Today I met with WeiRan for the first time. We agreed to meet over at union gronds, and class was canceed I headed over a little early, amused by the fact that someone had chosen to put Dr Phil on the television. I was watching some special about teens with attitudes when he arrived.
WeiRan is from China, about two and a half hours away from Shanghai, which he describes as "very close," and came to TCU at his father's request. It was interesting to learn from WeiRan that TCU is very well-known around China, and it is thought of as one of the best schools to attend for intensive English.
After he graduates the program, WeiRan hopes to attend TCU as an undergraduate student. Although he really enjoys business, his father wants him to take engineering. Listening to his story about his father expecting him to take over the family business and all the other expectations reminds me of how different our cultures can be.
Upon hearing about his future engineering degree, we talk about the engineering classes I have taken and we start going through my textbooks to show what we are studying. WeRan commented multiple times on how one subject or another was taught at his high school. In China, they push math and science much more than here, and he says he has already taken the subjects in my Differential Equations textbook and Physics III.
Overall, I learned a lot about WeiRan and a suprising amount about TCU and the Intensive English program as well. I'm excited to meet with him again next week and to discuss humor and the differences between here and China.
WeiRan is from China, about two and a half hours away from Shanghai, which he describes as "very close," and came to TCU at his father's request. It was interesting to learn from WeiRan that TCU is very well-known around China, and it is thought of as one of the best schools to attend for intensive English.
After he graduates the program, WeiRan hopes to attend TCU as an undergraduate student. Although he really enjoys business, his father wants him to take engineering. Listening to his story about his father expecting him to take over the family business and all the other expectations reminds me of how different our cultures can be.
Upon hearing about his future engineering degree, we talk about the engineering classes I have taken and we start going through my textbooks to show what we are studying. WeRan commented multiple times on how one subject or another was taught at his high school. In China, they push math and science much more than here, and he says he has already taken the subjects in my Differential Equations textbook and Physics III.
Overall, I learned a lot about WeiRan and a suprising amount about TCU and the Intensive English program as well. I'm excited to meet with him again next week and to discuss humor and the differences between here and China.
How fortunate it is that you have similar interests! It sounds like most people's initial meetings were awkward and full of uncertain conversations, but your textbooks were the perfect catalyst to conversation. My conversation partner is also Chinese and when he speaks parental expectations are also clear. Like you said, it appears to be a cultural thing because I feel that parents in America, for the most part, nurture their children throughout their lives to become what they personally would be most successful at, while the Chinese culture may focus the area of study more on what is needed to fit the needs of the family.
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