我是谁？让我简单介绍一下。。。
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Ni hao! My name is Allie. I was born in NYC and raised in Connecticut, along with my older brother, younger sister, dogs, pet chickens, and a tortoise at one point. I think it’s fair to say that my upbringing in the quaint New England town of Branford paints a stark contrast to my current life in one of China’s fastest developing cities. China’s “Silicon Valley”.
Life in Branford is just about as different from urban China as it gets. Located near the shoreline, you can inhale the salty fresh pollution-free air 24/7. The tranquil shrub-lined streets are free of noise-pollution and excessive honking, so you can actually hear the birds chirping – now a foreign concept to me. This shoreline town sounds quite nice, right? So, why in the world did I ever decide to relocate to Branford's polar opposite, yet truly wonderful, China?
Featured below: The two Hamilton professors who forever changed my life...谢谢你们！
(Throwback to that time I decided it was a good idea to do 6am Chinese military training with my classmates)
...Temporarily going brunette helped me blend in a bit
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My China journey all started when my parents encouraged me to try something new in college. “Don’t worry about getting a good grade. Just try something totally new and expand your horizons.” My parents’ simple but invaluable advice provided me with the permission I needed to take a massive step outside of my comfort zone. I listened. I began studying Chinese language and culture my sophmore year of college. Within a month, I was already hooked and changed my undergraduate major from psychology to Chinese. There was no going back. In order to major in Chinese, my university required all Chinese majors to participate in a year-long intensive Chinese immersion program in Beijing at Beijing Capital University of Business and Economics 北京首都经贸大学. I was required to sign an official “Language Pledge Contract” indicating that I would speak only Chinese (no English allowed!) for the entire year. Otherwise, what would happen? I would be sent back to the USA! It was emphasized that this program would certainly not deliver the cushy study abroad experience often provided by exchange programs. I would certainly not be enjoying nightly pub crawls with my new friends. I would be thrown into a culture I knew nothing about and forced to communicate in a language that still sounded much like gibberish. Nevertheless, I did it. I failed a lot. I cried a lot. I grew a lot.
Taking this major step outside of my comfort zone and giving myself unconditional permission to make mistakes and fail entirely changed my life trajectory. Rather than fearing failure, I learned to use mistakes as feedback for self-improvement. When learning a new language, making mistakes is a fundamental requirement for advancement. If you are too afraid to speak in the target language in the event that you might pronounce something inaccurately or with the wrong tone, you will never receive the feedback necessary to propel you forward. Therefore, I learned to view my mistakes in a new light. I welcomed feedback with open arms and used my many failures as fuel to become better. Seven months later, I was dreaming in Chinese and taking the Beijing metro on solo excursions throughout the city.
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I never would have anticipated that I would still be in China six years later. However, one thing led to the next. Each subsequent risk I took led to increased self-confidence and decreased fear. The world began to feel smaller and easier to navigate with each roundtrip flight from JFK to China, of which I can no longer count on my fingers. One year in Beijing led to one year in Shanghai, which led to three years in Shenzhen. It definitely hasn't been all rainbows and sunshines, but it's been so worth it. I have taught the most adorable first graders in Shanghai at 上海中学国际部, attended business school at 北京大学汇丰商学院 with the best and brightest students from around the Mainland, completed a 1/2 marathon ON the Great Wall of China (长城的马拉松), hiked to the top of the Yellow Mountains, traveled in a bamboo raft down the Li River, biked atop Xian's ancient city wall, eaten every fried insect and animal intestine imaginable (maybe that's why I became a vegetarian)...the list continues. Most importantly, however, I have formed lifelong friendships with the most incredible and inspiring people from around the world who have truly opened my eyes to life beyond Branford.
I am forever grateful for my entire family's tremendous support and encouragement throughout this unexpected journey and for my parents' advice to "let go and expand my horizons". I will continue to approach each new day with this mindset and see where the path leads me. After all, great things never came from comfort zones.
"Take risks. If you win, you will be happy. If you lose, you will be wise."
XOXO,
I never would have anticipated that I would still be in China six years later. However, one thing led to the next. Each subsequent risk I took led to increased self-confidence and decreased fear. The world began to feel smaller and easier to navigate with each roundtrip flight from JFK to China, of which I can no longer count on my fingers. One year in Beijing led to one year in Shanghai, which led to three years in Shenzhen. It definitely hasn't been all rainbows and sunshines, but it's been so worth it. I have taught the most adorable first graders in Shanghai at 上海中学国际部, attended business school at 北京大学汇丰商学院 with the best and brightest students from around the Mainland, completed a 1/2 marathon ON the Great Wall of China (长城的马拉松), hiked to the top of the Yellow Mountains, traveled in a bamboo raft down the Li River, biked atop Xian's ancient city wall, eaten every fried insect and animal intestine imaginable (maybe that's why I became a vegetarian)...the list continues. Most importantly, however, I have formed lifelong friendships with the most incredible and inspiring people from around the world who have truly opened my eyes to life beyond Branford.
I am forever grateful for my entire family's tremendous support and encouragement throughout this unexpected journey and for my parents' advice to "let go and expand my horizons". I will continue to approach each new day with this mindset and see where the path leads me. After all, great things never came from comfort zones.
"Take risks. If you win, you will be happy. If you lose, you will be wise."
XOXO,
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