Studying, Steamed Buns, and Self-Discovery: My Semester in Shanghai

Why did you choose NYU Shanghai?

I decided to participate in this program because I wanted to explore Shanghai and China. Shanghai is such a cosmopolitan city — a true melting pot of cultures within and outside of China. Growing up around Chinese culture and speaking Mandarin with my family, I really wanted to take any chance to further my immersion into my heritage.

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Staying here for almost four months has not only improved my Chinese language skills, but also solidified my own interest in mastering the language I grew up with.

Unlike other study away sites, NYU Shanghai is one of NYU’s three degree-granting campuses, which means there are so many courses to choose from. The variety of courses makes completing your major requirements easy abroad, but also exposes you to courses unavailable at Duke.

I knew students studying abroad here who were pre-med, econ majors during their recruitment cycle, and more. Some students were also taking the satellite campus’s more unique courses like Northern Chinese Dance Practice and Digital Fabrication.

How did your language skills grow? 

Experiencing China through this study abroad program will definitely be one of my college highlights for years to come. My four months here are by far unforgettable because I learned so much about my own culture and improved my Chinese skills in such a short amount of time.

At the start of the program, my spoken Chinese was not good, and I could not read at all. However, thanks to my Chinese course and practicing every day, my reading has improved in large leaps. Even though there is plenty of English throughout the city, having to use my Chinese to read menus and different signs has literally expanded my vocabulary in the best way possible. I think I can now read around 500 characters, which I’m honestly proud of. I don’t think the “old me” would have even thought that was possible.

What was the most memorable class experience?

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My favorite class activity has got to be the weekend trip I took with my experience studio course. Experience studio courses are half-credit courses that have an activity-based component incorporated into the curriculum. In October, my class and I took the high-speed rail to Huangshan, a mountain with several ancient towns around it in China’s Anhui Province.

There is so much history in these small towns, along with regional cuisine that’s hard to find elsewhere in China. If you’re into cable car views, ziplines, and aesthetic places to take photos of, I would definitely come here. While enjoying the trip, we took educational tours and experienced three types of hotels offered in the area to analyze how tourism incorporated and integrated the surrounding history and culture in their own unique ways.

What’s your favorite spot to relax in the city?

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There were so many cool coffeeshops worth visiting in Shanghai. One of my favorites has to be Moon or 6Pence.

The two-floor coffeeshop is in PuXi, but is only a 20-minute commute from campus by metro. The owner is super kind, and she owns like three cats that roam around the coffeeshop and snuggle with the customers. Their cakes are sweet but light. The lighting and furniture is also super cute, with a lot of natural light on the first floor and dimmer nooks above.