Inside Student Blogs

Yasemin Aytaman Beijing, Fall 2010 - Language Intensive

Yasemin is a rising Senior at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst who studies Biology and Chinese. She has unexpectedly developed an interest in medicine and is in the process of preparing to apply for medical school. She has a passion for languages and has traveled to many countries on volunteering expeditions. Through these expeditions she made many friends and learned a lot about people of different backgrounds. It is her belief that understanding a culture’s sense of humor is the best way to learn about that culture and understand its people and values. This is her first trip to China and she is very excited to be studying in Beijing!

Yasemin's Posts

• Back in the meiguo 美国

  1/03/11 • (0)

  I’m back in the states once again and I’m not gonna lie, it feels a little weird. It’s great to be with my family, but sometimes I feel like I’ve returned from an alien planet.

  Beijing, Blogs, China, Post-departure

• CWS: China Withdrawal Syndrome

  12/16/10 • (0)

  As the semester nears its end I can’t help but remember all the things I’ve done here in China.

  Beijing, Blogs, China

• When hiking in the dark, it’s best to bring a flashlight…

  12/13/10 • (0)

  It is now officially my last week in China. I have learned and experienced so much here that I don’t know if I can ever go back to America.

  Beijing, Blogs, China

• The Search for Ground Beef…

  12/13/10 • (0)

  It was the day before the Cooking Competition at IES and some friends and I set out excitedly on our journey to find ingredients for spaghetti with meatballs.

  Beijing, Blogs, China

• Shanghai and Wutaishan

  12/07/10 • (0)

  These are some pictures from my recent trips to Wutaishan, a sacred Buddhist mountain, and Shanghai!

  Beijing, China, Photo Blogs

• Christianity and Religion in China

  11/29/10 • (0)

  The other day I went on a field trip with my Sociology class to a Christian Church in Beijing and sat through a service.

  Beijing, Blog, China, Religion

• Chinese Roommates

  11/15/10 • (1)

  The whole idea of the language intensive program here at IES is to immerse yourself in not just the language but also the culture of China.

  Beijing, Blogs, China

• Midterm Procrastination

  11/01/10 • (0)

  It’s that time in the semester when you are stressed and sleepless and searching for productive ways to not study. With hundreds of vocabulary words to review I thought the best use of my time would be to create an album for your viewing pleasure.

  Beijing, China, Photo Blogs

• Silk Road Adventures! Part 2

  10/22/10 • (0)

  We visited a lot of cool cities on the Silk Road, but my favorite by far would have to be Dunhuang.

  bazaar, Beijing, China, dune, dunhuang, kashgar, uyghur

• Silk Road Adventures! Part 1

  10/05/10 • (0)

  After traveling the Silk Road for two weeks it feels so good to be back home in beautiful, big, polluted Beijing!

  Beijing, China, minority, monk, silk road, xiahe

• All these buildings and mountains…

  9/13/10 • (0)

  The first week I arrived we had a massive orientation with nonstop meetings, fun, and exploration. It was like a crash course in Beijing and getting to know our fellow IESers.

  Beijing, China, Cuan Dixia, mountains

• The Adventure Begins…

  8/19/10 • (1)

  Many people have been asking me what I plan to do when I get to China and giving me tips on where I should go. I like to follow Lao Tzu’s advice and not plan anything in too much detail.

  Beijing, China, Pre-Departure