Greetings from Michelle Bos-Lun, Director of China/Tibet Programs
Michelle and a Buddhist nun she tutored last month in Dharamsala, India
Dear Masters’ School China Program Participants:
I began studying Chinese in preparation for a move to Taiwan with my family when I was twelve years old. I had no idea then how greatly time in Asia would impact the rest of my life. I have now been speaking Mandarin and spending time in Asia for almost thirty years. After graduating from high school in Taipei, I spent a year at Fudan University in Shanghai, China. My graduate work was done in the field of International Education, with fieldwork on the plight of Tibetan refugees in Indian exile communities.
Working extensively in the field of International Education over the past decade, I have planned, led, or administratively supervised high school or gap year programs to China/Tibet, Thailand, India, Mexico, and Morocco. I have also taught social studies courses, including Asian and Global Studies, Chinese Language & Culture, and Tibetan Studies at two high schools in New England.
Connecting with people in China and New York over the past year to develop your itinerary, which will expose you to fascinating learning opportunities in the capital city of Beiing and the southwestern province of Yunnan, has been an intensive and satisfying experience. With Lin Fu as your program leader in the field, Masters teacher Kristen Tregar and a strong support team working with us in China, I am confident that you have an amazing experience ahead of you.
Global LAB’s Masters’ School China program will integrate language and cultural learning opportunities with a sampling of ancient traditions, including astronomy and Buddhism. The group will witness the modern and traditional sides of a rapidly changing China. In conjunction with curriculum themes at Masters, you will examine water resources, food distribution, and alternative energy. Service projects as well as visits with local and expatriate experts will help increase student understanding of how these issues are impacting life in the PROC and how what happens in China impacts the rest of the world. Masters students will build connections with local Chinese students, indigenous Naxi host families, and Bai and Tibetan residents in multiple communities of the Tibetan plateau. You will visit some of the world’s most impressive historic ancient monuments in and around Beijing, rural farming communities, and active religious sites in traditional and modern communities. The program will be an intense combination of experiences giving you a strong introduction into several sides of life in China in the 21st century as well as glimpses into her political, social, and environmental history.
Spending time abroad profoundly affects youth in developing a sense of self-identity as well as your place in the diverse and amazing a planet we inhabit. Time in China will develop in each of you a new level of awareness of the challenges and struggles that are faced by all of humanity: political, environmental, and cultural. You are at the perfect stage in your life to go abroad to witness the amazing and the difficult, and then come home to figure out your role in the future of our world.
You never know how time abroad will impact you, but it will - deeply. I went to Taiwan unwillingly as a twelve year-old (moving with my parents), grew to love it dearly, and now go back to Asia eagerly. Every time that I return, I learn and understand more, and yet each visit raises more questions.
I am eager find out how your experiences in China will influence each of you in the years to come.
Sincerely,
Michelle Bos-Lun
Director of China/Tibet Programs, Global Learning Across Borders
michelle@global-lab.org