Eight to Five

Seeing as I’m actually not just in Asia to go on vacations and try weird food, but I am here for my internship at the U.S. Consulate, I figured I’d blog a bit about my role in in Wuhan. On July 1, we had an Independence Day banquet. The staff had been working very hard on planning the huge event for a long time and they had me host alongside a coworker. This meant we stood on stage in front of all the guests, introduced various videos and speakers, discussed the theme of the event, etc. It was nice to have a role in the event even though I am “just an intern. The food was good too (and I may or may not have taken home a few boxes of leftovers).

Mr. Mai's

I was also given the opportunity to speak at Mr. Mai’s Coffee Shop, first at his Wuchang branch and second in Hanyang. Mr. Mai and his wife opened their coffee shop 11 years ago as a comfortable environment to practice English. I spoke at each of his stores and gave a presentation on American college life and compared it to my experience studying abroad in Shanghai. This was very helpful for those planning on studying abroad in the U.S., but also for others to get language practice. It was a fun opportunity to share my experiences while helping others.

"Home"

Last week, I traveled to Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province, to give the same presentation at a Citibank event, and at Home, a non-profit eco-village. These two experiences were super interesting in that while Citibank was a corporate event for high school students who will most likely study abroad, the event at Home was far more casual. While some attending students may plan on studying abroad, others were just there to practice English or hear about American culture. I enjoyed both experiences, especially being able to give advice and learn from the attendees. Plus, the hotel bed was the most comfortable bed I have slept in in a long time. At all these events, I received some interesting questions. Some people were interested in how to write their statement of purpose essays, or had questions about changing majors, something you cannot really do in Chinese universities. Other questions were on American life asking about if it is dangerous because of all the guns (lol) or if people in the States are like the characters in Gossip Girl.

Contemporary Art

I went to another education fair but most questions were visa related and thus, out of my realm of expertise. I also went to a contemporary art exhibition opening, which was cool because it promoted young artists, specifically 22 recent college graduates from the U.S, Hong Kong, and China.While most days I am just sitting in the office inputting business cards into the computer for hours, I am still grateful for the opportunity to have this unique experience. Most consulates are huge so the interns only work in a small section. As an intern at the Wuhan consulate, I was exposed to many aspects of the consulate’s work. Everyone has been very friendly and as much as I am looking forward to going home (which is a LOT), I know that I will always be welcome back in Wuhan.