetown University) for
CET Harbin
I became fluent in Chinese, gained a more nuanced view of Sino-American political relations, acquired a deeper understanding of the Chinese people and their way of thinking and living, realized that I thrive in an international/cross-cultural environment, gained a deeper understanding of my own culture now that I have something to compare it with, and became a more flexible, independent, and confident person.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
In the two semesters I was with CET Harbin, the largest class I was aware of had only five students. The language instruction is very good, and the language environment is ideal, greatly enhanced by the language pledge. Plus, most of the teachers are such friendly, good-hearted people. The one-on-two drill class and the one-on-one class in which you study a topic of your choice provide for an academic experience highly tailored to the individual. The only caution I would give is that if you are studying a politically sensitive topic, it may turn out to be a frustrating experience. This of course depends largely on the professor, but is not helped by the general lack of access to Chinese sources on certain information. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Program size was about 20 students, which was great for academics and great for forming bonds between the students. The administration was extremely friendly, capable, and responsive. I would just mention that if you have serious mental health issues, please be aware that psychological and/or psychiatric treatment is not very developed in Harbin, nor is this provided by the CET staff. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
The dorms are not state of the art, and there are frequent maintenance problems. But these are (for the most part) addressed relatively quickly. There is a common kitchen, but it is often left dirty. There are only two clothes washers in the whole building, and no clothes driers (you need to hang-dry them). In a city like Harbin, you can't expect the facilities to be perfect. The dorm situation is very interesting, though, since international students from all over the world live on the other floors. The dorm building is less than a five-minute walk from classes and cafeterias, about a five-minute walk to the swimming pool (which is actually new and very nice), and no more than ten minutes from the fitness center and from buses that take you around the city for just one yuan (expect congestion both on the roads and inside the bus). |
| * Food: |
You have to be careful if you are vegetarian, but I had friends that managed to do it. The local food is usually way too salty and oily. If you want to avoid salty and oily food, the 饺子园 (dumpling cafeteria) is pretty good. As for restaurants, I would suggest hot pot 火锅(especially if you order the 清淡锅)， Korean food (such as 青竹园, which is right off campus), Cantonese food (such as 湾仔， also not far from campus), and a Thai restaurant which is right next to 湾仔. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
There are constant opportunities for cultural immersion in the form of conversation with the locals! Having a Chinese roommate also makes this much easier--a huge and unique advantage to this program. (I still keep in touch with my spring term roommate.) The better your language skills, the more deeply immersed in the culture you will become. CET also provides activities almost every weekend to help students bond with each other and see the city, and each semester the program organizes at least two trips outside of the city. For example, when I was there we went to Dandong, a city on the border with North Korea, which was very interesting. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
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| * Safety: |
I didn't have any experience with healthcare there, nor did I have any safety issues. Most crimes are petty thefts. I would just reiterate my caution about the lack of mental health care. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
Yes
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Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
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Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
| If applicable, to what degree did your living situation aid your language acquisition? |
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| Language acquisition improvement? |
The program is unique in that each student is paired with a Chinese roommate. It also enforces a strict language pledge, which helps greatly with language acquisition. There are countless daily opportunities to converse with locals. |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
Select all that apply |
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A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | No matter how good CET Harbin is as a program, the city of Harbin itself may not be the most enjoyable for some people. It gets bitterly cold, the air pollution is often bothersome, standards of cleanliness are lower, the food is often way too salty and oily (there are ways to get around that), traffic is disorderly, public places can get very crowded, and some people may come off as rude. In short, a cultural adjustment is required to live in this city. For me, however, making this cultural adjustment was a gratifying and educational experience. If you can make this kind of adjustment, then this program is for you. |
