Summer Study in China 2009
Recent Postings
YiHeGong is the place to be! (…for people without cameras)
Yesterday I went to the Lama Temple with a few of my classmates. At first I thought it was going to be a very quick trip, but once I stepped inside I knew that something extraordinary was coming my way. We walked around the temple looking at incense shops and the tourists pass by. Many of us were gazing at the rituals that the people were performing. The most interesting part of this small trip was experiencing a different type of religion.
After watching other people “make their wishes” we walked into many buildings to look at statues and relics. The statues that caught my eye the most were the giant god statues made of wood. As soon as we walked in the giant statue shadowed over us. I don’t know how big it was (as in actual height) but this statue pretty much touched the ceiling. I’ve been to a few temples and had great experiences, but seeing these statues was an amazing event during this trip.
Every morning during my early journey to school, I wonder, are my friends in America all getting together and saying “Oh, that crazy Harold Sheffery! Why would he want to study all summer”? Sure, on my way to school at 6:30 am it’s already 90 degrees outside, but I’m not jealous of my friends back in America. So what if they have AC 24/7, all the good hamburgers, and don’t have to worry about daily chinese vocab quizzes. Just like my Chinese family, I have begun to look forward to the smaller pleasures that accompany life here in China. By looking forward to my mothers home cooked dumplings every wednesday night, the quick conversation with the same elder lady in the elevator every morning, and the amusing and vibrant taxi drivers, I keep finding new ways to enjoy Beijing.
As the old Confucius saying goes, “Everyone eats; yet only few appreciate the taste of food”. Right now, I’m really appreciating the taste of Beijing.
-Harold
ps. enclosed is a photo of class 4′s whiteboard in the middle of class
There’s something truly unique about a Beijing morning. Every day, I walk out of my building and face the sun through the haze, noticing all of the people below it, hurrying in their own separate directions. It’s the sight of a city coming to life, of a population that will stop at nothing to achieve success. I walk through the crowds and see businesspeople and construction workers and teachers and police officers all standing next to each other while waiting for the bus. I see grandmothers dancing in the park and young parents delivering their children to preschool. Soon, I pass a brand new apartment complex that’s next to a run-down tenement, its tenants sticking their heads out of the windows for some cool air. Then comes the food cart, where I buy breakfast next to three teen hipsters and a baker, each commuting to their respective destination. Everyone is going somewhere, whether it’s work, school, or otherwise. It’s a well-oiled machine, a society that just keeps moving, and I’m witness to its startup.
This week was pretty hard. Id type in Chinese but I can’t figure it out on this computer….This is actually a re-type of what I did 10 minutes ago. I…accidentally deleted everything I typed. So now that I feel slightly discouraged I shall now make this except a bit shorter.
This week I had to struggle to keep up but it has been wirth it. Teachers have told me that I have improved greatly, which made me work harder. The heat is up now that my class has weekly assignments to do presentations. Practicums are becoming more difficult as the questions get harder. I am still able to accomplish much in the class but I feel that I should try harder.
This weekend was pretty fun. I went with my family to places in Beijing to have amazing duck, look at creepy foods (fried scorpion on a stick), and get a nice massage after walking a great distance. Today I went to the temple with my family and their friends. It was…totally against my religion but it was and interesting experience. I hope that as each week comes by I will become closer to my family and classmates.
Indubitably, this program is includes kids with a wide range of 1-5 years of experience. This is my first week in the China Institute and the transition so far has been 容易 (easy). During our first week we stayed at the Beijing Culture and Language University; this was part of China’s quarantine measures to prevent the H1N1 (they took our temperatures multiple times). We acclimated there, getting over jet lag, getting a Chinese phone and exploring the new environment. Our day includes rigorous Tai Qi, a classroom session in the morning, a strict all-chinese speaking lunch, and a practicum in the evening to polish our Chinese. This weekend we aided local Chinese farmers picking squash in the insect packed field. Saturday, we hiked up the Great Wall while practicing our haggling skills with the local peddlers. We managed to squeeze the price down of these rice farmer hats from 80rmb to 20. Anyway, you can view the pictures and the hour by hour schedule online at www.china360online.org
干杯 （cheers)
－毕可思
－Max Bildner
My brother brought me into NYC from Staten Island by the ferry and cab. When I first got there I was introduced to all of the other kids on the trip since I had missed the orientation. From the China Institute we went in a van to the airport. Our plane to China got delayed for a few hours so we walked around the airport, got gelato, and played cards. When we got to China I was exhausted since I had only slept a couple hours on the thirteen hour plane ride. I was also overheating because I wore jeans and a hoodie on the plane. We first went to the Beijing International Language and Culture School where I stayed in a dorm with Nikki. We had classes the next day, exchanged money at the bank, and went to the gelato place. Nikki, Kasia, and I spent a lot of time in the international café because it had good food, and was a good place to sit and hang out. We played ping pong, went swimming, and checked out the campus in our free time. We had classes every weekday which was a group lesson in the morning then individual drills in the afternoon followed by a practicum which was us breaking up into groups and going around certain places asking for information about the area. On the weekend we went to the Great Wall of China, Peking University, Bei Da, and came to the Yucai School yesterday. I ate some cookies and got sick last night, but I feel a lot better today. I’m excited to move into my host family’s house and meet the host couple.
From the first seconds after landing, this trip has been unusual to say the least. Before being allowed off the plane every passanger was tested for sympoms of swine flu. One woman was recorded to have a high temperature but this was easily attributed to the large hat she was wearing. Upon taking it off, her temperature went back to normal. Though we were relieved to get off the plane safely, for the next week we could not help but worry that we might get called back for another health inspection. This is because of the Chinese government’s policy which states that if any person on the flight gets sick within a week of landing, everyone within three rows of that person must be suspected of having an illness. The same policy also required us to stay at the Beijing Language and Culture University and to refrain from using public transportation for the week. Despite these restrictions, we were still able to make day trips around Beijing. We visited Beijing University and Qing Hua University, but maybe most interesting was walking to these places. Looking at the people and shops gave me a more genuine feel for the city. Going to the Great Wall was also a fantastic experience. The size of and history behind the wall made the trip like no other. Monday was our first day at the Yucai School. The beauty and serenity of the school make learning there a joy. I am slowly adjusting the the food and other aspects of chinese culture and look forward to meeting my host family on Friday.
这个星期我们去中文家庭。我很兴奋。我想和我的妹妹是好碰哟（《–？）。我们不说许多可是这个是开始。
At first I was nervous as the days flew by because sooner or later I had to meet my chinese host family. Thoughts were racing through my head how my host sister and parents would be like. On Thursday we were aquainted. I thought to myself how cool my host sister，Meixing，might be (but that was just from looking at her). The real fun began on the weekends when I was able to hang out with Meixing and her friends (along with their host brothers from China Institute). I had a blast. I have never done so much in just one weekend! Kareoke, boating, and eating at restaurants opened myself up to experience something new. Even with all the fun there is still a language barrier that we need to get rid of. I hope to get closer to my host sister and I hope that everyone else enjoys staying with their host families as well.
北京大大的，这个星期我们去了很多地方。 我们去了清华大学，北大，和孔子庙。我们星期日（7-12-09）去了长城。星期日的天气不太热，可是闷及了。我们也去了很多中国饭馆。 除了中国饭馆以外，我们还去了一家韩国饭馆和一家穆斯林饭馆。有很多肉，可是我一点肉都没吃。我在中国很高兴。
In addition to our language classes, we’ve taken trips to other universities where we are given different tasks and are told to complete them by asking the locals. To celebrate the amazing weather on Thursday, we took off to Qinghua University, a school renowned for its academic excellence. While there, we were told to find the library, learn the population of the school, and meet at a lake. Finding that library might have been the most difficult part of the entire trip thus far! We asked almost twenty people in Mandarin, so there was no language confusion, and almost each one pointed in a different direction. After searching and searching, we finally came to the library, which is located so deep in the campus that the people there didn’t even look like students anymore! The security guard inside was very helpful though, and he informed us that the university’s population is 30,000 and easily directed us to the lake. After meeting up with the teachers, we explored more of Qinghua’s beautiful campus and returned to our own campus after an exhilarating and exhausting day.
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