My name is Emily and I am an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago studying Political Science and Environmental Studies. I also have a passion for learning about China and everything Chinese.
Me and some Zhongguo pengyous in Lijiang, Yunnan.
I have studied Mandarin Chinese for two years, and last summer I lived in Beijing for two months while taking Chinese classes at Peking University. I am going to return to China this fall for a UChicago civilizations/language program, and I can’t wait!
I hope that this blog will be multi-functional – I want to write about my observations on American and Chinese culture, my opinions on world news, and life as a college student, but all with a personal touch.
I decided to call this blog “yowaiguoren” for a few reasons. First of all, I am, without a doubt, a “waiguoren” when I go to China. (Translated loosely, waiguoren or 外国人 means “foreigner.”) As a tall blue-eyed blonde girl, Chinese people seem to be able to point out not just that I am a waiguoren, but also that I’m an American (except for one bottled water vendor who insisted that I must be Russian, because by his logic Americans have brown hair and Russians are blonde.) Regardless, waiguoren is a term I’ve wrestled with. Sometimes it’s endearing (”你是老外，对啊！你的头发很漂亮!” You’re a foreign friend, right! Your hair is really pretty!), sometimes it’s aggravating （“嘿！外国人!” Hey! It’s a foreigner! <person jabs all of his friends and points at me as I walk by>), but hey, it’s all part of the adventure, right?
I hope you enjoy reading my blog. I would love comments from anyone and everyone.
Zaijian pengyous!
