Excitement overwhelms me as I step out of the dormitory and looked at the beautiful campus ground. I can’t even begin to imagine the fascinating college life that awaits me.

I am the first to arrive at my four-student suite and can’t wait to meet my roommates. The door opens, I hold my breath, and in walks a tall European girl with dark blond hair. She smiles warmly: “Hi, I’m Defne.” Defne and I become friends immediately. Albeit we are both bookworms and a bit quirky, it is our differences that bring us even closer. She is a Muslim, from Istanbul, Turkey, and is very eager to share her culture. The traditions, laws, and food differed greatly from those of China, and we are both intrigued by the cultural differences. Just when we are engrossed in our conversation, our roommates arrive. An energetic and petite girl hops in, followed by her grandma who wears a white robe from head to toe. That’s when I met Mali, a half Japanese and half Thai Buddhist girl whom I will later have a wild time with. Our last roommate is Sierra, who goes to an all girl boarding school in New York. We have an amazingly culturally diverse suite. In the next few weeks, our dorm life ranges from artsy to crazy.

The two classes I take are Introductory to Biological Molecules and The Novel and the American Family. They turn out to be the most interesting classes I have ever taken by far. Biochemistry is challenging but also very exciting. As one of the best universities in the world in the medical science, Johns Hopkins has state of the art lab equipment which we are able to utilize our lab classes. I also write my first real college lab report. Everything in it must be detailed, yet not a word can be wasted. Our instructor, Professor Shingles, is a venerable and skilled scientist and mentor who loves to help students. I ask him why he chose to teach at Hopkins. He responds, “It’s all about the students! Hopkins students generally have an end goal in mind and are driven to get there. Helping them on that journey is most satisfying to me.”

The extent I am influenced by the literature class surprises me. The summer course prompts us to learn about the representation of the American family through novels. However, the novels chosen for the course do not only focus on the typical white Anglo-Saxon Protestant American family, but also more closely on minority families. We do a study on Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint,which I find difficult. The story is written in the form of a monologue of the protagonist, Alexander Portnoy, a rebellious Jewish boy who strives to find his identity outside of his cultural background. The troubles he faces are in a sense similar to those of any child born in a country that values tradition, like China. His parents are very set in their traditions, expecting him to comply with their every demand and even the smallest hint of defiance on his part will result in accusations of disrespecting his culture. His anxiety, frustration, and desperation all stem from the burden his parents and culture place on him: education, marriage, upward mobility, responsibility. Sound familiar? Though the novel contains deep themes, the writing style itself is a humorous and interesting read. I learn a lot about the different cultures that have embedded themselves into the American culture during the course. 

While academically I find that I benefit greatly from the summer courses, it is summer vacation, so I don’t spend all my time in Baltimore studying. Fun activities are organized on a regular basis. Call us nerdy but my roommates and I win the Pokemon trivia competition hosted in our dormitory! Mali and I participate in many activities together like paint tag which participants splash body paint on the person you are trying to catch, or “assassin,” which everyone roams around in the dark to find their target. Every weekend, we go on field trips to cool places like Inner Harbor, Washington D.C., Hershey Park, and Annapolis. We are in awe of the Jurassic period display in the Smithsonian Museum, we go on all the rides at Hershey Park, and see many cool things in Annapolis. Near the docks of Annapolis, we come across a South Korean teenage artist who is painting on a hard cover paper with oil spray paint! He carves silhouettes and scenery with a chisel. He sells his artwork to help pay for college and I buy one of his paintings.

Attending Johns Hopkins Summer University was a truly a fantastic experience that I will never forget. My parents were skeptical at first. They thought I should spend my summer on test preparation but I’m so glad I convinced them to let me go. From small things like drinking milk out of shot glasses or eating Thai food in front of the library with my roomies to the bigger events like the last dance, game nights, and movie combo party, I am left with fondness for so many nice and talented people and with memories I will treasure forever.  

Photo: Courtesy of Nancy Ren

Nancy Ren attends the international campus affiliated with Beijing No.4 High School, a public high school in Beijing. Through her blog posts, she hopes to share unique and exciting experiences at Beijing No.4 High School International Campus.

The beijingkids student correspondent program gives high school students with an interest in writing and journalism a resource for guidance, feedback, and real-life training. If you are a student interested in becoming a beijingkids student correspondent, or you know a student who is, please contact yvetteferrari@beijing-kids.com

My favorite teacher is Mr. Scott Searer who taught my English Comprehension class in tenth grade. You know he’s a good teacher if he can make you look forward to a class focusing on writing summaries. We students love Mr. Searer’s unique humor in teaching and sharing his ideas and we are just amazed at how much he knows about Chinese culture. The way he is able to incorporate Chinese culture in his English classes and the fact that he is able to speak Chinese fluently have really helped us gain a better understanding of the concepts we learn and that is something at our school that only he is able to do.

What I really like about him is how he has his own unique style. His fascination for tea and philosophy, his irritation with modern technology, the way he words his sentences, his humor (sometimes mixed with a little amusing awkwardness), you immediately recognize these features as “Scott”. I think it is important to develop an original voice and unique perspectives that set you different from everyone else. People who have found their own styles are the ones who live exciting lives and they are the ones that can keep students interested in classes like English Comprehension.

Teacher’s Questions:
Tell me about yourself. I’m Scott Searer, I’m an English Teacher at the Beijing No.4 High School International Campus. My wife Wang Fang is a homemaker. We live in Beijing along with my son, Michael Justin Searer, whose six years old and my daughter, Jane Maire Searer, whose seven months old now. Both of my children are American.

How long have you lived in Beijing? What brought you here?
Ten years. My last 3 jobs were in the tea business, and I was talking about tea with a Chinese costumer and we became friends. We were discussing tea in Chinese and she exclaimed:”Why aren’t you in China?” Within 18 months, I followed her advice.

Why did you become a teacher? Have you always been a teacher or did you do something else before?
In America, I did a little tutoring in English and Chinese. I was ambitious about reading and learning, but it was all for my own pleasure. Like many Literature majors my original goal was to be a writer. It was in China that I actually have done some writing, along with a bit of translation and lots of editing.

Who was your favorite teacher? Why?
Scores of lucky people have gotten to know John Siscoe of Seattle’s The Globe bookstore. His shop was around the corner and down the street from my apartment; he patiently talked about Beckett’s prose with me for about 15 years.

What is your teaching philosophy?
I ask lots of question.

What do you enjoy most about teaching?
Teaching bright kids is fun.

What has been your greatest success as a teacher?
Becoming a teacher in Beijing No.4 High School.

What is the most challenging aspect of teaching?
To gain the attention of those whose attentions spans have been compromised by digital devices.

What was starting a family in China like?
It is an amazing experience.

What is something you want to start?
I need to write my book about Chinese tea that I have been talking about for ten years…

Nancy Ren attends the international campus affiliated with Beijing No.4 High School, a public high school in Beijing. Through her blog posts, she hopes to share unique and exciting experiences at Beijing No.4 High School International Campus.

The beijingkids student correspondent program gives high school students with an interest in writing and journalism a resource for guidance, feedback, and real-life training. If you are a student interested in becoming a beijingkids student correspondent, or you know a student who is, please contact aislingobrien@beijing-kids.com

Photos courtesy of Nancy Ren