Name: Marie-Anne Roche
E-mail: mroche1@nd.edu
Language: Chinese
Location of Study: Beijing, China
Program of Study: Beijing Language Summer Program
Sponsors: Center for the Study of Languages and Cultures and Liu Endowment
Blog URL:
A brief personal bio:
Originally from Paris, France, I am a junior at Notre Dame. My hobbies include traveling, fencing and food. Enrolled as a Consulting major with a business intelligence concentration, I have decided to minor in Chinese in order to know a fourth language. I want to work in International Business after graduation, which is why learning languages is so important to me, I am bilingual in French and English, conversational in Spanish and I hope to become conversational in Chinese after my stay in Beijing.
Why this summer language abroad opportunity is important to me:
Most students in the Mendoza College of Business decide to do an internship after their junior year. I decided to go against what most people are doing and to go to China in order to improve my Chinese because I realized it was probably my last opportunity to do so. The program is very intensive and I know I will learn a lot during the course of two months. However, by sacrificing working this summer, I sacrificed making money. Instead of making money, I would be spending it. I told my parents they would not have to cover any of the expenses. I am glad for the CSLC and for its generosity because it is one of the key reason I can undertake this project.
What I hope to achieve as a result of this summer study abroad experience:
After this summer, I hope to be conversational. We are not allowed to speak any other language than Chinese and I hope that I won’t speak anything other than Chinese. I also want to learn about China and the Chinese culture. Learning Chinese at Notre Dame is great but I am excited to the real application being in China will provide. I also want to learn about China in the global context and there are no better ways than go to Beijing for this. I hope that by the end of the summer, I will have a thorough understanding of the Chinese culture, and of the language.
My specific learning goals for language and intercultural learning this summer:
By the end of the summer, I will be able to:
1. Communicate effectively and fluently with Chinese people.
2. Have a thorough understanding of the Chinese culture.
3. Have made friends with people that have a common interest in Chinese.
4. Have made Chinese friends.
5. Have stepped out of my comfort zone on a daily basis.
My plan for maximizing my international language learning experience: