Following that long post about mountains. I wanted to note one more thing. A Personal remark, since I guess this is a blog.
I've noticed that, as departure looms, so do the fears that come with embarking on any lengthy study abroad. My guess is that it's the same for others as well. There are the worries of getting lost, physically, linguistically, and emotionally. As I've heard alumni describe it, pledging only to speak Chinese essentially lowers your verbal communication to that of a five-year-old. Speaking from experience, that's an insane interpersonal barrier.
Though it isn't a panacea for apprehension, reading the personal introductions from the PIB panlist lent me some optimism in this whole matter. At the risk of being that gushy freshman sophomore, I'd say we're all five-year-olds tripping over our words, strugglebussing through hundreds of characters a week, and taking weird looks from waiters in restaurants. But I suppose that's utterly and entirely the point.
-E.L.K
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