Saturday, June 29, 2013

Day 12 – Comforts from home


Today was a fun day.  Folks were craving an American style breakfast, and I knew just the place to suggest they go.  The 2012 group found a place called “Grandmas Kitchen” and they suggested that we try it since they serve American fare.  The 2013 was more than happy to oblige.  About 12:00pm we all met in one of the dorm rooms to discuss the plan to get there.  Actually, I wasn’t planning on going, but since the experience yesterday with the Olympic Park was so frustrating for everyone, I decided I’d better go to make sure they have a good experience finding the place.  Good thing we have a map-wizard on our trip with us because he found Grandmas Kitchen with nary an issue.  Now all the students are familiar with how to get there so they can go back at will. 

After we finished our lunch we headed to both Starbucks for another slice of home, and to a Dairy Queen so that a few could partake.  With very full bellies and high spirits we headed back to campus.

At around 6:15pm the group headed to meet Jeremiah (if you’re just joining this blog, Jeremiah is a student from the 2011 trip who loved Beijing so much that he returned as a teacher) at a German restaurant where he had called ahead for a reservation.  The group was giddy with excitement as they poured over the menu containing incredibly large plates of food and fantastic beer.  I have a feeling we’ll be going back there sometime this week as folks were already making plans to return.  We finished our Olympic sized portions and our half liters of beer and headed out.  I came back to campus to attend to some unfinished business, as did a few students, but the rest continued on to explore the local night life.  I’m not exactly sure where they went or what transpired, but I know they went to a local club and a few other places with Jeremiah.  He knows all the best places to go to meet both locals and expats, which the students heartily appreciate. 

Here is a post from Michael Lolling regarding this experience so far in Beijing:

Since I arrived in China I have seen so many things about the country that have made me reevaluate life.  Some the things that I have observed are the subways, the people and culture, business, and the infrastructure of the country.  The idea of the country that I had before coming to Beijing was a busy city, in a high paced world.  As for the rest of the country, I still have no idea about how the farms and small towns are compared to the hectic city of Beijing.

The city of Beijing is a thriving metropolis that is growing at an exponential rate.  The city is getting taller by the day with new skyscrapers touching the heavens and housing developments that are over 20 stories tall.  In downtown San Jose there are some buildings that are like this but not to the same extent as in Beijing.   I can only say that San Francisco is nowhere near Beijing with the number of skyscrapers, at least from what I have seen.  San Francisco is water locked and other cities surround it and stop the city from growing; Beijing on the other hand has room to grow.  The city is about the size of the entire south bay area or maybe even more and it has a population of about 21 million. There are many times the people in Beijing than in the entire Bay Area. 

Because of the population, you would think that it has a really sophisticated infrastructure like most modern cities.  Well, here it is kind of mixed bag of tricks; in Beijing they have the most intricate railway and subway system that I have ever observed.  The subway system is fantastic with trains running every 3 minutes.  There are tons of places for a person to get on and off the train and there are tons of different lines that can be taken and this can all be ridden on for 2 Yuan or 33 cents.  The Bullet train: California needs to get one because it is really fantastic and better than using an airplane.  The drawbacks for the infrastructure here is that you cannot drink the water from the tap.  You can’t flush the toilet paper down the toilet or it will get clogged since the pipes cannot handle the bulk of the paper.  Finally when it rains the streets get flooded, so pretty much anything that involves water needs to be improved on here.   

Since being here I like a lot of things about this city and country.  It has even crossed my mind about possibly getting a job here or maybe start country jumping for a couple of years.  All of the new sights and sounds have really piqued my interest about other cultures, but I have to say I miss the creature comforts from back home.

Day 11 – We are Olympians, or so we thought


Today was supposed to be a ‘self-guided’ tour day, which many students did not participate in.  When we arrived we hit the ground running and haven’t stopped since, so I think the group is pretty exhausted.  I suspect that once we get back to the states, we’re all going to need a week or so to recover, especially us older folks who don’t have the stamina to keep up with the younger folks.

Since most skipped the self-guided tour, a most of us decided to meet at 12:30 to head to a local Thai food restaurant for lunch, then to a local department store to grab some tea.  We took the subway to lunch, and had a fabulous time.  This was the first Thai food experience for some folks, which turned out to be incredibly positive. 
After lunch we headed to the department store to purchase some tea.  The group pounced on the tea section, most picking up a variety of teas for family and friends back home.  Personally, I picked up a few large bags of Jasmine tea – one of my personal favorites, and some other types that we’ve sampled here.  I’m excited to get home so I can experiment in replicating a delicious Jasmine Honey Tea we’ve had at the closest Italian restaurant to campus called “I Do”.  The students also picked up some other things such as local candies to give to family and friends back home.  Personally, I stocked up too.

I headed back to campus while the group continued on to the Olympic Park.  They were supposed to go swimming, but from what I could gather, the price kept changing when they tried to enter the part (not an uncommon practice here with a large group of Americans).  So they walked around the park a bit, then headed back to campus around 9pm or so to settle in for the night. 

Most were not caught in the thunderstorm, thankfully, but I have a feeling some were.  The lightening was magnificent again and lasted well into the night.  Quite a few of us purchased bowls of noodles and tempted fate by using the local water which had previously been boiled.  We’re still waiting on baited breath to see if we’ve been affected or not.  I suspect we’ll be fine since the water was boiled, but one can never be too cautious when in another country.

Here is a post from Andrew Chow regarding his experience so far in China:

Wow, so much has transpired over the duration of this trip, I can't believe it hasn't even been two weeks! One of my most memorable experiences has undoubtedly been the shopping. Unlike in the United States where stores have fixed prices, the people in China live off of bartering. My first real shopping experience came when we paid a visit to the "Silk Market", a popular tourist stop to purchase inauthentic goods. The Silk Market specializes in selling knock-off designer clothes, bags, electronics, and jewelry; but you can honestly find anything you could possibly want or need for an extremely reasonable price by our American standards.

To say it was overwhelming is definitely an understatement. As soon as you walk in, you are subjected to a barrage of sales people trying to lure you into their store, sometimes even physically grabbing you and attempting to pull you in. It's especially funny because most of the stores are essentially replicas of each other, selling identical products, often with several of these stores lined up in a row. Even if you pass several shops and tell them that you are not interested, the succeeding stores will continue to try to get you to come in. There was a stretch of silk merchants that kept asking me, "Do you want silk?", despite telling each store down the line, "No."

Once you find an item you want to purchase, that is when the fun really starts. The merchants will always give you a ridiculous starting price, often because they know you are American and have money (and also likely because there are some suckers who will actually pay that price). However, I have found the best way to haggle is to counter by low balling them. They will always tell you, "That is too low! You're breaking my heart! Give me a real price!" However, if you stick to your guns and walk away if you don't get the price of desire, they will most likely oblige and agree at your original price. However, we found that they ultimately have their bottom price, so it might take a couple of failed bartering attempts to figure it out. But once you do find it out, you can purchase the item wherever because the stores carry the same merchandise and are a dime a dozen!

Until tomorrow…….

Friday, June 28, 2013

Day 10 – Heroes


Today was an exciting day.  We went to the Great Wall and the Summer Palace, both of which were fabulous.  The students had a great time climbing the steepest part of the Great Wall called the Juyong Pass.  Our tour guide told us that you are not considered a hero until you’ve climbed the Great Wall, so now we have all been elevated to hero status.  Most of us got a metal engraved with our names stating that we had climbed the Great Wall.  A touristy thing to do?  Perhaps, but we had to partake.  Some of us will memorialize our experience by framing the metal with a group picture of us at the Great Wall.

We then hopped onto our tour bus which took us to a fantastic restaurant for lunch.  We were all so exhausted and hungry that we plowed through lunch with few words.  The group did a small bit of shopping, and then we headed to the Summer Palace.  Our tour guide Ivy did an amazing job of keeping us informed, not only on the bus, but as we walked through the Summer Palace.  She shared many stories of both past and present China.  On the way back to home base a few of us had a rich discussion of the differences between America and China.

We ended the day by coming back to campus, showering and resting.  Last night the students had a deadline to get all papers to me (a deadline they collective chose), so for the next 10 days or so they only have to complete their daily journal entries and their final presentation for the class.  I’ll describe the presentation a bit later, but from what I have chatted with the students so far, they are all doing something different – a monologue, song, playing an instrument, a poem, and a few other things.  Our final class session is going to be rich with cultural interpretation.

Because I want this to be a collective blog, I have asked my students to post about their experience here in Beijing.  I will include 2 students per day.  Although the students are not required to provide posts to the blog, those that I have asked so far have been more than happy to oblige.  Here are the first two posts, one from George Damouny, and the other from Daniel Vuko.

George Damouny

As a foreigner, walking in Beijing makes me feel like there is something growing out of my forehead that everybody wants to look at, but feels bad for doing it at the same time. That is, the natives of Beijing are quite wondrous about an American foreigner walking their streets. I can only imagine what is going through their head as they stare at me without blinking an eye, “Holy crap! Who the heck is that? I wonder what he’s doing here. Look at his beard! Look at the size of his nose!” (insert Mandarin translation here). I would feel the same way too if I wasn’t raised in one of the most diverse areas of the world. However, for somebody leaving the United States essentially for the first time (with the exception of going to Mexico when I was 17), this is an entirely new experience for me.

If I were to use a cliché to try and sum up my experience of Beijing into one word, it would have to be “unique”. The word in itself is extremely vague without much depth or meaning. However, let me try to place the term into context for everybody who cares enough to read this. Everything in Beijing seems to differ from California. From the seemingly foggy air which resembles a cold San Francisco morning in December, to the natives who continuously stare at us, to the array of authentic Chinese food (you haven’t tried Chinese food unless you’ve tried it in China), to the local culture, jam-packed subways, extreme shopping, and so much more. Everything has been adventure in Beijing so far. I feel like our culture shock has already set in and now we’re finally adapting to the local culture. There are so many new sights, sounds, and smells in this city of over 30 billion people (and yes, you can tell there is that many people here). My senses have never experienced anything like this before.

Looking around, you see motorists on mopeds, Vespas, bicycles, food-bikes, trucks, cars, busses, and a bunch of other weird automobiles I’ve never seen before in my life. I still fear for my life when I walk the streets of Beijing, even on the sidewalks (yes, those are fair game for motorists as well). They also honk for just about anything. The streets of Beijing are never silent. It’s a very hectic city that is extremely fast paced. For example, before the subway doors open, people crowd around the doorways and literally race to find a seat on the subway.

Words can’t describe Beijing. I thought I knew about Chinese culture before coming here based on the diversity in the Bay Area in which I live. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Coming here was and still is a major learning experience for me. It is a humbling to immerse myself into a culture I essentially knew nothing about. As my time in Beijing progresses, I feel as if I’m not only learning more about other ways of life, but I’m also learning so much more about myself. This is an experience that is unparalleled to anything I’ve ever experienced before. I can feel myself becoming a more understanding person. I can feel myself becoming more humble. And for that, I can truly say this is THE experience of a lifetime.

Daniel Vuko

Hello blog follower’s! My name is Daniel Vuko and I’m having the time of my life as this is my first time out of the States. I’m so full of excitement that I don’t have a clue as of where to begin to explain the experience I have had here in Beijing. But, I guess I should start somewhere. Here we go! First off, getting off the plane and getting to the dorms was an adventure in itself. People were driving all over the road, the motor cyclist seemed to be unsafe, and the pedestrians looked like they were a deer in headlights. The one thing that one must remember is that there aren’t rules and regulations that are enforced. Instead, they are merely suggestions for those to live by. Whether you follow them or not, it’s at the user’s discretion. Not only are the roads for people to travel on surreal, but the metro is nothing that I have ever experienced before.

            Right before karaoke two nights ago, we headed to the metro station right after dinner from a place called “Just Kids.” Their motto: “Do what you want, F*#k the rest.” Where else in the world would you find something like this? Anyway, back to what I was getting at about traveling through Beijing. The metro is insane! There are so many different connecting stops, and so many people trying to fill the empty gaps of the subway train. On our way to sing the night away at the KTV (short for karaoke), I have never had my personal space invaded so much. We were crammed into this metro car that is no longer than our dorm room (which isn’t saying much), and every millimeter was filled by patrons getting on the train. Even a guy tried to shove himself through as the sliding doors as they were closing. He was stuck for a few seconds as the doors continually closed and opened on him. Regardless, he got the remaining spot on the metro. There is so much more I would like to share, but other students will be posting soon and I don’t want to spoil the fun for them by me telling about my whole experience. Until next time family and friends, Zàijiàn (Goodbye)! 

Until tomorrow……

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Day 9 – Same old, same old

We had a fantastic time in class this morning.  Our volunteers came to class prepared with a lecture about Chinese culture focusing on the Confucianism.  We also learned a bit about history, Chairman Mao, and some other pretty exciting things about Chinese culture.  After the lecture we engaged in the art of paper cutting.  Each person created some paper art, then we were judged based on our quality of work. Edgar, Carmelita and Daniel were the winners of the competition and were given a small prize from the volunteers.  After the art of paper cutting it was finally my turn to chat with the students.  We mainly talked about the assignments that are duetomorrow by midnight, and chatted about a few other housekeeping items.  Overall, the students are having a great time in both my lectures and engaging in what the volunteers have prepared.

Directly after class we went to lunch in the cafeteria; some skipped eating there, but a few showed up.  As always, it was delicious!!!  We then headed back to the dorms where some folks did laundry and most spent time completing their papers.  I finally had some time for myself and I headed out to the Pearl market where I did a bit of shopping.  I picked up a few items, but still have a lot more shopping to do.  I think the students need a bit of a break from shopping, but will likely pick it up again soon.  I’ve heard they need some items for family/friends back home, so they will likely be back in the haggling game in no time.

After shopping we came back to campus to hang out for a couple of hours where once again students wondered in and out of my room.  At about 6:30pm a small group of us headed out to the Italian Restaurant for a bite to eat.  We had debated either going back out to the restaurant or ordering in Pizza Hut and having a Big Bang Theory marathon.  But folks needed to finish papers, so a quick bite out had to suffice.  The evening is quite with students working on their papers and final projects for the course. 

Tomorrow we will be climbing the Great Wall and visiting the Summer Palace.  I’m sure we’ll get some great pictures.

Until tomorrow……

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Day 8 – It’s time to party…..

Today was a great day.  We had a language lesson in the morning and learned a Chinese song.  The students did great!!! 

We then had a former Beijing Travel Abroad student come in to talk to the class. Jeremiah traveled with SJSU to Beijing in 2011 for the very first study abroad trip, and loved the area so much that he found a job in Beijing and now lives here.  The first year he was in China he taught young students English, but now he teaches at the Aeronautics University.  His students are studying to be pilots and need to know fluent English, which Jeremiah teaches them.

Jeremiah and a colleague from the Aeronautics University came to teach the SJSU students about Chinese culture from an American perspective.  They did a great job introducing the students to both the culture and to night life. 

After class we headed to the cafeteria and had lunch.  We then traveled to the Eastern part of Beijing to visit the Aeronautics University and to take a tour of the Aeronautics Museum.  However, the museum would not let in such a large group without previous arrangements so we were turned away.  We did, however, get make a quick visit to a seven-eleven (7-11) for some drinks.

Afterwards we headed grab dinner at a place called ‘Just Kids’.  They served some great American burgers and drinks, which we all enjoyed.  We stayed there for a couple of hours and then the group headed out for some Karaoke.  I ended up coming back to the dorms early to get some work done…….Yes, I still have to work (prepare for classes, grade papers, and keep the ‘behind the scenes’ stuff moving along smoothly) while in Beijing, even though it feels a bit like a working vacation.  The students are fabulous, so I generally don’t mind.

From what I heard, the students had a great time last night and ended up coming home a bit before midnight.  No too bad considering I assumed they would be much later.  Everyone crashed soon after arriving back at the dorms.

Until tomorrow…….

Day 7 – Settling In

There is not too much to report today.  We had class from 9am-12pm and talked about theory, practical experience related to theory, and talked about the course projects.  What surprised me was that I set a deadline for Friday night at midnight for all essays to be completed, but the students collectively decided that they wanted to move up the deadline to Thursday night at midnight in order to get things done early.  I happily obliged.  I’m still a little dumbfounded though, but the motto of this trip is “go with the flow”. 

I purchased a laundry card for the group so now folks are able to do their laundry. There are generally no dryers in China, so we wash our clothes and line dry them.  No big deal, just a shift from Western thinking.  I will admit though, I can’t wait to get home and dry my clothes with some fabric softener.  

We separated for a couple of hours, then ventured out to a Western favorite – Walmart.  We purchased some American items, and generally had a good time looking at all of the differences between a Western Walmart and one in China.  I have a feeling some will stock up on “Chinese type snacks” and bring them back to the states so family and friends can try out some things.

A few of us went to the Italian Restaurant near campus for dinner and had a fabulous time.  We had pizza, pasta, and a steak – all family style. On our walk back we were caught in a thunderstorm which we embraced and thoroughly enjoyed.  At one point we even stopped in the middle of the walkway just to take in the experience and enjoy the rain in China.

We ended the evening by a few of us gathering in my dorm room (remember, as the instructor, I have an open-door policy) to watch the lightening, listen to the thunder, and simply absorb the storm experience.  We made sure to turn off all lights so that we can fully enjoy our experience.  Something so trivial and simple can be incredibly enjoyable – this is one of the unofficial lessons I’m trying to teach the students. 

We are constantly bombarded with technology, and I really want them to absorb every experience to the fullest.

Until tomorrow……

Monday, June 24, 2013

Day 6 – One big happy family

Even though there were no excursions planned, we all headed out together to do some shopping and to explore the city, but mainly shopping.  I think the students are well versed in bargaining now and wanted to practice their skills trying to find deals. 

The morning started out by everyone sleeping in a bit.  This was the first morning the group did not wake up at 5am.  I think this was because we had such a busy day in Tianjin yesterday, walking through the city, exploring and embracing the rain as it poured down on us. 

We met in the hallways of the dorm to informally talk about the plan for the day.  Some folks went to the coffee shop right next to our dorm to have a cup of joe and use the wireless internet to skype with loved ones.  The rest of us hung out at the dorms and got ready for the day.  We met around 11am to head back to the Silk Market so those of us that had not yet been there could visit.  We stayed at the market for about an hour before we had lunch.  Our group split into two, some stayed at the market and another group of us went to a local restaurant to have lunch.

In case you’re wondering, we generally don’t eat off campus too much, and even more rarely will go to local restaurants.  This is twofold:  1). Each student has a campus card with money on it that will supply all meals.  The food is local, fabulous and there’s plenty of it.  And  2). We generally will not eat at a restaurant unless it’s recommended by someone who’s ‘in the know’.  We’re trying to avoid tummy troubles as much as possible, and we’ve done a great job so far save a couple of students here and there. 

After lunch the groups once again combined for a few minutes just to check in with each other. The group split again and some went to the local shopping area to see what deals they could find, other stayed at the Silk Market, and a few of us came back to campus to take care of some housekeeping items.

The day ended with many stories of great bargains obtained, haggling experiences and of course a nightly gathering in one of the dorm rooms for some snacks. 

I’m not exaggerating when I say that we’ve become one big happy family already. The students are embracing the culture, food, experiences, and most importantly, each other.  These are friendships that will last a lifetime!!!

Until tomorrow……

Day 5 – We’re singing in the rain

Today was our excursion to Tianjin, the fourth largest city in China.  We had a blast even though it poured on us the whole time.  We took the metro to the bullet train and sped over 200 miles an hour through the countryside to Tianjin.  Our bullet train ride lasted a mere 30 minutes, but it was smoother than any plane or car ride we’ve ever taken.  In fact, some of us had a conversation about the bullet train plan in California and how we can’t wait until it’s built because it was such a great ride.

Here is a brief description that was given to us by our tour guides:

“Tianjin is one of the four municipalities of China.  Its name means ‘the place where the emperor crossed the river’.  In recent years Tianjin has received more and more attention from both tourists at home and abroad due to its numerous travel resources and rich history.

It is no exaggeration to say that Tianjin bears a splendid historical background. However, it was desecrated by foreign invaders long before the foundation of the People’s Republic of China.  Tianjin was shared by nine countries:  Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Great Britain, Austria, Japan and Belgium.  This marked an extremely hard period for Tianjin and her people because those imperialist countries left permanent marks on her body, most notable of which were thousands of villas. Today those villas provide an exotic flavor to Tianjin, enhancing the beauty of the entire city”.

Our day started out at their Italian Square.  We found some of the cutest little shops that looked like Italy, or what we assume looks like Italy since none from the group has actually traveled there.  The group learned that the architecture is based on late nineteenth/early twentieth century European style, mixed with contemporary Chinese style.  We walked around a space that was a few square blocks filled with shops, restaurants, and yes, even a Starbucks where we experienced a Red Bean Green Tea Frappuccino.  While we are greatly enjoying the local cuisine, a smattering of home comfort is nice every now and again. 

We then moved onto a fabulous restaurant for lunch.  We sat down and the staff immediately started bringing us dish after dish.  Here is a picture of the beginning of the meal:

All students jumped right in and tried every available dish.  We had great conversation about the food, and everyone picked their favorite.  As the meal moved forward, we stuffed ourselves with what was provided and most were incredibly full.  However, the dishes just kept coming and coming.  Here is a picture of George looking a little overwhelmed with the amount of food provided:



After lunch we hopped on the tour bus where our guides took us to a market to shop. We had a fabulous time looking at all of the items for purchase.  The group did a bit of shopping, but not too much since it was pouring rain. 

After shopping we moved onto a downtown area which we learned was the financial district.  This area was analogous to Wall Street in New York.  In the middle of the financial district was a large coin that was approximately 15-20 feet in diameter.  Our guides told us that there is a belief in Tianjin, that if you walk around the circle’s outer ring three times clockwise, and then jump in the middle, you will have great wealth. After some convincing, the students lined up on the outer ring and partook in the experience.  Here is a pic of the students walking around the ring:
 
We then jumped back into the bus, fairly exhausted from our long day in Tianjin and chatted about our favorite parts of the day.  One of the tour guides was kind enough to sing us a song, which of course sparked a bit of karaoke with the group.  Daniel picked up the microphone and sang us a song on the bus.  Here is a pic of Daniel singing to the group on the bus:

Overall we had a wonderful experience in Tianjin, even though it poured on us the whole time.  Not one student complained, we simply embraced the experience in the rain and made the best of it.

Our day ended with a train ride back to Beijing where we had dinner at Burger King – another taste from home.  Normally we would have all gone back to the cafeteria to have dinner, but it was far too late when we arrived so we made an executive decision to grab a bit at the train station.

We finally made it back to the dorms around 10pm, and everyone was so exhausted from the day that we all jumped into bed.  It has become the norm to gather in someone’s room at the end of the day and chat for a bit before turning in.  However, tonight we were simply too tired.

Tomorrow should be a much slower day since there is nothing formal planned.  

Until tomorrow……..