MET Intl Blogs @ BU - Jen's Blog

My Internship in Boston

5/29/2013

My internship will finish on May 10th. Oh, how time flies! It’s really hard for me to say goodbye to this firm. Since January 16th, I joined Aite group, and worked as a full-time employee. Even though the project I was assigned was a little bit tough for me, I learned a lot from my teammates.

“ We are pleased to offer you an internship with us.” I would never forget that moment when I received the “offer” email from the Aite group HR manager: Jennifer Rizzo. A lot has happened since then, but looking back on my work I can now confidently say that I am a lucky dog to have gotten an internship with the perfect company for me.

My first day at Aite group was hectic since this was the first time I worked with American people using a different language. In the morning Jennifer Rizzo gave me a short orientation to introduce me to everyone and give me a tour of the office. And then I had a meeting to figure out what I would start working on with one of my teammates - Sophie, at least for the next few weeks or so. I received a new laptop with everything set up. The office was so quiet and everyone looked so busy. I just sat in my space and became familiar with my computer. At lunchtime Judy who was in our quantity analysis team thoughtfully called me to have lunch together. We talked a lot. She told me how she loved this company and how nice the people are in this firm.

Since then, I came to work from 9:00am to 5:00pm almost everyday. Our team has some research projects that are related to the Chinese finance market – the most indispensable emerging market around the world. Before I started any project, we would always schedule a meeting to discuss it. You know, as an international students working in my second language, sometimes I felt completely overwhelmed. Sometimes I couldn’t understand some words in the finance world and I even find the Mandarin translation to explain them correctly. But thanks to their patience, they explained my silly questions in detail always with a smile. As I became more comfortable in the workplace, those feelings soon disappeared as I grew confident and became much better at my tasks. The main project to which I contributed was called “Overview of the Chinese Finance Market.” Based on the annual financial reports and the introduction from the “firms securities website,” I created a spreadsheet to record top 25 securities firms in China. I summarized their main business, award, market shares, trading technologies etc. My supervisor not only told me what I need to do, but also taught me the logic of the method. Therefore it was not only an internship, but also a perfect course for me.

My Internship in Boston

5/29/2013

Short Vacation in China

5/10/2013

The taste of home :)

On April 4th, I went back to China for a 10-day vacation. It was the first time I saw my family since last year in August. I missed my mom and dad so much. I was so excited about this trip.

During these 8 months, things changed a lot back home. A new subway line was built to access our university. It used to take us one hour from our campus to downtown, but now it only takes 20 minutes. Almost all my classmates have found their dream job and are prepared to start working after June. They shared with me their tough job hunting experience. My ex-roommate, Qingrui, will work for the Agricultural Bank of China after graduating. She said because of the globalizing economy, it was unbelievably tough to find a job this spring. A lot of Chinese companies and banks are now looking for graduate students, even if the job position is not related to English, HR departments are leaning more to hiring students who have studied abroad or have an American university degree. She was very interested in learning about my BU study abroad experience. She felt I had grown even in the way I conversed with her. She said I was now more professional, and more confident. I would agree with her. By being proficient in a second language to studying and live in a new city for 8 months, I have developed the ability to work at an international level with people from all over the world.

I was finally in the front steps of my house. I couldn’t wait to go inside, but before I even opened the door, the smell of the food my mom had cooked for me reached my nostrils. It was bliss. In Boston, I could buy anything but authentic home cooked food. This applied especially to past, which my hometown Shanxi is well known for. Generally my mom uses wheat flour, sorghum flour or buckwheat to make sliced noodles, noodles in chili sauce, noodles with eggs and tomato sauce, hand rolled noodles, hand-pulled noodles, “cat ear” noodles. The possibilities are endless! Unfortunately, I couldn’t make any of them while in Boston. My favorite is sliced noodles with chili and egg tomato sauce. My mom said she had cooked the sauce herself the day before I came back and finished cooking the noodles just in time for my arrival. They tasted so fresh and soft. I also met with my relatives during my visit and shared my abroad experience with my cousins. One of my cousins called Jack Cheng just started university last September. He’s been a big fan of Celtics and Red Sox since he was little. After listening to what I had to say about Boston, he became even more curious about this sport-rich city. He decided to start working harder on his English in order to go to Boston and enjoy his favorite sports games.

Ten days was too short of a stay with my family. However, after this vacation, I cherish this opportunity to study in Boston University even more. What matters is not just that this experience can open more job opportunities for me in China, but that it changed me from a shy and introverted girl to an outgoing, brave and confident girl ready to take on the future.

This one is steamed corn bread with vegetables.

These two picture is showing how to make “cat ear” noodle.

Two Cities. To Cultures. Both My Homes

5/6/2013

I took a short trip to visit my family back in Beijing after living in Boston for over eight months. I wanted to share with you a little bit about these two cities which I dearly love.

My Experience of the Boston Marathon

5/2/2013

Every corner of the world has been shocked by the terrible and crazy thing that happened last Monday – the Boston Marathon Bombings. Three people died and about 170 were wounded during this shocking horrific attack. Some friends of mine who lived in China were so worried about me and they thought that I would be regretful to live and study in this city. However, it`s not true. The truth is that after marathon bombings, I love this strong city more than before.

· The relationship is much closer than I thought

At 2:50 p.m. on April 15th, I was on the plane from Beijing to New York. I had gone back to China for 10 days to visit my family. Of course, my cell phone was off when this happened because I was on a plane. When I arrived at Newark at 7:30 p.m. and checked my cell phone it wouldn’t stop ringing. All the text messages said the same thing - “Are you OK? Why aren’t you answering the phone? Please call me back if you are all right.” At that time I read the news about the Boston marathon and realized why all my friends were urgently trying to reach me. At that moment, I was so touched. I realized I had a lot of friends in Boston who cared about me; I felt like they were all part of my family.

In addition, I also got tons of emails from my professors, my workmates, and MET international. Last Friday, when I saw Neus, who is an assistant director in MET International, she said to me that after she read the newspapers, she was in shock to hear that three BU students were affected by the bombings and couldn’t wait to reach me and make sure I was OK. My mom heard our talk and smiling, she said to me that even she couldn’t understand English, she could feel that they genuinely cared about me.

A graduate student from China named LU Lingzi was killed during the Boston Marathon Bombing. Last Monday the Boston University community gathered to celebrate the life of LU Lingzi at a memorial service at the George Sherman Union. I didn’t know her before, but I wanted to commemorate her beautiful and short life. Approximately 1,200 people, including a lot of Boston citizens who didn’t know Lingzi, attended this memorial service. Her friends, roommates, professors, cousins and her father told us many stories about Lingzi in tears. At that moment at GSU, I felt as if the 1,200 people were truly united in mourning and honoring this person who was part of our community. I never thought that people who don’t even know each other could be so close like that.

I love this city. It’s just filled with good-hearted people.

One day, a teammate of mine was coming back from lunch and took a picture of a neighbor’s yard. There was a striking banner with two American flags that said ”Stay Strong Boston.” I also notice that all the Boston attire now have one more line - “Boston Strong”. I think every citizen wants to know that we support each other in this experience that we shared and that hope that we will find our peaceful Boston again soon.

This is a T-shirt I bought from Quincy market.

My Apartment at BU

4/16/2013

When I was a high school student, I was a big fan of watching comedies about college life. The most interesting stories would happen in a dorm. When I went away for college, I got to experience living in a dorm with other students for the first time. In China, most college students live with four or six people in a large bedroom. Dorm rooms in China usually have a private bathroom in the room and no kitchen. The picture below shows our dorm for undergraduate students. It’s kind of similar to a studio in Boston.
Boston University offers on-campus apartments for graduate students, which I decided to take advantage of. Compared with the dorm I talked about before, the BU studio I live in is much more spacious and I only have one roommate. The apartment has two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom. It is also located in a very quiet and safe place very close to BU central. It is only a 5-minute walk from Mugar Library and the GSU (one of two student centers). I save a lot of time not having to take the T (the Boston subway).

If you asked me which one I like more, the dorm in China or the apartment in BU, my answer would be both. Although the dorm is small and simple, my roommates and I still manage to have a lot there. For instance, we usually celebrated each other’s birthdays in the dorm, watch movies during the holidays, play poker for fun and of course study for final exams together. We even play Ping-Pong by using a big table in this dorm. Hard to believe, I know, but how amazing is that?! ^-^. Living in the on campus apartment at BU, I have more private space with a queen-sized bed and a laundry room. I can cook whenever I want and whatever food I like. I guess you could say it’s more like a real home for an international graduate student.

My Roommate-Jiin

4/16/2013

There is a very famous TV comedy called Big Bang Theory in the US and I am a big fan of it. I really like the character Shelton because he is cute and smart but weird. However, if he were my roommate, I would hate him for his complicated roommate agreements. Roommates can have a very big influence on each other’s lifestyles. As you may know, roommates can turn into your best friend or your worst enemy. I have been so lucky that my roommate has become a good friend.

My roommate called Jiin is a very easygoing and sweet Korean girl. I met her last semester; she was very outgoing and friendly. After living together for a semester, we’ve developed some great habits together, such as cooking dinner with both Chinese and Korean food, communicating in English to practice our English, learning about each other’s culture, and hanging out during the weekend for shopping or doing some kind of sporting activity together.

Cooking dinner together

This picture shows our breakfast this past Sunday. Jiin fried the rice with spam and kimchi, which is the most popular food in Korea. Jiin told me that most Korean people cannot live without kimchi. They put it in everything; they can cook it with rice, add it to soup, or serve it with Korean ramen. To be honest, it was so yummy！！

Improving our English skills

In addition to learning professional knowledge, improving language skills is another important task for international students from non-English speaking countries. Jiin and I try to do this by discussing our daily life everyday, like how classes are going and anything funny that might have happened that day. When there is a sentence we don’t know how to express, we usually check the dictionary or Google it to find the right words. Sometimes we correct each other’s pronunciation when we find it sounds weird. I practice my English skills almost every minute except while I’m sleeping. It has been very useful for me. Besides, talking to my roommate could double the happiness and lessen the sadness.

Learning about Korean/Chinese culture

The best way to learn about a foreign culture is to make a friend from that country. Jiin is my first Korean friend. During our conversation，I found that China and Korea have some similarities in their cultures, for example, our lunar new year day is the same day and a standard Korean ID includes the person’s Chinese name on it. Jiin explained to me that sometimes, Two Korean words have the same spelling and pronunciation; Korean people use Chinese to explain and distinguish the meaning behind them. In addition, it’s a really good opportunity to learn some Korean phrases. From what I know, Korea is a country of courtesy and propriety. As Jiin told me, when young people talked to elder people, they have to use a Korean syntactic category, which is always the difficult for me.

Boston University ranks ninth in the nation in the number international students, with more than 5,200. At the first, I was a little nervous to live with people who came from different countries since we have different living habits. However, I was totally wrong to feel this way. Believe me, I have a lot of fun living with my Korean roommate. Thanks to this certificate program, I entered a small international arena to learn from different people from different countries.

Legal Issues Class - Hard Yet Rewarding

4/16/2013

Last Sunday, I had the final exam for my Legal Issues in the Financial Industry class. I got an –A for the course, and I am so proud of myself. This course is very special in many ways: special attending time, special assignments, and special professors.

We attended class during the weekend, since the professors were full-time employee in PwC during weekdays. I promise it was the toughest course I ever had – 9:00am – 4:00 pm classes every Saturday and Sunday, four hundred pages of reading materials, and heated case discussion for which you really had to prepare. To be honest, the reading materials were very hard to understand and the US legal system was quite different from China. I would have to do a lot of basic research on the US legal system before class. This course focused on the legal and regulatory landscape governing the financial industry in the United States. It not only covered traditional regulatory areas such as the issuance of securities and investment fraud, but also some current ”hot topics” in the regulatory environment (e.g., Dodd-Frank, Volcker Rule, CFTC registration requirements). I said “special professors” before, because it was the first time there were two professors – Fontes and Nullet – present during the lecture together. They were both members of PricewaterhouseCoopers’(PwC) Financial Services Regulatory Consulting Group. They have tons of practical experience about these topics. As a result, what we learn was very useful for my future job. You can’t imagine how intense the discussion would be during the class when students and both professors would have different opinions about the cases. But I learned a lot from these discussion. I found that there was no “right” or “wrong” answers to any of the foregoing questions. What is most important about arriving at the (arguably) best possible answers is the process whereby one arrives at such an answers. That is the most important part I learned from this class.

I first picked this course just because I could finish it early on in the semester. I thought it would be dull and boring, because I had already taken a legal class in China, and the instructor just read every single rule and some background information to us. However, I found out how interesting each rule is when I debated with my classmates. After discussion, every boring rule left a huge impression on me. I would never forget it in the future. I must say that the American university system is still the best in the world. It helps every student including me to develop confidence, initiative, commitment and active learning -- all qualities that are cherished by our Chinese higher institutions.

Red Sox Opening Day

4/16/2013

April 1st was a big day for Red Sox fans – Opening Day 2013! During lunchtime, the building where I intern (101 Arch St.) celebrated Red Sox Opening Day for this season by serving free hotdogs, ice cream (Red Sox Slush) and snacks for the people who worked in this building. Even though I am not a big fan of baseball, I know it definitely means a lot for every Boston citizen and other baseball fans from all over the world. How lucky am I!?

Tons of People Celebrate Opening Day

The lobby crowded with people standing in front of the big screen, getting ready to watch the opening game. At first, I wasn’t sure what was going on. I walked in the lobby after picking up my lunch and was shocked by the lively scene. I asked someone wearing a Red Sox T-shirt what was going on. He explained to me that watching the Red Sox opening game was a tradition in the building that had been started five years ago.

Baseball Player Ice Sculpture

This was the second time I got to see ice sculptures in Boston. My first ice-sculpture experience was on New Year’s Eve at Copley. It looked like a real player who was ready to hit the ball.

Traditional Food For A Baseball Game

Red Sox fans cannot enjoy the baseball game without hotdogs, peanuts, and ice cream. Even though I had already eaten, it looked so yummy, I had to try some. It tasted the same as the food served outside of Fenway Park. However, this time, it was all free! For anyone reading this, don’t miss opening day next year at the 101 Arch St. office building.

Wally - The Green Monster

I took a picture with Wally! It was the most exciting thing of the day. Wally, the green monster, is the official Boston Red Sox mascot. Wally is a nickname for the 37-foot 6-inch wall in left field at Fenway Park. I saw Wally for the first time last year, when I went to Fenway Park for a baseball game, but he was so far away from my seat. Someone told me the mascot at the office was the same Wally that attends the games at Fenway. How could I miss this great opportunity to take picture with him! He was so cute!

Visiting the Museum of Fine Arts

4/16/2013

Last week, I received an invitation from BU MET International to lunch and a visit to the Museum of Fine Arts. I really wanted to go even though I have been there many times, but because of my internship, I couldn’t. The Museum of Fine Arts is the place that you should never miss if you visit Boston. Especially because it is always free for BU students. Last semester, I went there with Anna, one of my German friends, for an amazing photography exhibition. Today, I want to share my amazing experience with you.

Mario Testino Photography Exhibition

This photography show is different from others: most figures pictured are all terribly famous people, like Madonna, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Aniston, Angelina Jolie, and so on. There were also pictures of a lot of famous models. My friend Anna could name most of them and told me a lot were from Germany. They were so gorgeous! All the pictures were taken during the last 20 years mostly in New York and Los Angels. Standing in front of these huge pictures was quite a contrast to what we always saw on the website. I felt as if I was taking part in a real fashion show. Amazing!

Other Exhibitions at the MFA

Museum of fine art is the biggest art gallery in Boston, but it was not until I visited the place that I found it really worthy of its reputation. Anna had come here twice before and yet, she still hadn’t gotten around to the other exhibitions we visited that day.

Art works are displayed by different categories. There were rooms for instruments, jewelry, and furniture from pretty much every continent. The part I loved the most was the American history exhibition. I liked to linger and see how bedrooms, dinning rooms used to be, and how Europeans furnished their homes when they first began settling in America. If I had to choose between all the Chinese exhibitions and museums I’ve been to in the US, I’d have to say I like this one the best. They decorate each room very realistically. For example, in the American history part, I felt like I had taken a time machine back to the 1700s. I could imagine how Americans’ life was, the freedom and wealth in an independent US.