Jenna interned at AllSet Learning in Fall 2016. Her adventures in learning Chinese were far from over after she graduated from college, though, so we decided to find out what she’s been up to! This is her update.

After interning at AllSet Learning, I knew I wanted get more serious with my Chinese. My level coming into AllSet was elementary, equivalent to HSK 2. I saw marked improvement in my language proficiency over the course of my three months at AllSet. By the end of my internship, I had moved up a whole level (HSK 3). However, I still didn’t feel my time in Asia was done. After investing so much time and energy into studying Chinese, I wanted to not only apply what I’d learned but continue to improve and build upon it. After a little research, I found the perfect opportunity.

My senior year of undergrad (2018), I applied for The Fulbright Program's English Teaching Assistant (ETA) fellowship in Taiwan. The Fulbright Program offers opportunities to study, teach, or research abroad with the ultimate goal of fostering diplomacy through cultural exchange. For me, the ETA fellowship in Taiwan was the ideal chance to work and study in a Chinese-speaking environment.

The fellowship was an eleven-month commitment with the option to reapply for another eleven months. Throughout the duration of the program, ETAs worked, taught, and volunteered in one of the ten Fulbright sites in Taiwan. Each site was led by a local coordinator who assisted the ETAs.

During my nineteen months with the program, I taught English in elementary schools. By day, I was a teacher and by night I studied Chinese at the local university. While there was no language requirement for this program, it was highly encouraged for ETAs to take some Chinese courses whether it was through a university’s language center or private tutor. The local coordinators were a HUGE help in finding Chinese learning resources.

Twice a week, I went to the local university for one-on-one Chinese sessions. Each session was two hours, totalling in four hours of in-class Mandarin study a week. Other ETAs chose to study with private tutors not associated with a university or Mandarin language training center. This option was quite convenient, since tutors typically met their students at their homes. However, a big perk of going through a university or center was that tuition included cultural excursions to Taiwanese aboriginal villages, national parks, and festivals. They also offered discounts on the Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL).

The TOCFL is essentially Taiwan’s equivalent of the HSK. It is available in both simplified and traditional Chinese. Language proficiency is divided into four bands, with each band containing two levels. Like the HSK, these bands are divided by vocabulary/ grammar requirements and course hours. Oral assessments are only offered at the highest testing level (Band C). Free, downloadable mock tests and other study materials are available via the test’s website. Those who pass their intended band receive a certificate of proficiency. These certificates are valid for two years.

My goal during my first year as an ETA was to test into TOCFL Band B, Level 3. I worked with my instructor and after eight months I took and passed the test in May 2019. The test not only served as a good assessment of my progress, but also motivation for learning traditional Chinese characters. Like most who began their Chinese study in the States, I learned simplified, so switching over to traditional Chinese was a bit of a hurdle. Taiwan, however, primarily uses traditional characters, so learning to read traditional was pretty essential. While some characters, like 谁 (shéi, simplified) and 誰 (shéi, traditional) were self-explanatory, others, like 听 (tīng, simplified) and 聽 (tīng, traditional), proved to be more challenging. It took me about three weeks to learn traditional characters.

Aside from test prep and individualized classes, I also participated in a weekly English and Chinese language exchange. These language exchanges really helped break the monotony of learning directly from a textbook. During the exchanges, I learned more 口语 (kǒuyǔ) or spoken and colloquial phrases than I would have in a formal class setting. It was also a neat way to meet new people.

Lastly, many of us also studied Chinese by participating in clubs and extra-curriculars outside of work and class. ETAs took 二胡 (Èrhú) lessons, joined dance clubs, and even learned tai chi (tàijí quán, 太極拳), all or most of which were instructed in Chinese. I, along with a couple of friends, took up Chinese painting (guóhuà, 国画) and a little Chinese chess (xiàngqí, 象棋).

While my time in Taiwan was unfortunately cut three months short due to COVID-19, I saw significant development, professionally, personally, and certainly linguistically. The Chinese language learning outlets available to me really made it a holistically enriching experience.

Catching up with Former Intern Jenna

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