Will with his host family
Fifth form year has traditionally been seen as one of the most crucial years at The Hill. Between SATs, college applications, SGA Sixth Form elections, it is understandable why some would not approve of a year abroad for a fifth former. I chose to go anyway, and my parents approved. At first, frankly, it was very hard. I thought boarding school would prepare me for being away from home but this was a whole other experience. My Chinese host family welcomed me with open arms, but despite this, I found some initial hardships. The first thing I remember was sitting on my bed during the orientation process in the village of Wu Ling Xi Feng, a small community outside of Beijing. I awoke at 4:32 a.m. due to jet lag, and I was absolutely miserable. It hit me that night, I believe on August 25, just one day after I left, that I would spend the entire nine months of my junior year in China, away from both my boarding school friends and home friends, and my family. It was the dreaded “culture shock” they warned us about.
As the next months passed, I started to get adjusted to my new home. That was the weirdest part of it: it was now my third home, the first being Bay Head, New Jersey, and the second being Pottstown. Before I knew it winter had rolled in and it started getting cold and dark. Sometimes, I get a little depressed when this seasonal change happens, but I wasn’t this year. The reason being, in just three short weeks, my entire family would visit me. My brother, James, would fly in from college, my parents from New Jersey, and perhaps the most extraordinary of all, my sister Anna Mae, who is a Peace Corps volunteer in Swaziland, would fly into Beijing. It was the first time our whole family took a vacation together in a few years, so I was thoroughly excited.
After my family left China, it was quite depressing. January was colder than December, and there was no prospect of our US families seeing us until June. It is a weird phenomenon, but somehow we adjust. Like most of these things, it went by and before I knew it, it was spring-- by far the most excellent time in Beijing. In terms of the weather and climate, it wasn’t as wonderful, as Beijing regularly has sandstorms during this time. For me, spring was the time when I fully felt confident in the Chinese language. I really started to reflect on my time in Beijing. I reviewed my time and came to the conclusion that although I missed a critical year at Hill, I experienced something that not many others have the opportunity to experience. I met some great kids there, each coming from a very unique background, some whom I probably would not have truly gotten to know if had been in another social situation. As I finally departed on May 27, it was bitter sweet. I absolutely wanted to come home and see friends and family, but as I said before, China did become my home. I was leaving another home would miss my host family, especially my “Mom,” who was so helpful and such a great person. Everything I became used to over the past year changed and I went through another “culture shock.”