Jun 3, 2012 - Mannerisms

Driving: Well....there is no such thing as street lights, signs, speed limits, and turn signals. Cars weave in and out of lanes, trying to get to where they are going in the fastest way possible. Pedestrians do not have the right of way. Horns are honk frequently, but not in a road rage manner, but in a way to let people know you are coming or let other cars or scooters know you are going faster than they are, so move! I'm surprised that with all this chaos I haven't seen one single accident yet. I've heard of collisions by my fellow...

May 19, 2012 - Day 1 - getting there and getting situated

I"m here in Shanghai! The trip was long 23 hours total, but all flights on time. I started to feel like a minority at the LAX airport departure gate but was surprised there were a handful of American-looking people. Clearing customs and exchanging money was hassle-free. Ben met me at the airport and then the next adventure began - the 40 minute subway trip to the hostel where I experienced my first China-ism. Chinese people don't do lines well - there is no order. Its all about getting on or off first. The people that are entering do not...

May 18, 2012 - Central Beijing

Week one of classes down! Yesterday we took a trip to the Forbidden City, which was the imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties, located at the very heart of the city, with the rest of the urban area circularly expanding around the square area (and surrounded by essentially a moat of water). The pictures I am attaching are much better than my explanations. We also went to the highest point in Beijing, right at the exit of the Forbidden City, in Jingshan park (imperial gardens) - meaning there are no skyscrapers in Beijing because...

May 17, 2012 - Victoria Peak and Peak Lookout

Hi, Lauren here. Victoria Peak, in Hong Kong, was brutal, half way through I thought my legs would give out. I could not, and still can't, believe how steep the hike was. We rode the escalators up to about mid-level. This was weird to me because I've never rode escalators outside. We rode about ten or more up to mid-level and each were really long. We saw, because the escalators weren't inside, streets full of cars, hundreds of small shops, and restaurants of all different shapes and sizes. It was so cool, we passed a building that was in...

May 16, 2012 - Yangshuo

This morning began with us having our bags out of the room by 7:30 and then on a bus to the pier to board a boat for a journey along the Li River to Yangshuo. We traveled along the river with several other boats and saw some stunning limestone karsts that tower high above the river. We arrived at Yangshuo at about 2:00 to a hive of hawkers trying to sell us their wares. A short walk to the Hotel via West street, the main shopping tourist street. We checked in and Sheryl and I went to find a chemist for her sore throat - now that was fun....

May 15, 2012 - Longji

Out to the bus at 8:00 for our trip to Fobu Mountain, only 10 mins away. We climbed the 313 steps to the top for a 360 degree view of the town. 2 hour drive to the Longji Terraced Fields, then hop on another bus for another half hour to the next plateau. From here we walked up for about another hour to the highest peak for the amazing views of the area. Lunchtime was at a restaurant about halfway back down our walk. Slight confusion here with the meals - Angela got Sheryl's and the waitress realized after Angela had eaten a third of it!...

May 15, 2012 - Let the studies begin!

Monday I started classes! I have 3 hours of Chinese twice a week, with a tutor three times a week for an hour each time. My Chinese class is just me and one other Northeastern student, as we are the only beginners, so sufficed to say it is quite a personal class. This amount of language learning is a bit more than was included in the program description, so I am still adjusting to the idea of having my brain hurt from Mandarin more often than I expected. My other class, my International Business class focusing on China, its economy, and...

May 14, 2012 - Guilin

Early start - 5am in the foyer to get to the airport to fly to Guilin. The coffee machine was ready and waiting for us as was a breakfast pack to take with is on the bus. Only about 1:40 mins flight, but experienced some real turbulence which made Sheryl not feel so well:( we watched an episode of the Good Wife. Arrived to a torrential down pour. Met our local guide, Mr Peter. Bus to the hotel while Mr Peter entertained us with trivia questions about Guilin with. Bottles of water for prizes. City only has 800,000 people and is about 2,000...

May 13, 2012 - Terra Cotta Soldirers

Started the day with a visit to a local park to see what locals do. We saw Tai chi, dancing, running, etc. Onto our bus to a Terra Cota Warriors sanctioned workshop where we could buy "stuff", then off to the actual Terra Soldiers. Spent the rest of the day walking around pits 1,2 and 3 as well as a visit to the museum which was VERY crowded. Had lunch at the only restaurant there. Had way too much and wanted to go to sleep. Cup of tea at the Tea house onsite and then bus back to the hotel. Couple of hours rest and then six of us went...

May 12, 2012 - Out in Beijing!

While being shown how to use the Beijing subway system a bit, we went to Tiananmen Square just for a quick site seeing visit. The subway comes very quickly, is super clean, but so so cramped. There is no such thing as personal space, think of the New York City subway at rush hour, a little bit worse, and that is what it is like all day long. There is no way you are getting on a train unless you push and shove your way in, that is just how it is done. There is also security before entering every subway station, which was implemented before...

May 12, 2012 - Xian

First p this morning was a visit to the Big Wild Goose Pagoda built in 652 AD - which has started to lean. Walked through the beautiful gardens and then relaxed with an ice cream. Muslim Quarter was next so that we could visit the Great Mosque. We were there to witness a prayer session, of which there are five per day. Lunch was from some of the street stalls in the Muslim Quarter. Sheryl and I had rice flour cakes, persimmons flour cakes and a skewer of Quail eggs each. all were Yumm! The Xian Old City walls was next on the agenda and then...

May 11, 2012 - ....As the rain washes away the pollution (temporarily, of course)

I woke up to a mist outside, hardly rain but the ground was a little wet. It it rains here the pollution in Beijing isn't quite as bad, so today the air is refreshing, comparatively. But probably still worse than Los Angeles. This morning we had to find our own breakfast, along with my roommate (who is Chinese and helps to translate) I got a typical drinkable yogurt type thing that was so so good, extremely cheap (about 35 cents equivalent) and slightly sweet. You drink it with a straw, out of a plastic cylinder like container, after...