Finally arrived in Beijing!

Hi everyone!

So, after many many many changes in flights, flight itineraries and such... I finally arrived in Beijing on Sunday morning... and without any luggage. I am still without any (and it's Wednesday)... probably not going to get it for another day. But just to let you know, we are all ok from the earthquake. It hit about 100 km outside of Chengdu (which is south of here). Some ppl here said they felt it, but honestly, not me! UF does have a program there, but all the students are fine... Continue to pray for them! I had to write a 5-7 page paper about my first impressions of Beijing, so I am placing that below. Hopefully it can give you some insight into the trip so far, or you can just skip it! Also, I will try to figure out how to upload pictures... You can see my dorm and some of the city. It is pouring rain right now here, but the sky was semi-clear yesterday! It is weird though to see ppl with masks over their face, which makes me think, maybe I shouldn't be breathing in this air! Oh well. Hope my lungs don't explode. Love you all and miss you! Best way to check in with me is by reading this blog, posting comments on it or using skype! It's free to download and we can talk to each other for free! My skype name is lentzj24

Love to all!

Pray my luggage gets here soon!

XOXO Jordan

My paper for class about first impressions:
When I first arrived in Beijing, I was exhilarated. I was mainly overjoyed because my flights along the way were a complete nightmare. I was originally supposed to arrive in Beijing on Saturday night. Unfortunately, mechanical delays forced me to reschedule my flights in Memphis, Tennessee. I was then on a flight itinerary rollercoaster – having each flight I was scheduled on to be rearranged, until I finally arrived in Hong Kong, only to be told that my luggage was missing. I finally got on a flight to Beijing and arrived without any luggage. Having been to China before, I was prepared for the 14 hour flight, the cramped spaces and the dehydration. What I wasn’t prepared for was the feeling of being lost, compounded by the anxiety of traveling to a foreign country when I am not fluent in the language. My first experience upon arriving at the Beijing International Airport was the Baggage Services counter to file paperwork about my missing luggage. The two women who helped me where both polite and accommodating, even though I speak little Chinese and they spoke little English. After describing my luggage with shapes and big hand gestures, I made my way to the taxi line to hail a ride to the university.

I tried to speak Chinese to relay to the cab driver where I was going and knew how to say it – or so I thought. I ended up showing him a map and a written sentence about where I needed to go. The ride was long, yet fast to say the least. I thought American drivers were crazy, but they are turtles in comparison to Chinese taxi drivers. He weaved in and out of traffic, merging into lanes with cars in them and going through and intersection when the light was clearly red. My first experience of Beijing included the thought, “What am I doing here?”

However, an hour later, I arrived at Tsinghua University and managed, after some work, to find my way to the right building and check in to my room. I found a classmate from UF, and he quickly showed me to a store on campus to collect things until my luggage arrived.

One of the first things I noticed upon arriving in my dormitory is how different they are from American dorms. I was surprised to learn that we (the foreign students) would have a single bedroom, whereas all Chinese students share a room, usually with four to six people per room. Also, I was surprised to learn about hot water hours, internet payments per minute and beer in a vending machine downstairs. American students tend to not think or even question the fact that toilet paper will be in the bathroom stalls, or that we will even have a bathroom stall (with Western toilets). It is considered a modern, Western accessory to have “normal” toilets in the ‘cesuo.’ All in all, the dormitories, at least for the foreign students, are nicely equipped and contain many amenities that the local students do not have.

The first night of my stay, all the University of Florida students in the study abroad program were invited to the UF in Beijing office (which is a 10 minute cab ride from the university) to see the office and enjoy a dinner with the Beijing staff, directors and professors of all the classes which are taught for us. Another difference between Chinese and Western culture is the idea of shared, family-style dining. Like eating with your family in the U.S., many Chinese restaurants have ‘lazy-Suzannes’ atop each table set for a party of ten. The fuwuyuan places appetizers followed by main dishes on the table, while people pick freely off any of the items. It is a unique experience and allows you to interact with all the guests at the table. I enjoy this element of Chinese dining; our experience on the first night allowed us the opportunity to meet all of the professors that we would be working with during the summer.

Another element I discovered about Beijing was the number of people who lived in such a small radius. Topping over 17 million people, the city is brimming with workers, students and tourists alike, including more than 5 million people who commute each day or don’t hold permanent residence. I find it interesting that citizens must have a household identification card. In the United States, people are able to live where they please and are able to move to any city, find a job and take up residence. This phenomenon is not the case in China. I cannot imagine the difficulties people must face in order to move to a larger city to build their career. I think Americans take it for granted that we have certain unalienable rights.

Another feature I found interesting about Beijing is the subway and its roots in the city. I discovered, upon finding one of the few English speaking television channels that the subway was originally built through the city for military purposes. It wasn’t until 1977 that the Chinese government decided to allow the local population to use the subway as a way of public transportation. The most interesting fact is that it wasn’t until 1980 that the government allowed foreigners to use the subway. I automatically assumed that when a subway is opened for public transportation that it allows use by the entire population, not just the locals.

Over the past several years, the subway has been under construction to allow more lines of transportation to various areas of the city. This construction is largely underway for the 2008 Olympics. The fact that the Olympics are located in Beijing has provided a dramatic increase in infrastructure, which will be useful even after the games are over. Having received the bid for the Olympics, China has the ability to develop international relations, increase global investments in the country and make it more accessible for students and tourists alike. When my parents were growing up, China was still largely closed to foreigners, and it was nearly inconceivable to travel to the country for language and culture programs. Today, with the economy growing four times faster than the United States annually, language proficiency and cultural knowledge can prove invaluable to American companies looking to invest in Asia.
Because of this, many students, including myself, have chosen to study here. As I settle into my surroundings, I begin to appreciate and understand better the cultural differences between America and China.

Another difference seen in Beijing is the number of bicycles used in the city. I have heard before that many people use bicycles in China as a primary source of transportation, but I didn’t realize just how many people relied on this method. I find it interesting that cyclers usually take up an entire lane in traffic and seem to use their own system of traffic laws. During all hours at Tsinghua, it is normal to find more people on bikes than on foot. They weave through the pedestrians, crossing lanes and sometimes moving through on-coming traffic to get to their destination. However, I often feel that being a pedestrian could cause more injury than riding a bike in this country, simply because you can be hit by more bikes and are largely outnumbered on the streets.

People in the States tend to use bicycles for leisure use only. Furthermore, it is almost imperative to own a car in the United States; whereas, in Beijing, a bike can get you to your destination quicker and more efficiently. It is interesting to note that the majority of Chinese drivers have only had their driver’s license for less than three years. This figure might help explain the number of people who run red lights and seem to drive equivalent to teenage drivers in America. That being said, it is not a fault of the people, yet a cultural difference (especially since the majority of Americans hold a driver’s license upon reaching the legal age).

Another interesting thing to note is that most Chinese vendors and stores we have visited since arriving tend to play American pop music. I wonder how many of the customers, employees and general public actually know the music and the English lyrics of each song, or if they simply play it. Also, it is possible and often seen that many people will know the words to the song, but won’t know English. They have memorized the tune and lyrics, but don’t understand what the song means. I have experienced the same thing in Switzerland. While there on vacation, my friends and I encountered a group of young boys playing soccer in the streets. We went to join them, not knowing any Swiss German or them knowing any English. We weren’t able to communicate clearly, but the boys did play a popular American rap song, and they sang every word to it, even though they clearly did not know what it meant.

Over the next few weeks, I hope to use less and less English when communicating. I believe that full immersion into the culture will be the best way to learn more about the language and culture. I feel that the biggest hindrance while in Beijing is the smog, not the language barrier. Once overcoming the atmospheric differences, Beijing will become an even better city in which to study. Because of the Olympics, the government is going to great lengths to address this problem during the summer, so I feel confident it will improve soon. My first impressions of the city have been mixed with culture shock. As the shock wears off, the city will begin to feel like home and the differences will become less pronounced. I am looking forward to the summer and all I have yet to experience.