Hey guys,
It’s been awhile since I’ve had the opportunity to write. Well things here have been going on as normal. Classes are finishing up; we have about 1 ½ weeks before the school year is officially over. All of my classes are preparing to take finals. I am definitely ready for a break from school work.
In Chinese I have been involved in a speech contest based out of UCLA. We had to translate an English essay into Chinese, memorize the entire script and then recite it while being videotaped. I feel like so far we have done a pretty good job. Our topic is solid; we are talking about our experience in China when the earthquake hit Sichuan in May 2008. Luckily we were in the plane when it actually hit so we weren’t hurt but we were able to experience how the Chinese reacted to a major disaster. Anyways, hopefully we will win the competition and receive a free trip to China!
Well I’m excited about studying abroad this summer. Once again, I’ll be heading out to China. I arrive in Beijing early in June. Since I already took the classes last year, I will spend my time going around Beijing and just witnessing life and culture. From there I’ll take a 3 day train to Lhasa, Tibet. In Dr. Jones Intelligence Writing, Briefing and Analysis class we are all assigned a portion of the world to cover. My portion is Tibet so I’m excited to go actually experience what I have spent so much time reporting on. In addition, I am looking forward to using my Chinese language skills and improving as a foreign speaker.
Outside of school I have been busy with the Yavapai County Big Brothers Big Sisters Program. Last month I was matched with a kid from a local elementary school. My roommate Alex was matched with my “little brother’s” twin brother. So once a week Alex and I head down to the elementary school and hang out with our “littles”. We do everything from homework to basketball. It’s very rewarding to directly help younger children succeed by simply being a good example. So if you’re interested in a community service program you could get involved in, I’d definitely recommend the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
Well on to my biggest news, I recently was chosen to participate in an internship program with a government agency. As a GSIS major this is a major opportunity to get hands on experience in your field without having a degree. Luckily for anyone interested in GSIS, if you do decide to become an intern, you receive experience credits for the work you do. So I will be moving to the east coast for the second part of the summer and then back to Prescott for the fall semester.
Ok well I’ve got to get back to the books, the last couple weeks of school are definitely the most demanding on time. Even though it’s difficult, it is rewarding to see all your work throughout the semester starting to pay off at the end. Everyone cross your fingers for me for my finals alright? Well I’ll write again before I leave for the summer. Until then,
Brett