U.S. Department of State
Chinese (Mandarin)
‘The Chai Guy’: An Alum’s Passion for Tea and Chinese Comes to a Crossroad
By Ben Marcus-Willers, Academic Year 2012-13, Kaohsiung, Taiwan It all started with a high school social studies project on the tea growing culture of East Asia. Ben had had an interest for tea since childhood, but the styles and variations of Chinese teas opened up an entire world of possibilities… Read More
Arabic
Learning About Alumni Careers and Making Connections
Diana is from Chicago, IL and participated in the 2017 Arabic Summer program in Morocco. I participated in the Career Connections: Seminar for U.S. Exchange Alumni in Austin, Texas. The conference gathered 80 “U.S. alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs with expert career coaches, professionals from diverse fields, and international… Read More
Korean
An Open Letter to My Host Sister
Treasure is from Washington D.C. and participated in the 2019 Korean Summer Program in South Korea. To 황금빛, Study abroad is a challenge in and of itself. From the language barrier to navigating public transportation, every day comes with a new challenge. However, it’s in interactions with locals that you… Read More
Chinese (Mandarin)
The Sounds of Chaishan (柴山的聲音）
Noah is from Plano, TX and participated in the 2018-19 Chinese (Mandarin) Academic Year program in Taiwan. In Taiwan, I spent most of my time at the university or with my host family. Whenever I found a free moment, though, there was one place I always returned to. It was… Read More
Korean
NSLI-Y Broken Down: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners in Korea
Claire is from Atlanta, GA and participated in the 2019 Korean Summer Program in South Korea. 안녕하세요! 저는 클레어 입니다! 작년 여름에 전주시에서 한국어를 공부했어요. The day I received the notification from NSLI-Y about my acceptance to study Korean in Jeonju, I distinctly remember the wave of emotions that overwhelmed… Read More
Russian
Crashing Chisinau: My Summer in Moldova
AJ is from Elk River, MN and participated in the Russian Summer Program 2019 in Moldova. AJ has always enjoyed learning about languages and linguistics. The first non-native language he learned was American Sign Language. He acquired this skill at the young age of five or six. As he got… Read More
