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Spring 2010
Posted by Matthew Corcoran on 2/1/2011
Maia
I think one of the most unexpected things was how crazy the driving here is. I had been warned about how the cars don't stop, but no warning can prepare you for your first trip across the street. It feels like a game of frogger, but with much higher stakes. Mi Wa explained to me that the cars don't stop because there are so many people here. Stopping would take forever. This made sense upon later reflection, but when I was actually crossing the street for the first time it just felt like chaos. I constantly had to remind myself that I wasn't in Newton and people don't stop for you in Beijing. Any temporary break from this mindset and I would find myself what seemed like inches away from getting hit. The constant honking also took some getting used to. Fortunately, I think I am getting used to the traffic here. The best strategy seems to be following whoever I am with across the street.
Mike
Upon my arrival I have learned that school is extremely different. I assume that it wasn’t too different from my own schooling, but I soon found out that that it is extraordinarily different. We wake up early and make sure to not be late; once we rush into the classroom we have our morning announcements from the teacher. Shortly thereafter we are rushed out the door for morning exercises. Now I expected some jumping jack and touching my toes, not military training. We stand in an absolutely perfect grid staring straight forward all standing in the same position. We learned how to march in perfect unity and do everything exactly the same and at exactly the same time as everyone else. I also find it comical and extremely different how the students are enrolled in communist youth. At home my mom will sign me up for little league or soccer when I was at the age of not making my own decisions, but these kids are signed up to be young communists and learn its ideals and how to live a s a good communist. It’s like boy scouts with the little ascots, but could also be interoperated as brainwashing immature children.
Then we return to class and the teacher of our first class walks in, once again in perfect unity we all stand up abruptly and bow to him and say lao shi hao hello teacher before class begins, although only a small difference it shows true discipline, although the students can be more rowdy and loud than the students at home, they know when it’s time to do work and be serious, even the class clowns are straight A students. Also in P.E. class I find the hints of sexism a little funny, while the boys sprint laps, the girls jog in place, and while we are heaving heavy medicine balls, they are having the girls move only their arms in a circular motion, clearly stating that the Chinese school system believes girls are a weaker sex and should not exert as much energy on exercise.
At the end of the day it may be time for me to leave, but not for most students, they must stay in more classes and work very late. They have massive amounts of homework and during the week have no time to their selves. Then even on the weekends they must attend classes, it must be a very stressful way to live day to day, but nonetheless they work 3 times as hard as most Americans and complain much less.
School so far had been a great experience, it is very interesting and different in ways I like a lot and different in ways that I may not like. But I am really enjoying myself in school and have made many Chinese friends.
Mike
Life is drastically different from big city to yangshuo countryside, small villages relying on animals for farming and big capitalist buisnessmen making millions in big citys... also everywhere ive been brandnames are plastered across peoples backs and storefromts. in chengdu i never thought id see a walking only street with thousands of people and multiple stores of high end names like gucci louis v armani and more... its come as quite a shock that in a country where a bottle of water costs the us equivalent of 10 cents that your ordinary joe will pay 200 dollars for a jacket to fit in with the style... but on another note china has been shocking but at the same time very similar to us, just a bit harder to understand. in my family there really hasn’t been anything that is so outrageuosly diff to really catch my attention other than food. my host bro plays sports vid games and watched tv, he makes time for fun like my friends and i do. chinas been great and i look 4ward to the next 3 months, sorry the emails a bit messed up but its late and im bout to pass out.....
Celina Chan
Discovering Something about myself
As you already know, I am an Asian American female living in the United States. Participating in this exchange trip, I was hoping to discover something about myself. Perhaps I was looking for a sense of belonging or discovery about who I am as an Asian American. What is my role?
In the United States, I did not always belong. As a child I would frequently question my ethnicity. What was it about me that sometimes made the other kids stray away? Why did my family not go through the habits and routines my Caucasian friends took part in? Deep inside I believed that going to China would be a way of somehow finding a place where I belonged. Perhaps seeing millions and millions of people who looked like me would ease my mind. I was wrong. I do not belong here either. I found that I would try very hard to associate myself with the Americans when I am at school, or walking with the other members of the group; proudly speaking English as I watched the men and women on the street stare. However, I also found myself siding with the Chinese. Whenever a classmate would talk about a strange Chinese tradition or a strange food they ate, I would often reply “Oh, I eat that at home all the time”, hoping to hear the reply: “Well that’s because you’re Chinese”. This constant tug-of-war that I had within myself caused me to take a step back and analyze myself. What was I? Who was I? Do I side with the Americans or the Asians? After one short month of living here I have come to realize that I am simply both. I am Asian and American. Of course, I knew that all along, but this realization was something different. My eyes where suddenly opened and I saw that I did not need to choose a side. I represent both; A wonderful mixture between two beautiful cultures that are still striving to understand each other. Together, both cultures create me, and without the other I would cease to be who I am today. I needed to be proud of both sides- always careful not to reject one or the other. I am simply the example. I can show Asians a piece of what American culture is like, and I can show Americans a side of the Asian culture. However, there is also a third side. I can also be an example to other Asian Americans that also struggle with this identity problem. There should not be a conflict concerning the sides that create someone when the gift of who they are can be seen right in front of them. I am proud and happy to say that I am an Asian American, and I wouldn’t trade that for all the dollars or Yuan in the world.
Maia
This trip has allowed me to grow in many ways. I have already learned so many things in this new culture and am just getting started. I have learned to become a lot more flexible both physically and mentally, respectful of authority, patient, and open-minded.
Although I was hardly the controlling type at home, after a few weeks in Beijing I have really learned how to go with the flow. At home I would often argue with my parents about many things: meals, allowance, my schedule etc… A typical disagreement about my curfew would often end with me, in the late hours of the night, returning home victoriously from a friend’s house. Here such arguments are unthinkable and so is staying out late. Although I often wish to argue with my parents about my curfew I know that this would be in bad taste and work hard to keep with Chinese tradition. As much as I want to see my friends I know it is important to keep with Chinese customs. The tolerance I have obtained for foods here is something I am proud of. I used to be a picky eater but have managed to eat whatever has been given to me, save for some preserved eggs, which I just could not handle. I have applied the same easygoing attitude to the activities that have been planned for me. I am always willing to try something new and am flexible about sudden changes. I am used to being able to choose some of the things I do but have learned that allowing others to decide often leads to just as much of a good time.
I have also tried things that I would never do in America. I had no interest in becoming flexible back home and avoided all stretches to increase flexibility at all costs. During our warm ups for our dance practice we do many of these exercises. Instead of shrinking away I do my best to complete them. I have learned that even if something does not interest you it can still be a fun and unique opportunity. This is the same feeling I have for dancing. I rather detest dancing and would never be caught at a dance class in America. In China, I have discovered it to be a great way to meet people and socialize despite the seriousness of the rehearsals. I think I have learned to be even more patient than I previously was, but I am most proud of learning to think positively. Whatever situation gets me down, I am able to remind myself where I am and how lucky I am to be here and nothing can seem terrible anymore. Overall, I would say I have learned some very valuable skills that will help me throughout life.
Tony La
Everybody knows that stuff in China is much cheaper than stuff in America, but how cheap is it actually? Well first of all, the current exchange rate is 6.8 yuan per USD. Yesterday morning I found myself really thirst so we went to a supermarket across the street from the hotel. I bought a can of apple soda for 1.9 yuan which is around $0.27. I also saw a 3 pack of water bottles, each containing 1.5 liters of water, for only around $1. Gatorade was only around $0.50 for a bottle.
Yesterday, after we saw the cute little pandas (more on that later), we headed down to a huge shopping street that had the likeness of Tokyo or any other bustling shopping center. There was neon everywhere and huge billboards that towered over everybody. The size and level activity there was my image of what China would be like before I actually came here. Our tour guide Cindy let us walk around the city for a couple of hours before we ate dinner so there was plenty of time to explore.
One of the first things I noticed was that there were so many of the same store strewn throughout the streets. There were a few Nike stores, a few Nokia stores, a few Adidas stores and even a couple of Converse stores. Even though everything else is much cheaper in China, shoes are one of the few exceptions. Shoes in China can cost up to $40 more than they do in the US.
There were 3 highlights/traumas during out short excursion in the city. The first was when I was walking down the street, casually, and I saw this man holding his daughter up. Normal? Yes. Then I noticed that the man was holding the girl over a sewage lid. Then I noticed that the little girl was peeing, literally, in the middle of the street. After the initial shock, I shrugged it off since I noticed that nobody else even raised an eyebrow to a little girl just taking a piss in the middle of a huge and busy road, where cars were trying to pass.
The second thing was a huge shopping mall. This mall is unlike anything I have ever seen. There were probably ten thousand people in a single building trying to get through the crowds and into the little stores. This was definitely the place where you could get robbed at any moment. The shopkeepers were very aggressive when trying to pull in customers. They would either shout directly at a target or latch on and drag him directly into the store. It was also 12 floors high, one of which was a food court.
The third thing was this store called Kobron (I’m thinking Kobe + Lebron) that sold a bunch of bootlegged versions of expensive clothing under their own brand. The stuff there looked really good and only cost a few hundred yuan at the most ($30-$50). This was the first time that I noticed something extremely awkward about shopping in China: immediately going into the store, a salesperson will lock on to you and follow you throughout the entire trip. They aren’t just silent either, if you show any sliver of interest in an item, they will list all of its details and urge you to buy it.
That was also the first day I bargained in China as well. It was after we visited our first monastery and decided to go to the nearby market. All of the vendors were selling essentially the same thing for different prices (a crossbow for $3 in one place and $4 in another). John was wondering if they offered different initial prices for Westerners and Chinese so we put this to the test and found out that either they gave the same price to everyone or I am way to Western. So my first bargaining battle started when Ms. Sargent wanted to buy a small Chinese minority doll. The initial price was 28 yuan, already a good deal at around $4. But of course that lady selling it to us only got it for a couple of yuan so we had to bargain it down. I first offered a low 15 yuan to establish dominance over the negotiation but it was shot down immediately. I worked up to 20 but the lady insisted that 25 was as low as she could go and that her family will starve tonight if I go lower (lies). I got it down to 22 after a minute but I was stuck after. Embarrassingly enough Cindy, the tour guide, had to cut in and use the local dialect to win the merchant over and get it down to 20 yuan. A bit disappointing, but that was my day.
Antoine
Something Surprising
I’ve encountered many strange things since I first landed in China back on the first of February. Now, having been here 35 days out of the 120, I can certainly say that I’ve experienced more culinary strangeness in these 35 days than I have my entire life. Sea Cucumber turned out to be like eating pure seawater, Shark-fin Soup tasted just like egg-drop soup, black-fungus had a weird texture to it and meat tends to be on the dark-brown side of cooked here. However, excluding these extreme exceptions the food in China has been mostly exactly what I had expected when I went into this trip.
However, I have found that this general rule definitely cannot be applied to everything. In fact, for certain types of foods, namely types of meat, western concepts are challenged in every dish. Looking through the menu, it is easy to notice that certain types of meat that grace the tables of good restaurants in Beijing would most definitely not be found in the United States in any restaurant. Donkey meat, toad meat and frog meat often pop up as you flip through the menus in China. In addition, various types of organs are also popular in China, especially duck hearts and stomachs and goose liver. Granted, the latter is found in high-end French restaurants, but disguised under the protective name of foie gras.
As I looked at my first plate of meat here in China, I noticed that something was frankly off. From my past experience, and my western preconceptions of what food should look like, I knew that the meat here was different. It is a given in the United States that a steak, for example, should be lean, and various shades pink depending on your taste.
In China, the idea of a lean, pink steak would most likely strike people as completely ridiculous. A few days ago, we were taken to a restaurant the Miles had told me was the best in Beijing by the school. As an appetizer, we were served a gigantic slab of steak-like substance. It looked like a steak, but the second you broke the outside covering and looked inside it was certainly not a western steak.
My knife slipped into what looked like a dark-gray abyss. I was at first worried that the steak had been a bit overcooked. Unfortunately for me, it wasn’t the end of the surprise for me. As I finished slicing, I noticed that the steak in question had not only been cooked so much it had turned the dull-gray color of sweatshirt, but it also must have consisted of about 50% fat. I immediately abandoned the thought of eating it after having had my first bite.
Looking back, I should have expected this when I first saw that they were serving us steak. I had previously noticed that meat in China was always accompanied by a slab of fat or thick skin. I had even been served a plate of just fat. However, this surprised me more than anything else in Chinese cuisine. Even though I have now learned that fat shows that someone is wealthy, I have still not gotten over the fact that people would honestly want to eat a plate of fat. Perhaps it is just western preconceptions that keeps me from enjoying a slab of fat.
Celina
Well, what I have to say was the highlight/puzzling/incomprehensible/unexpected part of my trip was when we went up to Mt. Emei and Tony was bitten by a monkey and I was scratched by one. We went to the doctor right on the mountain and he gave us a shot right away. After that Tony was carried down the mountain (because his injury was more severe than mine). We went to another clinic that day where we got another shot and had our wounds examined. Then afterwards, we went to another hospital where the doctor there prescribed each of us some medicine. He also cleaned our wounds. I was very shocked to find out that seeing the doctor for a check up costs around .75 cents (US). The next time we went to a hospital we got 7 doses of a direct immunity shot. Those doses where split up into three shots. We got two in the hip area. The last one we got directly in our wound. I would have to say that that shot was the most painful thing I have ever experienced because he pushed the needle in very deep. After much pain and limping we got a taxi back to the hotel. In Guilin, we got another shot (on the arm which was painless). In the next couple weeks Tony and I will need to get 3 more shots. This experience was very interesting and made my trip to Chengdu very memorable. I do not know how I feel about monkeys at this point but I don't plan on encountering another one any time soon.
Michelle
Something I learned in China
So far I have learned more than just one thing in China. To sum up everything, I have found that what Boston has taught me is completely wrong. I cannot trust a single street skill that I have learned before coming to Beijing. Pedestrians do not have the right away, but there are no sidewalks to walk safely on. Cars are allowed to do what they please and seatbelts are not mandatory. Sidewalks act as parking lots or a side street. Although streets are cleaned religiously by people who are paid far below minimum wage, no one throws their trash in trash barrels, everyone litters. Even if tap water does contain certain minerals and fluoride which can improve your teeth, you should always stick to bottled drinks. Cold drinks are the cause of sickness and everything “cold” is lukewarm. Females are incapable of doing anything physical, especially anything that has to do with sports. Males are always dominant and are always right. Sexism is a way of life; this is taught in the school system. Things are cheaper in China, but the quality of most items is poor. What I see and would be known as torture to the people of the United States is seen everywhere and endured by children. I too have suffered. To be perfect, one must always act in line, ready to march in the military. There is no such thing as just a mistake. Once you’re wrong, you’re out of the game.
Besides all of that useless information that I have conjured up, China has taught me how to live in a city. How to travel by taxi, bus, and subway has become a daily routine in my stay here. I have learned how to bargain and to divide numbers by six and seven while shopping. I continue to be part of the abnormal description of a Chinese female. I play sports, and have slowly to become better at basketball, from not even touching one since I was in the single digits. When Maia, Celina, Emily, and I play we seek other males to play with us because there are barely any females seen on the courts. We act as fools, and do not care about what they were taught, we show the students that females can do something; we have all become feminists in different ways.
As I continue to learn from people in China I realize how different two countries can be, even if we might have a friendship and connection between two schools that is the only thing that’s similar. The style of learning, culture, and family are all different. Students solely learn how to memorize and practice the same thing over and over, without taking a chance to be imaginative and creating their own thoughts. Within their culture they believe in always studying and respecting and obeying parents at all times, but although those aspects of their culture may seem great students always end up relying on their parents too much. It is only when they find their own job and have their own family is when their parents retire, and then rely on their child to support them. China’s society is formed by military ways, and to watch these children learn to create and stand in straight lines and wearing the same uniform is something that I would never want to have to go through for more than these four months.
Emily
Something Surprising
I've read books about China's development, talked with the Chinese about China's development, and witnessed China's development right before my own eyes. But one aspect of society that is not developing as quickly as the rest is public safety. The other day I had a question stuck in my head that just about sums up my confusion regarding china's public safety . How can a country strive to develop economically without simultaneously improving the public safety situation of it's people? On this topic I will clarify. When I refer to public safety I am referring to three things I know of well: traffic safety, wild animal safety, and water safety. The facts that in China stepping into a street without looking is often a fatal decision, wild monkeys who sometimes ravage human appendages can be seen up close without separating barriers, and drinking water from the tap is hazardous all greatly concern me. I am of the personal opinion that even if China rises economically above the rest of the world, it will not be viewed with the highest amount of potential respect by other nations because of its safety issues.
Maybe they aren't really public safety issues, but instead cultural differences. I am of course defining safety in a very American way. Maybe because of the absurd airport security, stringent traffic laws, and Purell- obsessed people that define our existence, I am used to an outrageous amount of safety in my life. I don't miss many things about America as much I miss the authority of a walk sign. It means that pedestrians can most likely have the right of way and cross the road safely, without the imminent threat of oncoming traffic. I think that if China were to have a authoritative walk signal,among other (possibly more important...) public safety improvements this country would be headed in the direction of being a western-like super power. I know that the more fastidious Chinese communist leaders claim they don't want to be a western-like super power, but I really don't see any way around it, or adapting to western safety standards if China wants to rise in the eyes of other world powers.
I think one of the most unexpected things was how crazy the driving here is. I had been warned about how the cars don't stop, but no warning can prepare you for your first trip across the street. It feels like a game of frogger, but with much higher stakes. Mi Wa explained to me that the cars don't stop because there are so many people here. Stopping would take forever. This made sense upon later reflection, but when I was actually crossing the street for the first time it just felt like chaos. I constantly had to remind myself that I wasn't in Newton and people don't stop for you in Beijing. Any temporary break from this mindset and I would find myself what seemed like inches away from getting hit. The constant honking also took some getting used to. Fortunately, I think I am getting used to the traffic here. The best strategy seems to be following whoever I am with across the street.
Mike
Upon my arrival I have learned that school is extremely different. I assume that it wasn’t too different from my own schooling, but I soon found out that that it is extraordinarily different. We wake up early and make sure to not be late; once we rush into the classroom we have our morning announcements from the teacher. Shortly thereafter we are rushed out the door for morning exercises. Now I expected some jumping jack and touching my toes, not military training. We stand in an absolutely perfect grid staring straight forward all standing in the same position. We learned how to march in perfect unity and do everything exactly the same and at exactly the same time as everyone else. I also find it comical and extremely different how the students are enrolled in communist youth. At home my mom will sign me up for little league or soccer when I was at the age of not making my own decisions, but these kids are signed up to be young communists and learn its ideals and how to live a s a good communist. It’s like boy scouts with the little ascots, but could also be interoperated as brainwashing immature children.
Then we return to class and the teacher of our first class walks in, once again in perfect unity we all stand up abruptly and bow to him and say lao shi hao hello teacher before class begins, although only a small difference it shows true discipline, although the students can be more rowdy and loud than the students at home, they know when it’s time to do work and be serious, even the class clowns are straight A students. Also in P.E. class I find the hints of sexism a little funny, while the boys sprint laps, the girls jog in place, and while we are heaving heavy medicine balls, they are having the girls move only their arms in a circular motion, clearly stating that the Chinese school system believes girls are a weaker sex and should not exert as much energy on exercise.
At the end of the day it may be time for me to leave, but not for most students, they must stay in more classes and work very late. They have massive amounts of homework and during the week have no time to their selves. Then even on the weekends they must attend classes, it must be a very stressful way to live day to day, but nonetheless they work 3 times as hard as most Americans and complain much less.
School so far had been a great experience, it is very interesting and different in ways I like a lot and different in ways that I may not like. But I am really enjoying myself in school and have made many Chinese friends.
Mike
Life is drastically different from big city to yangshuo countryside, small villages relying on animals for farming and big capitalist buisnessmen making millions in big citys... also everywhere ive been brandnames are plastered across peoples backs and storefromts. in chengdu i never thought id see a walking only street with thousands of people and multiple stores of high end names like gucci louis v armani and more... its come as quite a shock that in a country where a bottle of water costs the us equivalent of 10 cents that your ordinary joe will pay 200 dollars for a jacket to fit in with the style... but on another note china has been shocking but at the same time very similar to us, just a bit harder to understand. in my family there really hasn’t been anything that is so outrageuosly diff to really catch my attention other than food. my host bro plays sports vid games and watched tv, he makes time for fun like my friends and i do. chinas been great and i look 4ward to the next 3 months, sorry the emails a bit messed up but its late and im bout to pass out.....
Celina Chan
Discovering Something about myself
As you already know, I am an Asian American female living in the United States. Participating in this exchange trip, I was hoping to discover something about myself. Perhaps I was looking for a sense of belonging or discovery about who I am as an Asian American. What is my role?
In the United States, I did not always belong. As a child I would frequently question my ethnicity. What was it about me that sometimes made the other kids stray away? Why did my family not go through the habits and routines my Caucasian friends took part in? Deep inside I believed that going to China would be a way of somehow finding a place where I belonged. Perhaps seeing millions and millions of people who looked like me would ease my mind. I was wrong. I do not belong here either. I found that I would try very hard to associate myself with the Americans when I am at school, or walking with the other members of the group; proudly speaking English as I watched the men and women on the street stare. However, I also found myself siding with the Chinese. Whenever a classmate would talk about a strange Chinese tradition or a strange food they ate, I would often reply “Oh, I eat that at home all the time”, hoping to hear the reply: “Well that’s because you’re Chinese”. This constant tug-of-war that I had within myself caused me to take a step back and analyze myself. What was I? Who was I? Do I side with the Americans or the Asians? After one short month of living here I have come to realize that I am simply both. I am Asian and American. Of course, I knew that all along, but this realization was something different. My eyes where suddenly opened and I saw that I did not need to choose a side. I represent both; A wonderful mixture between two beautiful cultures that are still striving to understand each other. Together, both cultures create me, and without the other I would cease to be who I am today. I needed to be proud of both sides- always careful not to reject one or the other. I am simply the example. I can show Asians a piece of what American culture is like, and I can show Americans a side of the Asian culture. However, there is also a third side. I can also be an example to other Asian Americans that also struggle with this identity problem. There should not be a conflict concerning the sides that create someone when the gift of who they are can be seen right in front of them. I am proud and happy to say that I am an Asian American, and I wouldn’t trade that for all the dollars or Yuan in the world.
Maia
This trip has allowed me to grow in many ways. I have already learned so many things in this new culture and am just getting started. I have learned to become a lot more flexible both physically and mentally, respectful of authority, patient, and open-minded.
Although I was hardly the controlling type at home, after a few weeks in Beijing I have really learned how to go with the flow. At home I would often argue with my parents about many things: meals, allowance, my schedule etc… A typical disagreement about my curfew would often end with me, in the late hours of the night, returning home victoriously from a friend’s house. Here such arguments are unthinkable and so is staying out late. Although I often wish to argue with my parents about my curfew I know that this would be in bad taste and work hard to keep with Chinese tradition. As much as I want to see my friends I know it is important to keep with Chinese customs. The tolerance I have obtained for foods here is something I am proud of. I used to be a picky eater but have managed to eat whatever has been given to me, save for some preserved eggs, which I just could not handle. I have applied the same easygoing attitude to the activities that have been planned for me. I am always willing to try something new and am flexible about sudden changes. I am used to being able to choose some of the things I do but have learned that allowing others to decide often leads to just as much of a good time.
I have also tried things that I would never do in America. I had no interest in becoming flexible back home and avoided all stretches to increase flexibility at all costs. During our warm ups for our dance practice we do many of these exercises. Instead of shrinking away I do my best to complete them. I have learned that even if something does not interest you it can still be a fun and unique opportunity. This is the same feeling I have for dancing. I rather detest dancing and would never be caught at a dance class in America. In China, I have discovered it to be a great way to meet people and socialize despite the seriousness of the rehearsals. I think I have learned to be even more patient than I previously was, but I am most proud of learning to think positively. Whatever situation gets me down, I am able to remind myself where I am and how lucky I am to be here and nothing can seem terrible anymore. Overall, I would say I have learned some very valuable skills that will help me throughout life.
Tony La
Everybody knows that stuff in China is much cheaper than stuff in America, but how cheap is it actually? Well first of all, the current exchange rate is 6.8 yuan per USD. Yesterday morning I found myself really thirst so we went to a supermarket across the street from the hotel. I bought a can of apple soda for 1.9 yuan which is around $0.27. I also saw a 3 pack of water bottles, each containing 1.5 liters of water, for only around $1. Gatorade was only around $0.50 for a bottle.
Yesterday, after we saw the cute little pandas (more on that later), we headed down to a huge shopping street that had the likeness of Tokyo or any other bustling shopping center. There was neon everywhere and huge billboards that towered over everybody. The size and level activity there was my image of what China would be like before I actually came here. Our tour guide Cindy let us walk around the city for a couple of hours before we ate dinner so there was plenty of time to explore.
One of the first things I noticed was that there were so many of the same store strewn throughout the streets. There were a few Nike stores, a few Nokia stores, a few Adidas stores and even a couple of Converse stores. Even though everything else is much cheaper in China, shoes are one of the few exceptions. Shoes in China can cost up to $40 more than they do in the US.
There were 3 highlights/traumas during out short excursion in the city. The first was when I was walking down the street, casually, and I saw this man holding his daughter up. Normal? Yes. Then I noticed that the man was holding the girl over a sewage lid. Then I noticed that the little girl was peeing, literally, in the middle of the street. After the initial shock, I shrugged it off since I noticed that nobody else even raised an eyebrow to a little girl just taking a piss in the middle of a huge and busy road, where cars were trying to pass.
The second thing was a huge shopping mall. This mall is unlike anything I have ever seen. There were probably ten thousand people in a single building trying to get through the crowds and into the little stores. This was definitely the place where you could get robbed at any moment. The shopkeepers were very aggressive when trying to pull in customers. They would either shout directly at a target or latch on and drag him directly into the store. It was also 12 floors high, one of which was a food court.
The third thing was this store called Kobron (I’m thinking Kobe + Lebron) that sold a bunch of bootlegged versions of expensive clothing under their own brand. The stuff there looked really good and only cost a few hundred yuan at the most ($30-$50). This was the first time that I noticed something extremely awkward about shopping in China: immediately going into the store, a salesperson will lock on to you and follow you throughout the entire trip. They aren’t just silent either, if you show any sliver of interest in an item, they will list all of its details and urge you to buy it.
That was also the first day I bargained in China as well. It was after we visited our first monastery and decided to go to the nearby market. All of the vendors were selling essentially the same thing for different prices (a crossbow for $3 in one place and $4 in another). John was wondering if they offered different initial prices for Westerners and Chinese so we put this to the test and found out that either they gave the same price to everyone or I am way to Western. So my first bargaining battle started when Ms. Sargent wanted to buy a small Chinese minority doll. The initial price was 28 yuan, already a good deal at around $4. But of course that lady selling it to us only got it for a couple of yuan so we had to bargain it down. I first offered a low 15 yuan to establish dominance over the negotiation but it was shot down immediately. I worked up to 20 but the lady insisted that 25 was as low as she could go and that her family will starve tonight if I go lower (lies). I got it down to 22 after a minute but I was stuck after. Embarrassingly enough Cindy, the tour guide, had to cut in and use the local dialect to win the merchant over and get it down to 20 yuan. A bit disappointing, but that was my day.
Antoine
Something Surprising
I’ve encountered many strange things since I first landed in China back on the first of February. Now, having been here 35 days out of the 120, I can certainly say that I’ve experienced more culinary strangeness in these 35 days than I have my entire life. Sea Cucumber turned out to be like eating pure seawater, Shark-fin Soup tasted just like egg-drop soup, black-fungus had a weird texture to it and meat tends to be on the dark-brown side of cooked here. However, excluding these extreme exceptions the food in China has been mostly exactly what I had expected when I went into this trip.
However, I have found that this general rule definitely cannot be applied to everything. In fact, for certain types of foods, namely types of meat, western concepts are challenged in every dish. Looking through the menu, it is easy to notice that certain types of meat that grace the tables of good restaurants in Beijing would most definitely not be found in the United States in any restaurant. Donkey meat, toad meat and frog meat often pop up as you flip through the menus in China. In addition, various types of organs are also popular in China, especially duck hearts and stomachs and goose liver. Granted, the latter is found in high-end French restaurants, but disguised under the protective name of foie gras.
As I looked at my first plate of meat here in China, I noticed that something was frankly off. From my past experience, and my western preconceptions of what food should look like, I knew that the meat here was different. It is a given in the United States that a steak, for example, should be lean, and various shades pink depending on your taste.
In China, the idea of a lean, pink steak would most likely strike people as completely ridiculous. A few days ago, we were taken to a restaurant the Miles had told me was the best in Beijing by the school. As an appetizer, we were served a gigantic slab of steak-like substance. It looked like a steak, but the second you broke the outside covering and looked inside it was certainly not a western steak.
My knife slipped into what looked like a dark-gray abyss. I was at first worried that the steak had been a bit overcooked. Unfortunately for me, it wasn’t the end of the surprise for me. As I finished slicing, I noticed that the steak in question had not only been cooked so much it had turned the dull-gray color of sweatshirt, but it also must have consisted of about 50% fat. I immediately abandoned the thought of eating it after having had my first bite.
Looking back, I should have expected this when I first saw that they were serving us steak. I had previously noticed that meat in China was always accompanied by a slab of fat or thick skin. I had even been served a plate of just fat. However, this surprised me more than anything else in Chinese cuisine. Even though I have now learned that fat shows that someone is wealthy, I have still not gotten over the fact that people would honestly want to eat a plate of fat. Perhaps it is just western preconceptions that keeps me from enjoying a slab of fat.
Celina
Well, what I have to say was the highlight/puzzling/incomprehensible/unexpected part of my trip was when we went up to Mt. Emei and Tony was bitten by a monkey and I was scratched by one. We went to the doctor right on the mountain and he gave us a shot right away. After that Tony was carried down the mountain (because his injury was more severe than mine). We went to another clinic that day where we got another shot and had our wounds examined. Then afterwards, we went to another hospital where the doctor there prescribed each of us some medicine. He also cleaned our wounds. I was very shocked to find out that seeing the doctor for a check up costs around .75 cents (US). The next time we went to a hospital we got 7 doses of a direct immunity shot. Those doses where split up into three shots. We got two in the hip area. The last one we got directly in our wound. I would have to say that that shot was the most painful thing I have ever experienced because he pushed the needle in very deep. After much pain and limping we got a taxi back to the hotel. In Guilin, we got another shot (on the arm which was painless). In the next couple weeks Tony and I will need to get 3 more shots. This experience was very interesting and made my trip to Chengdu very memorable. I do not know how I feel about monkeys at this point but I don't plan on encountering another one any time soon.
Michelle
Something I learned in China
So far I have learned more than just one thing in China. To sum up everything, I have found that what Boston has taught me is completely wrong. I cannot trust a single street skill that I have learned before coming to Beijing. Pedestrians do not have the right away, but there are no sidewalks to walk safely on. Cars are allowed to do what they please and seatbelts are not mandatory. Sidewalks act as parking lots or a side street. Although streets are cleaned religiously by people who are paid far below minimum wage, no one throws their trash in trash barrels, everyone litters. Even if tap water does contain certain minerals and fluoride which can improve your teeth, you should always stick to bottled drinks. Cold drinks are the cause of sickness and everything “cold” is lukewarm. Females are incapable of doing anything physical, especially anything that has to do with sports. Males are always dominant and are always right. Sexism is a way of life; this is taught in the school system. Things are cheaper in China, but the quality of most items is poor. What I see and would be known as torture to the people of the United States is seen everywhere and endured by children. I too have suffered. To be perfect, one must always act in line, ready to march in the military. There is no such thing as just a mistake. Once you’re wrong, you’re out of the game.
Besides all of that useless information that I have conjured up, China has taught me how to live in a city. How to travel by taxi, bus, and subway has become a daily routine in my stay here. I have learned how to bargain and to divide numbers by six and seven while shopping. I continue to be part of the abnormal description of a Chinese female. I play sports, and have slowly to become better at basketball, from not even touching one since I was in the single digits. When Maia, Celina, Emily, and I play we seek other males to play with us because there are barely any females seen on the courts. We act as fools, and do not care about what they were taught, we show the students that females can do something; we have all become feminists in different ways.
As I continue to learn from people in China I realize how different two countries can be, even if we might have a friendship and connection between two schools that is the only thing that’s similar. The style of learning, culture, and family are all different. Students solely learn how to memorize and practice the same thing over and over, without taking a chance to be imaginative and creating their own thoughts. Within their culture they believe in always studying and respecting and obeying parents at all times, but although those aspects of their culture may seem great students always end up relying on their parents too much. It is only when they find their own job and have their own family is when their parents retire, and then rely on their child to support them. China’s society is formed by military ways, and to watch these children learn to create and stand in straight lines and wearing the same uniform is something that I would never want to have to go through for more than these four months.
Emily
Something Surprising
I've read books about China's development, talked with the Chinese about China's development, and witnessed China's development right before my own eyes. But one aspect of society that is not developing as quickly as the rest is public safety. The other day I had a question stuck in my head that just about sums up my confusion regarding china's public safety . How can a country strive to develop economically without simultaneously improving the public safety situation of it's people? On this topic I will clarify. When I refer to public safety I am referring to three things I know of well: traffic safety, wild animal safety, and water safety. The facts that in China stepping into a street without looking is often a fatal decision, wild monkeys who sometimes ravage human appendages can be seen up close without separating barriers, and drinking water from the tap is hazardous all greatly concern me. I am of the personal opinion that even if China rises economically above the rest of the world, it will not be viewed with the highest amount of potential respect by other nations because of its safety issues.
Maybe they aren't really public safety issues, but instead cultural differences. I am of course defining safety in a very American way. Maybe because of the absurd airport security, stringent traffic laws, and Purell- obsessed people that define our existence, I am used to an outrageous amount of safety in my life. I don't miss many things about America as much I miss the authority of a walk sign. It means that pedestrians can most likely have the right of way and cross the road safely, without the imminent threat of oncoming traffic. I think that if China were to have a authoritative walk signal,among other (possibly more important...) public safety improvements this country would be headed in the direction of being a western-like super power. I know that the more fastidious Chinese communist leaders claim they don't want to be a western-like super power, but I really don't see any way around it, or adapting to western safety standards if China wants to rise in the eyes of other world powers.