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.
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.
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.
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.
Lillian Nguyen, a junior from Loyola University Chicago majoring in International Business and minoring in Sustainable Management, is interning at the American Chambers of Commerce in Beijing this fall semester. She obtained the internship through Amanda Barry, the Dean of Academics, Faculty and Research, who connected Lillian to John Zane, Senior Director of Business Services. Her internship also counts for credit in her international experiential learning course which Lillian is taking this semester. We asked her a few questions about her internship so far and here is what she has to say.
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.
Dr. Ann Hoffmann and her family embarked on the Silk Road Trip with the TBC staff and students this fall. They brought along with them the necessary medical supplies and their bright smiles on the trip. Without their help and care for the students, the trip might have not gone well for a few. We are extremely grateful to have had them on the trip and wanted to hear from them their intake from the trip.
This Fall 2016 started off with excited students eager to meet their new Chinese roommates and discover their new dorms! We have students coming from Rivier College, Santa Clara University, Elon College, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali, Saint Joseph’s University, Georgetown University, St. Louis University, Seattle University, Stonehill College, Gonzaga University, Loyola University Chicago and Loyola University Maryland.
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.
Now, you must be wondering what the Silk Road trip is. The Silk Road is a historical trade route between China and Eastern Europe where Chinese silk made up a significant part of the trade. The route ran along many different cities in China and the middle east but since The Beijing Center planned this trip for two weeks, we got to visit a few of them and experienced the vibrant cultures each had to offer. The Silk Road trip was an incredible adventure that I will forever cherish in my heart.