Oh There's Cheng!

So as you can tell by the lovely title...I FOUND CHENG! We finally got to meet up one last time before the break.  I was so confused cause at first I thought he was in Costa Rica then I thought he was here then I thought he was in Costa Rica but he is still here til the 18th! So yay for coffee on Wednesday mornings with Cheng!

It was actually really funny cause we finally got each other's phone numbers (Digits, heyyy!) and we were texting about where and when we wanted to meet up.  It made me laugh because I was obviously taking finals and such so I was okay with getting up early (9 ish) to meet but when I suggested that he fired back sassily "how about 10?"  It made me laugh cause that is such a common thing between any college student around the world.  WE LOVE TO SLEEP.  I honestly feel like thats the biggest gift you can give someone in college.  A chance to sleep.  When I went to college people told me I would have to choose between sleep, social life and studying.  I choose to study and have friends so goodbye sleep.

We got to talking and naturally (because I'm slightly concerned about his trips) I asked him if he was looking forward to his trips to Costa Rica and New York.  He said yes and we talked a little bit about his plans for New York because that is by far one of my favorite places in the world.  I suggested seeing a show on Broadway, going to the HUGE M&M store in Time Square and visiting the statue of liberty.  He said he thought his friend had plans for them already but that he would definitely try to see a show or too.  He also said he loves M&M which I thought was cool that he knew of the brand.  In all my business classes we have been learning about brand recognition and its cool to see how even in China he knew about the company's products.

We talked a little bit more about his plans for the Spring and he is just going to continue to work on his English in the IEP program.  He plans on starting to work towards his business degree in the summer.  We bonded over this because he didn't realize all the ways you could go with business (marketing, accounting, finance, etc.) I suggested that he try out marketing cause he loves being creative and he loves art.  It seemed like a great way to combine work and a passion.

Lastly I was telling him that I had a huge test coming up the next day and I really needed to get started on it.  But before I left we talked about my finals and I showed him by Business Foundations book and he seemed completely overwhelmed.   I honestly can't even imagine if I saw a business book in Chinese.  I would have probably booked a plane home the next day (okay maybe thats a little dramatic but I would be overwhelmed thats for sure).  Like I say every time I write one of these I'm so amazed at what these students do.  I admire Cheng and his courage so much! Hopefully we will get to hang out more next semester!

Til Next Time,
Caroline

The Big Picture

So as I'm sitting here sitting (possibly procrastinating by writing this) I started to think back on what a stressful yet memorable semester this has been.  Starting off the first few months of the semester in 18 hours was a challenge and learning how to manage my time even more efficiently. This year I have learned a lot about myself and a lot about the world around me.  I know it sounds cheesy but truly all of my class have taught me something unique this semester and most of them even tie together. My grandma who was a professor at Louisiana State University for many years always told me that the point of college was to get the joke.  I honestly never knew what she meant by that until I got here and realized that college classes are there to give you a wider range of knowledge.  What she meant was that in order to not be the only one not laughing at the joke you have to learn a little bit about all different subjects.  Here is a little overview of my journey to getting the joke this semester:

Business Foundations:
The first thing I learned is that the business world is a scary place! You constantly have to be on top of everything, you have to be prepared at any moment to "tell someone about yourself" and you have to work with groups.  This was the first class I have ever been in where a semester long project was assigned AND you had to work with the same group all year.  Luckily, I got to form really great friendships with the girls in my group but unfortunately, the work doesn't always get evenly distributed. It made me realize the value that having a strong group of co workers in my future career.

Psychology of Men and Women:
Honestly, I probably know wayyyyy too much about what makes boys and girls different and what makes them alike. I'm pretty sure I overanalyze everything anyone says nowadays but I found the subject fascinating.  Sometimes people laugh when I tell them I am in this class because they are like "isn't it kind of self explanatory?"  However, I disagree with them.  There is a huge benefit to taking this class not just for entertainment but for the purpose of learning what essentially makes the opposite sex tick.  For me, the information I learned in this class is going to allow me to work with men for effectively in my future business career.  I have also learned why people react the way they do, why they say the things they do, and most importantly, how I can learn to break down those communication barriers.

Business Law:
Basically, I learned that you can get sued for just about anything.  A simple "nahh" rather than a flat out "no" can make you liable for someone else's actions. This semester for an extra credit assignment, my friend Kelli and I got to go visit the criminal justice center in downtown Fort Worth.  We attended a sexual assault cause involving a police officer and oddly enough, we both fell in love with the courtroom.  It was exciting and full of "juicy information".  What girl would love it?  This class has inspired me to go possibly go to law school one day...

Foundations of Leadership: 

This is my class for Next Gen this semester and I would say this class has allowed me to learn the most about myself.  I learned that although I may be an extroverted person, I tend to have an introverted thought process.  Sounds strange, right?  I thought so too but it basically just means that I like to take the time to think things through before presenting them or acting on them.  I also learned how to have an effective crucial conversation along with shifting my paradigms.  

Literature and Civilizations 2:

The most important thing I always take away from all of my honors classes is the ability to think critically.  For most of us, we rarely get to talk about our opinion on a book because we are usually just told what the author meant or what our professor thinks about the book.  It is nice to have class discussions that allow us to think outside the box and be creative.  I learned in depth how to analyze why something is funny to us and how to write a paper that makes people laugh.  

Overall, this semester has taught me a variety of lessons inside and outside of the classroom.  I look forward to seeing what is in my future for the next 2.5 years! 

Til next time, 

Caroline 

Worrying about Cheng

Although, I only got to meet with my conversation partner twice I did have the chance to learn a lot from him.  However, I was thinking about this today because he was done with classes on Friday.  He told me that he is going to Costa Rica and New York for the holidays.  My first reaction to this was that I was sad that he didn't get to go home and see his family for the holidays.  Then my second reaction was "wait...where in Costa Rica?" 

Over the summer, my family and I went on vacation to Costa Rica.  The area where we stayed was nice and for the most part pretty safe.  However, in the main city where the airport is there is a lot of crime.  People go around slashing the wheels of cars and making the drivers pool over and then robbing them.  Scary stuff to say the least! 

So when I asked him where he was going he told me that he was going to San Jose....and this is why I'm worried about him.  San Jose is the city I was talking about above.  I didn't know what to say to him because I knew that it wasn't a safe place to go but I knew he was going to go anyways.  

I'm extremely worried about his safety simply because he does speak Spanish and he is going alone.  Like I've said before I truly admire his courage to come travel the world and experience new things, but I'm not sure that this adventure was worth the risk.  

He is going to New York city afterwards and he said he had some friends to stay with there so at least they will know the city.  I know that most  of the international students travel just like Cheng over the winter break but I wonder if anyone is keeping an eye out for them?  Do they have to check in regularly with the program or are they just on their own? I would honestly love to know the answer so I know that he is going to be safe in his travels.  

Cheng is a brave soul, much braver than I will ever be.  I wish him the best in his endeavors to open his eyes to more cultures and I hope that he has safe travels. 

I think when he gets back we might go to the Modern Art museum because I found out that one of his hobbies is to paint.  He has a love for art so I think it would be a cool to show him all there is to do in "da fort" that has to do with art and our American culture.