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After more than two years of online learning, at the end of last year, American boy Kevin Cooley（顾凯文） finally entered the dream campus of Peking University. Having bid farewell to the time lag, recorded classes, and the long and monotonous process of self-study, Kevin can now fully enjoy the rich and colorful study life of Peking University, make new friends, and further gained a deeper understanding of Beijing and China.
“Offline classes are really enjoyable! “He said in fluent Mandarin. Kevin Cooley, who is about to enter the 3rd grade, comes from Arizona in the Southwestern United States. In his first year of senior high school, he took the initiative to choose Chinese as his major foreign language. Kevin introduced that almost everyone in Arizona can speak Spanish, while he and his family can speak French. When he was a student, he had always been interested in East Asian culture, and the school did not have Japanese and Korean courses, so he chose Chinese. Since the first year of high school, Kevin has come to Beijing every summer vacation and stayed at a school for two to three months. His annual intimate contact with Beijing made him fall in love with the city. Before graduating from high school, Kevin decided to apply for Peking University and Tsinghua University.
Kevin was admitted to Peking University as he wished, but unfortunately, the sudden outbreak of the epidemic forced him to interrupt his journey to study in China. At the suggestion of the school, Kevin began a one-year preparatory study. After completing his preparatory studies, he took the unified examination and applied for three departments at Peking University. He was eventually admitted to the Cultural Industry Management program at the School of Arts.
As he was in the United States, time lag made him basically have to watch the course videos to attend classes, and he lost many opportunities to interact with teachers and classmates online. Kevin candidly stated that most teachers are serious and responsible in their online teaching, but there are also a few time when teachers often “cannot be contacted“, which brings difficulties to their learning.
“Online learning is really difficult. Firstly, it’s loneliness because there’s a lack of interaction with teachers and classmates. Secondly, it’s hard work and often requires all night to finish the homework. I’ve been studying online for two and a half years, and I only know two or three American international students who have been studying online for so long like me. It’s really difficult. “Kevin said that although the learning process during the special period was difficult, he constantly gave himself encouragement and encouraged him to persevere. “I will definitely go to China!”
When Kevin truly entered the campus of Peking University as a student, he sincerely felt that all his efforts over the past two years were worth it. In the unfamiliar environment of a foreign country, sometimes difficulties may still be encountered, but in any case, happiness and satisfaction have been the keywords of this Arizona boy’s study abroad life in the past six months.
In offline courses, Kevin can communicate and discuss with teachers and classmates at any time, and his attention is always in a very focused state. He used “much simpler” to describe the difference between offline classes and online learning. In addition to studying, Kevin signed up to participate in many interest clubs and brought his fitness habits to Beijing. What surprised him most was that at Peking University, both Chinese students and international students had a very active and open attitude towards their classmates, “no matter you are an international student or a Chinese student, everyone can become friends!”
Although it has just passed six months, according to Kevin’s description, his life studying abroad in Beijing is already exciting enough. He was interviewed several times by a Chinese internet celebrity anchor, and to his surprise, after the video became a hit, it became so popular in the United States that even his American friends saw it. He also shared his life on Chinese social media platforms such as Xiaohongshu and received a lot of attention. Due to the relevance of his major to the cultural industry, Kevin also has many opportunities to participate in various types of cultural and media activities, broadening his horizons. He is ready to start a business and establish a media company.
Due to various reasons, there are currently very few Americans and international students in China. Kevin’s friends in the United States often express doubts and suspicions about his insistence on studying in China. Regarding this, Kevin admitted that he has become accustomed to it and can also understand it. In his view, the American media and some people continue to create negative public opinion about China in American society, creating a serious stereotype for the American people.
How to reverse this deep-rooted stereotype? Personally, Kevin believes that every American should truly come to China to experience it on the spot, and immediately discover that the real China is very different from the one they remember.
The temperature in Beijing has skyrocketed in the past few days. Kevin told that his hometown of Arizona often exceeds 50 ℃ during the hottest summer, but it is also warmer in winter than Beijing. In his eyes, Beijing is very similar to New York and Los Angeles, with a large population, a fast pace of life, and a high degree of modernization.
Although his college life is only halfway through, young Kevin has already made plans for the future and wants to stay in China for entrepreneurial development. “There are really many opportunities in China. In the past, we used to talk about the ‘American Dream‘ because there were many opportunities in the United States. But now, on the other hand, we should be talking about the ‘Chinese Dream‘. I want to achieve my own ‘Chinese Dream‘, “said Kevin.
