Starting tomorrow, I will not have class for 8 days. This is because tomorrow is National Holiday. It is the equivalent of the Fourth of July for China. This is the 60th Anniversary of the People's Republic of China, so it is considered to be a big one.
Ben and I are travelling. We leave Shanghai tomorrow for Beijing. We will watch the festivities and the crazy amount of crowds in Beijing during their National Holiday night. We are then spending the next 5 days there, touring about. It is expected to be extremely crowded and chaotic due to the festivities, but it should make for a fun trip.
We are then headed straight to Xi'An to see the terracotta warriors and the Ancient sites of the city.
Finally, we will be taking the train back to Shanghai. I will not have computer access until I get back. Good luck to W&J XC this weekend at SRU. Run fast.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Monday, September 28, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Pictures!! At Last
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=2392810013/a=107468652_107468652/
That link should take you to my Snapfish page. Email me if it isn't working properly.
I just uploaded everything. Even the crappy ones.
That link should take you to my Snapfish page. Email me if it isn't working properly.
I just uploaded everything. Even the crappy ones.
Friday, September 25, 2009
W&J VPN
Great News!!
I finally got access to W&J's VPN service! This allows me to bypass China's blocks on websites.
Pictures will be posted tomorrow and horray for time wasters like Youtube and Facebook!!
I finally got access to W&J's VPN service! This allows me to bypass China's blocks on websites.
Pictures will be posted tomorrow and horray for time wasters like Youtube and Facebook!!
My Birthday and Some Other Stuff
Alright. So. I haven’t updated in a little while. I have a lot of readings for classes. I’ve been doing my best to keep up.
Dannie texted me and told me that there was an event at the volleyball courts in which every club would have a table. I rode my bike through the rain for 10 minutes to find out that they cancelled due to rain. Sweet.
The next day I went back. Fortunately, they were actually there that time. Instantly I was bombarded with people shoving flyers in my hand and yelling “Welcome to (insert random name) Club!!!” Within moments I had over 25 pieces of paper in my hand. After a little struggling, I found a few clubs of interest.
I signed up for “Language Partner.” This is where some random Chinese student is assigned to hang out with me and practice English for half the time and Chinese for the other half of our appointments. I haven’t had one scheduled yet, but it should prove to be one awkward and lame (but necessary) blind-date-ish situation.
I also signed up for Running Club!! Basically some people meet at the track every night and go for an easy run. They also have races occasionally. Saturday they had a 3,000 competition involving over 100 people from around the city. I was ceded in the fastest heat. Although my best time is 9:25, because of my injury and lack of hard training lately I only signed up as a 10 flat. I then struggled in the heat and sucked up the track. I finished third overall (first for the college students) with a time so appallingly terrible that I will not write it here. Anyway, my Achilles felt fine so I’m easing back into training.
After the race, a few of us went to some professor’s apartment and had tea. (Drinking tea is the way that everyone hangs out here, I guess haha). Most of them can’t speak English well, but they all try. I honestly don’t want them to try, though. If they could just simplify their Chinese and speak slower I would be much happier because I’d at least be learning while I am left out of the conversation.
The president of the running club whose English name is Angeline has invited me to go running with her a few times since then. She is pretty slow, but I haven’t been flying around lately anyway.
The running club was the best idea ever because I’ve met a bunch of locals who call me to hang out. We played cards the other night, which is perfect because I practice numbers and colors haha. I feel like a kindergartener. They all speak really fast.
HEY! It was my birthday the other day! Thanks to everyone who sent me messages! Unfortunately I can’t reply on Facebook, but rumor has it that the PRC will unblock it in October! We’ll see.
So I’m 21 now. Holy crap... old. Everyone has some crazy stories about their 21st birthday. I can tell people that on my 21st my friends took me to a Mexican restaurant in Shanghai, China. They all bought me my meal and some drinks. Subsequently, I ended up dancing to loud music virtually by myself while my friends watched and took pictures. Pretty cool haha.
I’m still trying to schedule a trip to Beijing and Xi’an. My understanding is that during the National Day holiday Beijing will be cracking down on foreign visitors because they don’t want any terrorist activity. What that means is that getting a hotel may be really hard.
The Communism here is becoming more and more apparent to me. I was walking home late from running club and had to stop to have the police check my ID at 2 different gate checkpoints. They are friendly about it, but it still really bothers us Americans to have to “check in” with the government if we want to go somewhere after dark.
Also, I saw a weasel jump out of a garbage can last night.
Dannie texted me and told me that there was an event at the volleyball courts in which every club would have a table. I rode my bike through the rain for 10 minutes to find out that they cancelled due to rain. Sweet.
The next day I went back. Fortunately, they were actually there that time. Instantly I was bombarded with people shoving flyers in my hand and yelling “Welcome to (insert random name) Club!!!” Within moments I had over 25 pieces of paper in my hand. After a little struggling, I found a few clubs of interest.
I signed up for “Language Partner.” This is where some random Chinese student is assigned to hang out with me and practice English for half the time and Chinese for the other half of our appointments. I haven’t had one scheduled yet, but it should prove to be one awkward and lame (but necessary) blind-date-ish situation.
I also signed up for Running Club!! Basically some people meet at the track every night and go for an easy run. They also have races occasionally. Saturday they had a 3,000 competition involving over 100 people from around the city. I was ceded in the fastest heat. Although my best time is 9:25, because of my injury and lack of hard training lately I only signed up as a 10 flat. I then struggled in the heat and sucked up the track. I finished third overall (first for the college students) with a time so appallingly terrible that I will not write it here. Anyway, my Achilles felt fine so I’m easing back into training.
After the race, a few of us went to some professor’s apartment and had tea. (Drinking tea is the way that everyone hangs out here, I guess haha). Most of them can’t speak English well, but they all try. I honestly don’t want them to try, though. If they could just simplify their Chinese and speak slower I would be much happier because I’d at least be learning while I am left out of the conversation.
The president of the running club whose English name is Angeline has invited me to go running with her a few times since then. She is pretty slow, but I haven’t been flying around lately anyway.
The running club was the best idea ever because I’ve met a bunch of locals who call me to hang out. We played cards the other night, which is perfect because I practice numbers and colors haha. I feel like a kindergartener. They all speak really fast.
HEY! It was my birthday the other day! Thanks to everyone who sent me messages! Unfortunately I can’t reply on Facebook, but rumor has it that the PRC will unblock it in October! We’ll see.
So I’m 21 now. Holy crap... old. Everyone has some crazy stories about their 21st birthday. I can tell people that on my 21st my friends took me to a Mexican restaurant in Shanghai, China. They all bought me my meal and some drinks. Subsequently, I ended up dancing to loud music virtually by myself while my friends watched and took pictures. Pretty cool haha.
I’m still trying to schedule a trip to Beijing and Xi’an. My understanding is that during the National Day holiday Beijing will be cracking down on foreign visitors because they don’t want any terrorist activity. What that means is that getting a hotel may be really hard.
The Communism here is becoming more and more apparent to me. I was walking home late from running club and had to stop to have the police check my ID at 2 different gate checkpoints. They are friendly about it, but it still really bothers us Americans to have to “check in” with the government if we want to go somewhere after dark.
Also, I saw a weasel jump out of a garbage can last night.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Huangzhou
This Saturday morning a group of 28 students took the 2 hour train-ride to Huangzhou. We stayed there in a hotel until Sunday evening.
The train was really nice. It is sort of lame that the U.S. doesn’t use passenger trains more often. It is a relatively cheap, fast, and environmentally friendly form of transportation. I know that there are a lot of arguments as to why it isn’t particularly feasible for the States, but it sure would be nice.
We arrived in Huangzhou, and after a bit of struggling with herding 28 people around and deciding where to stay, we finally decided to follow some local to a hotel. The hotel required that we all fill out a bunch of passport info and crap, but after much adieu, we finally got to our rooms. Subsequently we toured the area.
Huangzhou is famous for its massive and ornate pagodas, temples, and natural surroundings. I’d elaborate on the coolness of the Buddhist temple that I visited, the water show on the lake, the boats and other Chinese style activities, or the way that the giant pagodas looked, but I’ll leave that to the pictures that I will eventually post.
Until the pictures arrive, I will tell you a few short stories that are harder to tell through pictures:
Ben was swarmed by Chinese people obsessed with hearing a blonde, white, American speak English.
A group of about 4 of us jumped into a picture of Chinese students, and ended up the center of a long series of photographs.
I decided it would be an awesome idea to join the hoards of old women in some elaborate line-dancing. A few of the UC students joined me after they saw that I was picking up the moves. I wish there was a video of our sweet moves, the old ladies laughing at us, or the other old ladies looking at us like we were ruining their culture. It was fun as hell, though.
Sunday morning we rode rented bikes around the giant lake. It was exactly what I felt like China should be. I even saw some stereotypical Chinese drifter (clad in rags, a walking stick, and giant fumanchu) being forcibly removed from the area by some PRC cops. Heaven forbid there be poverty in a tourist area... the western people might see!
Anyway, it was a super fun trip. Ben and I plan on visiting Beijing over the National Day holiday. It should be crazy, particularly since it is the PRC’s 60th birthday.
Oh! I bought a bike. It was pretty gay with butterfly stickers on it, which I promptly removed to find a pretty cool silver bike. I bought it for relatively cheap, and it cut 25 minutes off of my trip to class in the morning. Fudan is significantly bigger than W&J.
Today was Chang’s birthday. Chang is a friend of mine from UC. About 17 of us went to a Brazilian BBQ restaurant to celebrate. It proved to be the most expensive meal since I arrived: about 15 USD. Allow me to rub this in everyone’s face: Things barely cost any money here.
Tonight I was told: “Holy crap, Andy! I just realized how white you are!” Was this because I was doing the Carlton Banks dance to some songs on the Scrubs soundtrack? Maybe. But it still surprised me to look around and realize that I am in the extreme minority. By “still” I mean that I feel like I should be used to it by now. It isn’t that it bothers me: I consider it a really awesome experience. But even after this time I still look around and go “Holy crap haha I AM the minority... SWEET”
In this entry I was planning on doing a shout-out to Slepsky: What up, Sleppers. I hope you are still sane.
I thought of Sleperton today because I was wearing a super sweet vintage Batman teeshirt he gave me before departure. (fyi, Sleprock- everyone digs it... well I don’t know that, but I do)
I will also give a shout-out to Katie Mulvaney on account of I just received an e-mail from her: Hey. Keep the vow alive. I have been much regretting my failure to do so. (If you don’t know what that is about, you aren’t meant to)
Ok. Well that is all I have to say for now. I am not proofreading this entry, on account of the fact that it is 2:30 am here. (Coincidentally, that is precisely the reason why I SHOULD proof read it, but eh, whatever)
More to come.
The train was really nice. It is sort of lame that the U.S. doesn’t use passenger trains more often. It is a relatively cheap, fast, and environmentally friendly form of transportation. I know that there are a lot of arguments as to why it isn’t particularly feasible for the States, but it sure would be nice.
We arrived in Huangzhou, and after a bit of struggling with herding 28 people around and deciding where to stay, we finally decided to follow some local to a hotel. The hotel required that we all fill out a bunch of passport info and crap, but after much adieu, we finally got to our rooms. Subsequently we toured the area.
Huangzhou is famous for its massive and ornate pagodas, temples, and natural surroundings. I’d elaborate on the coolness of the Buddhist temple that I visited, the water show on the lake, the boats and other Chinese style activities, or the way that the giant pagodas looked, but I’ll leave that to the pictures that I will eventually post.
Until the pictures arrive, I will tell you a few short stories that are harder to tell through pictures:
Ben was swarmed by Chinese people obsessed with hearing a blonde, white, American speak English.
A group of about 4 of us jumped into a picture of Chinese students, and ended up the center of a long series of photographs.
I decided it would be an awesome idea to join the hoards of old women in some elaborate line-dancing. A few of the UC students joined me after they saw that I was picking up the moves. I wish there was a video of our sweet moves, the old ladies laughing at us, or the other old ladies looking at us like we were ruining their culture. It was fun as hell, though.
Sunday morning we rode rented bikes around the giant lake. It was exactly what I felt like China should be. I even saw some stereotypical Chinese drifter (clad in rags, a walking stick, and giant fumanchu) being forcibly removed from the area by some PRC cops. Heaven forbid there be poverty in a tourist area... the western people might see!
Anyway, it was a super fun trip. Ben and I plan on visiting Beijing over the National Day holiday. It should be crazy, particularly since it is the PRC’s 60th birthday.
Oh! I bought a bike. It was pretty gay with butterfly stickers on it, which I promptly removed to find a pretty cool silver bike. I bought it for relatively cheap, and it cut 25 minutes off of my trip to class in the morning. Fudan is significantly bigger than W&J.
Today was Chang’s birthday. Chang is a friend of mine from UC. About 17 of us went to a Brazilian BBQ restaurant to celebrate. It proved to be the most expensive meal since I arrived: about 15 USD. Allow me to rub this in everyone’s face: Things barely cost any money here.
Tonight I was told: “Holy crap, Andy! I just realized how white you are!” Was this because I was doing the Carlton Banks dance to some songs on the Scrubs soundtrack? Maybe. But it still surprised me to look around and realize that I am in the extreme minority. By “still” I mean that I feel like I should be used to it by now. It isn’t that it bothers me: I consider it a really awesome experience. But even after this time I still look around and go “Holy crap haha I AM the minority... SWEET”
In this entry I was planning on doing a shout-out to Slepsky: What up, Sleppers. I hope you are still sane.
I thought of Sleperton today because I was wearing a super sweet vintage Batman teeshirt he gave me before departure. (fyi, Sleprock- everyone digs it... well I don’t know that, but I do)
I will also give a shout-out to Katie Mulvaney on account of I just received an e-mail from her: Hey. Keep the vow alive. I have been much regretting my failure to do so. (If you don’t know what that is about, you aren’t meant to)
Ok. Well that is all I have to say for now. I am not proofreading this entry, on account of the fact that it is 2:30 am here. (Coincidentally, that is precisely the reason why I SHOULD proof read it, but eh, whatever)
More to come.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Friday Night
Hey! So I have been to all of my classes. Two of them turned out to not work. I will be dropping my two Thursday courses (Scenario of East Asia; Public Policy) and replacing it with a Wednesday class (Debating Globalization). Public Policy was really a class for people who are trying to learn English, so even the professor can barely speak English. Scenario of East Asia is mostly for students from Spanish speaking countries, and I don't speak Spanish, so that is useless. Hanner would probably have been running around jumping for joy in that class though with all the Spaniards and Mexicans.
I really want to talk about my International Organizations class. It was (and will likely continue to be) one of the most interesting classes in which I have ever been. It is contains about 40 students. There is one South Korean, two Russians, a person from Singapore (is that a Singaporean?) and one first generation Chinese American. The remainder of the students are Fudan University students who can speak enough English to take a course. My professor is an Irishman. He spent the first class asking us each loaded questions (in part to check our English skills) such as: "Is America the most important country in the world?" "What is the biggest problem the Chinese have caused?" "What is the biggest problem that the Chinese have?" etc. The course is about what you would imagine- international organizations. However, it evaluates them on a philosophical level as well as a historical level (typical poli sci class). The hook is that I will see first hand the opinions of students other than myself. I will be defending (or condemning) American foreign policy in a room full of non-Americans. I am most excited because I am tired of hearing the same off-the-rack patriotic answers in American poli-sci classes. I want to hear what other people think: people brainwashed by other governments and cultures.
Tomorrow morning a group of about 30 of us are travelling to Hangzhou. Hangzhou (about a 2 hour trainride from Shanghai) is famous for its lake, natural surroundings, and large pagodas. We are staying there Saturday night in a hostel or hotel (we have yet to decide). It should be a fun excursion. I know I haven't uploaded pictures yet. For some reason the proxy sites that I use to access this site doesn't allow me to upload pictures. I WILL figure something out eventually though. I'll keep you updated.
Good luck racing this weekend W&J XC!!
I really want to talk about my International Organizations class. It was (and will likely continue to be) one of the most interesting classes in which I have ever been. It is contains about 40 students. There is one South Korean, two Russians, a person from Singapore (is that a Singaporean?) and one first generation Chinese American. The remainder of the students are Fudan University students who can speak enough English to take a course. My professor is an Irishman. He spent the first class asking us each loaded questions (in part to check our English skills) such as: "Is America the most important country in the world?" "What is the biggest problem the Chinese have caused?" "What is the biggest problem that the Chinese have?" etc. The course is about what you would imagine- international organizations. However, it evaluates them on a philosophical level as well as a historical level (typical poli sci class). The hook is that I will see first hand the opinions of students other than myself. I will be defending (or condemning) American foreign policy in a room full of non-Americans. I am most excited because I am tired of hearing the same off-the-rack patriotic answers in American poli-sci classes. I want to hear what other people think: people brainwashed by other governments and cultures.
Tomorrow morning a group of about 30 of us are travelling to Hangzhou. Hangzhou (about a 2 hour trainride from Shanghai) is famous for its lake, natural surroundings, and large pagodas. We are staying there Saturday night in a hostel or hotel (we have yet to decide). It should be a fun excursion. I know I haven't uploaded pictures yet. For some reason the proxy sites that I use to access this site doesn't allow me to upload pictures. I WILL figure something out eventually though. I'll keep you updated.
Good luck racing this weekend W&J XC!!
Written 9/8
Yesterday morning I registered for classes. The system here was never fully explained, and it was a huge pain in the butt in order to know what classes are available to whom, but the actual registration itself was extremely easy. WebAdvisor sucks in comparison. Actually though, before we registered, every foreign student had to register for enrollment two days ago. THAT on the other hand, was a nightmare. There were crowds of people forming a bunch of lines everywhere and no one spoke English. We needed insurance from the government, which was another line (it was cheap, but I’m sort of pissed that W&J charged us for insurance if it doesn’t count in China).
Anyway, I signed up for 5 classes. I plan on taking only 4 of them, but I will decide based on which I like the least. I emailed Dr. Caffrey and he kindly got permission from the necessary department heads for me for each class. I am taking Sino-US Relations Rise of Asia; Chinese II, International Organizations; Public Policy; and the Regional Scenario of Asia Pacific. Each meets only once per week (except Chinese which is twice) so my schedule is not too full.
Yesterday was my first run in China. I had taken some time off for my Achilles tendonitis (which seems to be completely healed –knock on wood-) and I didn’t want to run until I was comfortable with the area. I went for an easy run from my dorm to the track and back. It was about a 5 mile run.
In order to avoid the heat of the day, I went at 6:30 am. By the way, the sun comes up very early here because there is only one time zone in China. The sun is up at about 5. I noticed that although the streets weren’t as busy and crowded as usual, even that early in the morning, there were scores of people out and about. I ran through the gardens on campus (which are extremely interesting and sweet). Both in the gardens and as I approached the athletic facilities I noticed hundreds of old people practicing taichi. Seriously, there are people doing taichi freaking EVERYWHERE.
I finally got on the main track, which is actually really nice, and there were a lottt of people running and walking on it. There didn’t seem to be any system of track etiquette like there is in the U.S. There were old men walking in lane 1 through 8. I also noticed that everyone was realllllly slow. It was amazingly funny to get weird looks as I leisurely passed all the aged joggers and young people struggling around the track. Occasionally some of the slow runners would stop to read a sign about the upcoming Shanghai Marathon in October. If there is a half, I will run it, but I can’t read the sign. It was funny to me that so many people were interested in it though, particularly having seen how slowly they run.
On my second of 3 easy laps around the track, an old man ran up beside me, poked me in the arm in order to urge me forward around the track, and yelled “Ni paobu hen kuai!!” (“You run very fast!!”) and then ran behind me. He was huffing and puffing unbelievably as I continued on my regular pace. I couldn’t understand if he wanted to race or just run with me, because every time I turned to ask him anything he just earnestly pointed down the track. After about 110 meters he waved me off and said laughing “xiexie xiexie” (“thank you thank you). Who knows what that was about haha.
I had my first class Monday. It seems fairly similar to a W&J class, particularly since one of the two cooperating professors is from the University of California. My classes have primarily UCLA, UCE, and UCSD students. My Chinese II class seems to be the right level for me, but my teacher has trouble with English so it will be hard defacto. She speaks very quickly. I thought she was asking me what my major was, but she was actually telling me that I was very handsome. I think it could be because I look so different from most of the other students. (97 percent of China is Han Chinese, and that makes me an extreme minority). Needless to say my friends ripped on me for being the white guy again after class. Hahaha its cool though.
One more note, Annie helped me get my bank card today so that I can get my monthly food stipend later. I owe Annie so much. She has been the biggest help ever since I arrived.
Pictures pending.
Anyway, I signed up for 5 classes. I plan on taking only 4 of them, but I will decide based on which I like the least. I emailed Dr. Caffrey and he kindly got permission from the necessary department heads for me for each class. I am taking Sino-US Relations Rise of Asia; Chinese II, International Organizations; Public Policy; and the Regional Scenario of Asia Pacific. Each meets only once per week (except Chinese which is twice) so my schedule is not too full.
Yesterday was my first run in China. I had taken some time off for my Achilles tendonitis (which seems to be completely healed –knock on wood-) and I didn’t want to run until I was comfortable with the area. I went for an easy run from my dorm to the track and back. It was about a 5 mile run.
In order to avoid the heat of the day, I went at 6:30 am. By the way, the sun comes up very early here because there is only one time zone in China. The sun is up at about 5. I noticed that although the streets weren’t as busy and crowded as usual, even that early in the morning, there were scores of people out and about. I ran through the gardens on campus (which are extremely interesting and sweet). Both in the gardens and as I approached the athletic facilities I noticed hundreds of old people practicing taichi. Seriously, there are people doing taichi freaking EVERYWHERE.
I finally got on the main track, which is actually really nice, and there were a lottt of people running and walking on it. There didn’t seem to be any system of track etiquette like there is in the U.S. There were old men walking in lane 1 through 8. I also noticed that everyone was realllllly slow. It was amazingly funny to get weird looks as I leisurely passed all the aged joggers and young people struggling around the track. Occasionally some of the slow runners would stop to read a sign about the upcoming Shanghai Marathon in October. If there is a half, I will run it, but I can’t read the sign. It was funny to me that so many people were interested in it though, particularly having seen how slowly they run.
On my second of 3 easy laps around the track, an old man ran up beside me, poked me in the arm in order to urge me forward around the track, and yelled “Ni paobu hen kuai!!” (“You run very fast!!”) and then ran behind me. He was huffing and puffing unbelievably as I continued on my regular pace. I couldn’t understand if he wanted to race or just run with me, because every time I turned to ask him anything he just earnestly pointed down the track. After about 110 meters he waved me off and said laughing “xiexie xiexie” (“thank you thank you). Who knows what that was about haha.
I had my first class Monday. It seems fairly similar to a W&J class, particularly since one of the two cooperating professors is from the University of California. My classes have primarily UCLA, UCE, and UCSD students. My Chinese II class seems to be the right level for me, but my teacher has trouble with English so it will be hard defacto. She speaks very quickly. I thought she was asking me what my major was, but she was actually telling me that I was very handsome. I think it could be because I look so different from most of the other students. (97 percent of China is Han Chinese, and that makes me an extreme minority). Needless to say my friends ripped on me for being the white guy again after class. Hahaha its cool though.
One more note, Annie helped me get my bank card today so that I can get my monthly food stipend later. I owe Annie so much. She has been the biggest help ever since I arrived.
Pictures pending.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Much Better
Ok, so my interent here has not been working. I'm getting it fixed tomorrow (hopefully). That is the reason I haven't been updating much. Also pictures are nearly impossible to do here because of all the blocking of sites. I'll try to figure it out though.
I met a bunch of people from the University of California program. We have been hanging out and eating together most of the time. Most of them are Asian Americans, so I remain the token white kid. It is kind of interesting being the minority for once. Dave Chen will be interested to know that the asians make as many white kid jokes to me as I make asian jokes to you. They aren't entirely comfortable with me yet so they are a little less ambitious with the jokes than me though.
I am finally over my food sickness or whatever. I feel much better. I finally am really enjoying walking around and realizing that I'm in freaking China! Constant reminders all the time, and not just the language. Its hard to describe but everything done here is very... well... chinese.
So I am scheduling for classes on the day classes begin. That is a pain. But at least I know how to do it. Hopefully everything will be approved though because I have a very small window to change classes.
Again, forgive the lack of posting. Forgive the lack of pictures. Forgive the lack of replies to emails. My internet will be functional full time soon. (Hopefully.)
Zaijian!
I met a bunch of people from the University of California program. We have been hanging out and eating together most of the time. Most of them are Asian Americans, so I remain the token white kid. It is kind of interesting being the minority for once. Dave Chen will be interested to know that the asians make as many white kid jokes to me as I make asian jokes to you. They aren't entirely comfortable with me yet so they are a little less ambitious with the jokes than me though.
I am finally over my food sickness or whatever. I feel much better. I finally am really enjoying walking around and realizing that I'm in freaking China! Constant reminders all the time, and not just the language. Its hard to describe but everything done here is very... well... chinese.
So I am scheduling for classes on the day classes begin. That is a pain. But at least I know how to do it. Hopefully everything will be approved though because I have a very small window to change classes.
Again, forgive the lack of posting. Forgive the lack of pictures. Forgive the lack of replies to emails. My internet will be functional full time soon. (Hopefully.)
Zaijian!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Orientation (except in the digestive region)
Orientation consisted of Bao Jun reading things that we already knew (or should have already known; thank you W&J). Ben and I met a bunch of California Students in our program. That was good because we chilled with them all day and found out about how much we should have known prior to arriving. Nothing tragic; we can still register, but it is a huge pain in the butt.
I'm back on a regular sleep pattern, but my stomach is still in shambles. I am keeping everything down, but I just feel completely awful after I eat anything but cookies. It is likely the combination of my body adjusting to the 12 hour time difference, not running as much as I usually do, being stressed, being hungry, eating very different food, and high air pollution. It is a great combination. I'll run out of my huge bottle of pepto at this rate...
By the way, although if you look off into the distance in the afternoon it gets a bit hazy, the pollution doesn't seem too bad to me. The big air quality problem is the nasty smell of stale food and sewage that eminates from the street drains.
I'm back on a regular sleep pattern, but my stomach is still in shambles. I am keeping everything down, but I just feel completely awful after I eat anything but cookies. It is likely the combination of my body adjusting to the 12 hour time difference, not running as much as I usually do, being stressed, being hungry, eating very different food, and high air pollution. It is a great combination. I'll run out of my huge bottle of pepto at this rate...
By the way, although if you look off into the distance in the afternoon it gets a bit hazy, the pollution doesn't seem too bad to me. The big air quality problem is the nasty smell of stale food and sewage that eminates from the street drains.
Written 9/2
I’ve never been so lame before in terms of ability to eat. I eat light meals and feel sick. I almost made it through dinner last night. So that is good. Every meal gets a little easier, but again, I’m pathetic haha.
I found a shop that sells movies for about 7 kuai yuan. That is approximately 1 dollar. I can buy the first 7 seasons of scrubs for the equivalent of 25 dollars!! That would be a 280 dollar value at home! I would be a fool not to buy it. I will. Later.
Orientation is today. I have about 300 million questions and problems so hopefully they can help. Most important of them is the following two issues: What classes can I register and how do I get the meal plan??? So far I’ve been buying my own meals. It is extraordinarily cheap (about 2 dollars for a really nice meal) but they should be paid for by my paid meal plan. When does that start??
I’ve only met a handful of Americans. No problem with that but it is a huge struggle to communicate. My Chinese is terrible.
I found a shop that sells movies for about 7 kuai yuan. That is approximately 1 dollar. I can buy the first 7 seasons of scrubs for the equivalent of 25 dollars!! That would be a 280 dollar value at home! I would be a fool not to buy it. I will. Later.
Orientation is today. I have about 300 million questions and problems so hopefully they can help. Most important of them is the following two issues: What classes can I register and how do I get the meal plan??? So far I’ve been buying my own meals. It is extraordinarily cheap (about 2 dollars for a really nice meal) but they should be paid for by my paid meal plan. When does that start??
I’ve only met a handful of Americans. No problem with that but it is a huge struggle to communicate. My Chinese is terrible.
First Arrivals (Written 9/1)
Greetings from the future!
Wow. Where do I begin. The beginning I guess.
Saturday morning I got up at about 8:45, showered, shaved, ate breakfast, and headed out to the airport with my parents. The flight to Detroit was generally uneventful- I sat next to a woman on a business trip and talked briefly. I had a window seat and saw us go over Lake Michigan.
I ate a buffalo chicken sandwich for lunch in the airport (Detroit’s airport is sweet) and then boarded the plane for Shanghai. There, I sat next to a woman who was recently divorced but seemed extremely young. Dave Chen probably would think that she was 50, but I think she was more like 25. Anyway, we watched 3 of the most TERRIBLE movies ever created: 17 Again, Monsters vs. Aliens, and The Soloist. Crappy plots, crappy actors, and generally no creativity. In between they showed a few TV shows, none good enough to mention. Dinner included shrimp cocktail, vegetables, chicken, and a brownie.
OH! Good news. Because I can’t count, this flight was actually only 15 hours instead of 18! Never-the-less, at about 4 am EST, I was subject to motion sickness for the first time in my life. It was partially because of three main causes. First, I hadn’t slept for one second. Second, we had some moderate turbulent air for a while. Third, they were cooking sausage for breakfast within 3 feet of my face. It smelled awful and for the remainder of the trip I spent with my head back and my nose pinched, hoping that I wouldn’t puke for fear that I would be sent back to the U.S. by Quarantine and Inspection. I had tea for breakfast.
At about 6:30, I arrived at Pudong International Airport. Customs and inspection was a breeze, which is a good thing because I was in no shape to struggle with something. I claimed my bags and had no trouble finding Annie, Yoyo and Gina. They handed me a tuna sandwich from Starbucks and we went to a bus.
Which leads me to Chinese traffic. Good. God. Chinese drivers weave in and out of traffic within inches of other vehicles. Our bus was so close to the nearest cars that I couldn’t even see their passenger side. The roads were full of potholes. The left turn lane was occasionally on the right side of the road!! I also learned quickly that cars have the right of way in China; not people. So we nearly killed about 1,000 Chinese people on the way to Fudan.
Annie, Yoyo, and Gina took me to Walmart before we went to the room. There I bought a pillow and a blanket in addition to the one provided by the dorm. Walmart, by the way, is nothing like ours. It is 3 floors, smells like fish, and is crowded with crazy people who are searching through random isles filled with a random assortment of Chinese made goods. Oh wait, the only difference is the quantity of floors.
Which reminds me, China smells. You know how when you are at the beach, EVERYTHING has a smell of the beach? Well, China is the same way, except exchange the smell of the beach with the smell of Chinese food that has been in the trash for 2 weeks. That is China. Shanghai is amazing, though. I have some random pictures, but I was tired and not really capable of taking good ones. I’ll post better ones later. There were people line dancing on all the sidewalks, crazy cool lights and buildings, and kids running everywhere.
Anyway, we took a cab to the International student dorm. I checked in with some fast talking and rude people at the desk, and they gave me my big freaking bag of sheets, pillows, and a thermos. Then came the surprise of the evening. We went to my room (on the 7th floor) and said “Hello” to my roommate! Fortunately, it was Ben Morrow from W&J, so he is cool. I was disappointed, however, that I didn’t get a single like I was promised. Good going, Viet.
After thanking Annie, Yoyo, and Gina profusely, they left and I showered. I finally went to sleep (on the hardest bed ever created, but I luckily had the extra bedding, which I stacked to make it softer). The next morning, I unpacked, took a long walk to Walmart with Ben to pick up some more stuff, and then met Annie at 1 to buy a local cell phone and eat lunch. Again, I was plagued with a bit of nausea after eating.
I decided I would take a short nap before dinner. So at 6, I went to sleep. I then woke up at 5 am the next day. So... fail.
I apologize for the length of this post. I don’t have internet yet, and I’m a terrible writer and don’t know what to leave out and what to include. I will hopefully get better. By the way, this site is blocked in China, so I have to use a proxy site just to access it. Sweet. Anyway, I hope the W&J Cross Country team is running fast. Send me updates.
Wow. Where do I begin. The beginning I guess.
Saturday morning I got up at about 8:45, showered, shaved, ate breakfast, and headed out to the airport with my parents. The flight to Detroit was generally uneventful- I sat next to a woman on a business trip and talked briefly. I had a window seat and saw us go over Lake Michigan.
I ate a buffalo chicken sandwich for lunch in the airport (Detroit’s airport is sweet) and then boarded the plane for Shanghai. There, I sat next to a woman who was recently divorced but seemed extremely young. Dave Chen probably would think that she was 50, but I think she was more like 25. Anyway, we watched 3 of the most TERRIBLE movies ever created: 17 Again, Monsters vs. Aliens, and The Soloist. Crappy plots, crappy actors, and generally no creativity. In between they showed a few TV shows, none good enough to mention. Dinner included shrimp cocktail, vegetables, chicken, and a brownie.
OH! Good news. Because I can’t count, this flight was actually only 15 hours instead of 18! Never-the-less, at about 4 am EST, I was subject to motion sickness for the first time in my life. It was partially because of three main causes. First, I hadn’t slept for one second. Second, we had some moderate turbulent air for a while. Third, they were cooking sausage for breakfast within 3 feet of my face. It smelled awful and for the remainder of the trip I spent with my head back and my nose pinched, hoping that I wouldn’t puke for fear that I would be sent back to the U.S. by Quarantine and Inspection. I had tea for breakfast.
At about 6:30, I arrived at Pudong International Airport. Customs and inspection was a breeze, which is a good thing because I was in no shape to struggle with something. I claimed my bags and had no trouble finding Annie, Yoyo and Gina. They handed me a tuna sandwich from Starbucks and we went to a bus.
Which leads me to Chinese traffic. Good. God. Chinese drivers weave in and out of traffic within inches of other vehicles. Our bus was so close to the nearest cars that I couldn’t even see their passenger side. The roads were full of potholes. The left turn lane was occasionally on the right side of the road!! I also learned quickly that cars have the right of way in China; not people. So we nearly killed about 1,000 Chinese people on the way to Fudan.
Annie, Yoyo, and Gina took me to Walmart before we went to the room. There I bought a pillow and a blanket in addition to the one provided by the dorm. Walmart, by the way, is nothing like ours. It is 3 floors, smells like fish, and is crowded with crazy people who are searching through random isles filled with a random assortment of Chinese made goods. Oh wait, the only difference is the quantity of floors.
Which reminds me, China smells. You know how when you are at the beach, EVERYTHING has a smell of the beach? Well, China is the same way, except exchange the smell of the beach with the smell of Chinese food that has been in the trash for 2 weeks. That is China. Shanghai is amazing, though. I have some random pictures, but I was tired and not really capable of taking good ones. I’ll post better ones later. There were people line dancing on all the sidewalks, crazy cool lights and buildings, and kids running everywhere.
Anyway, we took a cab to the International student dorm. I checked in with some fast talking and rude people at the desk, and they gave me my big freaking bag of sheets, pillows, and a thermos. Then came the surprise of the evening. We went to my room (on the 7th floor) and said “Hello” to my roommate! Fortunately, it was Ben Morrow from W&J, so he is cool. I was disappointed, however, that I didn’t get a single like I was promised. Good going, Viet.
After thanking Annie, Yoyo, and Gina profusely, they left and I showered. I finally went to sleep (on the hardest bed ever created, but I luckily had the extra bedding, which I stacked to make it softer). The next morning, I unpacked, took a long walk to Walmart with Ben to pick up some more stuff, and then met Annie at 1 to buy a local cell phone and eat lunch. Again, I was plagued with a bit of nausea after eating.
I decided I would take a short nap before dinner. So at 6, I went to sleep. I then woke up at 5 am the next day. So... fail.
I apologize for the length of this post. I don’t have internet yet, and I’m a terrible writer and don’t know what to leave out and what to include. I will hopefully get better. By the way, this site is blocked in China, so I have to use a proxy site just to access it. Sweet. Anyway, I hope the W&J Cross Country team is running fast. Send me updates.
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