My CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE 我 的 Story 孔 december 2019 子 学 CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO 院 Confucius Institute 故 事 CI STORIES_21stcp_rev.indd 1 1/6/20 3:29 PM CONTENTS INTRODUCTION BRUCE ACKER 1 Work at Confucius Institute Brings Professional Growth, Personal Rewards LORNA BERGNER 4 Bruce Acker JAIVI CHANDOLA 9 Associate Director, University at Buffalo Confucius Institute HEIDI SCHALBERG 11 My Confucius Institute story is, not surprisingly, fundamentally tied to my current position as associate director of the University at Buffalo ARTHUR STACHOWSKI 14 Confucius Institute, where our work is enormously rewarding, exceptionally interesting, and occasionally quite challenging. JOHN GUERNSEY 16 We often talk about the impact of the Confucius Institute in terms numbers of participants, and those numbers are definitely impressive. Since 2009, WANLY CHEN 19 more than 100,000 students, educators, and others at UB and in the Buffalo area have benefitted from participation in Confucius Institute language classes, scholarly activity, exchange programs, and cultural events. These JATSIA KRAMER CHEN 22 programs are engaging and empowering for the individuals involved and for our community as a whole. JACK DUDEK 24 Yet for me, the impact of the Confucius Institute LIAM GAVIN DELL 26 is most profound when I hear the stories of students BRIGID O’ROURKE 28 who have been inspired by participation in Confucius Institute programs to AVERY WHITE 30 make dramatic strides in language ability, learn new CHARLES NEWMAN 32 performance techniques, or gain new insights about China or about themselves HAYDEN BAUER 34 through study abroad or engagement locally with people of Chinese ANGELINA OLIVERA 36 heritage. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed without the consent of the University at Buffalo Confucius Institute and the author (s). 1 CI STORIES_21stcp_rev.indd 2-3 1/6/20 3:29 PM In that light, it has been very gratifying to read and compile the current Through my involvement at the Confucius Institute, I have learned collection of essays. Some of the essays published here are by students who an enormous amount from many people about China, university were first introduced to China in a Confucius Institute class. Others were administration, and cross-cultural communication. Although I could find written by students with previous experience learning Chinese or working my way to the office each day, I would otherwise be quite lost in this work in China who came to the Confucius Institute to improve their language without the advice and guidance of the following people: from CNU, Deans skills or participate in study abroad programs. From students in elementary Xiaotian Liu, Mei Han and Lihua Wang and past and current UB Confucius school to university students to retired engineers and teachers, their life Institute associate directors Xiaopeng (Peggy) Du, Qiaomei (Maggie) Lu, experiences and involvement with the Confucius Institute reflect the very and Huadong (Mark) Yin; from the UB Office of International Education, broad spectrum of people who benefit from our work. Their stories are Vice Provost Emeritus Stephen Dunnett, Interim Vice Provost John Wood, representative of many others who have learned, performed, competed, Senior Associate Vice Provost Joe Hindrawan, and Associate Vice Provost traveled, or otherwise been engaged in Confucius Institute programs. Oscar Budde; and most importantly, at the Confucius Institute, past and current Confucius Institute Directors Kristin Stapleton, Jiyuan Yu, and My own CI story actually starts several years before I became an employee Zhiqiang Liu. of the Confucius Institute, not long after I came to UB in 2008 as assistant director of Asian Studies. Working with then-director of Asian Studies I hope you take time to read the following essays and get a sense of the Kristin Stapleton, I helped to prepare the proposal that resulted in the students’ enthusiasm for learning Chinese language, experiencing Chinese establishment of the UB Confucius Institute. In 2009, before UB had hired culture, and traveling in China. Despite the daily barrage of negative staff for the Confucius Institute, I was asked to attend the annual Confucius press about China and U.S.-China relations and undeniable problems, it’s Institute Global Conference in Beijing, an extraordinary experience for worthwhile and important to remember that learning Chinese is rewarding, a first-time traveler to China. Prior to the conference, I spent a few very studying Chinese history and society is fascinating, and experiencing China productive and pleasant days meeting and exploring Beijing with our and Chinese culture is exciting—no matter your age. Confucius Institute partners at Capital Normal University (CNU). The partnership with CNU has been a particularly gratifying part of my involvement with the Confucius Institute. From the very beginning, CNU deans, faculty and staff have been enormously helpful in implementing Confucius Institute programs, and in particular programs for Buffalo students and educators in China and for CNU student groups performing in Buffalo. The visiting professors from CNU who have come to UB under the auspices of the Confucius Institute have been exceptionally effective and supportive. Their advice about how things work in China and about what visiting Confucius Institute teachers are experiencing when they come to live and teach in the United States has been invaluable. On top of that, they are tremendously engaging, interesting, and friendly. We never run out of things to talk about. Each time I go to China, it seems like I come back with a new favorite city. Everywhere I travel, people are earnest, helpful, and hardworking; but each city has its own history, distinctive character, and unique traditions. China is far from monolithic. And when I travel to Beijing, I have a very familiar place to stay and wonderful people from CNU to greet me. I look forward to it eagerly each time! 2 3 CI STORIES_21stcp_rev.indd 4-5 1/6/20 3:29 PM I arrived by train in Chongqing and stayed the first couple of nights in the Why China? apartment of an American woman I had met during my time in Macau. She lived on campus of the university where she taught English. Her apartment Lorna Bergner was quite small, but she generously invited me to sleep on the living room Student, UB Confucius Institute Evening Class sofa until I could make better arrangements for accommodations. Because she tutored students in the evenings, she said that it would be best if I could stay out in the evenings until 10 o’clock or so. No problem, as I was eager to explore the city and meet the local people. “You are so brave!” said most of my friends in China. I would respond with My third day there, Monday morning, my friend went to work. I walked a quote from Alexander Pope, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”. alone and undaunted off campus into the noisy, crowded streets. There I Whether it was because of my bravery or foolishness, the past 11 years I was, shoulder to shoulder with hundreds, maybe thousands, of pedestrians spent in China have given me some of the most rewarding experiences and going about their business: going to work, going to school, selling fruits memories of my life. How did it all begin? and vegetables, cooking and eating in the streetside cafes, dodging traffic. About 12 years ago, my friend Jene, an American who had been living in The din of people and traffic competed with the music blaring from store China for many years, invited me to visit her in Zhuhai, a major port city on entrances beckoning us in to buy clothing, electronics, food. Everyone the southern coast of mainland China. I decided to combine that visit with seemed to be talking at once. I could not understand any of it. I could not attending a conference in Macau, just a few minutes walk across the border read the street signs or any of the signs that might give some indication from Zhuhai. After the conference, and after spending a week with Jene, of what I would find inside the stores and restaurants. Overwhelmed by several people invited me to visit them in other cities on the mainland. Why the sheer magnitude of the unfamiliar sights and sounds, I ran back to my not—after all I had eight weeks remaining on my visa? Actually, there were a couple of good reasons why not—I did not speak one word of Chinese and I did not have a well-thought-out plan. During the first few weeks, friends who I had met at the conference in Macau and who spoke both Chinese and English took me to their homes in various cities. I was immediately won over by the kindness, courtesy and consideration of all the Chinese people I met as I travelled from one place to another. During most of my adult life I had travelled extensively in Europe and the Americas (North, South and Central), but nothing had adequately prepared me for this new ancient culture. I was fascinated with all the sights, sounds, smells and emotions constantly bombarding my senses. I wanted to immerse myself more fully into their every day life, so I arranged to spend the last five weeks of my visa in one city, Chongqing. Some of my friends, both American and Chinese, exclaimed, “Why Chongqing? It’s dirty, crowded, noisy, and smoggy, and the weather is always bad.” Again, I thought “Why not?” What better place to learn about the Chinese culture than in a city that was not well-known to international visitors, that was considered to be a city that had not yet made it into the 21st century, and yet at the same time was one of the biggest cities in the world that was rapidly transitioning to one of the most modern and economically booming cities in China? Lorna Bergner with young friends in Chongqing 4 5 CI STORIES_21stcp_rev.indd 6-7 1/6/20 3:29 PM friend’s apartment.