Our Movie

Shanna and I filmed most of our experience over the summer, or at least the highlights. We created a 15-minute movie that documented our journey to China. Please click the "movie" tab in the navigation bar to access it.

Last Days of the Program

I had been to Shanghai before this trip, so I decided that I would just write one post for the remaining days we spent there. We were lucky enough to stay in a very nice hotel with a lot of things to do, so Merrick and I took advantage of that and went to the sauna/jacuzzi twice. It was a great way to relax after a long day of exhausting walking. Over the next days, we visited the Oriental Pearl Tower to give us a view of Shanghai, the famous Bund, which is the promenade along the water across from Pudong, and Sun Yat Sen's house. We also went to a few museums and got some time to wander freely on Nanjing road and along the Bund, where a few of us found a nice air-conditioned coffee shop to relax in. We went to the Jade Buddha Temple to see the original Jade Buddha statue as well as the beautiful buildings spread around the temple grounds. We had a tour guide while we were in Shanghai named Iris. She was super funny and was passionate about traveling. On the last day, we spent the morning in the hotel to go around and everyone got a chance to share some thoughts on the program and person growth aspects. We then finished our packing and left for the airport.
Once we arrived in Newark, we said our goodbyes which we made last for almost an hour, and then those who had connecting flights went to recheck bags. I was in this group, until I found out that my flight back to the bay was delayed until 1:30 AM. This was definitely not going to be a practical option, so I went to the airport hotel with a few others who were staying over night and took a flight early the next morning. It was actually nice to go to the hotel because it gave me closure - the first few nights of the program were spent there for the Pre-Departure Orientation. At 4:30 in the morning, Liu Lu Laoshi took me to the airport and sent me through security to return home.
I know that home will be a very different concept for me and I am nervous for the culture shock going back home. At the Newark airport, I said "xie xie" to a cashier while ordering some breakfast. I miss China very much and the friends that I made there. I have an even further heightened admiration for the society that they have built and know that I certainly intend to develop an even closer relationship with the Chinese nation, people, and culture. I want to thank Dr. Chen for creating such an incredible experience, Liu Laoshi for being an incredible Chinese teacher who inspired me everyday to work even harder to get to fluency, Liu Lu Laoshi for pushing me to perform even better on my OPI tests, Cai Laoshi and Wan Laoshi for being two incredible friends who are role models for a happy and productive life, the State Department for funding this incredible program and accepting me, and of course all of the friends on the trip who I will never forget.

在上海第一天 (Shanghai Day 1)

We woke up in Beijing and had a very interesting morning. We rented a conference room in our hotel and invited one of the screenwriters that worked with Jet Li, a famous Chinese film director, to come talk to us. Before he arrived, we watched one of his two most famous movies – Fearless, the other well-known film being Hero. Fearless is a Chinese martial arts movie set towards the later part of the Qing dynasty – the early 1900s. We got a chance to ask him questions about the movie and also about the Chinese film industry as well. Once we exhausted our ability to come up with interesting questions to ask him, we gave him a chance to ask about America, and he was especially interested in asking about the election.

Out method of transportation to get from Beijing to Shanghai was awesome. We got to take the Chinese 动车 (dong che), which is the bullet train. Not only was the train really new and clean, it was the fastest one there is in China. What would normally be about a eight or ten hour drive in the car, we managed to do in less than five hours by train. At around eight in the evening we arrived at the Shanghai Hongqiao train station, which was beautiful. It was so big it felt like an airport terminal. We met up with our tour guide, Iris, and got on our bus and went to our hotel. None of us would have guessed the quality of the hotel we would be staying at before we arrived. We pulled up to the Regal International East Asia Hotel and realized that it was a 5-star hotel with just about every amenity you could think of. They have a pool, spa, both indoor and outdoor tennis courts, squash courts, a workout room, and a breakfast buffet with almost everything you could want. The rooms were very nice, with a box next to the bed that controlled everything in the room, and beds that were western-soft.

在北京第三天 (Beijing Day 3)

Today we went to 天安门广场 (tiananmen) and 故宫 (gu gong). Tiananmen means gate of heavenly peace, and gu gong is the Forbidden City of Beijing. Tiananmen is a massive square, bigger than anything we have in America, adjacent to the south side of the Forbidden City and serves as its entrance. There is a giant portrait of Mao Zedong on the gate, and a new one is put up every few years to keep it looking new. It was disgustingly hot while we were at the Forbidden City, and being surrounded by tourists didn’t help either. In the afternoon, we went to the Silk Street, which is mall filled with knock-off stores where we could go and bargain in Chinese. Its name makes it sound like a street market, but in reality it is a 6-story building, lined with well-lit little outlets. I ended up buying a few things: a pair of pants, a t-shirt, and the one I am most proud of is a suitcase. I have so many things that I have to bring home and I would never be able to fit all of it in my one bag, so when I saw the suitcase section on the map of the mall, I knew I needed to get one. I went between shops trying to compare bags and prices, and I finally decided on one. The sales people would take the bags, lift them up, and then slam them down on the ground to prove their strength. I was walking with Yang Laoshi, and every time a bag was slammed we would flinch and start cracking up. The sales person gave me a starting price of 1800元, which is about $270 USD. Being the aggressive bargainer I am, after about 20 minutes of nearly shouting back and forth, I got her to bring it down to 200元, or about $30 USD. I was very proud of myself for managing to get the price down so low.

在北京第二天 (Beijing Day 2)

Today was our day to visit the Great Wall, in Chinese: 长城 (Chang Cheng). We were nervous because for the entire night it was pouring rain and lightening was striking constantly. Especially for me, who had already been to the Great Wall, I was not feeling too thrilled about the prospect of going to the wall in the rain. Rain or shine, we would have had fun because we were all together and in awe of the amazing design of the wall. Fortunately, the rain was not an issue and the weather cleared up as we drove to the edge of Beijing to 慕田峪 (Mutianyu), one of the nicest portions of the wall to visit. I had already been there, but it was nice to relive the awesome time I had with my mom there. The sun was already beating down on us, but I felt like I was ready to conquer the wall one more time. We got up to the base of hiking path where some of or group decided to take the lazy way-the chairlift-up to the wall. Yang Laoshi, Shanna, and I were feeling adventurous so we walked up the steep hill to the wall. By the time we reached the top, we were exhausted, overheated, and thirsty. Dr. Chen told all 31 of us that we had to put out trip shirts over our already sweaty shirts for a group picture. His request was definitely not appreciated. Imagine going to the beach in the hot sun and being asked to put on a hoodie. NOT FUN! We were with Yang Laoshi, who is really fun to hang out with, so the time went by fast. Shanna, Merrick, and I trekked up the wall to one of the highest lookout towers. The stairs on the wall are so steep it almost feels like you are falling backwards when you take a step. We got a chance to take photos and enjoy the view before we headed back to meet the group. Unfortunately, for liability reasons, the state department doesn't let us take the Toboggan down to the base. So instead, we paid 80元 to take the chairlift down so we could take photos of the mountains-it was really beautiful. We got a chance to shop at the base of the wall, and then we went to eat a big lunch. By the end of lunch we were all ready to take a nap, so we slept on the bus ride to the Beijing Hutongs (胡同). Hutongs are neighborhoods of alleys found in various areas around Beijing, and up until the early 20^th century were some of the nicest places to live in the city. Homes found in Hutong areas follow 风水 (feng shui – literal: wind water) which is a system of layout and organization so that the energy of an area is in proper order. So, the Hutong homes are generally courtyards with different parts of the house corresponding to the different components of 风水. During the Cultural Revolution, those with money and an education were targeted and were often forced out of their homes and left without their most valuable assets. Afterwards, families were able to buy the house back, but only for a large sum of money. We got to go inside one of the courtyard-houses and even met the old women who grew up there before it was taken from her family by the communist party. When she was growing up, it was considered to be one of the nicest properties in Beijing, but today it is more of a touristy old-style area. Since we had gone to the Great Wall before the Hutongs, we all rode bike-rickshaws to get around. It was a nice way to see things more quickly and enjoy the architecture.

在北京第一天 (Beijing Day 1)

Still at our homestays, we all woke up around 4 AM to get to Xiamen University at around 5 AM. Our bus to the airport left at around 5:30 AM. This is where we had to say all of our goodbyes to our family, along with others. Saying goodbye to my mom and Wenjing was really difficult and emotional, but it was equally hard to leave some of the other host siblings of my friends. Sharon, Shanna’s sister, was always so kind to me and did her best to create a friendship with me as well. Wenjing and I would go over to her to house (which was only a two minute walk away) and play cards or make these Korean spicy noodles that Sharon ordered on the Internet. By the end, we had our own inside jokes and I hope to stay in contact with her (along with everyone else) when I return to the US. We had to wave goodbye to our families as we pulled away from the parking lot and out of the University’s gate, but we were luckily able to convince Cai Laoshi and Wan Laoshi to come with us to the airport and see us off. We told them that if they weren’t at the bus in the morning, we would go into their dorm room and drag them out of bed. We thought that it would be easier to say goodbye to Wan Laoshi and Cai Laoshi since the night before was already so emotional, but we were completely wrong – it was just as terrible to say goodbye to them. The previous night, we had a goodbye party at Xiamen University and all of our host families, tutors, and teachers were there. It was really enjoyable until the reality clicked in that we would have to say our final goodbyes to some of our closest friends. Everyone was crying their eyes out, and I had a hard time keeping it together when I had to say goodbye to Catherine, my tutor. Shanna and I noticed that Cai Laoshi was in this separate room, and went in to find her trying to avoid crying in front of all of us.

Sydney, Shanna, and I all sat in the same row on the plane and Shanna would fall asleep for long periods of time and then wake up to find herself crying – it was a rough departure to say the least. We slept through the majority of the plane ride making it seem very short. The first thing we noticed when we landed was the poor air quality in Beijing. I have been here once before, so I was prepared for the slight shock to both see the air and feel it in your throat. We got our bags and went to the bus, all exhausted and hungry from the travelling. Our hotel is really modern and clean, and the center is a 15-story atrium. Because we are friends, we share more in common, and our sleep schedules are more similar, Merrick and I decided to share a room for the remaining week of the trip. Our rooms are awesome, and it is so nice to be living with each other again.

For our first activity in Beijing, we went to the Olympic Park and Village from the 2008 Summer Olympics. They call the main stadium the 鸟巢 (niao chao), which means birds nest, and it is so much bigger than it looks in pictures. The architecture was truly impressive to see. There were a lot of foreigners waling around too, which was fun because it’s always nice to see some people that look like you in a different country where you are the minority. It was inspiring to see an empty stadium that can hold 80,000 people, and was used as a place for international bonds to be created. The concept of the Olympics is very relevant on a trip like NSLI, because one of our focuses is cross-cultural communication, and the Olympics is perhaps the epitome of that. Next, we went to the Water Cube (水立方) where the Olympic swimming pool is held. This was really cool to see because the pool is massive and the other facilities are very expansive. There is even a water park inside! While all of this was very fun, it was so hot outside and I was excited to go to the air-conditioned restaurant for dinner (which had incredible food) and then to our hotel to hang out with each other and eventually get some rest. It feels great to be back in Beijing, but I really hope the weather isn’t too miserable.

我的同学们 - My Fellow Students

First of all, this blog would not exist if Shanna hadn't shown me her blog and gave me the idea. She didn't actually arrive to the pre-departure orientation until late the first night, so I didn't meet her until we sat down the next morning for breakfast and then to start our orientation sessions. One of the first things that we did during the PDO was get placed into out teams. We opened the handbooks that were randomly spread out across the different tables in the room to see what color we were given. Shanna and I, along with three other people around us, had the same pink slip and therefore became members of team four. Luckily almost all of us in our group clicked and got to know one another very quickly. I knew Shanna was funny and from Maryland, but I had no idea that we would have so much in common. We share the same sense of witty and sometimes cynical humor, we complain and enjoy the same things, and if one of us is laughing it is rare that the other isn't. We both hate seafood, so we naturally had tons of jokes about the irony of going to a coastal city in China famous for the exact food that we don't like. We kept finding things that about the Chinese way of life that were different from what we were used to and sometimes inconvenient, but nevertheless funny. We came up with a phrase that started when we realized that showering in our dorms didn't quite make us feel clean. We would say "leave it to China to ruin showering!"Of course we didn't truly feel this way, but the phrase stuck and we replaced "showering" with other verbs and nouns. These include, "leave it to China to ruin: nice weather, dumplings, beds, the internet, going for a walk (because of the cicada pee)." I don't know what I would have done without Shanna on this trip, but I know that if I didn't have the privilege of being her friends I wouldn't have had half the fun as I did. Thank you Shanna for being my friend and putting up with my wacky dispositions and crazy Californian views.

Merrick Gilston is a rising senior from the upper east side of Manhattan, and doesn't match the stereotype of at the area at all - in the best way, of course. We got along well because we both value humor, care a lot about this trip, and share many of the same goals. When we first met him at the PDO, we were confused because it seemed like he was simultaneously a Chinese language and academic nerd and also a soccer-loving athletic kid who brought a white supplement powder on the trip that the Newark Airport TSA would then mistake it for cocaine. He ended up in my team, and we have been pretty tight ever since. Thanks Merrick for being so fun on this trip, always speaking your mind, making us laugh, but also making learning Chinese in 中级班 even more fun. I hope we can meet up when I visit New York next.

Wan Laoshi (万老师), aka 万姐姐，万阿姨，万奶奶，or just 万) is objectively the chillest person in the entire People's Republic of China. She is not only a teenager in a college-graduates body, and not only hilarious, but also unbelievably intelligent. She majored in Chinese and just graduated from Xiamen University. We learned that while chaperoning for NSLI-Y, she also works as a self-taught statistics and analysis whiz at Baidu, China's equivalent to Google. She is working on an algorithm to test the accuracy of Baidu's search engine compared to its competitors. In September, she is leaving Xiamen to go to teach Chinese in Belgrade, Serbia. Wan Laoshi's full name is Wan Wenting (万文婷), but those closest to her call her Wan Jie Jie (万姐姐), or sister Wan, a way of addressing someone that represents closeness and friendship. I really hope to stay in touch with her because she is a truly wonderful person. Wan Jie Jie, thank you for always being there for us when we needed it most and for being the adventurous human you are. 万姐姐，谢谢你成为我的姐姐，我的朋友，和我的老师。

蔡老师 is on the far-right

Speaking of Wan Laoshi, I could never forget Cai Laoshi (蔡老师), Wan Laoshi's roommate and also the most fashionable, tech-savvy, and teenage-like chaperone on the trip. She is from Quanzhou (next to Xiamen) and speaks 闽南话 (Min Nan Hua), the local language. You can always find Cai Laoshi doing one of four things: sleeping (she sleeps until about five minutes before we all need to be at the classroom building), fixing a computer, wifi-router, or some other technological device, skipping through the hallway, or on her huge iPhone texting or taking photos. Interestingly, she speaks less frequently than most of the chaperones, but when she does, it is loud, sarcastic, and distinguishable. I learned that she lived in the Hague for a year while studying at Leiden University, so we conversed about that quite a bit. She clearly loves to adventure out into the world and have fun, but she is also a Xiamen University student, so she is an intellectual. I will always remember that she helped me get Wi-Fi in my bedroom at my host family's house. Thank you Cai Laoshi for being youthful and not allowing those in power to boss you around.

Xiuling Stein-Leonard keeps me sane because she is a fellow Californian, and she gets it. She finds the same comments and perspectives off-putting, and more importantly, we use the same slang. Xiuling was born in China but adopted by a Jewish couple - two artists in Los Angeles. She was also in my Chinese class, 中级班. I had a lot of fun getting to know her, and will really miss her extroverted but humble nature. I certainly won't ever forget when she let Shanna and I cut 7 inches off of her hair. Thanks Xiuling for sitting with me during class and always finding ways to make being here so comfortable!

I have never stretched my mind so far as I have in my discussions with Joy Ashford. Joy is a rising junior from Pennsylvania who attends a fairly conservative boarding school in Virginia. Her parents are conservative non-denominational Christians, and Joy is quite religious as well. However, Joy is far from both the description of her parents as well as many Christians I have met in my life. While she attends church every Sunday, she disagrees and questions much of what the pastor says, and most importantly cannot stand the hate and intolerance that often ties stems from religious institutions. Joy is the first Christian I have met ho loves being questioned and having discussions about the intersection of science and religion. She even asked me to teacher her biology, as she learns very inaccurate and filtered information in school. I am so glad to have met someone who showed me where I can find common ground with religion and that there is a new wave of Christians who are not only tolerant but are interested in questioning what they are taught. Joy is also a very enthusiastic fan of Hillary, which has made it fun to rant about why we love her so much. Aside from her political and religious views, Joy is also so much fun and is an incredible speaker of Chinese. Thank you Joy for always questioning me, pushing my brain to think even more deeply, and for being an awesome person to travel to Xiamen with.

Catherine (麦嘉欣, Mak Gaa Jan) is from Hong Kong, but since she studied Mandarin for her whole academic career, she was able to attend Xiamen University. She has been my tutor for almost the entire rime, and has taught me so much about the Chinese language but also about what it means to have a friend in China. I think part of the reason that she is so great at teaching Chinese is because she herself had to learn it as a second language – her mother tongue is Cantonese. I had so much fun talking with her during tutoring time. I learned just last week that after she completed her final exams, she was supposed to go back to Hong Kong, but stayed in Xiamen to continue tutoring Kelby and me. Both this and the chocolate birthday cake she bought me are a true indicator of her good heart. I will be forever thankful for the friendship she gave to me and hopefully one day I can come to Hong Kong for a visit. 我想感谢你！你是最好的辅导老师。因为你是我中国的姐姐，所以我不会忘记你，我会想你！