“I was asked to put together a little report on what we’ve done so far our first week in China. Sorry if this goes on long or is a little scattered-about. That being said, here’s the first week in review:
When you last saw us, we departed for security. The checkpoint was rather uneventful, and we made it to the gate with little consequence. We had some polite conversation and tried to get to know each other a bit. Before we knew it, it was time to board the plane. We were mostly in the same area. Everyone was within a couple seats to a couple people.
The group's first official meeting at O'hare.
The flight went much like you would imagine a 14 hour flight to go. There was plenty of entertainment available through the television monitors found conveniently on the back of every seat, but it still wasn’t exactly what any of us would describe as a pleasant experience. Especially those of us who had to fly with a drink in our laps, due to a certain student’s clumsy exit from the row. Once we landed, everything went according to plan. Professor Lin was waiting for us when we got our bags, we took a nice ~3 hour bus ride to Hangzhou and enjoyed a lovely meal before heading off to bed.
The first thing that really hit me, before any kind of culture shock was just the jet lag. I’ve never taken such a long trip before and wanting to go to bed at 7:00 was certainly not something I am used to (Though I’m sure some parents will understand. ;)) The waking up at 5:30 part was pretty nice. It felt like there was so much time for things in the morning! The first couple days all went the same way. We’d get up, get ready, go do stuff with Lin (usually including some free meals) and then have time to ourselves. Many of our number chose to go out and explore the city, while the more timid of us were content to practice our language skills and get to know the university campus.
For a little less than a week, we’ve been working with some language tutors to improve (or for three of us, start) our Chinese. These tutors are students studying teaching Chinese as a second language, so it works out well for both parties. I have limited experience with the other tutors, but ours is named Xiaoping or Nancy. She is very nice, and has been incredibly helpful for my studies. We are taking the placement test tomorrow, so more information on how people do will be revealed in the next mailing.
Stepping away from Academics for a bit, last weekend we went on a couple of fun trips. First, we visited the waterfront of Hangzhou and saw the Canal Museum and the Museum of Swords, Knives, and Scissors. I thought both were very interesting, but I also love museums in general. Everyone seemed to be having fun though. At the end of the day, many of our number rode around in inflatable go-karts baring the likeness of various cartoon characters. They’re designed for children, but college students are certainly a strange breed. Several of the business majors want to bring them to America.
Visiting the busy city of Shanghai!
Then on Sunday we traveled to Shanghai via high speed train. It’s quite an experience. It was my first time on a train and the experience was great. In Shanghai, we visited the birthplace of the Communist Party. It was really a unique experience. In China, this is akin to seeing Independence Hall, except no one knew the story. There’s so much history we’ve never heard about… After that we broke up for shopping and exploration.
I was told that this doesn’t have to be a novel, so I’m cutting it off now. Everyone is fine and having a great time!” -Mac
