Traveling in China

Two weeks ago I traveled to Dalian to visit a friend. Felicia was a visiting scholar at Bloomsburg University last fall semester and when she found out I am in China she invited me to visit her. To get there I took a 6-hour high speed train. The train was very comfortable but a little too cold for me. During the summer in most of the places in China we pray for an air conditioner, but on that train I was freezing the whole time.

Once I arrived in Dalian Felicia and her husband were waiting for me at the exit. When we got to their apartment Felicia gave me a little care package with towels, pajamas, sleepers and even a toothbrush. The next day we drove all over Dalian to Felicia’s favorite places and took lots of pictures. She introduced me to her friend’s daughter, Shellmy.

During that weekend Shellmy and I became good friends and planned to travel to Qufu, hometown of Confucius, the last weekend of July. In Dalian we visited a place called Little Venice. There are multiple canals around the downtown of Dalian where anybody can go on a boat ride. Felicia also took me to meet her sister that lives right by the beach.

When we went to the beach, even though it was really hot, I didn’t see too many people tanning. Most of the women in China don’t like to tan. There is even a saying for women “bai fu mei” which means white, reach and beautiful and for men it’s “gao fu shuai”, tall, reach and handsome.

Dalian cuisine specializes in seafood. Just in two short days I tried a variety of fish dishes such as boiled muscles in a sea shell and pumpkin fried crabs. If I ever come to China again I will definitely visit Dalian.

Just last weekend our whole program traveled to Xian for four days. One of my favorite parts about the trip was a 13-hour overnight train ride. Since we came as a big group, it was really fun to just play card games and talk. After we arrived and settled at a hotel, our tour guide took us on a City Wall tour. The City Wall used to be used for protection against enemies, but now it’s an important historical monument of Xian. Then instead of walking the 9-mile City Wall we rented out bikes and rode around the whole City Wall.

It was really fun and mesmerizing but it was really exhausting to ride the bikes in near 100-degree heat. When we had free time, we went to a market street. There they sold all types of souvenirs and foods. Xian is famous for “rou jia mo” which is meat sandwich and for their noodles. There were people stretching super long noodles right outside of the restaurants to attract more customers.

The next day we went to see the terracotta warriors. The site is divided into 3 pits with over 10,000 warriors. The 1st pit has 6,500 warrior statues and is the biggest one out of the 3.

Each one of the warrior statue is different from the others because it was sculpted by a real terracotta warrior. Our next stop was the Giant Goose pagoda. Right next to it there are multiple Buddhist shrines which are open to the public. In the evening many people gather on the square in front of the Giant Goose pagoda for group activities.

Every park in China has activities mainly for retired people, such as dancing, card games, martial arts, etc. When we went to the square at night we were welcomed to dance the traditional Jiao Yi Wu dance with the locals. So far everywhere where I have traveled, the foreigners are always welcomed.

Right now I am a little sad because I only have two weeks left in China, but at least every single remaining day is planned so I will not waste a minute of my time here. This Saturday we will be taking the HSK 4 test, which is a standardized Chinese language knowledge test. I really hope that I can pass so that I can apply for internships in China. My last weekend in China I will spend traveling to Qufu with my friend Shellmy and my roommate. Ethan, one of the Chinese students in Bloomsburg, is also there for the summer and he will be able to show us around Qufu.

— Anastasia Timofeeva, junior engineering and Chinese major #HuskyAbroad #ProfessionalU

Timofeeva is studying abroad at the Beijing Foreign Studies University this summer, courtesy of several scholarships earned this past year. She received a Professional Experience grant from Professional U, a grant designed for students seeking to get involved in their career path or learn more about the world. Timofeeva also received an International Faculty Association scholarship dedicated to students with interest in fostering globalism and internationalism. Moreover, she received College of Liberal Arts study abroad scholarship and a scholarship for good academic standing from the university.

17 days in Beijing

The biggest event we’ve had so far is the overnight trip to the Great Wall last weekend.

It was a two-day short trip that included lots of hiking. We drove about two hours out of Beijing and started our first hike right away. We went to a part of the Wall where not too many tourists go to, so that we could enjoy it without being overcrowded.

It was about a 30-minute hike up the very steep stairs. I did not expect to be as difficult as it was, but everybody in our group made it up to the Wall. Seeing the mountains surround the Great Wall was one of the most beautiful scenic spots I have ever experienced. After we came down, we had taxis take us to a small village near the Great Wall for a homestay. We stayed with a very nice Chinese family that often hosts groups of tourists. Right at their backyard we could see the Great Wall and enjoy the sunset. That night our group stayed up pretty late and we just joked around all night.

The room that we slept in was just a one big bed. Boys and girls each got their own room. Next day at 4 a.m. we started our second big hike. The grandfather of the Chinese family lead our group because it was on a mountain beside the Great Wall. Once we got to the top of the mountain we sat down and watched the sunrise. I’ve never been much of an outdoor person, but after these hikes I want to start hiking more.

Another historical trip that we have had last week is a trip to Temple of Heaven. Temple of Heaven is located near the Tiananmen Square and is a popular place for school field trips and Chinese and foreign tourists. Our history professor told us that the Temple of Heaven was a very important spiritual place for the emperors of every dynasty and if the emperor did not perform the rituals at the Temple of Heaven he was looked down upon. Each dynasty had their own rituals, but the Emperors always prayed for a good harvest or for a victory in a war. If there was a famine, Chinese usually thought of it as if the gods were upset with the Emperor.

Yesterday we went to one of the famous hutongs a Beijing. Hutongs are streets surrounded by houses. They are popular for their markets and museums. Right now more and more authentic Chinese businesses are bought out by big franchises such as Starbucks and KFC.

Back in the day most of the officials lived in hutongs. Each profession and rank had their own type of entry gate and if an official was demoted, he would be required to change his gate. Since hutongs did not have a plumbing system, there would always be one or two saunas located in each hutong. These saunas were mostly used for gathering purposes where groups of men and women would play cards, gamble or drink. In the 60s and 70s hutong saunas were especially popular. As more and more businesses started to develop around hutongs, some of the saunas were not able to keep up paying high rents, so eventually they would run out of business. That usually affected the whole hutong because communities would lose a place to gather and their way of life would change.

In the first few weeks of my shopping experience in China, I have also learned that in most places you need to bargain for a good price. Last weekend my roommate She and I went to the Pearl Market. That market is famous for a variety of souvenirs and other goods. Especially for foreigners the starting prices are pretty expensive.

Usually I go 60 to 80 percent down the original price. At first the sellers try to convince you that they can’t lower the price, but a few minutes into it they give you the price that you are happy with. I think this is the only time when I feel confident talking to the sellers.

Usually when I go to a store I try my best to find everything myself so that I wouldn’t have to speak Chinese to people that I don’t know. Sometimes when I walk around Beijing I have no idea what I am reading on a billboard or what someone is saying to me and there are other times when I perfectly understand everything or at least 80 percent and it honestly makes my whole day. A few days ago I went to a train station to buy a ticket to go to Dalian to visit a friend. In U.S. or in Russia it wouldn’t be a big deal for me, but in China it was. It made me so happy that I had enough vocabulary to buy it for the right date and time and even get a ticket back to Beijing.

Yesterday me and another student decided to go running. The track and basketball courts are located within a two-minute walk from our dorm so we had no excuses not to go running. A wide variety of groups gather around track every day. There are many women that dance together to Chinese folk music, guys and girls my age who ride bikes and skateboards, children who play basketball or soccer, families spending time together playing badminton. In contrast to American campuses, we were a little surprised to see so many people that are not BFSU students involved on campus.

Next weekend I will be traveling to Dalian, which is north-east of Beijing by myself. If I survive this trip, you can read about my experience in Dalian in the next blog :)

— Anastasia Timofeeva, junior engineering and Chinese major #HuskyAbroad #ProfessionalU

Timofeeva is studying abroad at the Beijing Foreign Studies University this summer, courtesy of several scholarships earned this past year. She received a Professional Experience grant from Professional U, a grant designed for students seeking to get involved in their career path or learn more about the world. Timofeeva also received an International Faculty Association scholarship dedicated to students with interest in fostering globalism and internationalism. Moreover, she received College of Liberal Arts study abroad scholarship and a scholarship for good academic standing from the university.

Teachers, we invite you to dinner

The day we climbed the Great Wall was a gorgeous one: Low humidity, warm temperature, and no visibility issues. The two-hour bus ride was worth the wait. When we left the city limits and entered the Mutianyu village, the surroundings reminded me of my hometown’s green countryside landscape.

When we arrived, several students wanted to take the cable car up to the wall and later walk down, and others wanted to climb the stairs that led to the wall. I wanted to climb since I did it last summer, and I remembered the distance to the wall was not as far of a climb in comparison to last week’s Mount Tai climb.

Ashley joined me and we started to climb because we wanted to reach the top because we only had about two-and-a-half hours to walk around the Great Wall, buy gifts, and eat lunch at the bottom.

It was a very hot climb. I was drenched in sweat by the time we made it to the wall section. At the top, we walked around, took some pictures of fabulous views from the Great Wall because the skies were so clear.

It turned out to be a pretty relaxing rest of the trip because the surroundings were so nice and there was enough time to have a sandwich at the Subway after buying some gifts. I really hope I get to return to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall in the future. It was a great time the second time around.

老师们，我们请你们吃完饭，可以吗？

As our final ethnic meal, we had to invite our teachers to dinner. This time, Josh and I took our teachers out together because we were the only students who were the only BU student in our Chinese classes.

I can understand as a teacher it must be difficult to find time to have an organized dinner or lunch due to the work schedule and family. Luckily the only teacher who could not join us was Josh’s hanyu (general Chinese) teacher. So altogether it was me, my hanyu and kouyu (spoken Chinese) teachers, Josh, and his kouyu teacher.

The restaurant our teachers chose was one I was familiar with because I had eaten there once last summer. In fact, it was the same restaurant my teachers from last summer chose when I took them out to dinner for the final ethnic meal. It was a little restaurant known for its pear drink. It also served a cheese and custard-flavored dessert in the shape of a fish. As written in last summer’s blog, “Everything we ordered was delicious, and the cheese fish tasted like custard.”

Chinese dinner conversation was also good. My hanyu teacher was very lively. My kouyu teacher happened to be a substitute teacher for our last week because my real kouyu teacher had to leave for a conference. She was a little quiet during dinner, but I think she still had a good time. I found that I was much more comfortable with the language than last year. We talked about our classes, our upcoming final exams the next day, our experiences in China, and my previous teaching job. My teachers were very impressed when I told them that I often cooked Chinese dishes while I was living on my own.

All in all, it was a nice final ethnic meal. It’s one of the only times we could talk to the teachers outside of the classroom setting, so it was a great way to get to know the teachers on a more personal level.

Leaving Beijing, Hoping to Come Back Again

Now that the program is over, it is time for me to go home and figure out what is going on next in my life. I had said before that I wanted a future with Asia, and a future with Asia I received. As of now, I will return to China next semester to work at SDUT for at least one more semester, and then I am considering possibly finishing a Chinese bachelor’s degree from BU since I already completed most of the credits.

Coming home to America even if it is for a few weeks after living in China for about six months is going to be a bit of an adjustment. I had gone home for a few weeks during the Chinese New Year holiday during the winter, and I remembered how quiet home was compared to Beijing or even Zibo. It was also very different seeing and hearing everything in English instead of Chinese after coming home for the first time being gone for a long stint of time. However, this time I would be coming home in the summer, so I had the nice weather to look forward to.

I think I will be back to Beijing in the future, if not the near future at least to visit next semester. I will remember all of the fond memories from this summer’s study program. I think this time was the best time around. I really liked our group, and just being more familiar with China and Chiense made the whole experience better.

Chinese Haircuts

I decided to try to get a haircut in Beijing. I had gotten my hair cut in Zibo, the city I currently work in, but I wanted the Beijing experience!
I also paid a little extra RMB to have an experienced barber, a head massage, and tea. April, Harry, and Devin also all accompanied me to the barbershop because they also wanted the Beijing haircut experience. I also helped the others translate what they wanted for their haircuts, but they seemed to do okay without me this time.

The Chinese barbers really took their time cutting and styling our hair, and the overall experience was very relaxing. This was very unlike the barbershops in the US where they try to finish a simple haircut job as quickly as possible. We arrived at 7:30 p.m. and did not leave until about 9PM.

It was nice to have some Chinese conversation with the barbers. They were friendly and very interested in cutting our foreign hair. It was funny to see all of the black hair around the barbershop excluding the places where we sat.

April and I were very satisfied with our haircuts. We even all managed to get a group picture before we left so we could remember the experience. Hopefully I will be able to get another haircut in Beijing in the future.

The Old Beijing HuTongs

The Beijing Hutongs were a sight to see at 南锣鼓巷Nanluoguxiang. Also it was not a far subway ride from Peking University. Some of the features of the Nanluoguxiang Hutongs are a main street with many restaurants, stores, an old Beijing feel, and not to mention, many Chinese and foreign tourists.

I had visited Nanluoguxiang during previous occasions in Beijing, so I was somewhat familiar with the surroundings. I ended up checking-out some of the stores to see what kinds of merchandise could be found. I ended up buying some strong Chinese Oolong tea at a cute little tea store.

The group then ate at 烤肉季 kaorouji, a Chinese restaurant famous for meat dishes. It was a delicious except for the 香菜 xiangcai they put in the barbeque meat dish. This is one spice similar to parsley only with a strong, bitter flavor that I do not like in Chinese food.

Since we did not have a lot of time to shop when we all went to Nanluoguxiang as a group, April and I decided to return one evening to have some of the old Beijing food and do some shopping. We all really enjoyed the old Beijing feel, food, and shopping both times at Nanluoguxiang.

This is one place I’d recommend to anyone traveling Beijing to see because it is very unique from the other places we’ve seen in Beijing, and the Hutong street structures date back to when Beijing was a much smaller city then the mega metropolis it is today.

Acrobatics Show

Just about everyone in the group loved the acrobatics performance. Even though I had seen the show last summer, I still could not keep my eyes off the stage (except to take an occasional picture).

Several acts have previously won acrobatics competitions in Russia and France. It was a pleasure to see these internationally renowned acrobats perform again. The opening act was a woman who climbed up several chairs stacked on top of one another and then doing contortionist acts while balancing at the top of the structure.

Other notable acts were two men who could climb stairs while standing on one hand, a group of women who could make a human pyramid while the women on the base riding bicycles, and eight motorcyclists who drove together in a limited spherical space. Based on the audiences’ gasps and applauding, most thought that this act in particular was the most nerve-wracking and exciting one to watch!

— Sarah Halter '12, English major #HuskyAbroad

A moment to last a lifetime

One of the events that we got to attend was an acrobatics show on Wednesday July 17. This was by far probably one of the best shows that I have ever seen! We traveled from Peking University to Chaoyang Theater by bus. So, again we got to travel through the insane traffic of Beijing. Cars kept getting so close to the bus that I thought that they would hit the bus, but we ended up making it to the theatre really early and without getting into any accidents.

Once the show began, it was absolutely amazing! The acts were phenomenal. There was a girl doing handstands on at least five chairs high, and she had absolutely no fear. This girl could even switch her hands that she was balancing with and not even fall off of the chair that she was on. Another act consisted of guys jumping or flipping through these small hoops, but they made that difficult task look like it was the simplest thing ever. I was just in awe for some of these beginning acts.

During one of the last acts, these girls would form a pyramid while only one of the girls was pedaling the one bike that everyone was on. It was amazing to be able to see that so many girls were capable of squeezing on one bicycle. Then a total of eight motorcycles all were driving around this gigantic sphere at precise times, so no accidents would ever occur during their time to shine on the stage. It was shocking that so many motorcycles were able to fit into that small of space.

My personal favorite act was these young girls would balance these glass bowls on either their heads or their feet, and these guys would toss them in the air or hold the girls up. Then the girls even did some flips or other gymnastics stunts. While performing these acts, the girls never once dropped those glass bowls. It was absolutely fascinating that the Chinese acrobats had this amazing sense of balance and precision. All of the acts required precise timing and they performed so well. This show will be one that I will remember for a very long time.

Being On the Great Wall

On Saturday July 20, we had the opportunity to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World: The Great Wall of China. We actually only went to the Mutianyu Section, which was a part that was preserved very well, even though some of the stairs on this portion were so large that I had trouble climbing over them. This was probably the one trip that I was most excited about going to. It was a nice and clear sunny day, which is the perfect day for us to be going to the Great Wall. However, it was really hot.

When we got there, we had the chance to either take the cable car or hike up lots of stairs to the Great Wall. I decided to try the hike up. But, not long after I started walking the heat started to get to me, and I was having some trouble with finishing my hike. I was proud of myself for making it up to the Great Wall. Since I was really slow going up the Great Wall, I was not able to catch up to the others in my group that rode the cable car up. So, I spent most of my time at the Great Wall with Sarah just walking around and enjoying the sights.

The view from the top was absolutely amazing! You could see mountains and the beautiful scenery for miles and miles. Even when you would look behind you or in front you can see that the wall just stretched for what seemed like forever. No matter where you went on the Great Wall, you were always guaranteed to have a great view. This made going to the Great Wall an experience of a lifetime. Even though it was really hot, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip. By me just being able to walk all around the wall by going up and down many more stairs made me really feel immersed in the ancient Chinese culture. Also, it was just amazing to now say that I have been on one of the Seven Wonders of the World!

The Joys and Sorrows of Shopping in China

I have been constantly writing about all of the events that we have gone on, but I haven’t really written much about food or the culture of living in Beijing. So, I decided that I would talk about a few adventures that I have had while in Beijing.

Even though my Chinese is not the best, I am getting better at navigating my way through the Chinese subway. This is a major accomplishment for me since I am terrible when it comes to directions. One day this past week (July 21), Laura and I decided to travel via the subway to the Silk Market with some friends from our Chinese classes. The subway is actually very clean by the standards of what I have seen in the New York subways. Some of the subway lines are very beautifully decorated with pretty paintings and beautiful artwork. It is really an interesting thing to compare to the subway system back home. Also, the subways in China tend to get really crowded and you almost always have to stand, but other than that the subway really is a very efficient and cheap way to travel.

After a really long subway ride and one transfer stop, we made it to the Silk Market. Now, shopping in China is far different than the how we would shop back in America. In America, everything usually has a set price or even a sale price that is unable to be changed. In China, you are able to bargain to get an item for a price that you are willing to pay. In my Chinese classes, we have been talking about shopping, so I knew some basics, but most of the people in the market speak English really well. Laura and I asked the one salesperson where she learned English from and she explained that she picked it up from working at the market, so we tried talking with her in both English and Chinese for a little while we were shopping for presents for our family and friends.

Shopping in China is an amazing experience, and very interesting. Some salespeople are very persistent and will yell at you, and others will even grab you and try to get you to come in the store or to even look at their items. I am mainly used to browsing when I shop at home not being bombarded by so many people. I believe that the experience that Laura and I had this past week will really help us when we go to the Pearl Market this Friday (July 26), since we now have an idea how to bargain to get the lowest prices that we could, even though we may have overpaid for some of the items that we bought on this trip.

The Many Places of Beijing

During the last week of the study abroad trip, some of the group wanted to be able to travel more and be able to see more of the great places that Beijing has to offer. One day (July 22), Jackie, Ed, Andy, and I decided to travel by the subway to the Bird’s Nest Stadium. We all wanted to be able to see where the 2008 Beijing Olympics were held at.

It was only a short ride on the subway till we got there. But, when we finally got there, the stadium was amazing to look at. I never realized just how large of a structure the stadium is till I was standing next to it. (We have passed the Bird’s Nest Stadium a few times when traveling by bus to some of our other scheduled events.) Just looking at the architecture of the building was astounding. It really had the appearance of a bird’s nest with all of the steel looking poles everywhere.

The inside was just so huge! And no matter where we sat in the stadium we had a great view. We walked around and got to watch some reruns of the 2008 Olympics. It really was amazing to know that so many amazing athletes were at that location just a few years ago.

Another day (July 23) Jackie, Laura, and I wanted to go to the National Library of China to see one of the largest libraries in the world. This library had over 26 million books and it was huge. It had five floors; the library even had a cafeteria and a gift shop. And, we wanted to be able to practice some Chinese while we were there. One of the lessons that we had during our classes was having us ask where the library was. So, Jackie wanted to walk up to someone after we got off of the subway and ask where the library was in Chinese. The person helped us by pointing in the direction of where the library was. I am really glad that we got to go and see one of the largest libraries with so many books and so much to do inside.

On July 25, we wanted to be able to see China’s most iconic animal: the panda. The only place that we would be able to see a panda was at the Beijing Zoo. Our zoo trip included Jackie, Ed, Andy, Josh, Laura, April, and I. It really was a good time seeing all of the animals such as the pandas, lions, and elephants. It was a very hot day, so many of the animals were exhausted and just sleeping. I was disappointed that the tigers were not out to see, but other than that the animals were all very interesting to see.

The only animal that was shocking to see was a raccoon in the zoo. We have them all over Pennsylvania and in China they have them in a zoo! Jackie decided to tell some Chinese woman how see ran over a raccoon with her car. The poor woman was so scared she quickly walked away after looking completely terrified. The only problem I had with the zoo was some of the people were treating us like an exhibit and were taking pictures of us like we were some weird type of animal walking around the zoo.

After the zoo, we went to the Beijing Aquarium to see all of the large variety of fish and others such as the belugas. The belugas were swimming all around with a driver and doing some really funny tricks. We got to see many fish of all different sizes and colors at the coral reef exhibit. It really was so pretty to look at the coral reef fish and see so many different species and to learn a little about them.

So, we have learned that Beijing has so many places to visit that were not on our agenda to do, and all of us had an amazing time.

On the Stairway to Heaven

On Friday July 26, we went to see the Temple of Heaven. When we were there, we got to stand in what the Chinese believe to be the center of the universe, and where the Chinese would make sacrifices for the over 700 gods. Some of the gods were even trees that were over 500 years old. And, then we got to see one of these tree gods, which was a Juniper tree that was over 550 years old! Chinese legend says that you are to stick out your hand and see what you feel. For example, if you do not feel anything then you are considered to be a bad person. Or, if you hand feels warm then good things will happen to you, such as good health. And, with the majority of our group being sickly with some form of a cold at this point, we were all hoping that we would feel some warmth when we stuck out our hands.

Seeing the Temple of Heaven was amazing. The buildings all looked amazing, even though one of the largest buildings (The Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests) has been rebuilt since it was destroyed in a fire in the past. Just being able to look inside of the building and see all of the amazing and colorful artwork that was all over the building was absolutely amazing.

As Jackie, Laura, and I were walking around the largest building, we kept getting our picture taken by some random people since we look so different than them. So, we kept saying how we were going to walk up to some random people and ask to have a picture with them. But, Laura said that she wished that we would get our picture taken with a person with a baby. The reason she wanted that was because then we would get two people with us in the picture (the concept of two for the price of one). Right after Laura said that, a woman walked over to us with her baby and asked if she could get a picture with all three of us. We all laughed and said that the Temple of Heaven has answered one of our prayers.

Overall, it was a really good and sad day. It was fun getting to learn more fascinating history about Beijing. However, it was sad since this was the last day of our cultural field trips during the summer study abroad program.

Reflection

After spending one month in Beijing, I have learned so much about the Chinese culture and language. I have learned how to speak and write some basic Mandarin. I even passed both of the exams in my Hanyu and Kouyu classes. I really feel as though I have accomplished a lot while being in China such as being able to see some of the most amazing places that I have ever seen in my life.

Many people have their own types of misconceptions about the Chinese culture and way of living. But, experiencing the culture teaches you that many of the things that you hear about a foreign country are not always true. Just being able to experience a culture and see right from your own eyes how the people do everything teaches you to form your own opinions. I learned that even though China is considered a developing country, their way of living and handling themselves as a country is working pretty well for them. Many of the people that I got to know that lives there believe that China is a great place to live. Beside the air quality with the pollution, I would agree with them.

I am going to miss a lot of things about China, such as the food since it was absolutely amazing. I will also miss my teachers since they taught me so much. Even though my classes were tough, I am glad that they were able to teach me so much in one short month. And, I am going to miss all of the amazing people that I had the opportunity to meet and get to know over the past month.

Overall, China is an amazing place with many historical aspects to offer. I am very grateful that I have decided to go on this study abroad trip. And, I recommend that you should always try to study abroad while you are in college. It is a once in a lifetime experience, where you would get to meet some of the greatest people. It is probably the best decision that I have ever made in my life to do, and I have many memories that will last a lifetime.

— Ashley Boehmer, mathematics major #HuskyAbroad