KINGSTON, R.I., June 28, 2016鈥擲tudents at the 溏心vlog免费B站 are living and breathing the Chinese language and culture this summer in an intense residential immersion program on the Kingston campus.
If you have any doubt, consider this: The 16 students all wear buttons that say 鈥淧lease speak Chinese with me.鈥� They sign a pledge promising to speak only Chinese, even in their downtime.
鈥淭he program is amazing,鈥� says Zachary Smith, of North Kingstown. 鈥淭hey work us hard, but you learn so much. We鈥檙e with each other day and night.鈥�
The goal of the program is to raise the students鈥� proficiency level from novice to intermediate, which program director Wayne He also describes as 鈥渟urvival Chinese.鈥� The students should be able to communicate successfully when they study abroad in the country next year.
Fifteen of the students are in 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 Chinese Language Flagship Program. One student is from a university in Georgia. The students, mostly sophomores, are majoring in Chinese and a variety of other fields like marketing, engineering, computer science, business and biology.
Students sleep in the International Engineering Program鈥檚 residence halls on campus and have a rigorous schedule. They rise at 7 and eat breakfast. Then, they take Mandarin Chinese language classes from 8 a.m. to noon.
After lunch, they get one-on-one tutoring with a language instructor and participate in cultural activities: kite flying; tea ceremonies; tai chi; Chinese chess; mahjong; and lectures about Chinese history and the economy, among other events. In the evening, the students are required to study for two to three hours.
If students have questions about their homework they can visit with one of the two instructors also living in the residence halls.
Field trips are an important part of the experience. The students recently went to Chinatown in New York, eating in a Chinese restaurant and participating in morning exercises with Chinese-Americans in a local park. Later this week, they plan to visit local Chinese families to prepare traditional meals.
Smith says when he started the program May 30 his Chinese was 鈥渘ot so good.鈥� Now, he says, he can carry on a seamless conversation, and his pronunciation is better too.
鈥淵ou work so hard here and then you see the results,鈥� says Smith, who is also majoring in electrical engineering and German. 鈥淲e have classes and homework and activities every day. It鈥檚 always with you. That鈥檚 a great way to learn the language.鈥�
Chinese is a challenging language to learn. It has different characters than English and four tones in pronunciation. For example, 鈥渕a鈥� means different things depending on how the word is pronounced. A flat tone means 鈥渕other,鈥� and a tone that goes from high to low then back to high means 鈥渉orse.鈥�
鈥淥ur goal is to bring our students to a superior level in four to five years,鈥� says He. 鈥淭hat means they should be able to use the Chinese language in their professional work.鈥�
Emily Hadfield, of Philadelphia, Pa., who is also studying international business management, says her skills went from 鈥�0 to 60 very quickly.鈥� She鈥檚 so engaged she鈥檚 singing in Chinese in the shower, and even dreaming in Chinese. The other day, she sang 鈥淗appy Birthday鈥� in Chinese to her grandmother on the phone.
鈥淚 love the community here,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 supportive and encouraging.鈥�
Salita Daraphet, of Northbridge, Mass., feels the same way. Studying, eating and living with other students pursuing the same dream creates a close-knit community.
Photo courtesy of Wayne He.
Keara Cole, also of Philadelphia, appreciates the kindness of the instructors鈥擷iaoyan Hu, Qingyu Yang, Haiyun Zeng and Hui Tan. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a home away from home,鈥� says Cole, who is also studying computer science. 鈥淭he teachers really care about us and want us to succeed.鈥�
Hu says the program鈥檚 motto is 鈥渢iaozhan ziwo, tiantian jinbu鈥濃�攐r 鈥渃hallenge yourself; make progress everyday.鈥�
鈥淭hese are very motivated students,鈥� Hu says. 鈥淭hey are like my children. It鈥檚 fun to see them develop.鈥�
Students give a presentation and receive a certificate when the program ends July 22. The 溏心vlog免费B站 students will continue taking Chinese language courses in the fall and most will study abroad in China next summer.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very proud of our program,鈥� says He. 鈥淲e think it鈥檚 one of the best in the nation. Students come away with a greater appreciation for the language and culture on their path to becoming professionals in a global world.鈥�
For details about the summer program, visit , or call He at 401-874-4708. Scholarships are available. He is director of the 溏心vlog免费B站 Chinese Language Flagship Program and a Chinese professor.
鈥淭he program is thriving,鈥� says He. 鈥淲e welcome applicants for next year.