Amy Sage Webb
I have many years’ experience with the study of language, yet never have I undertaken the study of a language as curious and fascinating as Mandarin Chinese. The instruction of our courses was thorough and patient. It has whetted my appetite for further study in a linguistic area I had never before considered.
Nothing I have seen in galleries or museums could have prepared me for the arts of a culture as ancient and as civilized as the Chinese culture. Among my favorite of the sights we saw in Beijing were the section of the Great Wall we hiked at Badaling, and the Summer Palace. Both exhibit what I came to understand as characteristics typical of Chinese culture: extraordinary intellectual advancement and exquisite craftsmanship. In Xi’an, the terra cotta warriors literally took my breath away. I remain haunted and fascinated by them, and I cannot wait to see them again.
The cuisine was exceptional. We were served dozens of tantalizing dishes each day, always artfully prepared and eaten in jovial company.
More than the language, the culture, the food or the fellowship, I came home inspired by the people we met. In them I saw an unparalleled work ethic, a sense of pride in the doing of any task great or small, a relaxed sense of fun, and a genuine warmth and collegiality. They made me want to be a better student, a better teacher, and a better person.
Sherri Jesnowski
This was the most amazing experience of my life, so far. It was my first trip out of the country and it was phenomenal. I have to say that going with a group had to be the best move ever. I didn't feel alone or that nobody understood what I felt or what I was going through. Going in a group made the trip that much more fulfilling. I learned so much about the Chinese language, the culture, the people, and their way of life. It was an experience I will cherish forever.
The language was very difficult to learn. I didn't know any Chinese before this trip and I didn't know anything even in general about the language, except that there were Chinese characters. I learned that it is a tonal language, with five tones overall. I found it very difficult to hear the tones and to pick them out when listening to a conversation. It was also very difficult to speak the tones, but our speaking and listening teachers were amazing and very patient with us. They helped us through it and we did improve. I found it challenging to remember what each letter sounded like, because the Chinese have sounds that do not exist in the English language. So, there were times when I couldn't even remember the sound, let alone say it. But with practice I did remember and I got better at it. Everyone improved with the help of our teachers. I would like to continue to learn Chinese in the future.
I would recommend going to China for anyone who is interested in learning about another culture. You just have to be opened minded and willing to learn. We had wonderful teachers, guides, and friends to help us. The trip was an experience of a lifetime and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Cosandra Neely
My trip to China was a very wonderful adventure. It was my first time out of the country. I am not sure what I expected but it is an experience that I will never forget. I have seen a lot of things in the media; movies, television show, etc that are suppose to be showing how a life in another country is. That is the “Hollywood version”. Life in Beijing, China was different.
We lived in the dorms at Beijing Union University (BUU). Life in the dorms there is quite different from the dorm life at Emporia State University (ESU). I have only spent a small percentage of time in the dorms and by my standards it was ok. Despite being 6000 plus miles from home I was pleased with the rooms at BUU. The rooms were only for one or two people. Unlike most of the rooms at ESU that are made to accommodate at most four people. The dorms were like ESU in that the students had a choice to have a room with a bathroom or without.
There was a wonderful service provided for us. While we were in class someone came to our room and made our beds every day, including the week ends. Our linen was changed when they deemed necessary. We had a fresh set of towels everyday and they emptied the trash and replenished the toilet tissue. I asked the regular BUU students and they said that this was a common thing for all students in the dorms. The only down side was that you could not drink the water from the sink and you could not flush the tissue. They did not have the type of sewage systems that we have in the United States so flushing tissue would clog the pipes.
We went to class Monday through Friday from 8:10am until 11:30am. We had three 10 minute breaks. The class that we took on listening and speaking really help to understand the Chinese language. It is very difficult to learn. The English language is a language of constants and vowels. Chinese language is a collection of tones. One word could be said in five different tones and have five different meanings. At the university they had bells like most of us have in high school. The bell rang for class to start, finish and for any breaks in between. This was to help the student realize the importance of being in class on time.
After class and on the weekend, we went sightseeing. The natural scenes in China were so beautiful. The grassy mountains were my favorite. They also have very beautiful buildings. The roofs of the buildings were so uniquely designed. We went to see things like the famous Great Wall of China. I was definitely a great wall. We went to the Emperor’s Palace and Beihai Park, Summer Palace and many more.
They have some very different culture practices. One of the things that I found most interesting is the process of potty training babies. The children potty training, no matter what the age, wears these crouch-less pants to assist in using the squatters. This is what most homes and public places have instead of the toilet seats like we use in United States. It is an open hole in the floor surrounded with porcelain. You must be in a squatting position in order to use it. Having a toilet seatt was a luxury in China.
I hope that I will get the opportunity to visit China again in the future. I was a great learning experieince.
Stephanie Clark (on the right) and Tang Xiaomeng at Xi'an University
The day before departure I did not want to go. China. What a mysterious and frightful country. I thought I had made a mistake for signing up and paying the dues. But I knew it would be a life enhancing experience, and I was more than right. Arrival in Beijing, we were treated like royalty by the university we both lived and took classes at for two out of three weeks, Beijing Union University. We were served every meal in our own room in the cafeteria by beautiful and friendly young girls. Later we pondered if this could be because we were too ghastly to be looked at by the locals. But nevertheless, I enjoyed most of the food thoroughly, except the whole cooked fish on a plate that managed to stop spinning on the lazy Susan just to look at me. I guess it is good luck for the oldest, wisest person at the table to eat the head and fish eyeballs. Gross.
The Great Wall was by far my favorite attraction. The landscape was serene and calming. I could have stayed forever… To be part of such a timeless monument. I most certainly enjoyed all of the other attractions as well and never felt uncomfortable. In fact, it was inspiring to watch these people always stretching and practicing Tai Chi. Health mindfulness. Paddle boating on the Summer Palace lake. The Terra Cotta Warriors. I want to go back. Shopping and bargaining. I am more than proficient in Chinese bargaining skills. I feel this is an accomplishment.
I miss the wonderful people I met in China and at the university. I am motivated to practice my Chinese and return to impress my teachers. And see the sights again. And get another head, foot and full body massage.
-Guan Ze (Stephanie Clark)
Lucinda "Cindy" Neilson
China, to me, is one of the most fascinating countries in the world. There are so many different things and places to see that it would be impossible to see them all. This is one trip that I would recommend that anyone who wants to travel the world make as one of their first stops. One of the places I enjoyed visiting the most would have to be the Great Wall. I have always wanted to experience walking on the Wall. The view is absolutely breathtaking. It was raining while we were there, but in my opinion the mist made the wall look even better and more mysterious. One thing that anyone visiting the Great Wall should remember is to wear COMFORTABLE shoes that have good grip. Some of the slopes are very steep and at least one set of steps is almost vertical. It surprised me to learn that there is a marathon that is held annually on one part of the wall. Now that is what I would call a strenuous run.
The Summer Palace is more like a very large park than a palace that was once the home to the Royal family. It is very hard to believe that former emperors and their families were the only ones allowed to set foot in, let alone use the summer palace due to its size. It is HUGE. It is the perfect place to just sit down by the lake and read a good book. We visited many other interesting sites but these were my favorites. There are a few things that would be a good idea to learn before you go to China. Learn at least a few words in Chinese (bring a phrase book). Remember to always watch what you say or do. China is a very traditional country. (Though if you’re American you can get away with some things due to stereotypes). When visiting any temple, market, monument or meeting anyone, remember that you should always show respect, it is a very important part of Chinese culture. The vendors anywhere that you may go are extremely determined. That is one thing that should you visit China you will have to be prepared for. I have found that “bu yao” works though not every time. Bargaining is something that I really enjoyed once I learned how to do it. It adds a little bit of a challenge to shopping just to see how good a bargain that you can get.
We learned quite a bit about Chinese culture from classes and interacting with the locals. Aside from the language courses that we took which were exceedingly helpful, we took a variety of culture courses such as painting and singing. My favorite by far was the painting since I love Chinese art. It was interesting to discover that the Chinese do not use watercolors but ink and oil paint. The other classes we took that I really enjoyed were knot-tying and singing. I found that knot tying is a lot harder than it looks. Tying the right type of knot is hard. Singing was not as difficult as I had thought it would be. The only hard part was getting the tones right.
Ron Keith
I found learning Chinese challenging but interesting. Our teachers were very patient and provided excellent instruction. I appreciated how the teachers adapted their instruction to make the learning enjoyable and useful. During one period we learned names for common menu items and food preparations. And we practiced restaurant dialogues.
In my walks through the city I experienced images of the modern world mixed with the old. There are many new office buildings and high rise apartments, and many more being built. These buildings would fit in many large western cities. Around the corner and down the street is a row of store-shacks, people selling knock-off luggage and other goods, fixing bikes or cars, cooking breakfast usually twists of fried bread and boiled eggs. Baby chickens scrabbled around in the dirt. In the street shiny new cars jockeyed for position with older overcrowded buses and legions of people on ancient droopy-chained bicycles, some of which carried enormous loads of bottles or cardboard or furniture.
My favorite memories were of interactions with the people. On a walk in Xi'an we encountered 4 seniors playing mahjong on a card table on the street corner. They welcomed us with their smiles and beckoned us to play. After watching for a while some of us played with the seniors acting as our coaches. Young people also found us interesting. The most memorable was the 5-year old Chinese girl on the overnight train from Xi'an to Beijing. She ran up the aisle and stopped in front of me. She smiled and said with excellent pronunciation, "What's your name?" I responded and I asked," What's your name?" She looked puzzled for a minute, then turned and ran back down the aisle. She came back in a few minutes with another phrase. A young Chinese man, an accountant, sitting near us tried to help us communicate with the girl. He was on his way to visit Beijing and the Great Wall for the first time. The girl would return frequently during the evening. We would teach her English words. I was amazed at how well she could mimic the words. And I was surprised by her boldness.
Sang-mi Koo
During this trip to China, I felt so comfortable as if I was in my home (South Korea) and I easily adapted to Chinese culture which is similar to the culture of Korea in terms of food, language, education, etc.
Because I was the only Asian in our group, whenever we met Chinese people mostly they thought that I was a Chinese and spoke to me in Chinese which I cannot understand. It happened many times at the restaurant, the shopping mall, even in class, so whenever people talked to me in Chinese, I always had to say, “wo shi han guo ren. wo bu hui shou zhong guo ren” Which means “I’m Korean I cannot speak Chinese.” I was embarrassed at first, but it gave me a greater desire to learn to speak Chinese. I’ve been taking a Chinese speaking class at ESU for a year. The class helped me to understand our Chinese instructors in our class at Beijing Union University. Our teachers were very kind and nice. They helped us to improve and gave us many words and sentences that were very useful whenever we went shopping or sightseeing (for example, Where is the restroom? It is too expensive. etc,). Learning Chinese was as hard to learn as English was for me, however I really enjoyed it and I was so happy when people could understand what I said even though it was not perfect. Also, I recognized again the importance of communication with people who speak a different language.
My favorite thing to do in this trip was visiting many famous places in China including the Great Wall, Summer Palace, Tian'anmen Square, and the Terra Cotta Warriors. Before the trip, I had only seen these places through pictures in books, on TV, and on the Internet, so I was so excited to see these beautiful and awesome places for myself. Everything that I experienced on this trip was so valuable and I cannot wait until next time. Whenever I look at the pictures that I took, I so much miss my time in China.
Daryll Lynne Evans
Because I’m taking this course after finishing school, I can’t put it on the list of most influential courses for my college career (it would have changed the course of my college career had I taken it earlier), but it certainly tops the list for most extraordinary and influential experiences of my life. After all, how many courses do we take in college where the syllabus lists international travel, shopping, sightseeing, foot-rubs by attractive masseurs (well, maybe the syllabus didn’t say that exactly, but it was a course activity!), and eating out at restaurants? I think, though, that this class accomplishes something much greater than the three credits and completion of a degree requirement. Yes, I learned a little something about Chinese language, Chinese culture, and bits of Chinese history, but even more importantly, I learned something about my own culture and myself. I think that is the most valuable part of travel, to get a deeper understanding of our own culture and lives.
From the beginning, I was excited to learn Chinese, but I admit that I felt frustrated most of the first week trying to learn both the Pinyin pronunciations of letters that we use in English and vocabulary at the same time. However, the language lessons and cultural activities, such as Chinese painting and making jiaoza, gave me a more immediate understanding and appreciation of the culture than a bunch of abstract facts given by a tour guide or listed on a museum plaque. Learning how to construct sentences in Chinese and how to “decorate” the nouns also gave me a glimmer of understanding into how the Chinese think. I think that having even my miniscule vocabulary and sentence making ability gave me the courage and willingness to attempt a few things I would never have gotten to do, like taking a cab to the Silk Market without a guide or native speaker, and trying to buy tea and batteries at the grocery.
The memories and impressions I take away from this trip are many, most good, some that seemed uncomfortable at the time, but that I cherish for having experienced them. I stood on the Great Wall in a light rain looking out at the Wall snaking through the trees and mist in the mountains about Beijing; ate both corn and pea-flavoured ice creams; watched one man on a bicycle hauling thirty or more bushel boxes of bananas with only the strength of his legs; sat in a paddleboat on a beautiful spring day on the lake at the Summer Palace; was accosted by both vendors selling souvenirs and beggars revealing disturbing mutilations and birth-defects at every tourist spot we visited; experienced my life passing before my eyes four times in the space of twenty minutes riding in the front seat of a cab in Beijing; watched four people playing mahjong on a street corner in Xi’an, who then invited us to sit and play with them while they helped us.
Overall, this trip was a fabulous experience, and I would go again in an instant (I may just go again next year!).