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.
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.
Can you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Loren Carillo, I am from Gonzaga University. My major is Political Science, and my minors are Sociology and Economics and my interest is Journalism and Multimedia. So right now, I’m working on graphic designing, photography, and videography while working at Project Pengyou here in Beijing.
Student Interviews: Christina Conroy, Loyola University Chicago, TBC Summer 2018
Transcription of an interview with TBC student, Christina Conroy
Can you briefly introduce yourself?
I’m Christina Conroy, from Loyola University Chicago. This year I’m going to be a senior and I’m studying Chemistry.
It has been almost two months since the students of TBC’s Global Leaders Internship Program arrived in Beijing. As their time in China comes to a close, TBC, along with Project Pengyou on July 19th, organized and hosted The Beijing Summer Internship Showcase as a platform for students to highlight the great work they’ve been doing, brought together friends and professionals from the expats and returnees community and held a panel discussion to talk about career building in the China market.
tudent Interviews: Liam Woodland, Gonzaga University, TBC Fall 2017 and Summer 2018
Transcription of an interview with TBC student, Liam Woodland
Can you briefly introduce yourself?
My name is Liam Woodland, I go to school at Gonzaga University, I’m from Greenwich Connecticut and I am studying Economics and Asian Studies.
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.
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.
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.
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.