Ritvik – Beijing Update
Sunday, March 25th
Today was busy and intense. After arriving just yesterday, we had to get up at 6:30 and head to the gymnasium for judging. It was quite an interesting experience, and much different from scientific competitions held in the US. Everything was more relaxed, and competitors were often on their phones, listening to music, or wandering when there were no judges. In my time wandering, I was able to meet a student from South Africa, the Australian delegation, and the Israel delegation. I found out that one of the members of Israel lived in the US for some time, in the same town I was born in! Through the judging process, I talked to a guest judge from the State University of New York who enjoyed my talk so much he asked for my contact information. I am really excited to here from him later!
After the competition, we spent some time exploring the UCAS campus that we are staying at. We visited the store so Elizabeth could buy some junk food, and went to bed a little early because we were so tired.
Monday, March 26th
Today was especially interesting, because it was the day for the public to view our projects. I saw lots of young Chinese students interested in science. The day was especially challenging because many of the students and visitors had some knowledge of English, but they were not completely fluent. This meant I had to break my research down to kindergarten vocabulary, which was incredibly challenging. However, I really enjoyed seeing all these people who wanted to know what my research was about, despite the obvious language barrier.
After the exhibition, we ate lunch with the Australian delegation and went exploring with them for some time. We shared the stereotypes we had of each others’ countries and verified or denied their accuracy. We also introduced each other to some of our slang—they call a toilet, the dunny. Overall, it was an exciting day, and I attached a picture of us in the masks we made in the interactive sessions.