Source: School of Chinese as a Second Language
Written by: School of Chinese as a Second Language
Translated by: Li Shouyi
Proofread by: Liang Jianxin
Edited by: Wang Dongmei

On June 5, 2015, the graduation ceremony of the Chinese Summer Camp of the Confucius Institute in Indianapolis was held at the School of Chinese as a Second Language (SCSL) in Sun Yat-sen University. 13 campers from Indiana University, Butler University and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) performed a marvelous graduation show and were awarded the certificates of the summer camp.
 

Campers writing the calligraphy of “Thank Sun Yat-sen University”
From left to right: Emma Dolphin, Michael Dejohn, Zoe Reichman, Sarah Fraser
 

The ceremony was hosted by Associate Professor Deng Shulan, Director of Center for Language and Culture of SCSL. Associate Professor Zhang Shitao, Vice Dean of SCSL, delivered a speech congratulating the students on successfully completing the summer program, hoping them to continue their Chinese learning after returning to the US and wishing them a rewarding experience in their Cultural Journey to Xi’an and Beijing. According to Dr. Xu Zaocheng, Director of the Confucius Institute in Indianapolis, the students' Chinese proficiency has been significantly improved in this summer camp, and the students think highly of the teachers’ instruction. On behalf of the faculty, Ms. Pan Jieyi praised the students’ enthusiasm and devotion toward Chinese learning, wishing them to continue to work hard on it. Dr. Wu Menji, Associate Director of the Confucius Institute in Indianapolis, the teachers Ms. Sun Jingye and Ms. Liu Danna also attended the graduation ceremony.
 

Sarah Fraser (left) and Zoe Reichman (right) sharing their feelings toward learning Chinese
 

Kicking off with the chorus “Sorry, my Chinese is not good”, the graduation show witnessed the speeches of the 13 campers, who not only introduced themselves in Chinese but also shared their experience of learning Chinese language and culture. Wearing a blue and white cheongsam, Sarah Fraser from the IUPUI shared her feelings of learning Chinese characters, "Chinese is very difficult, but I like learning Chinese". Given such standard pronunciation, it is difficult to believe that she was actually a beginner in Chinese learning. Zoe Reichman from Butler University said she thought it was hard to read and write Chinese, but now she feels that Chinese reading and writing course is not that difficult, and she has made a lot of progress in Chinese learning. Sarah Flores, a medical student from IUPUI, visited many local hospitals with Emma Dolphin from Butler University. The campers then shared the interesting stories of visiting scenic spots in Guangzhou, taking the subway, having Cantonese morning tea and dim sum, etc.
 

Daniel King (right) and Zoe Reichman (left) performing Tai Chi
 

As a presentation of the achievements of the cultural courses, the campers decorated the graduation ceremony venue with self-made paper-cut and Peking Opera facial masks. Daniel King and Zoe Reichman performed Tai Chi, while Michael Dejohn and another three campers wrote the calligraphy of "Thank Sun Yat-sen University". Their speeches and presentations won frequent praises from the teachers. The video, which was produced by the campers themselves, reviewed the wonderful moments of the past three weeks, arousing beautiful memories of the summer camp. Finally, the ceremony ended with the song “Friend”, sung by all campers with deep feelings.
 

Group Photo
 

The Confucius Institute in Indianapolis was jointly established by SYSU and IUPUI in April 2008. The annual Chinese summer camp of the Confucius Institute in Indianapolis has been successfully held at SCSL since 2008, with a total of 8 sessions and 126 campers so far. 13 Chinese teachers and volunteers have been dispatched by SCSL to teach at the Confucius Institute in Indianapolis since 2008, while another 10 volunteers were sent to work at the Confucius Classroom and Children’s Museum there. All of them have received very favorable feedback from the local students.