The Wright Times

Former Wright College student, John Joyce, smiles in his U.S. Marine Corps uniform.

Dear Wright Times Readers,
I have always loved China. The people, the culture, and the tremendous opportunity had always appealed to me. My first trip to China happened when I was 14 years old and since then I've taken advantage of every chance to return. When I first heard about the Chinese Government Scholarship Program at Wright College I knew it was just the experience I was looking for. I didn't know much about the program, but I knew it would bring me back to China, a country I had always loved. Applying for the scholarship seemed a daunting task at first. Much of the application was written in Chinese, a language I had never studied. Luckily, the faculty at Wright, especially Professor Mogul and President Guengerich, were very helpful. The application required me to submit transcripts, letters of recommendation, and also to undergo a physical examination. Submitting the scholarship application is only half the battle. Applications must also be submitted to whichever Chinese universities you are interested in attending. My first choice university was Beijing Daxue (BeiDa), or for those not familiar with Mandarin Chinese, Peking University. BeiDa is the most revered school in China, and is ranked 14th internationally. Through the goodwill of some very helpful friends at the Chicago Chinese Consulate I was able to gain admission. Most classes in BeiDa are taught in Chinese so, being a foreigner, the only choice of study is Chinese language. The classes here are excellent and the laoshi (teachers) are very patient. Chinese is a difficult language to learn for westerners and the faculty of BeiDa understands that a stressful environment is counterproductive. I arrived at BeiDa on the 1st of September and experienced a bit of culture shock. I have lived abroad many times before, but the Spartan nature of the international student dorms was still a bit surprising. For the first day or so I wondered if I would be able to survive here for a full year. On previous visits I had always stayed in posh hotels in the Wangfujing district, think Time Square Chinese Style. Now I was living like a local with a 25m square-shared room and one toilet on each floor of the building! Luckily for me, I am a former US Marine, so I'm used to roughing it when necessary. After adjusting to the accommodations however, I remembered why I was so excited to come to China in the first place. Within a few days I had made scores of friends from all over the world. I've only been here three weeks and the experiences I've had have been amazing. Seeing the way that China is able to manage 1.5 billion people on a daily basis has been quite impressive. Also, the kindness that has been shown to me by the people of China has really moved me. The willingness to painstakingly decipher the incomprehensible ramblings of some strange foreigner is something most Americans lack, but it is commonplace here in Beijing. So many people have gone out of their way to help me here, and I will never forget their kindness. During the rest of my stay in China I hope to be able to send news back to the students of Wright about all of the exciting things happening here. With the Olympics on the horizon this whole city is abuzz with activity. Also if there is anyone who is interested in China or would like to know more about how to apply for a Chinese Government Scholarship please feel free to contact me via the student newspaper.

Zi Jian,
John Joyce
Zhuo yi Qiang

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