YOU KNOW YOU’RE IN LOVE, WHEN THE HARDEST THING TO SAY IS…GOODBYE
The answer to everyone’s question: how was China?
The perfect answer is a 20 second elevator speech. It must break all barriers and sum up the experience in more than just “it was great” but it cannot wind on for too long so that people lose interest. The perfect answer provides more insight into China, but doesn’t seem to unreal that many think China is untouchable. The perfect answer … doesn’t exist.
SCHOOL IN CHINA!
I am studying abroad through The Beijing Center (TBC). TBC is housed on the campus of the University of International Business and Economics (UIBE). According to local Chinese students, UIBE is ranked about 4 or 5 of the top 10 Universities in China. The university provides schooling for about 20,000 students, not including undergraduate and PhD students. This was a massive change for me, seeing that Fairfield only has 5,000 undergraduates. Although larger in student population, the campus is smaller.
#BLESSED
Thanksgiving, regardless of whether you’re back in the States or not, is still a time to appreciate all the wonderful things that surround you in life. I haven’t really missed home too much until this holiday when all my friends and family were together and I was halfway across the world, but in reality, it just made me appreciate them even more. We got to have a Thanksgiving potluck here at TBC, where we got to all bring in dishes and eat some turkey and mac and cheese and pie … yum.
WHERE ARE THEY FROM? THEY REALLY LIKE VEGETABLES.
My friends and I really have a knack for planning trips less than 24 hours before we want to leave. But hey, they sometime seem to all workout. This weekend, we decided to visit Qingdao, a city on the coast of China, and located in the Shandong province.
BEIJING HERE, BEIJING THERE
This weekend me and my friend, Victoria, decided to hit up a couple spots in Beijing on our to-do list! We first visited the Lama Temple where we saw beautiful architecture and so much culture. Although we’ve visited many temples now, this one stood out because we saw many Chinese people praying and lighting incense which is something we hadn’t really seen at any other temples.
A NIGHT TO REMEMBER
The photo you see on the top was taken during the very beginning of our tenure at TBC. Everyone from our group came from different backgrounds, upbringings, and lifestyles. I am happy to say that I have established at least some sort of relationship with every single person. That brings me to the photo on the bottom. It was taken at Lina’s birthday party, one of my closest friends, here in China and back in Chicago. It is crazy to think of all of the memories we created from the first to our present pictures here in China.
XIAO LONG BAO – THE HUTONG CENTER
Again, TBC staff has given us an amazing opportunity to gain cultural awareness through weekend activities. For this opportunity I was able to attend my first ever cooking class at a place called The Hutong. The cutest little gem inside the huge maze of old Beijing. I went with Sebastian, a fellow TBC student to make a special soup dumpling that is popular to eat in southern China.
LIVIN THE (SHANG)HIGH LIFE 2
This past weekend we treated ourselves to a nice little post-midterms vacation … to Shanghai. (I’m really digging the one academic break a month life, though this was the last one so that’s kind of sad). Shanghai is such an international city that compared to Beijing, it felt like we weren’t in China at all. Walking down all the roads and seeing the tall skyscrapers all lit up and streets surrounded by modern buildings, the only thing that reminded me that I was in China was the food and the signs themselves.
LIVIN THE (SHANG)HIGH LIFE
This past weekend we treated ourselves to a nice little post-midterms vacation … to Shanghai. (I’m really digging the one academic break a month life, though this was the last one so that’s kind of sad). Shanghai is such an international city that compared to Beijing, it felt like we weren’t in China at all. Walking down all the roads and seeing the tall skyscrapers all lit up and streets surrounded by modern buildings, the only thing that reminded me that I was in China was the food and the signs themselves.
HUGE SMILES AND LAUGHTER ON A SATURDAY MORNING
This past Saturday I, along with a handful of other TBC students had the greatest pleasure of spending time with children at the BoAi Hospital here in Beijing. The ages of the children ranged from just over a year old all the way to seven years of age. Many of the children at the hospital are being treated with physical rehabilitation. Our job was to spend some time with them and put smiles on their faces. This was my very first time volunteering at a hospital so I had no idea what to expect.
A BLOG ABOUT A BLOG
When I came to China, I was under the impression that I would have a lot of free time to take random trips throughout China and to explore the city. What I did not realize was that Beijing itself is a city that could take months on it’s own to explore if you really wanted to explore every nook and cranny, that travelling in China is not like it is in Europe because China itself is a huge country and is not as cheap, and that my classes last way longer than they seem (the reality of having class 950-1220 and 130-415 is a lot longer and takes up a lot more of your day than you might think). All to say, my expectations were completely changed as soon as I realized this, and I’m glad it has.
THE 12 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT YOU.
1. Chinese is hard!! You’d think that even after being surrounded Chinese here and there for at 10 years, I’d get around better than I do. Speaking aside, there is literally a character for every single word you can imagine AND it’s not based off sounds like English is. As much as I love being in a foreign country, the complexity of the language makes it a lot harder to read and get by than I originally thought I would. Probably explains why everything I eat either is a dumpling (because I can recognize the word) or has a picture attached to it. And I can guarantee you by the end of this semester, we will still not know anything.
HOW DO I BEGIN?
For my first blog post, I want to give you some advice. I don’t want to spoil my experience in Beijing to you just yet and nor do I want to tell you about the unforgettable Silk Road excursion I just came back from. I will tell you that I am having the time of my life and I am happy to be here. I will reveal more details soon…
THIS IS WAR: AIRPLANE ARM REST EDITION
Hello from sleep deprived me. We just finished our 13 day trip across China to follow the Silk Road, which I have to say was one of the coolest trips I’ve ever taken. I don’t think I ever would have traveled 2 hours from the Pakistan border on my own.
CHINA: YAK STYLE
Our trip has finally calmed down enough for me to get to sit down and blog and sleep (!!) and think about what I’m actually doing aka studying abroad for 4 months.
Yesterday was by far the most “zen” and top 10 days that I’ve had in my life ever which is why it gets it’s own post. We traveled to a town in the GanSu province called Xia’he, which, is a significant Tibetan monastery town.
ADVENTURING
Hi it’s me. Literally one week ago I boarded a plane to China and since then I’ve been going nonstop. Currently, I’m sitting in the middle of Tibet, 5 days into our 13 day trip to follow the Silk Road route.
I STILL DON’T KNOW HOW TO USE CHOPSTICKS
I am currently sitting here wondering what I am about to do with my life. In just over a week I will be on a 13 hour flight to spend the next 4 months of my life in the vast country of China. Don’t mind the fact that there are over 1.381 billion people living there or that the entire country is covered in vast and diverse landscape or the fact that China has the largest economy in the world. Or, alluding to the title of this blog, that I literally don’t know how to use chopsticks and the chances of me finding a fork in China are slim, yet alone if I were to find some I would be hard core judged.
THE WALL THAT CAN BE SEEN FROM SPACE!
Constructed from the 3rd century BC to the 17th century AD by successive Chinese Empires, the Great Wall begins in the east of China at Shanhaiguan in Hebei province and ends at Jiayuguan in Gansu province in western China. With a total length of more than 20,000 kilometers, this military defense is considered one of the wonders of the world. Parts of the wall that are less intact are still being rediscovered today. When I was a little girl watching the classic Disney movie “Mulan” I never thought I would make it to the historical landmark where the opening scene takes place.
MY WENDY-FUL ROOMMATE
When I received the housing questionnaire to apply for what housing I wanted for the next year of my life in Beijing, I immediately checked that I wanted a Chinese roommate. What a great opportunity to practice my language skills and learn about Chinese culture, I thought to myself as I considered the pros and cons of my choice despite the fact that my mind was made up.
FROM ROME TO BEIJING
Why CHINA?!” That was a question I got asked quite often before my year abroad. It is a question the Dean of Students asked me on the first day of orientation. It is also a question that I never really had a satisfying answer for. I hadn’t spent my youth dreaming of climbing the Great Wall, nor had I had a burning passion for studying Mandarin. Heck, pandas aren’t even my favorite animals. The question was usually followed up with polite enthusiasm and worry about my well being.