NU in China » travel

Hard Sleeper

n.cherepanova — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:15:53 +0000

As students traveling around China, we almost stereotypically looked for the most economical way to get around. The result: an overnight hard sleeper train from Beijing to Qingdao. I have some experience with trains - I’ve gone on overnight trains in Russia, and I’ve taken a 22 hour Amtrak train - but what I got was not at all what I expected.

The experience began in the train station. The building was very large, but there were still more people in it than it was designed to hold. The benches were numerous, but it was impossible to get a seat. Even if one opened up, you would have to beat several people in the race to get to it. Our group of 18 resigned to standing around or sitting on our luggage.

Boarding was announced all of 20 minutes before the train was scheduled to depart. The train was a large one, and must have held several hundred people, who all tried to get on at the same time. The pushing and shoving that I have come to expect of China ensued, for the entire 15 minutes that it took us to get through the line. I kept having to resist the urge to scream out, no matter how hard you push, we will all leave Beijing at the same time.

Finally we made it onto the platform. After walking a bit we found our car, and got into another line to get on (this one, thankfully, involved far less pushing). Slowly, we shuffled to our bunks. On the left, the train held about 25 or 30 compartments. Each compartment was open on one end, and had six bunks, three stacked on each side. There was enough head room to sit up on the bottom bunk, but not the top two, and a built-in table under the window completed the compartment furnishings. Each bunk came with a set of linen - on the ride there mine seemed clean, but on the way back, there was a large and suspicious-looking stain on the sheets. The other side of the train had an overhead rack for luggage, a narrow table under the window, and two small chairs that folded against the wall.

As soon as we boarded, everyone began preparing for bed. All the passengers on the train settled down, and within an hour the lights were turned off. In the darkness there was nothing to do but try to sleep. The car was called a hard sleeper for a reason - the mattress was about an inch thick. Sleep was a long time coming.

It seemed that as soon as it was light, the Chinese family I was sharing my compartment with began waking up and moving around. I’m a light sleeper, and I had the middle bunk, so there was no way I could ignore someone walking back and forth in front of my head. I gave up trying to sleep and got up. To my surprise, it looked like at least half the car was up and about - it was 5:30 in the morning. After a few hours the train pulled into Qingdao station, much like the one in Beijing, if a little smaller. I had survived my first train ride in China. It wasn’t an unpleasant experience, but it was very different from anything I was used to or expected.

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Engrish in China

debbiechoi — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:14:39 +0000

Those of us who traveled to China knowing absolutely no chinese whatsoever (which comes to about 14 of us) found ourselves in an obvious yet interesting problem. Upon landing, we were placed in a situation where we couldn’t understand anyone and no one could understand us. This newfound reality came with it a particularly entertaining contingent realization.. we could literally say anything we wanted without consequence. Feel as if the vendor is clearly ripping you off? Turn to your friend and ask exactly how much you should ask for whatever you’re buying. Annoyed by the fact that the convenience store in the C building will only give you those tasty clear noodles in a bag? (Really C-store? In a bag?!) Tell the attendant exactly, and I mean exactly how you feel about the baggy situation. Honestly, this list just goes on and on. Hold otherwise private conversations in the crowded subway. Sing Weezy songs in front of little kids. Comment freely on how cute so-and-so’s smile is. For a country that’s often criticized for its censorship policies, it’s interesting that our freedom of speech has been expanded in China in a way that would be unimaginable in the States. The only problem is that we now have exactly 7 days left in China. 7 days left to re-adjust our perhaps too-free way of speaking? Definitely. I can think of a few situations where this may get us into trouble, let’s hope we can pull it off in time.

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Testing my independence

katharinemcdonald — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 15:37:56 +0000

Everyone goes into study abroad looking to get different things out of it. Among many other experiences, I came to China hoping to test my independence a bit. I went to college 40 minutes away from where I’d lived my whole life and never traveled outside of North America until this year. I don’t think I’d ever gone a full two months without seeing my family, so while I was excited to see them I was a little worried their visit would detract from my experience of trying to be abroad on my own. Little did I know the biggest test of my independence in Beijing would come on the weekend they were here.

Before my arrival in Beijing, I didn’t know a word of Mandarin. Luckily, I quickly found Chinese-speaking friends in the program. The only downside to that was that I never went anywhere at all without at least one of them. This was necessary at first, but my family’s visit forced me to try to get around by myself. In order to show them around and take them to some of my favorite places, I would have to be able to direct taxis, bargain and buy things, ask where things were, and order food and drinks in restaurants, and I surprised myself with how comfortable I felt with all of this. I found I was completely capable of getting around and even holding a simple conversation with a taxi driver on my way back to Tsinghua one night, which was awesome for me. Both in our Chinese classrooms and out with friends, I think we’ve all learned a lot more than we realize, and I’m sure we’ll find once we return that this was a very valuable eight weeks!

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The Best Quarter I’ve Ever Spent

t.chou — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:52:27 +0000

I had the opportunity of going to Hong Kong during the five day break in the middle of the program. Hong Kong differed from Beijing in quite a few ways. It was much more densely packed - I always felt like I was brushing shoulders with people crossing the streets and walking through the subway stations. It was nice to be back in a place where people understood English for the most part. It was somewhat amusing to hear some of the unique colloquialisms that people used there. I found, however, that after a few days I began to adopt this alternative form of English - I seemed to begin using broken English to communicate with people. Interestingly enough, people seemed to understand me better when I spoke with bad grammar.

I spent one night going around HK looking for a good view of skyline. I took a bus up to “the peak,” a hill overlooking the city from behind, but it seemed that most of the nice looking buildings were blocked by other lesser buildings. I then continued to take the subway across to the other side of the harbor and found a nice front side view of the skyline. After taking a few nice pictures, I decided to take the ferry back across the harbor. The ferry only cost 2 HK dollars ($0.25), which was almost nothing compared to the subway or bus fare. Seeing the city skyline view from the ferry, however, was the most awe inspiring experience I’ve had. Definitely a quarter well spent.

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Weekend in Xian

dianayu — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:39:53 +0000

One thing I enjoy about this program is its flexibility and motivation to explore what China is really like. This past weekend, six of us planned a trip to Xian, the old capital of China. We left on the sleeper train Friday night and came back early morning on Monday right before classes.

We arrived in Xian on Saturday morning. We were supposed to be with a Chinese tour group, so when we found our tour guide, we were taken to a shady alley with a bus. At first we looked at each other, and I quickly called the travel agent, but she assured me that everything was fine. It ended up just being the six of us in one tour group– with our Chinese-speaking tour guide. She was adorable though. Noah was on our trip, and she would talk to him, explaining the history and significance of certain sites we visit while he just nods and smiles. Then she would hit him lightly and yell, “ting bu dong ba!” (you don’t understand do you).

From the moment we arrived in Xian, hilarity ensued, as well as our fascination with the city. At first it really didn’t feel like we were in Xian. We actually left Beijing, for a two day trip by ourselves at the old capital of China? Yes way.

We saw the Terracotta Warriors, which were beautiful and amazing just like you see on the internet and in books. We went to museums, Emperor Qin’s tomb, biked all around the city wall, tried all sorts of Xian delicacies, got massages, and drove water boats in ponds and had locals video tape us. What an experience. Although I did miss hanging out with the group back in Beijing and a group excursion to BeiHai park, I had absolutely an amazing time traveling with a small group, experiencing a different kind of city with its own specialties, and seeing things that I only saw my books and magazines.

For future China study abroad students, or any study abroad students, I encourage you all to explore and make use of the time you spend in your country. There is some planning involved but it will be well worth it. There’s just so much out there in the world, and our Xian trip was on that I will never forget!

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The Great Wall

m.kilner — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:37:53 +0000

Today, July 11th, our program took our trip to the Great Wall. We went to the Mutianyu great wall which was an hour and a half bus ride outside of Beijing. When we arrived, there were tons of vendors selling various China and Great Wall souvenirs. After purchasing snacks for the day, we hiked up the mountainside to reach the Great Wall. We hiked along the Great Wall for about an hour before going back to shop and have lunch.

My Great Wall experience has been my favorite of all my China adventures so far. I really enjoyed seeing the greatest Chinese landmark. It was amazing to walk along a wall built over 600 years ago and it made me feel more connected to the Chinese history that I’ve studied.

The absolute highlight though was the toboggan ride down the mountain. To get back down the mountain from the Great Wall to the entrance where our bus was, you could either hike or ride down a toboggan. I chose to take the toboggan since it was an experience I know I couldn’t get anywhere else in the world. After being so hot from hiking all morning, it felt so refreshing to have the wind in my face as I cruised down the course and admired the scenery. All in all it was my favorite thing I’ve done, and the best 40 yuan I’ve spent so far!

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“I Climbed the Great Wall”

johndougherty — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:10:11 +0000

On Sunday, the Global Health students took a trip to a secluded part of the Great Wall. For preservation purposes, the government does not allow tourists to visit this section of the Wall, but we were given special permission and lead by a local guide, who provided us a unique encounter with this Chinese icon. The climb up the mountain to the Wall was difficult, but the sight was worth it. The Wall was falling apart in some places, but it was obvious that it took a lot of people a lot of time and energy to complete the project. Indeed, the beautiful scenery was somewhat marred by the reminder that over 2 million people died during the Wall’s construction. There is an ancient myth that says after you visit the Great Wall, the spirits of the fallen workers haunt you unless you pass by a line of firecrackers to scare them away. And of course Professor Gu wouldn’t let us stay haunted . . . .

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The Great Wall Today, July 11th, our program took our trip to the...
Weekend in Xian One thing I enjoy about this program is its flexibility...
A visit to the Niujie Mosque On July 6, 2009 I ventured with a friend to...