Parents, Professors, and Friends of Term in Asia;
Hello from China -or as they say here, "Ni Hao". We have been having such a great time here that the weeks have been flying by. Shanghai gave us our first glimpse of what China would be like and it was certainly a striking picture. After spending two weeks at the East China Normal University Campus, I think that all of us feel like we've become a little more bold when it comes to mashing ourselves ruthlessly into packed subways and navigating our way through chaotic traffic. But not all parts of Shanghai require so much force. At ECNU we were very lucky to be surrounded by many wonderful people and often those friendships led to great experiences. Soon after arriving at the dorms that would be our home for the next few weeks, we were net by the wonderful Oles who are on Term in China. They helped us to acclimate ourselves to the busy city around us and helped to minimize the language barrier that we encountered in places like restaurants and shops. One restaurant in particular became a favorite for our group. We called it "Peace, Love, Happiness" because it's real name was written in chinese characters which we couldn't understand. One waitress in particular, named "Chen", went out of her way to help us order and to overcome the language barrier. We always said hi to her and the staff upon arriving there and they came to know us and I think became rather fond of us. At the end of our time in Shanghai, we took a group picture with some of the waitstaff there. We all agreed that "Peace, Love, Happiness" was a place that we would really miss when we moved on.
Every Sunday and Thursday night in front of the Mao statue that dominates the ECNU campus, "English Corner" took place. It was a time when international students and Chinese people (many of them graduates or students of the university) would come together to learn about each others' culture and a place for the Chinese to practice their English. We had many great discussions there spanning many topics such as politics, environmental issues, health issues, culture, art, traditions, and much more. One of the moments I will never forget occurred at English Corner one night when a Chinese student told me that before he had started coming to this event and speaking with international students (and our group in particular) he had the impression that Americans were a bit abrasive, crude, not always polite, and party animals. He then told me that speaking with us had completely changed his ideas around. He now loved talking to Americans because we were open, polite, kind, and willing to honestly answer questions posed to us. At that moment I was so proud to be an ambassador for our country and for St. Olaf.
The class that we are taking in Shanghai is called "Environmental Issues in China". It has been a very eye opening experience to read and see all the problems that are currently and have historically, plagued China. We have had the opportunity to visit many environmentally-linked sites such as the Urban Planning Museum, the Suzhou Creek Industrial park and water rehabilitation park, the Tes-amm e-waste recycling plant, and beautiful gardens and lanscapes such as Tiger Hill, the Humble Administrator's garden, and Tai Lake. We have also had some lively discussions about projects such as the Three Gorges Dam. Like any developing country, we are seeing the strains that have been imposed on China's land, but we are also seeing a more positive and hopeful trend emerging as China's economy grows and they have more money to spend on environmental protection projects and plans.
Finally, I can't close this letter without saying something about the food here. IT IS AMAZING! From buying street food from local vendors for about 4 yuon (6 or 7 yuon = 1 dollar) to sitting down in very nice restaurants around a lazy suzan, we are never disappointed. We almost always are able to try something new and interesting (if we are feeling couragous) or go to a favourite vendor to mime out what we'd like to eat.
I hope things at Olaf and home are going well for everyone! We are really having a great time here and soaking up culture like sponges. Everyone sends their love!
Sincerely,
Adrienne, Amy, Emma, John, Kris, Kathryn, Kari, Marcia, Meg, Pa Ku, and Violet
Hello from China -or as they say here, "Ni Hao". We have been having such a great time here that the weeks have been flying by. Shanghai gave us our first glimpse of what China would be like and it was certainly a striking picture. After spending two weeks at the East China Normal University Campus, I think that all of us feel like we've become a little more bold when it comes to mashing ourselves ruthlessly into packed subways and navigating our way through chaotic traffic. But not all parts of Shanghai require so much force. At ECNU we were very lucky to be surrounded by many wonderful people and often those friendships led to great experiences. Soon after arriving at the dorms that would be our home for the next few weeks, we were net by the wonderful Oles who are on Term in China. They helped us to acclimate ourselves to the busy city around us and helped to minimize the language barrier that we encountered in places like restaurants and shops. One restaurant in particular became a favorite for our group. We called it "Peace, Love, Happiness" because it's real name was written in chinese characters which we couldn't understand. One waitress in particular, named "Chen", went out of her way to help us order and to overcome the language barrier. We always said hi to her and the staff upon arriving there and they came to know us and I think became rather fond of us. At the end of our time in Shanghai, we took a group picture with some of the waitstaff there. We all agreed that "Peace, Love, Happiness" was a place that we would really miss when we moved on.
Every Sunday and Thursday night in front of the Mao statue that dominates the ECNU campus, "English Corner" took place. It was a time when international students and Chinese people (many of them graduates or students of the university) would come together to learn about each others' culture and a place for the Chinese to practice their English. We had many great discussions there spanning many topics such as politics, environmental issues, health issues, culture, art, traditions, and much more. One of the moments I will never forget occurred at English Corner one night when a Chinese student told me that before he had started coming to this event and speaking with international students (and our group in particular) he had the impression that Americans were a bit abrasive, crude, not always polite, and party animals. He then told me that speaking with us had completely changed his ideas around. He now loved talking to Americans because we were open, polite, kind, and willing to honestly answer questions posed to us. At that moment I was so proud to be an ambassador for our country and for St. Olaf.
The class that we are taking in Shanghai is called "Environmental Issues in China". It has been a very eye opening experience to read and see all the problems that are currently and have historically, plagued China. We have had the opportunity to visit many environmentally-linked sites such as the Urban Planning Museum, the Suzhou Creek Industrial park and water rehabilitation park, the Tes-amm e-waste recycling plant, and beautiful gardens and lanscapes such as Tiger Hill, the Humble Administrator's garden, and Tai Lake. We have also had some lively discussions about projects such as the Three Gorges Dam. Like any developing country, we are seeing the strains that have been imposed on China's land, but we are also seeing a more positive and hopeful trend emerging as China's economy grows and they have more money to spend on environmental protection projects and plans.
Finally, I can't close this letter without saying something about the food here. IT IS AMAZING! From buying street food from local vendors for about 4 yuon (6 or 7 yuon = 1 dollar) to sitting down in very nice restaurants around a lazy suzan, we are never disappointed. We almost always are able to try something new and interesting (if we are feeling couragous) or go to a favourite vendor to mime out what we'd like to eat.
I hope things at Olaf and home are going well for everyone! We are really having a great time here and soaking up culture like sponges. Everyone sends their love!
Sincerely,
Adrienne, Amy, Emma, John, Kris, Kathryn, Kari, Marcia, Meg, Pa Ku, and Violet