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Danielle CP#3

On February 13th I met with Ran at CIES for our third conversation partner meeting. We talked for a while about many different topics. She gave me a brief overview of her week and the tests that she took and how relieved she felt to be done with them. I started asking her about the differences between the grading system (and the school system in general) in China and the U.S. She said academics are more stressed in China, and although they don’t give out letter grades, the grading system is very similar. They take the average percentage across all your grades to give you your one final, all-inclusive percentage. She explained to me how people seem less busy in America, that they have more time to care about the environment and nature. In China life is very fast paced. I asked her about global warming and the pollution in China. She said over the winter months they must wear masks from all the smog and pollution. Ran said she gets a cough when she’s in China, and the air in U.S. is noticeably cleaner. I was aghast after hearing this. I told her environmental activism is pretty important here, especially among young people, and it is important for me to reduce the amount of emissions and waste I produce. She said she cares, but also doesn’t think one person can make a difference. It was a very interesting talk we had about these issues!

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