PiA Fellow Facebook

Jeremy Blum is an East Asian Studies major from Princeton University who succeeded in learning how to speak poor Chinese and Japanese over the last four years. He is hoping that his upcoming year-long excursion as a teacher in Taichung, Taiwan will boost his Mandarin ability into the stratosphere, but somehow doubts it. In his spare time, he enjoys rapping, breakdancing, sneaking around all the corners of East Asia, and finding new and exciting ways to not sleep. He also likes Mountain Dew and was really happy when he found it in China.

Kerry Brodziak graduated from Bowdoin College in 2008 with a degree in Psychology.  For the past two years, she has put this hard earned degree to good use by filing, entering data, scheduling patient visits, and completing a plentitude of other glorious administrative duties.  Thus, Kerry is looking forward to moving to the Land of Smiles where she hopes to be surrounded by laughter and enthusiasm in the classroom.  Outside of the classroom, she plans on biking in the beautiful countryside around Chiang Rai, gorging herself on Thai curry and mangoes and sticky rice, becoming the dare-devil she's always wanted to be by scooting around the city on a motor bike, basking in the hot, humid weather, and remembering that life is good.

Tim Calder is graduating from Dartmouth College, having majored in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and minored in Environmental Studies! Good thing he is headed to Singapore, where the official language is English and the streets are 'clean and green'! Alas! There is so much he has yet to learn! He will start by reading the biography of Lee Kuan Yew on the plane ride over and putting lah! at the end of all his sentences lah! He also plans on traveling to a small fishing village near you! Get excited!

After graduating from Colgate University with a degree in Sociology and Classical Studies, Taryn realized that she didn’t exactly pick the most useful of majors. In order to compensate for this she moved to Changsha, China in an attempt to add Mandarin to her list of skills. While teaching elementary and middle school English for two years Taryn did indeed improve and excel in Mandarin. However this improvement in Chinese language came at the expense of her English vocabulary. Her English vocabulary is now equivalent to that of a Chinese middle school student.  Taryn is excited to continue to lose her ability to speak English as she tries out speaking Tetum in Timor-Leste next year. Trading in her land locked and polluted city of Changsha for the tropical seaside scenery of Timor-Leste is just an added bonus.