Three Students Report on Summers in East Asia

Three EALC students enjoyed summers in East Asia thanks in part to “The Stanley Spector and Richard Yang Undergraduate Student Awards for Studies in East Asian Languages and Cultures.” This new fund, established by WashU alumnus Alex Primm and his wife, Cathy, helps support undergraduates interested in deepening their understanding of East Asian languages and cultures.

 

Gion Festival in Kyoto

Yilenda Dong (second major in East Asian Studies) spent two months at the Kyoto Consortium for Japanese Studies (KCJS), managed by Doshisha University, where she studied Japanese language from 9am to 12pm, Monday through Friday, and enjoyed cultural activities in the afternoon.  While in Japan, Yilenda was able to visit the old capital of Nara as well as observe the famous Gion Festival on July 17, one of the largest and oldest festivals in Japan.  Of her summer Yilenda states, “This experience in Kyoto, Japan is one of the most memorable so far in my life. I managed to advance my Japanese speaking ability at a speed that I could not imagine before.”  In fact, one day, after spending an hour communicating with a restaurant owner entirely in Japanese, he expressed surprise to learn that she was not a Japanese national.  “That's when I finally allowed myself to approve of my speaking ability.”

 

Justyn Higgins before the recital
 

Justyn Higgins (second major in Japanese) traveled to Kyoto as a student in the three-week intensive “Traditional Theater Training Program.”  She focused on Japanese dance, or Nihon Buyo, where she learned how to step daintily like a geisha or swagger like a samurai.  The program culminated in a recital on an ancient Noh theater stage.  Of her experience, Justyn notes: "Feeling the history and culture around me every day that I had the privilege of studying the semester before culminated into the most perfectly spent first time in Japan that I could have imagined. Now that I have been to the country that I have dedicated my studies to for the 4 years of my undergraduate career, I am more certain than ever that I will be back in Japan to further experience and study the rich culture found there.”

 

Paige Lockwood in Hong Kong

 

Paige Lockwood (major in Chinese) participated in a two-month teaching internship with Summerbridge Hong Kong, a nonprofit organization in Hong Kong that offers underprivileged students English education opportunities.  While there she also worked hard to improve her ability to speak Cantonese through both self-study and private tutoring.  When not teaching or studying, Paige visited museums or traveled to the outlying Islands or the New Territories.  She says of her experiences: “My time in Hong Kong has definitely given me a better understanding of Hong Kong as it relates to China both politically and culturally, but also as an independent, multicultural city with vibrant immigrant populations. What I learned in Hong Kong has broadened my interests in Chinese studies, to include immigration and language. I will continue learning Cantonese and would like to learn more about its usage and position in relation to other common languages both in Hong Kong and in mainland China.”

 

The East Asian Languages and Cultures Department will soon open applications for the second annual “The Stanley Spector and Richard Yang Undergraduate Student Awards for Studies in East Asian Languages and Cultures.”  Please keep an eye on our webpage/Facebook page.