Kristina Maletteri

This is the first blog that I have written since we have been in China.  We have a little over a week before we return home which I have mixed feelings about.  We just got back from a dumpling party, it was the best meal that I have had here! Earlier today, Colette and I worked on my oral history.  We went to the ISB bar which is the coffee shop on campus, it’s up on the mountain.  The view from the coffee shop is beautiful, you are able to see the city of Chongqing from the ISB bar.  We accomplished a lot at the coffee shop, it was a very serene feeling because we were in such a relaxed environment.  I really enjoyed it, because it felt like we were in a totally different place, I know that sounds silly. 

Yesterday we visited the Nanhu Community.  The members of the community put a show on for us during the earlier part of the day, the show was so cute!   They also taught us how to make sticky rice, something that I will never forget.  My favorite part of the day came later.  Colette and I interviewed two men that lived through historically significant eras in Chinese history, in fact one of the informants taught Chinese history.  Both of the men were alive during the Sino-Japanese War, Civil War, Cultural Revolution, Liberation, and the Reform and Opening periods.  I am just so excited to do something with the information I collected, it is so different than learning from a professor or from a text book.  I feel that I am going to be able to utilize the skills that I have learned in my classes (such as research methods). Obviously I am not an expert, but I have the opportunity to actually interpret someone else’s past, which I think is so awesome.  Growing up I heard countless stories about my parents' and grandparents' lives but I never realized how significant their stories are until today.  Stories about someone’s past tell us so much about what has happened in the past, and what it was like to live during these times.  

China has been amazing so far.  I have learned so many things that I could never be taught in a classroom.  Beijing was beautiful, we went to the Great Wall, Summer Palace, and Tiananmen Square.  The Great Wall and the Summer Palace were beautiful, so beautiful I think many people forget how historically important they are at times.  When we first arrived in Beijing, my first impression was the city is beautiful.  There were lights everywhere, and on our way to get dinner the people were still out on the streets at 10 o’clock at night, something that is rare in America.  We ate dinner that night in an alley that was full of restaurants that were outside, it was raining outside and it just felt like something out of a movie. 

We have been extremely busy (not as busy as the graduate students) since we have arrived in China.  We have classes every day, during class we are learning Mandarin, and Chinese history.  We have also been visiting historically significant attractions in Chongqing.  Chongqing is totally different from Beijing. Beijing is full of lights, beautiful buildings, clean streets, and tourist attractions; Chongqing feels like it is more of a rural area even though it is a bigger city than Beijing.  I am amazed at how many people in China have never seen a foreigner.  It is such an amazing – awkward feeling when the people crowd around you to stare at you or ask to take a picture with you, because I feel that they will remember this moment forever, I know I will.  There are so many luxuries that I take for granted, and I have realized that by spending time with the students here.  The students have four students to a dorm with no air conditioning, nor do they have all the luxuries that we have in America (TVs, refrigerators etc.).  They are also very passionate about this program and making sure that we have everything that we need, in addition to their 35 classes a week.  That is insane!

I never imagined that I would miss public restrooms in America.  There are so many things here that seem so ludicrous.  But I believe that’s what makes this trip so important, I have learned more than I could ever have learned in a classroom.  I have learned A LOT about Chinese culture, values, and history.   Although I have been homesick a few times I would do this all over again.  I love waking up in the morning and going outside and watching the people on the street walking (by the way we do A LOT of walking here!)  to work and all of the babies that are running up and down the streets.   I hope that the other students that are here and the students that come to China in the future can take away the same lessons that I have learned while studying abroad.