Hangzhou street
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Showing posts with label An American Professor in China. Show all posts
Showing posts with label An American Professor in China. Show all posts
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Boat ride in Hangzhou
Boat ride in Hangzhou
The Chinese people that I talked to said that the most beautiful place in all of China was Hangzhou. This video was taken on a wonderful, day while being rowed across the famous West Lake!
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The Chinese people that I talked to said that the most beautiful place in all of China was Hangzhou. This video was taken on a wonderful, day while being rowed across the famous West Lake!
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Monday, November 17, Class Presentations Begin
Back in class this week and next week, the students are giving group presentations over various assigned chapters in the book. I tried to place students in groups, but they wanted to stay with their friends which are usually their room mates as well. The dorm rooms here house 4 per room with each group sharing the bathroom facilities. So most students live together, go to the same classes and spend most of their free leisure time together as well.
The groups mainly are composed of all males or all females. One group had four males and four females, they presented in pairs of one boy and one girl. This was very unusual and the interpreter pointed this out to me as well.
The student presentations were the same as in the west. Some students were ready and anxious to get it over with. Other groups wanted more time and did not have their power point slides (PPT) or their hand-out to me ready. Some PPTs were excellent with lots of graphics and sound effects along with current events based on the topics from the textbook chapters that they were to cover.
One group had a chapter of slides that had been accidentally deleted, so they did not want to present today but rather asked to present tomorrow in class. I was told by the group leader in her best English that the "dinosaur" that lives in the computer had "eaten" that part of their PPT! I guess this is the Chinese version of the "dog ate my homework" OR "there is a virus in my computer".... perhaps.
There were some very creative PPTs. I told each class that they needed to introduce each member of their group, so one group put their pictures on a slide with their English name under their pictures. They started some upbeat fast paced music, while they each walked under the screen and pointed to their name as they said their name as well! Very nice introduction.
Another group played a short, quick video of a famous cartoon pertaining to monkeys in a tree. Then, the monkeys began discussing something. Next , we see the monkeys holding each others tails as they hang from the tree to grab the reflection in the moon. When the monkey holding on at the bottom actually does catch the moon's reflection there is great laughter that goes up in the room! I was told by the translator that this is a children's story throughout Asia and the monkeys do NOT catch their reflection, so this is a different twist of this story in this cartoon. The group effectively used this illustration to demonstrate that in organizational behavior what happens with good team building and appropriate team work. It was an excellent example!
Here is the story of the Monkeys and the Moon
"The Monkeys and the Moon - Tibetan Tale In long-past times there lived a band of monkeys in a forest. As they rambled about they saw the reflection of the moon in a well, and the leader of the band said: "O friends, the moon has fallen into the well. The world is now without a moon. Ought not we to draw it out?"The monkeys said, "Good; we will draw it out."So they began to hold counsel as to how they were to draw it out. Some of them said, "Do not you know? The monkeys must form a chain, and so draw the moon out."So they formed a chain, the first monkey hanging on to the branch of a tree, and the second to the first monkey's tail, and a third one in its turn to the tail of the second one. When in this way they were all hanging on to one another, the branch began to bend a good deal. The water became troubled, the reaction of the moon disappeared, the branch broke, and all the monkeys fell into the well and were disagreeably damaged.
A deity uttered this verse: "When the foolish have a foolish leader they all go to ruin like the monkeys which wanted to draw the moon up from the well.""
http://www.planetfusion.co.uk/~pignut/moonmyth1.html
The groups mainly are composed of all males or all females. One group had four males and four females, they presented in pairs of one boy and one girl. This was very unusual and the interpreter pointed this out to me as well.
The student presentations were the same as in the west. Some students were ready and anxious to get it over with. Other groups wanted more time and did not have their power point slides (PPT) or their hand-out to me ready. Some PPTs were excellent with lots of graphics and sound effects along with current events based on the topics from the textbook chapters that they were to cover.
One group had a chapter of slides that had been accidentally deleted, so they did not want to present today but rather asked to present tomorrow in class. I was told by the group leader in her best English that the "dinosaur" that lives in the computer had "eaten" that part of their PPT! I guess this is the Chinese version of the "dog ate my homework" OR "there is a virus in my computer".... perhaps.
There were some very creative PPTs. I told each class that they needed to introduce each member of their group, so one group put their pictures on a slide with their English name under their pictures. They started some upbeat fast paced music, while they each walked under the screen and pointed to their name as they said their name as well! Very nice introduction.
Another group played a short, quick video of a famous cartoon pertaining to monkeys in a tree. Then, the monkeys began discussing something. Next , we see the monkeys holding each others tails as they hang from the tree to grab the reflection in the moon. When the monkey holding on at the bottom actually does catch the moon's reflection there is great laughter that goes up in the room! I was told by the translator that this is a children's story throughout Asia and the monkeys do NOT catch their reflection, so this is a different twist of this story in this cartoon. The group effectively used this illustration to demonstrate that in organizational behavior what happens with good team building and appropriate team work. It was an excellent example!
Here is the story of the Monkeys and the Moon
"The Monkeys and the Moon - Tibetan Tale In long-past times there lived a band of monkeys in a forest. As they rambled about they saw the reflection of the moon in a well, and the leader of the band said: "O friends, the moon has fallen into the well. The world is now without a moon. Ought not we to draw it out?"The monkeys said, "Good; we will draw it out."So they began to hold counsel as to how they were to draw it out. Some of them said, "Do not you know? The monkeys must form a chain, and so draw the moon out."So they formed a chain, the first monkey hanging on to the branch of a tree, and the second to the first monkey's tail, and a third one in its turn to the tail of the second one. When in this way they were all hanging on to one another, the branch began to bend a good deal. The water became troubled, the reaction of the moon disappeared, the branch broke, and all the monkeys fell into the well and were disagreeably damaged.
A deity uttered this verse: "When the foolish have a foolish leader they all go to ruin like the monkeys which wanted to draw the moon up from the well.""
http://www.planetfusion.co.uk/~pignut/moonmyth1.html
Sunday, November 16 Character Breakfast
On Sunday, we went downstairs to the character breakfast with Goofy & Pluto dressed like chefs and Minnie, Micky and Daisy! Each character came around to our table and we had a great time seeing each one.
Friday, November 14 Disneyland Fireworks!!
We spent another great day at Disneyland. One of our friends from Orlando, Florida who is an "Imagineer" (engineers with imaginations as Disney calls them), was here in Hong Kong this week. He was discussing that there are 10 rides here and more to come as with any business when the money allows. I asked him about The Haunted Mansion ride and if there were any cultural issues to why it was not at this park. The answer reflected that there will probably be one to come in the future and yes there is a cultural aspect, which would translate into a darker, more sinister Haunted Mansion than in the United States.
As I always note to my business students, when a business goes to another country or region, the cultural aspects of that area must be taken into consideration. The Disneyland and Disney World in the United States has special night tickets just for Halloween, Christmas and Princess/Pirates nights in February/March. These parks have held these events for several years.
This was the first year that Hong Kong Disneyland had added special ticketed events specifically for Halloween. This trick or treat night is not native to China, but the two nights the park offered this event it was a huge success! What a surprise for a culture that does not traditionally celebrate Halloween, but for there to be a crowd at the park for the two nights it was offered is amazing! I thought this was very interesting from a cultural and marketing perspective. However, I have been told that at Disney, patrons are expecting a slice of America so that Halloween would be expected to be celebrated there.
The park was also decorated in Christmas and some special Christmas ticketed nights are being considered, especially since the Halloween nights did so very well!
We loved all of the rides. But I think the overall favorite was Space Mountain. Here, the ride holds 6 passengers with 3 rows of two, which is different from the parks in the states that look like a rocket and only 3 people can sit one behind the other on the ride. Once the ride begins, both the ones in the US and in Hong Kong are very similar.
Here is a interactive map of Disneyland Hong Kong.
At 3:30 p.m., each day there is a spectacular parade.
We often hear and see little fireworks a couple of times each week. The Chinese culture has fireworks before the wedding ceremony, unlike American weddings where the "fireworks" begin after we say "I do"! (Ok... a little joke, I couldn't help myself!)
Fireworks are also seen for very special occasions. So the day ended with an awesome fireworks show over Sleeping Beauty's castle, but I was expecting nothing less from a fireworks display in China!
As I always note to my business students, when a business goes to another country or region, the cultural aspects of that area must be taken into consideration. The Disneyland and Disney World in the United States has special night tickets just for Halloween, Christmas and Princess/Pirates nights in February/March. These parks have held these events for several years.
This was the first year that Hong Kong Disneyland had added special ticketed events specifically for Halloween. This trick or treat night is not native to China, but the two nights the park offered this event it was a huge success! What a surprise for a culture that does not traditionally celebrate Halloween, but for there to be a crowd at the park for the two nights it was offered is amazing! I thought this was very interesting from a cultural and marketing perspective. However, I have been told that at Disney, patrons are expecting a slice of America so that Halloween would be expected to be celebrated there.
The park was also decorated in Christmas and some special Christmas ticketed nights are being considered, especially since the Halloween nights did so very well!
We loved all of the rides. But I think the overall favorite was Space Mountain. Here, the ride holds 6 passengers with 3 rows of two, which is different from the parks in the states that look like a rocket and only 3 people can sit one behind the other on the ride. Once the ride begins, both the ones in the US and in Hong Kong are very similar.
Here is a interactive map of Disneyland Hong Kong.
At 3:30 p.m., each day there is a spectacular parade.
We often hear and see little fireworks a couple of times each week. The Chinese culture has fireworks before the wedding ceremony, unlike American weddings where the "fireworks" begin after we say "I do"! (Ok... a little joke, I couldn't help myself!)
Fireworks are also seen for very special occasions. So the day ended with an awesome fireworks show over Sleeping Beauty's castle, but I was expecting nothing less from a fireworks display in China!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thursday Evening, November 13 Hello there!
Well...as Goofy the Disney character would say: "Well....hello there!"
After a hot, fun filled day at Disneyland, we went back to the room and took showers/changed into clean clothes. I stopped at the elevator (or as the British/Hong Kong label noted, the Lift) and listened to the band playing for a few minutes.
Then, I proceeded on downstairs to the Garden restaurant for a Character dinner. The food was fabulous and it was a gourmet style buffet!
The characters were Goofy, Pluto, Minnie and of course, Mickey!
The entire restaurant got a good laugh, when Goofy attempted to "kiss" Carter! Carter began running around the restaurant with Goofy hiding, then chasing him. All was in hilarious fun!
We took numerous pictures and videos with the characters. I enjoyed dancing with Goofy and Mickey Mouse.
I asked someone who was walking around with Minnie if we could get a picture with Minnie AND Mickey together. I thought this would be great!
She replied by explaining to me that they were not to be photographed together and this was in their contract. They are suppose to walk around separately and go from table to table. BUT she realized that this was a special time for me and my family to be at Hong Kong Disneyland. So if we were willing to wait, she would work it out. I said OK.
After about 15 minutes, she and another worker came over to our table and escorted us to another dining room next to the kitchen door behind a wall. Suddenly, Mickey and Minnie came out of the Kitchen and we ended the evening with pictures of the most famous mice in all the world!
After a hot, fun filled day at Disneyland, we went back to the room and took showers/changed into clean clothes. I stopped at the elevator (or as the British/Hong Kong label noted, the Lift) and listened to the band playing for a few minutes.
Then, I proceeded on downstairs to the Garden restaurant for a Character dinner. The food was fabulous and it was a gourmet style buffet!
The characters were Goofy, Pluto, Minnie and of course, Mickey!
The entire restaurant got a good laugh, when Goofy attempted to "kiss" Carter! Carter began running around the restaurant with Goofy hiding, then chasing him. All was in hilarious fun!
We took numerous pictures and videos with the characters. I enjoyed dancing with Goofy and Mickey Mouse.
I asked someone who was walking around with Minnie if we could get a picture with Minnie AND Mickey together. I thought this would be great!
She replied by explaining to me that they were not to be photographed together and this was in their contract. They are suppose to walk around separately and go from table to table. BUT she realized that this was a special time for me and my family to be at Hong Kong Disneyland. So if we were willing to wait, she would work it out. I said OK.
After about 15 minutes, she and another worker came over to our table and escorted us to another dining room next to the kitchen door behind a wall. Suddenly, Mickey and Minnie came out of the Kitchen and we ended the evening with pictures of the most famous mice in all the world!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Wednesday, November 12 Off to Hong Kong!
Well...I'm off to teach class and then, we are flying to Hong Kong to stay there for four days! On to another grand adventure.
After teaching classes, Tom arrived at my classroom door to say that he had called a Taxi and it was waiting downstairs with my family.
We took the "scenic" tour to the airport! Our taxi driver did not speak any English. He took us through very little towns and even through a congested construction site where only small vehicles could cross, so we had to wait until the traffic cleared. We still made the flight though, thank goodness!
When we arrived at our destination it was absolutely gorgeous, I expected nothing less from Disney. We stayed on property at The Disney Resort Hotel in Hong Kong. We were excited but we were exhausted. Everyone really enjoyed sleeping in a western bed where there are box springs and a soft mattress. I have been very surprised though that the board that I have been sleeping on has not had any negative effects on my back and neck! It is nice to see a different country with different cultures than the west.
After teaching classes, Tom arrived at my classroom door to say that he had called a Taxi and it was waiting downstairs with my family.
We took the "scenic" tour to the airport! Our taxi driver did not speak any English. He took us through very little towns and even through a congested construction site where only small vehicles could cross, so we had to wait until the traffic cleared. We still made the flight though, thank goodness!
When we arrived at our destination it was absolutely gorgeous, I expected nothing less from Disney. We stayed on property at The Disney Resort Hotel in Hong Kong. We were excited but we were exhausted. Everyone really enjoyed sleeping in a western bed where there are box springs and a soft mattress. I have been very surprised though that the board that I have been sleeping on has not had any negative effects on my back and neck! It is nice to see a different country with different cultures than the west.
Saturday, November 8 Tom's Apartment
Saturday morning was filled with excitement! We had been looking forward all week to going over to Tom's place for lunch.
Julie accompanied us and was very helpful in finding the right bus, which was Bus 38 to Bus 40 into Wenzhou. We went to the end of the line and got off the bus. After a quick phone call, Tom came walking up and said hello. He told us his mother was very excited to meet us.
When we arrived at Tom's building, we walked up to the six floor. The apartment was immaculate and just beautiful! The view over the city was awesome!
We met two of Tom's relatives who were there. One was dressed in a very nice business suit with a beautiful, gold round lapel pin that appeared to be from the government. We learned that he was a business man in sales for his company and would have to leave after lunch to go to work.
His mother is a manager of student housing here at Wenzhou University. She does not speak English, but Tom translated for her. She has a beautiful smile!
Tom's mother had been cooking for quite some time and had prepared a beautiful meal for us. One dish here that is of great honor to serve to your guests are crabs. They showed us how to peel a whole shrimp and to eat the little crabs. Everything was delicious!
We felt VERY welcomed!
After lunch, everyone played various games including different card and video games. Tom can really shuffle a deck of cards. About 2:oo p.m., Tom began asking what we wanted for dinner. I said that we were leaving and quickly found out that was NOT the plan. Tom said that his mother wanted to know what to cook.
So we said whatever she wants to do is fine with us. We walked downstairs and around the corner to the most fresh market you can imagine. Live birds and fish of all kinds along with a variety of vegetables were plentiful. She picked out some live shrimp and various meats with more fresh vegatables.
We went back to the apartment and had another delicious meal! Another great day. Thanks to Tom and Tom's Mom!
Julie accompanied us and was very helpful in finding the right bus, which was Bus 38 to Bus 40 into Wenzhou. We went to the end of the line and got off the bus. After a quick phone call, Tom came walking up and said hello. He told us his mother was very excited to meet us.
When we arrived at Tom's building, we walked up to the six floor. The apartment was immaculate and just beautiful! The view over the city was awesome!
We met two of Tom's relatives who were there. One was dressed in a very nice business suit with a beautiful, gold round lapel pin that appeared to be from the government. We learned that he was a business man in sales for his company and would have to leave after lunch to go to work.
His mother is a manager of student housing here at Wenzhou University. She does not speak English, but Tom translated for her. She has a beautiful smile!
Tom's mother had been cooking for quite some time and had prepared a beautiful meal for us. One dish here that is of great honor to serve to your guests are crabs. They showed us how to peel a whole shrimp and to eat the little crabs. Everything was delicious!
We felt VERY welcomed!
After lunch, everyone played various games including different card and video games. Tom can really shuffle a deck of cards. About 2:oo p.m., Tom began asking what we wanted for dinner. I said that we were leaving and quickly found out that was NOT the plan. Tom said that his mother wanted to know what to cook.
So we said whatever she wants to do is fine with us. We walked downstairs and around the corner to the most fresh market you can imagine. Live birds and fish of all kinds along with a variety of vegetables were plentiful. She picked out some live shrimp and various meats with more fresh vegatables.
We went back to the apartment and had another delicious meal! Another great day. Thanks to Tom and Tom's Mom!
Thursday, November 6 McDonald's Attack!
The Americans could not wait any longer! WE had a junk food attack. So it was dinner time and told everyone how about let's go to town and find a McDonald's to get a hamburger and some greasy french fries. We have been eating the most wonderful real Chinese food that is healthy and not fried with lots of vegetables and fruit.
BUT it was time to help increase my cholesterol count! Unfortunately, once I mentioned it to the family and especially the children no one said: "NO mother! That is junk food and we cannot go!" No one said: "But that is an hour ride on Bus 38 to downtown Wenzhou and we do not know exactly where McDonald's is and by the time we are finished the bus will no longer be running back to campus and we will have to take a taxi!"
No instead the uproar was MOST encouraging! Who knew..right?
Well, we went downtown and YES we were following the smell of potatoes frying, that plus seeing the McDonald's sign as we rode around on the bus on previous adventures helped us to find our way!
With the help of pointing at the pictures, the restaurants usually have a picture menu for the foreigners who do not speak Chinese, and the use of our electronic translator I am here to report, YES..you can get a Quarter Pounder with cheese hold the lettuce and special orders still do not upset them at a Chinese McDonald's. The menu included some of the most familiar items that we are use to seeing. We even ordered some to bring back for later enjoyment.
Everyone had a great time and wants to know when they can help contribute again to my cholesterol count!
November 3 - 7
This was another great week, the weather cooled off a little and we had almost daily light rain showers. Here the umbrella is used a lot! The umbrella here is similar to our sunglasses. The foreign instructors including myself are the only people I have seen wearing sunglasses. So the umbrella is very important and is used when it is raining as well as when the sun is shining.
I am teaching organizational behavior and I was trying to make a point about in business the business must sell what people want, need or desire. If the business does not meet the consumers needs, then the product will not sell and the business will not make a profit. So I picked up my umbrella and said: "Do you NEED an umbrella when it rains?" The translator conveyed my message. Everyone said yes and agreed with a nod from their head. Then, I asked: "Do you NEED an umbrella when the sun is shining?" I am thinking class will say no!
After the translation was given, the class answered YES! I then realized that here was a cultural difference with this product that was not going to help me with my illustration. lol
So I had to change my illustration to another product. The umbrella is so important that I have a few female students whose English names are Umbrella.
On Monday, November 3 in the evening. We met a music student named Julie and she quickly became a great friend. She has been very kind and helpful. She plays a Chinese instrument pronounced "Pea-Pa". She invited us to wonderful piano concert.
I was looking forward to doing some exploring around the town on my day off, which is Thursday. We went right off campus to a restaurant called La Defense and had a wonderful lunch! Madison ordered a bananna split for dessert. Here, the food is prepared fresh and it looks like a gourmet meal with the way each dish is presented.
I am teaching organizational behavior and I was trying to make a point about in business the business must sell what people want, need or desire. If the business does not meet the consumers needs, then the product will not sell and the business will not make a profit. So I picked up my umbrella and said: "Do you NEED an umbrella when it rains?" The translator conveyed my message. Everyone said yes and agreed with a nod from their head. Then, I asked: "Do you NEED an umbrella when the sun is shining?" I am thinking class will say no!
After the translation was given, the class answered YES! I then realized that here was a cultural difference with this product that was not going to help me with my illustration. lol
So I had to change my illustration to another product. The umbrella is so important that I have a few female students whose English names are Umbrella.
On Monday, November 3 in the evening. We met a music student named Julie and she quickly became a great friend. She has been very kind and helpful. She plays a Chinese instrument pronounced "Pea-Pa". She invited us to wonderful piano concert.
I was looking forward to doing some exploring around the town on my day off, which is Thursday. We went right off campus to a restaurant called La Defense and had a wonderful lunch! Madison ordered a bananna split for dessert. Here, the food is prepared fresh and it looks like a gourmet meal with the way each dish is presented.
Saturday, November 1 Jiangxin Island/Park
Tom came by the apartment about 9:30 a.m. to take the 38 bus to downtown Wenzhou. After getting off the bus and walking for several blocks, we purchased our tickets for a short ferry ride over to Jiangxin Island.
This island is in the middle of the river off the coast of Wenzhou. There are a lot of outdoor activities there, also a 500 year old well and a 1000-year old Buddhist Temple.
October 27 - 31
This was my first week of teaching and it was very hot! It was great exercise for me to walk from our apartment in the Faculty Expert Building. We are living on the fourth floor and my walk is about a mile and then, my class is in Building 1 on the fourth floor. There are no elevators, so it is a great workout each day. I do love the marble step though, those are beautiful!
I met several translators as well as students and enjoyed meeting everyone. The people are very friendly and want to help. Most people here do not speak English, but when they see us trying to do something they will come over and begin to attempt to communicate. We have noticed that in general they do not use one finger to point as most of us do, but rather point with the entire hand and all fingers together trying to show the way.
My children noticed that spitting in public in not uncommon. That if someone needs to, they will spit on the sidewalk and we have seen a few on the bus. I have seen a couple of the male students in my class spit on the floor in the halls and in the back of the class. This is part of the culture and is not unusual.
I learned many names this week, all English names. As I have been told, their Chinese given names are too difficult for us foreigners to pronounce. I was welcomed by the staff as well as the students this week. We also met several other instructors here in this building that have all been very helpful.
I met several translators as well as students and enjoyed meeting everyone. The people are very friendly and want to help. Most people here do not speak English, but when they see us trying to do something they will come over and begin to attempt to communicate. We have noticed that in general they do not use one finger to point as most of us do, but rather point with the entire hand and all fingers together trying to show the way.
My children noticed that spitting in public in not uncommon. That if someone needs to, they will spit on the sidewalk and we have seen a few on the bus. I have seen a couple of the male students in my class spit on the floor in the halls and in the back of the class. This is part of the culture and is not unusual.
I learned many names this week, all English names. As I have been told, their Chinese given names are too difficult for us foreigners to pronounce. I was welcomed by the staff as well as the students this week. We also met several other instructors here in this building that have all been very helpful.
Monday - Friday, October 26 - 31
This was a week of getting settled into my teaching schedule.
Monday 8 - 10 a.m.
Tuesday 8 - 12, 1:30 - 3:20 p.m.
Wednesday 10 - 12, 1: 30 - 5:10 p.m.
Thursday off
Friday 8 - 12, 1:20 - 3:20 p.m.
I also learned that I could not correctly pronounce the student's Chinese names, so I begin to call out their English names on the roster when taking the roll. Some of the names include Judy, Tom, Rebekah and Sam. Other names include CP3O, Pass, Yum-Yum, KFC, Sidewalk and Umbrella!
Monday 8 - 10 a.m.
Tuesday 8 - 12, 1:30 - 3:20 p.m.
Wednesday 10 - 12, 1: 30 - 5:10 p.m.
Thursday off
Friday 8 - 12, 1:20 - 3:20 p.m.
I also learned that I could not correctly pronounce the student's Chinese names, so I begin to call out their English names on the roster when taking the roll. Some of the names include Judy, Tom, Rebekah and Sam. Other names include CP3O, Pass, Yum-Yum, KFC, Sidewalk and Umbrella!
Saturday, October 25 Famous WuMa Street
Tom came by the apartment about 9:00 a.m. and we showed us where to get on Bus 38 to go downtown. We went to the famous WuMa street in downtown Wenzhou. WuMa means five (5) horses street.
It reminded me of downtown New York as a busy inner city with lots of things going on. People buying and selling in the stores along with people on the street trying to sell their products.
There was also a 1000 year old Buddhist Temple in downtown Wenzhou.
It reminded me of downtown New York as a busy inner city with lots of things going on. People buying and selling in the stores along with people on the street trying to sell their products.
There was also a 1000 year old Buddhist Temple in downtown Wenzhou.
October 23, 2008
My first day of teaching started at 8 a.m. and went until 3:10 with a lunch break from noon - 1:30 p.m. I had 3 classes of about 60 students in each class on Friday. I found out a lot of very interesting aspects of my class on that first day.
The first was the view was absolutely beautiful! The campus is surrounded by mountains. I have one wall that has huge windows that you can see the library and it has a large clock tower. This tower is rather a central point for the entire campus.
The students had to fill out some forms as part of their registration for the class. Then, I found out that the students always place on the roster and all of their papers, 3 items of identification. These items included their Chinese name, which is their given name, their English name, which is selected by their parent(s) or themself and their college ID#.
I found several of their English names to be very interesting!
There are four universities here along with Wenzhou Medical University. I have been told that students come here from all of the world to study medicine.
That evening, one of my class translators invited my family into the city of Wenzhou. She has a car and she treated us to dinner at a very nice restaurant!
The first was the view was absolutely beautiful! The campus is surrounded by mountains. I have one wall that has huge windows that you can see the library and it has a large clock tower. This tower is rather a central point for the entire campus.
The students had to fill out some forms as part of their registration for the class. Then, I found out that the students always place on the roster and all of their papers, 3 items of identification. These items included their Chinese name, which is their given name, their English name, which is selected by their parent(s) or themself and their college ID#.
I found several of their English names to be very interesting!
There are four universities here along with Wenzhou Medical University. I have been told that students come here from all of the world to study medicine.
That evening, one of my class translators invited my family into the city of Wenzhou. She has a car and she treated us to dinner at a very nice restaurant!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The flight from Augusta to Atlanta was short and smooth. We did not have much time about 1 1/2 hours to go from Concourse B to Concourse E (for international flights) at the Hartsfield Airport in Atlanta! We got on our flight, our seats were not together. After a little discussion, the family was seating together.
The 18 hours went by much faster than I realized! I was very surprised, we ate, slept (sitting up of course, IF you call that sleeping), read, watched movies on the back of the seat in front of us so we could select our own and ate, slept, read and watched more movies until our time was over.
I was very glad to see that we were able to follow our flight though our monitors. The flight went from Atlanta up to Canada. Then, started making a long left turn over Alaska, Siberia, Russia and then, down through China. I could even seen the outside temperature and let me just say that being exiled in Siberia would surely seem to be a death sentence. The land looked frozen, barren with deep cracks in the ice. Not exactly on my next vacation list!
We landed in the Shanghai International Airport (Shanghai/Pudong). After we collected our bags and went through customs which was very easy, we were exhausted! We noted a hotel at the airport and thought we would go for showers and a quick nap. Then, something to eat before our next 1 1/2 hour flight to Wenzhou around 9 p.m. that night. We had about a 8 hour layover in Shanghai.
The family checked into the hotel with ALL of our BAGS!! hahahah We looked as if we were moving in.
Luckily, a language translator (pocket size) was purchased before leaving that helped us to check into the hotel for the afternoon. We kept the bags on two carts and dragged the rest of the bags up to our room.
We got into the room, then pulled all of the bags in behind us! There seemed to be a lot of bags. We kept having to climb over the pile to go to the bathroom.
The bathroom had see-through glass! So each of us took a shower requesting that no one look at the other members while they showered! It was very different to be surrounded by glass in the room where the toilet and shower were located.
After our showers, we all collapsed into what we thought was going to be a bed. Instead, it was a piece of plywood with a light cover of bamboo, similar to a bamboo curtain is my best description. It was very different and extremely hard when compared to my pillowtop Serta Posture Pedic Bed in Georgia.
However, I welcomed the board...I mean bed because I was very tired!
We slept and did not notice it was time to go to dinner. So we continued our much needed nap until it was time to board our next flight to Wenzhou. We woke up in time to get ready and go check in for the plane ride.
The flight to Wenzhou was very good and smooth. The flight attendants were courtesy and the information given over the speakers was in Mandarin Chinese, then in English. For a snack, we were served a hot, fresh roll with steamed vegetables inside. It was delicious! To my delight, the drink was sweet tea with lemons! Let me tell you, this was one very appreciative Georgia girl to be on the other side of the world and have sweet tea to my liken.
When we arrived in Wenzhou, we got off the flight, then onto a shuttle bus. After about a 15 minute ride, we went to baggage claim and had no problem getting our luggage. I told the family that we all needed to go to the bathroom because I was not exactly sure how long it would take to get to the Wenzhou University campus.
We were in for a surprise because I had heard about the bathrooms in the east, but I was told that I would see Western bathrooms in the airports. Going to the bathroom, the sinks were shared in the middle of the male and female bathrooms. The toilets were nice, but they are porcelain basins in the floor! So we had to squat to go to the toilet. Also, there was no toilet paper, so it was a good thing I had been told about this. I had packed some tissue paper.
After we washed our hands in the community sinks, we took our bags through the check out area and there waiting for us was the Director of Foreign Affairs. Everyone here seems to have a Chinese (given name) and a chosen English name. The English name is selected by the parents or the individual once they are older. The director's English name is Tom!
He was holding a sign with a welcome from Wenzhou University to: "Professor Cooper & Her Family"! Even though it was almost midnight, Tom appeared to be very excited to greet us, the "foreigners". I'm not sure who was MORE excited though us or Tom!
Tom came around the roped off area to see us. Madison, my 7 year old daughter, was pushing a cart full of luggage and he immediately took over her job and pushed it outside.
We had a driver in a van that Tom spoke to who quickly loaded our luggage. Then, we were off to the university! The drive was about 30 minutes, I noticed quickly that we were indeed in another country by the sights and sounds. It was very interesting.
Once we entered the campus, I noticed the grounds were just immaculate! The grass and landscaping were just beautiful. We arrived at an area that said: "Wenzhou University: C Section Building Area & Living Quarters". There was a gate in a guard house. The guards came out and were dressed in very official uniforms.
There was a very brief discussion between Tom and one of the guards. The only part of the conversation I could understand was: "Professor Cooper", then there was a hand motion to me in the second seat. The guard looked at me and turned back to the guard house, then only a portion of the gate was opened. It was just large enough for the van to enter.
We drove a short distance, past countless bicycles and several buildings. The van stopped at building 12 and I noticed it is 6 stories tall. I had been told that there were no elevators, so I was wondering which floor we would live on. One great aspect I quickly noticed was purified water in the 5 gallon containers business right next to our building. So I knew that we would not have to go far to get fresh water to our room. I had been told to start using bottled water before leaving the states to get into the habit of brushing my teeth and drinking only this type of water.
Everyone grabbed their luggage and Tom was a tremendous help too! We climbed the beautiful polished marble steps to the fourth floor.
As soon as we had all of our luggage in the room, Tom left us that evening stating that he would see us the next morning at 9:30 a.m. to take us to breakfast, show us around the campus and take us to the police station! Madison kept saying: "The police station?? What did we do wrong??" I explained that in China one must register at the local police department whenever they travel.
The 18 hours went by much faster than I realized! I was very surprised, we ate, slept (sitting up of course, IF you call that sleeping), read, watched movies on the back of the seat in front of us so we could select our own and ate, slept, read and watched more movies until our time was over.
I was very glad to see that we were able to follow our flight though our monitors. The flight went from Atlanta up to Canada. Then, started making a long left turn over Alaska, Siberia, Russia and then, down through China. I could even seen the outside temperature and let me just say that being exiled in Siberia would surely seem to be a death sentence. The land looked frozen, barren with deep cracks in the ice. Not exactly on my next vacation list!
We landed in the Shanghai International Airport (Shanghai/Pudong). After we collected our bags and went through customs which was very easy, we were exhausted! We noted a hotel at the airport and thought we would go for showers and a quick nap. Then, something to eat before our next 1 1/2 hour flight to Wenzhou around 9 p.m. that night. We had about a 8 hour layover in Shanghai.
The family checked into the hotel with ALL of our BAGS!! hahahah We looked as if we were moving in.
Luckily, a language translator (pocket size) was purchased before leaving that helped us to check into the hotel for the afternoon. We kept the bags on two carts and dragged the rest of the bags up to our room.
We got into the room, then pulled all of the bags in behind us! There seemed to be a lot of bags. We kept having to climb over the pile to go to the bathroom.
The bathroom had see-through glass! So each of us took a shower requesting that no one look at the other members while they showered! It was very different to be surrounded by glass in the room where the toilet and shower were located.
After our showers, we all collapsed into what we thought was going to be a bed. Instead, it was a piece of plywood with a light cover of bamboo, similar to a bamboo curtain is my best description. It was very different and extremely hard when compared to my pillowtop Serta Posture Pedic Bed in Georgia.
However, I welcomed the board...I mean bed because I was very tired!
We slept and did not notice it was time to go to dinner. So we continued our much needed nap until it was time to board our next flight to Wenzhou. We woke up in time to get ready and go check in for the plane ride.
The flight to Wenzhou was very good and smooth. The flight attendants were courtesy and the information given over the speakers was in Mandarin Chinese, then in English. For a snack, we were served a hot, fresh roll with steamed vegetables inside. It was delicious! To my delight, the drink was sweet tea with lemons! Let me tell you, this was one very appreciative Georgia girl to be on the other side of the world and have sweet tea to my liken.
When we arrived in Wenzhou, we got off the flight, then onto a shuttle bus. After about a 15 minute ride, we went to baggage claim and had no problem getting our luggage. I told the family that we all needed to go to the bathroom because I was not exactly sure how long it would take to get to the Wenzhou University campus.
We were in for a surprise because I had heard about the bathrooms in the east, but I was told that I would see Western bathrooms in the airports. Going to the bathroom, the sinks were shared in the middle of the male and female bathrooms. The toilets were nice, but they are porcelain basins in the floor! So we had to squat to go to the toilet. Also, there was no toilet paper, so it was a good thing I had been told about this. I had packed some tissue paper.
After we washed our hands in the community sinks, we took our bags through the check out area and there waiting for us was the Director of Foreign Affairs. Everyone here seems to have a Chinese (given name) and a chosen English name. The English name is selected by the parents or the individual once they are older. The director's English name is Tom!
He was holding a sign with a welcome from Wenzhou University to: "Professor Cooper & Her Family"! Even though it was almost midnight, Tom appeared to be very excited to greet us, the "foreigners". I'm not sure who was MORE excited though us or Tom!
Tom came around the roped off area to see us. Madison, my 7 year old daughter, was pushing a cart full of luggage and he immediately took over her job and pushed it outside.
We had a driver in a van that Tom spoke to who quickly loaded our luggage. Then, we were off to the university! The drive was about 30 minutes, I noticed quickly that we were indeed in another country by the sights and sounds. It was very interesting.
Once we entered the campus, I noticed the grounds were just immaculate! The grass and landscaping were just beautiful. We arrived at an area that said: "Wenzhou University: C Section Building Area & Living Quarters". There was a gate in a guard house. The guards came out and were dressed in very official uniforms.There was a very brief discussion between Tom and one of the guards. The only part of the conversation I could understand was: "Professor Cooper", then there was a hand motion to me in the second seat. The guard looked at me and turned back to the guard house, then only a portion of the gate was opened. It was just large enough for the van to enter.
We drove a short distance, past countless bicycles and several buildings. The van stopped at building 12 and I noticed it is 6 stories tall. I had been told that there were no elevators, so I was wondering which floor we would live on. One great aspect I quickly noticed was purified water in the 5 gallon containers business right next to our building. So I knew that we would not have to go far to get fresh water to our room. I had been told to start using bottled water before leaving the states to get into the habit of brushing my teeth and drinking only this type of water.
Everyone grabbed their luggage and Tom was a tremendous help too! We climbed the beautiful polished marble steps to the fourth floor.
As soon as we had all of our luggage in the room, Tom left us that evening stating that he would see us the next morning at 9:30 a.m. to take us to breakfast, show us around the campus and take us to the police station! Madison kept saying: "The police station?? What did we do wrong??" I explained that in China one must register at the local police department whenever they travel.
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