a self-introduction

Hi everyone!

First, I've really enjoyed reading your e-mails and getting to know you all a bit better. It'll be nice to have an idea of who we'll be meeting in Beijing. Thanks for sharing! As a continuation of my brief introduction via e-mail, I'd like to share a little bit more about myself and where my interest in this summer's China Care internship began.

As I said, I am a Montreal, Quebec native. Despite my francophone family name (my relatives in Ontario pronounce it Boy-vin) :) my mother tongue is English. I am also fluent in French, as French courses are mandatory in Quebec all throughout your years of elementary and high school.

Summer vacation is now in full swing, after my final paper was triumphantly handed in on April 21st. Ohyes! I've been spending these last few weeks soakin' up some rays, spending time with friends, and recently started working for an old boss of mine at Second Cup cafe, serving coffee and muffins to early morning risers on their way to work downtown.

I just finished up my second year in East Asian Studies at McGill University. I am doing a double-minor in Environment and Advanced East Asian languages. I started to get involved with China Care's McGill chapter at the beginning of my second year, volunteering at their annual second-hand clothing sale to fundraise for the international organization. It was a great success. I've met lots of great people through the organization and plan on getting more involved next year. Similar to what goes on at Ysabelle's university, McGill also runs playgroups for Chinese-adopted children that I hope to participate in next semester.

My mother is Canadian-born Chinese, and my father was born in Southern Quebec. My grandmother is originally from Guangdong, and arrived and settled in Montreal in 1950 after my grandfather made his way here to open Montreal's first Chinese grocery store. My mother therefore, speaks her mum's village dialect, Toysan hua (excuse the spelling!)... "Cantonese slang". Ever since childhood, my mother has spoken to my brother and I in English, so neither of us speak our grandmother's dialect. I therefore began learning Mandarin Chinese in my first semester at McGill in order to get more in touch my with Chinese roots. I spent three months last summer in Beijing (an amazing city!) taking an intensive second-level Chinese course, and completed Third level Chinese at McGill this past year. McGill offers up to Fourth level Chinese, by which time I may not be entirely fluent, but will have a pretty solid base. It's been a while since I've heard or spoken the language, so upon arriving in Beijing this summer I may have some practicing to do!

Besides my love for the Chinese language and my desire to explore my family history, my interest in interning in China this summer also comes from my love for working with children. I have babysat, tutored, worked as a junior counselor at my childhood sleepaway camp, and been employed as a ski instructor for the past 4 years. Though most of my work has been with children as young as five years old and less with infants, I believe there are countless rewards in working with children of any age. They have the potential to absorb and learn so much, as well as teach us in return. I feel that this summer will no doubt be challenging in many ways, yet incredibly rewarding as well. I'm looking forward to it very much.

I also believe I've exhausted my biographical information, so I will end here. Looking forward to meeting all of you. And thanks again Joan, for the tips! (i especially like the one about squatting... it's true! haha). Take care everyone and we'll be in touch I'm sure.

-lauren.