1st week adventures

Whewww...I finally have time to update my blog again!

It's definitely been an adventurous and busy week to say the very least. Our schedule for this past week has been language class in the morning, a special luncheon, and culture class/sightseeing in the afternoon. In addition, we've had a few get-to-know-each-other luncheons with the UM/PKU staff, past and present participants, and the professors of our respective labs. As far as sightseeing goes, we've visited the Forbidden city, witnessed Tiananmen Square and the National Flag lowering ceremony, and the Hongquiao Pearl Market.

Without reciting every little thing that we did this past week, I'm just going to mention the major events that occurred.

Language classes:
The daily language classes are taught in morning by Liu Nian. Since the level of Chinese ability varied in our group, Nian prepared separate material/assignments for the different students. I found this method very effective because the students who had no previous Chinese experience were brought along by Nian, and those students who are a little bit farther along with their Chinese can work individually at their own pace. Nian is great at turning the lessons into an "easy-going" learning experience for everyone. It was comforting to know that Nian gave each person the individual attention that they needed to work on their Chinese proficiency no matter of their starting level. And sometimes, it could get pretty amusing....haha....see pictures.....

Culture Class:
Culture class is taught by Dr. James Lee or some of the sociology graduate students from either PKU or UMich. So far, we've had four culture lessons and I've found all the talks very interesting and informative. I think culture lessons are an essential part of this program, especially at the beginning of this trip, because it provides a new/different lens from which a culture can be analyzed. I felt that these lessons were helpful in clarifying some misconceptions of Chinese culture and society. For instance, Dr. Lee's first talk on elite Chinese education discussed historical and practical reasons for standardized tests in China as well as impacts that these tests have on education methods and standards. Today's talk by a graduate student from UMich was on urban migrant workers. This talk focused on migrant workers' motivation to move to the cities, their struggles, and the socioeconomic boundaries that have limited these workers throughout their journey. Overall, these talks have been extremely helpful in touching on a wide array of issues that face contemporary China.

Hongquiao Pearl Market:
The Pearl Market......oh man..... I don't even know where to begin. We all know about those popularity competitions where the person receiving the loudest cheers wins. If that were the case, I must have lost in a heartbeat. Walking through the clothing section of the market with Marko and Tom was quite a sight because we (or shall I say "they") absolutely got bombarded with bargaining offers. Later I strolled down the same corridor by myself and received a non-response....haha Anyways, the bargaining process is something everyone should experience at least once. It feels great to buy something for 1/3 to 1/2 it's original asking price. However, it could also get extremely uncomfortable when one argues with an experience dealer. From what I was told, the key is to be able to walk away if your price isn't met, because 9 out of 10 times, the dealer will run after you and literally pull you back to their stand to renegotiate. Just when we thought we were done haggling, the our taxi driver started bargaining with us.....

For those people who are still concerned about the idea of working in another country, I would just say that this program is extremely well organized in every aspect. The support system of Dr. Coppola, Dr. James Lee and the UM/PKU Joint Institute Staff are incredibly knowledgeable and have all the necessary contacts to make our stay as comfortable as possible. It's only been a week, but after being exposed to all the resources and support staff, my comfort level of living and working in Beijing has increased dramatically.