From Heather Hepbron

May 24, 2010

Yesterday I hung out with my Chinese host family. I had a mom that worked as an English teacher at the university, and her husband teaches Physical Education, and spoke very little English. Their daughter is 12 years old, and for some reason she did not like speaking English, and was also very shy. After the opening ceremony, we went to a temple that was about a half hour away. There we met with the students from Thailand and their host families. We saw disabled artists who wrote calligraphy and made artwork with needles and thread.

The man who was making the calligraphy gave me a free script. The English translation says “good morale brings happiness to the world.” I think this is a very important message, because if someone can enter a bad situation with a positive attitude it can help make the situation better. I noticed that the Chinese have all had a pretty good outlook on life no matter what their situation is, and I think that is a big cultural difference from Americans. Being here has made me realize that Americans take a lot for granted and maybe we should work on teaching a more positive attitude for future generations.

From Jessica Abraguin

May 23, 2010

Ok we have one week left and I finally feel like the time is flying. Everyday feels like a circus full of different adventures and I never know what could possibly happen. During this time I have made a lot of new friends from many different countries and I love it! We all speak English, Spanish and I’m even learning French. It’s crazy how we communicate within the group. My other new buddy is Taz, and he is a 12-day baby puppy that was found by one of the faculty members. I pretty much adopted him as my baby boy and I’ve been learning to take care of him because he is so young, he needs special care. The things I’ve learned this week have been so much fun. I love spending time with my baby boy and the other international students are a good time. The time I’ve enjoyed the most with them is when we just played cards in my room and talked about everything for hours and it really shocked me how different every single one of us is. Every person in the room at that time was representing a different country and it was awesome. Meeting people like this and learning so much in such a short amount of time just really excites me for my future traveling experiences. I’ve had such an amazing time so far I look forward to seeing what each day holds. The next event I’m super ready for is the evening party coming up this Wednesday. And tonight was a lot of fun trying to figure out how to make our dance work. Just a few more days to go, who knows what could happen.

From Louise Calise

May 24, 2010

This trip has been amazing so far and I don’t know if I’m going to be able to fully describe everything and accurately describe this trip, but I will attempt to do my best. The first few days were exciting getting to meet people from CTBU and also from other foreign schools. On the first night we had a chance to hang out with a student from the UK and one from Canada. Combined with our American backgrounds it made for some interesting conversation. Within the first two days I had made some form of contact with all of the school members and many of the partners. It was very exciting to talk to the CTBU students because they are so interested in our well being. I have become good friends with many of them and hang out every night with some of the students.

During the first English corner which was amazing: I was surrounded by five Chinese students and at times more, who where asking me constant questions to help them learn a little more about America and also practice their English speaking skills. After that some other of the students and I were asked to dinner by our partners and their friends for hot pot. Chongqing is known for its spicy food and hot pot is known as the spiciest and the most closely related food to Chongqing culture. In the hot pot we had many things and CTBU students were worried that we could not handle the spicy food. Even though some of the food did make me tear up I was able to eat it all and most of it was delicious. The craziest thing that we ate was cow belly and it was ok. I could eat it, but it wasn’t my favorite dish.

The next day we toured the city some more and saw some of the technological advances that China is making. The rate at which China is developing is quite amazing and it looks like within the upcoming years they will continue to grow, as shown by the constant construction throughout the city. Later on that night we got a chance to get a massage. A student that we met on the trip arranged our trip and it was the first massage, and it was the best one I ever had. From the look of the place outside you would not expect how nice the inside was. We were able to learn and play a popular Chinese game mahjong and have some free tea while we waited for our massage. It was almost to the point where it would hurt but I ended up feeling so relaxed after.

The next day we had a day of all childhood games. All the international students and the volunteers were split up into four teams and competed against one another. I had a fun time and competed in four of the five games. The one I had to bounce on a ball across the gym which was hard because I couldn’t get low enough to bounce. The second was a mother hen and her chicken game, where I got to be the mother hen and try and block the other team from capturing our players. I also played a traditional Chinese game where we had to roll a ring up and down the gym and also pop a balloon. Finally we had a tug of war contest—the only event our team won. Overall it was a good time because we got to bond with our partners and other students.

We were lucky enough to get the chance to go to Chengdu our first weekend. We were able to see a panda resort and see how calm the pandas can be. We also got a chance to see Du Fu’s home (a famous Chinese poet) where he and other poets went to write poetry. The city of Chengdu was a good time. We were able to stay at a four star hotel right in the center of the city. On the trip our tour bus driver’s name was Kevin and by the end of the trip we became good friends with him and we plan on watching a basketball game with him sometime this week. When we returned on Sunday a few others and I went to Chinese corner: A place the opposite of English corner were we could talk Chinese. However, we got there a little late and there were not many people left. We were able to practice some Chinese but we also met some Americans and the DJ for one of the bars who is also the DJ for the CTBU evening party. It was a good contact that we made and he set up a table for us one night at one of the local nightclubs and we plan on doing our performance with his help. So far I have been constantly moving around and have not had much rest but I think it's well worth it since I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity to be in China and I want to experience every aspect possible.

From Andrew Goodman

May 22, 2010

Saturday was a good day. Jermaine and I were assigned to the same family, which was an English teacher named Joanna. Although she was an upper-level English teacher, she was not totally proficient. As we were walking to her apartment, she kept telling us about her 14-year-old nieces who were excited to meet us. I was a little worried, because I was not so sure I’d have much in common with a 14-year-old Chinese girl, let alone two of them. When we got to the house, we realized that her nieces were actually nephews; she just had the word wrong.

At their apartment we made dumplings and played ping-pong, but Jermaine and I both noticed that everything we did was a suggestion, not an order. It has been like that since we got here. All that has been said to us is “maybe you should be downstairs at 9:00am,” “Maybe we will have a sporting activity,” “Maybe I am an English major.” We aren’t sure if this is just a translation error or if the locals are just afraid of giving us direct instruction, but one of our professors said that this is most likely because the host tries to provide the answer that we want to hear, not necessarily the correct one.

From Kaitlyn Gardner

May 21, 2010

This past weekend we went to Chengdu to the panda reserve and went to a few other sites but the "panders" were my favorite. I probably took 100 pics of the pandas because they were just too cute. We also saw red pandas, which I felt bad for because everyone thought they were ugly because they kind of looked like raccoons, I didn't love them, but the black and white pandas were my favorite and just so adorable. While we were in Chengdu a few of us went out to celebrate Jess Capaldi's birthday and that was so much fun. When we were out you would have thought we were celebrities but I had a good time with everyone and being out in China is similar to the US because they pretty much play all American music. The weeks at school have been jammed packed with activities and today we went to the Dazu Stone Carvings, which were very interesting. The detail on the carvings was amazing to look at. So far this trip has been more than what I expected it to be, in a good way. There has definitely been some unnecessary drama amongst a few people but that typically happens with any group. After our Chengdu trip I ended up getting sick but got better in a few days. That is when I really started missing home, I mean I missed it before but being sick when I am on the other side of the world from my family wasn't exactly fun. I am feeling better now but I can't wait to go home and just have some wawa, pizza, cheese, and hot sauce. I never realized how much I take for granted the little things that I have when I am home, but now that I am here and they are taken away from me, I appreciate them a lot more. We have about a week left in China and I am most excited for this week because the activities they have planned seem to be the ones I am most looking forward to, such as the night cruise, and the family stay. I am excited for this week but I am missing home and excited to see everyone soon!

From Samantha Fouhy

May 21, 2010

Hmm well my feet hurt from blisters, I've seen the sun about twice since I've been here, there is pointless drama, but I am still managing to have a wonderful time in China. I have met some people that I don't think I will ever forget. In Chengdu, the pander bears were so adorable, except the babies, they look like little rats. I have noticed more and more the way our cultures are different. I absolutely love English corner. The students are so nice and just love to talk. I noticed that asking about girlfriends and boyfriends causes complete shyness. They laugh so easily and you can talk to them about almost anything. The food fair was a blast, and I think that Brittany did a fantastic job at putting everything together. The Chinese students were like vultures to our hot dogs and baked beans. They were coming from all angles to grab our food. I guess they liked it. Visiting the stone carvings was interesting minus the bus ride with Jermaine leaning on my arm. The carvings each told a story and were really interesting to look at. I have been noticing more and more how lucky I am to have what I do at home. Not having to walk up hill, having Wawa, pizza, cheese fries, toilets, and the simple little things have made me really happy to have what I do. I really like China, but I can say that in the past week I miss home more than I have the entire time I've been here.

From Jessica Capaldi

May 21, 2010

Well it's day 16 in China! Everything has been pretty crazy since we've arrived here, in Chongqing. I've been seeing and experiencing so much more than I ever thought I'd have the chance to! In the last few days this week, I haven't been able to do too much. I was pretty sick for three days at the beginning of this week. Finally got rid of my fever and got to hang with the Widener, Chinese and other exchange students. Since I've been in Chongqing, I've made a few good friends from CTBU. Everyone here, including faculty, has been more than great.

I actually had my 20th birthday here in China this past weekend. It has been the most amazing birthday I've had yet! That was also the weekend we went to Chengdu and saw the Pandas! Seeing such beautiful animals really made the weekend and was so far, the highlight of this trip! Even though the bus ride there wasn't so pleasant, it was more than worthit.

Well long day tomorrow, we're visiting our local families for the day. I'm kind of nervous about the experience just because I'm not sure what to expect and not sure if it will be awkward or not. Although, I'm pretty excited and glad that we will get the chance to experience a regular day with a local Chongqing family.