My Bubble Tea
By: Kelsey Collins, CAS ’20
Kelsey enjoying bubble tea in Shanghai
UBM China – Shanghai
After five years of studying Mandarin, I couldn’t wait to go to China. I had done countless listening practices, reading comprehension exercises, and oral exams, and now all that hard work was for a purpose other than getting a good grade on tests. So I applied for internships in China and wound up working on an international marketing project in Shanghai. I hopped on a plane, ready to test my years of practice, and flew across the world.
As I got off the plane I was buzzing with excitement. I started reading signs in Chinese and listening to airport announcements. And then I realized every single one of them was repeated in English. I tried to ignore the English and immerse myself in the language, but that’s a little easier said than done when so much of the world caters to English speakers. If I was going to improve my Chinese, I needed to find a way to get away from all this English, and what better place to start than local restaurants.
You wouldn’t believe how much incredible food you can get in China, or how cheap it is. Of course, you could stick to tourist restaurants with English-speaking waiters and Americanized menus, but that feels like a wasted opportunity (and an expensive one at that). I didn’t really know where to start with authentic Chinese food, so I let my friends from Hong Kong lead the way and order the food for the first few nights as I adjusted to the time change and new diet. I tried some interesting food with them (I’m still not quite into the jellied blood or stinky tofu but at least I can say I ate it once) and then decided it was time to start ordering things on my own.
I walked up to a bubble tea counter in the city, all ready to order my oolong milk tea with pearls, and then was bombarded by questions about my order that I couldn’t even begin to understand. Apparently, they were asking about what sweetness level I liked and what type of ice I wanted, but at that moment I just heard fast-paced gibberish as I held up a long line behind me. In that moment, it felt like I hadn’t learned a thing in the past five years (which is ridiculous, I know). So I decided then and there that by the time I finished my summer abroad I would be able to not only order my own bubble teas but do it with grace (instead of massive amounts of confusion).
The next few times I went up to a bubble tea counter, I was careful to use all the correct tones and pronunciations as I ordered a new tea. I tried to answer questions but found myself saying “zhege” most the time (which literally just means “this”), but at least I understood the questions they were asking. This went on for a while, me carefully listening to their every word, trying to answer quickly, and feeling a little nervous each time I did it.
But somewhere along the way, everything changed. I stopped having to listen so hard, and I stopped needing to emphasize my tones. I didn’t have to translate each sentence in my head before responding. I just started to understand. On my last day in Shanghai, I went back to the very first bubble tea shop I went to in China. I walked up to the counter where I had been so flustered months earlier, and I ordered that bubble tea perfectly.
The Global Research and Internship Program (GRIP) provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern or conduct research abroad for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer. Participants gain career-enhancing experience and global exposure that is essential in a global workforce. Placements and funding awards are available.