Hi! My name is Meagan Seitz-Smith. I am a first year at the University of Virginia. I am currently in Chinese 102. I am interested in this language for various reasons. I intend on entering a career in foreign affairs. Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world, so the ability to speak it will be very useful in my future employment. Another reason my interest was piqued in Chinese is that my sister is Chinese. Her name is Kaolin, she is 7 years old. My dad and step-mom adopted her from China when she was a baby. Up until now, I have lived in the small town of Lebanon, CT, with my mother and grandparents. I had a lot of my family right around me. The only languages offered at my high school were Spanish, French, and Latin, so the ability to study Chinese here was exciting. Learning Chinese here at UVA has allowed me to gain another family of friends. The class is without a doubt a challenge. Learning the characters and pronunciation requires dedication and a lot of time. We have weekly homework, quizzes, language lab hours, and pronounciation tutorials, as well as class 5 days a week. The effort is worth it, though. What results is a thorough learning endeavor. Learning Chinese has been great so far, despite the workload. The professor is extremely capable and personable. I would recommend that anyone who is up for the challenge to take up this highly rewarding experience.