Tonight, I had one of the most spectacular nights in China. Life is full of surprises and today was definitely one of the most fun nights I have had in China. After class the other day, I heard some guys speaking a language that was strangely familiar. The more I listened the more I was certain that it was spoken Vietnamese. Since they were both northern Vietnamese speakers, I was a bit hesitant to believe that what I was hearing was correct, but I knew I could not give up the chance to introduce myself. As it turns out, going out [View Full Entry]

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So far during my time at Tsinghua University and China I have learned to celebrate the small victories that come with adapting to a new environment and culture. Before I left the States, I made a personal goal to keep an open mind about anything that may come my way. While in China, I keep hearing people describe those who come to the country as having an adventuous spirit---that it takes a unique disposition to decide to come to China. For me, I had not really thought about this decision to go abroad to China has one of scariness, but rather [View Full Entry]

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Today, I was determined to get everything together before the start of school on Tuesday. It has been a packed day full of chance happenings! One of my friends on the program, Carolyn, has family in Beijing so she invited me and another friend to hang out with her uncle for the day. By far it was one of the best learning experiences I have had so far. Instead of being rushed around by tour guides and herding around tour sites like a pack of sheep, we were finally able to tour a museum and do a bit of shopping with [View Full Entry]

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The complexity in Chinese society and culture was presented through my travels to Xi'an, Beijing and Shanghai. As I begin to form a better understanding of China and shed common misconceptions of its people and politics, I have learned to appreciate the diverse opinions that are present. Throughout the travel seminar I have found that the greatest learning experiences are ones in which I directly engage with Chinese natives and other people who are living and working abroad. Coming to China I knew that I would be participating in a transformative experience yet I could not have imagined that I [View Full Entry]

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The travel seminar ended a few days ago and now I want to share a little of what I have seen and experienced in the cities of Beijing and Shanghai. Beijing is considered the political center of China, yet I believe I believe is clouted with confusion. Perhaps, among the cities we visited, Beijing left me confused about China's role in the world as well as Chinese culture and its people. Within Beijing, I felt a sense of protectionism---a heavy weight on my shoulders resembling the heavy burden of the Chinese government in maintaining its political legitimacy and the attempt of [View Full Entry]

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你好！ I am currently on a two-week traveling seminar which takes me from the ancient central city of Xi'an to the present day Beijing and the futuristic Shanghai. I have not had much of a chance to get on the internet since the seminar has started but will try and recap a bit of what has happened in the last six days. On Sunday, February 9th we flew from Beijing to Xi'an. The plane ride was only 1.5 hours, but we spent a bit of time at the Beijing airport waiting for a flight to Xi'an because flights were cancelled due [View Full Entry]

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Greetings！ After almost 25 hours of traveling because of a five-hour delay in the Chicaog O'hare airport, I arrived safely in Beijing. The airplane ride from Chicago to Beijing was interesting as I got sit next to this very sweet Chinese woman from Beijing. Between her limited English and my three semesters worth of Chinese, we managed to have a really great time talking. She was visiting her son in the States who is now working in Chicago. Her son went to Tsinghua University-请华大学 for four years and then went to Stanford to get a degree in computer enginee [View Full Entry]

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3.Feb.2009 新年快乐！Happy New Year！ In a matter of hours, I will embark on an adventure that is sure to be filled with stories upon stories. I will spend the next five months and twenty days studying abroad in Beijing China. Since Macalester’s winter break was extremely long this year (I have been on break for nearly 55 days, but not too many complaints!) I have had a bit of chance to reflect on this past semester and think about where my future is headed. I want to take a moment and share with you some of the special highlights of this [View Full Entry]

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