MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL: A FREE WEEK TO TRAVEL!
The first week of October is the Mid-Autumn Festival in China, a national week-long holiday.
Our TBC students utilized this period to explore distant destinations across Asia. In the end, our TBCers settled in 5 locations: Bangkok, Tongling, Shanghai, Seoul, and Palawan & El Nido. A member from each expedition describes the logistics of their travels below.
AVENTURA EN LA RUTA DE LA SEDA
Este semestre tuve la oportunidad de viajar por una parte de la gran Ruta de la Seda, viaje incluido en mi intercambio a China con The Beijing Center. Durante los siglos XIII y XIV DC, esta ruta fue la principal de comercio entre oriente y occidente. La ruta empezaba en Xi’an, y terminaba en Venecia. Es increíble haber caminado por esa misma ruta, 700 años después dehaber sido la única conexión por tierra entre estos dos hemisferios del mundo.
你好北京! (HELLO, BEIJING!)
Hello, everyone! Welcome to my blog! For the fall semester of 2018, I am participating as a student in the Beijing Center (TBC), a study abroad program based in Beijing’s University of International Business and Economics, or UIBE for short. I’m so excited to bring all of you along with me through this amazing experience studying abroad in Beijing, China.
DEAR MOM, I’M STILL ALIVE
SILK ROAD TRIP, PART 1
Dear Mom, I’m still alive, and I’ve been in China for more than three weeks! Sorry I haven’t been posting, but I’ve been very busy – for the past two weeks, I’ve been traveling with my study abroad program across western China, following the path of the ancient Silk Road.
BEING CHINESE AMERICAN IN CHINA
For many of our students, being in China means viewing Chinese culture as a guest and an outsider, but for Chinese Americans, being in China can be a completely different experience. Being able to pass as Chinese lends them a different lens to view China through and in the meantime, puts them under higher expectations from strangers such as shopkeepers and restaurant owners, which both afford them the opportunity to understand China on a deeper and more personal level as well as present more challenges. To see how different students approach these challenges and opportunities, we had three Chinese American TBC students write about their unique experiences during their time here.
HOW TO USE YOUR PHONE AS A SUBWAY CARD
Conveying an average of over 12 million passengers on a daily basis, the subway system of Beijing is quite literally the veins of the city. Recently, to make the use of the subway system more convenient for passengers, Beijing Transit Authority introduced a new feature that allows you to pay the transit fare with your phone. Straightforward as the registration process is, the app you do it through is entirely in Chinese, and thus it might prove difficult for students who are not fluent enough.
LIST OF MOST USEFUL APPS IN CHINA
It is often said that all you need to live your life in China is your phone – it provides so many features that indeed it can be the only thing you need besides your keys when you leave your room. In China, your phone is not only your means of communication, but is also your wallet, your subway card, your restaurant and your shopping mall. However, none of these will be available to you if you don’t have the right apps. In this article, we’ll make a list of the most useful apps that will make your life in China a lot easier.
RIDING THE SUBWAY IN BEIJING
Before coming to China I did a lot of research. One of the main takeaways from my research about Beijing was that the subway is always horribly crowded. My experience differs from this quite a bit. While the subway can be extremely crowded, there are also times when it’s possible to sit down on the subway. Usually, it is somewhere in between. What line you are taking, in which direction and at what time all influence how busy your train is going to be.
THINGS I WISH I HAD KNOWN BEFORE COMING TO CHINA
There’s a lot of things that can be, and have been, said about China. I see myself as incredibly, incredulously lucky that not only did I have previous study abroad experience in Rome before coming to China but that I have, well, previous experience coming to China. Being half-Chinese, speaking some of the language, knowing people here already – it’s all things I’m immensely grateful for.
7 REASONS WHY TO CHOOSE A CHINESE ROOMMATE
Have you decided to study abroad in China and are making plans on how to make the most of your semesters abroad? Are you excited but at the same time nervous about your upcoming new life in a country and culture that is perhaps completely different from your own? Do you want to build international friendships and connections during your time abroad but are afraid that it may prove difficult? A great answer to all these questions you are probably having right now is actually quite simple – you should choose to live with a Chinese roommate.
MY SECOND ACADEMIC YEAR IN CHINA
Can you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Veronica Lewis (Roni). I grew up in D.C., but my university is in Denver, Regis University. I’m an East Asian Studies major with a concentration in Mandarin, and a community food systems/ farming minor.
A JEW IN CHINA
I’ve never considered myself as a religious person. Since I was little, I remember not wanting to go to the synagogue or any Sabbath dinner with my family. Even though I come from a traditional Jewish family, I always felt that faith was a gift I didn’t get. Nevertheless, Judaism has always meant a lot to me because it’s a part of my identity as a person, it defines who I am, and it gives me a sense of belonging. That is why, in Colombia -where I live- I’ve joined different groups that have allowed me to play important roles in service of the Jewish community such as being a counselor for Jewish summer camps and teaching Zionism to children.
VIEWS FROM THE UNDERGROUND: FROM ROME TO BEIJING
Every year, Loyola University Chicago’s Ricci Scholarship gives a handful of students the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the celebrated Jesuit scholar Matteo Ricci, and study in the cities of Rome, Italy and Beijing, China. After spending their sophomore year crafting a detailed proposal for independent research of their choosing, the Scholars spend one semester at Loyola’s John Felice Rome Center and the next at the Beijing Center for Chinese Studies, conducting fieldwork for a comparative research project to be finalized during their senior year back in Chicago.
TOKYO ON BUDGET
Do you want to go to Tokyo, Japan? Are you on a budget? Do you think it’s going to be too expensive? No worries, you can stay within your budget without losing an arm and a leg. I too am constantly on a budget. Luckily, that did not stop me from visiting Toyko, Japan during my spring break.
TERRIFIC, TURBULENT, THAILAND – TRAVEL TIPS
Travel has been easy to come by since my arrival in China. Beijing has allowed me to get around not only other parts of China but also around Asia. I took my opportunity to plan a trip to Thailand for my spring break this year… I had other options such as Laos, Australia, Tokyo and Seoul among others but ultimately I went with Thailand.
2018 TBC STUDENT’S SPRING BREAK!
TBC students took the opportunity to travel throughout Asia this spring break! Whether they stayed in China or traveled out of the country to explore! This is a slight breakdown of their trips and some cities our 2018 Spring Students visited during the break!
MANDARIN, UNKNOWN TO THE WEST
Learning Chinese before coming to China would seem somewhat like a good idea, right? Well it would help you initially when coming to China. However, I, myself didn’t learn any Chinese before arriving this past semester.
I did perfectly fine, well sort of.
THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING ABROAD
Studying abroad is an opportunity that I believe will help to strengthen and build a foundation for my future endeavors. I would like to become an international pop culture writer/editor and content creator. My Haitian heritage has influenced my interest in learning and reporting about countries and cultures abroad. It has helped me redefine social norms and beauty standards for myself by challenging me to appreciate a culture other than Western culture.
AN EXPERIENCE ABROAD
Initially, this study abroad experience was meant for traveling and growth as a person of my own volition. As soon as I arrived in China, I started fulfilling these goals. It wasn’t until coming to China that I began to write my own journals to remember the time I spent here and reflect. This form of self-reflection was quite encouraging in allowing myself to make way for change and growth. Even though I came to China without much knowledge of both its language and culture, I hoped to erase the ignorance within myself and learn even more about the 5000-year-old Chinese culture.
INAUGURAL FINANCE J-TERM COURSE
In partnership with Le Moyne College, TBC’s short-term programs division hosted a successful 3-week online + in-class Finance Course this past January in Beijing. The course, Modern Security Analysis – FIN 467 instructed by Fernando Diz, Ph.D, taught students about value investing, business valuation, corporate finance, security analysis, and how to develop a successful investing approach. Included in the course were business site visits and cultural trips. Special thanks to Deloitte and MiCai for hosting this year’s group! If you’re interested in learning more about the program, click here.