The Chinese Wall

Finally, my last trimester is almost done. When I look back, this experience is very unique and definitely valuable. Of course, these trimesters are not always as smooth as we think, especially to a non-native English speaker. I talked another first trimester student and realized that my two cents may be helpful for them to enjoy their T-bird lives.

My first trimester here was a totally disaster and a chaos. Some seniors told me that they thought that the first and second trimesters were the most demanding. There were some courses that I even lost the track in class. That wasn’t a joyful experience at all. As a native Mandarin Chinese speaker, the way or the logic I think and speak is totally different from the Westerners’ are. The burden and the barrier were significant. Sleeping and party became sumptuous to me. The more I studied; the less I understood. There seemed an invisible wall in front of me. Like Sisyphus rolling the rock, I spent my time on something never ended and kept wondering why I came here.

My professor in the college told me if I only want to study a master degree, there is no difference else where. It’s even cheaper in Taiwan with the same courses. The key point is my learning experience. My professors and classmates from other countries are why I want to go oversea. If I only have limited time, what’s my first priority? Since then, I started to involve as many extracurricular activities as I could and to practice my English as much as I did. From the case competitions and school projects to the cultural nights and the parties after the pub, the most valuable payback was that not only my English but also my understanding to other cultures increased.

After getting back to the textbooks, many things seemed easier to me. Professors’ slang in class was also understandable. Although my time management is still bad, I am not like an alien in class anymore. I dare to challenge others’ opinions and discuss with the class. In Asia, speaking in class is rare, and we were not encouraged to do so since the element schools. When you understand this part, you may know why your Asian students seldom speak in class. It takes time for us to adjust. I also urge you all patiently listen to your fellow. Most of time, you will learn something very different, which is the key why we are here, to enhance your T-bird experience.

I always joke myself: The better my English is; the more I drink. Of course, I am not asking you to become alcoholic but to hang out in the pub. You will find out that you are willing to try when you are involved in the atmosphere. In class, we all talk about the serious stuff, but hey, in pub, we need to talk something fun. The more relax you are; the easier you speak.

Reading is always difficult for me. Sometimes, I found that my brain became blank when I read in Chinese, not to mention English. Beside the textbooks or the cases, we have weekly Business Week coming up. I felt guilty and waste that I didn’t finish reading them all. Panic and depression jumped up my mind everyday. One day, another senior advised me that there were few people finishing studying everything on campus. It’s not an excuse though but simply a relief to me. I am like anyone else. Studying hard is a good thing, but we need to balance our lives. I am not telling you to forget your school work. When I took Prof. Kenman’s English class, I wrote a 50s-page individual report as the final project! My point is that we have many things to see around this world. Reading the books and interacting with people are both helpful. Humans have the limitation in study. When the limits are reached, unlike a machine, we have to take a break. Sporting, clubbing, chatting or whatever you feel comfortable is definitely necessary.

Afterwards, I only scammed those materials and magazines. Set some time everyday to study. Anything beyond that is your choice. After all, MBA may be our last time as students before starting our careers again. How come we don’t enjoy this journey? 10 years later, what will you remember about the MBA? Are those terminologies we learned or the cultural events we attend? What matters to you? It’s your choice. At least, I am sure that I won’t regret every moment here when I look back my trimesters. Wish you the best luck!

挑戰極限

這終於是我在雷鳥的最後一個學期了，每當我回想去年七月以來的點點滴滴，總覺得不虛此行。當然一路走來，不見得都是風平浪靜。英文不是我的母語，挫折算是家常便飯。前陣子跟另一位新生聊到第一學期，或許我的經驗可以提供各位參考。

坦白說，第一學期對我來說根本就是一團 亂。有些學長姐說第一、第二學期是課業最重的，此話不假。上完一整天的課，我完全分不清東西南北、只想挖個洞把自己埋起來。很多時候因為是以中文來思考， 我的想法跟其他西方同學差異很大，在溝通上有許多障礙。而且，睡覺和玩樂對我來說是極大的奢侈；書念得越多，真正理解的還不到一半。眼前彷彿有著一道無形 的牆，困住自己。我像是希臘神話裡的薛西佛斯，日復一日推著大石、朝著山頂咬牙前進， 永遠沒有終點。

我大學教授曾經在出國前叮嚀我：重點在於我想學什麼，如果只是為了要唸書，在台灣跟在國外是沒啥差別的，台灣的學費還比較便宜哩！雷鳥的老 師與來自世界各國的同學才是我來這兒的目的，我可以從他們身上學到什麼？如果我的時間有限，我該如何決定優先次序？想起老師的話，我開始盡可能參加每一個 校園活動並把握每一個練習英文的機會。從個案競賽到文化之夜、從社團專案到一個又一個的派對，每次都讓我對於不同文化、國家有了新體驗，當然英文也相對進 步不少。

回到書桌前靜下心來，無字天書般的教科 書變得簡單許多，教授所用的俚語也不再那麼難懂。雖然時間管理作得很差，課堂上我不再格格不入，勇於挑戰其他觀點、融入討論。對大部分的亞洲人來說，上課 發言很不尋常，從小學到大學，整個教育體系甚至不鼓勵學生這麼做。當你瞭解背後的因素，你就會明白為什麼班上的亞洲同學很少在上課的時候發表自己的看法， 我們需要一些時間調整、融入西方的教學型態。我也希望你能耐心傾聽我們的看法，你會從亞洲觀點裡發現和過去不同的思維，這也是雷鳥的價值所在。

我常開自己的玩笑：酒喝得越多，英文就 會說得更好。當然，我不是要你當個酒鬼，而是要你去體驗一下酒吧生活。你會發現那裡的氣氛會讓人無形之間打開心防、攀談。課堂上我們談各式各樣的理論、案 例，但是在酒吧裡沒人會問你對變異數分析應用於哪裡之類的問題。天南地北、古往今來，隨你開口聊。氣氛越輕鬆，說英文就變得越容易。

閱讀對我來說是另一個難題，有時候我連 讀中文都會出現大腦一片空白的狀況，更甭提英文了。除了永遠念不完的課本、案例，我們還有每週定期到信箱報到的商業週刊。面對這些滿坑滿谷的資料，我常常 有很深的罪惡感。看不完總覺得浪費，焦慮與挫折隨著資料量累積。直到有一天，學姐告訴我，這是正常的現象，很少有人能夠把所有資料在上課前唸完，這才鬆了 一口氣。我並非要替自己找藉口偷懶；而是明白大家都跟我一樣。用功唸書當然是件好事，可是在生活與學業之間保持平衡更重要。這不是告訴你，從此就可以丟開 課本盡情享樂；第一學期金門老師的英文課，我一個人就寫了五十幾頁的期末報告！重點在於這世界上還有太多美好的事物等著我們去體驗，唸書和交朋友都有助於開拓視野。人總是有極限的，超出我們能力範圍的時候，記得休息是為了走更長遠的路。運動、跳舞、三五好友談心小酌都是不錯的選擇。

自此之後，我不求細讀，先快速瀏覽、大 概明白重點在哪，有空再多翻幾遍。也規定每天唸書的時間長短，除此之外就看自己安排了，要去玩、要休息都隨你。畢竟，這應該是我們學生生涯的尾聲，我們為 什麼不好好享受這趟旅程？十年之後，你會記得商學院裡的什麼事情？是我們在課堂上硬生生背下的一堆術語？還是我們某天在文化之夜把酒言歡的點點滴滴？對你 來說，什麼才是最重要的？選擇在你自己手上。最起碼，回頭看一路走來的痕跡，我了無遺憾…祝好運！