Widener China 2014
This blog will track the travels of the Widener University 2014 China Exchange Program participants.
Friday, May 30, 2014
VIDEO BLOGS
There will continue to be video blogs uploaded once the travellers return to the US. It is very difficult to upload videos to the internet from China, so it will be much faster after the trip ends. You can find them and watch the experiences here: www.youtube.com/user/TylerPalma and they will also continue to be linked to this blog page. Keep an eye out!
Thursday, May 29, 2014
LOVE - TYLER PALMA
I’m going to start off by saying that I simply
refuse to believe that there is less than a week left of our stay in China; it
can’t be time to go back to the states yet, it just can’t. They say that some
experiences are life-changing, and I have no doubts that this exchange fits the
description. My time here in China is something that I will cherish and take
with me for the rest of my days.
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I have fallen
in love with this country. Sure, it’s not always easy – what with not
completely knowing the spoken language, and only being able to make out some
basic characters – but being able to see the magnificent cities, the absolutely
stunning countryside, and the awe-inspiring heritage sites and landmarks makes
any language barrier worth it. More than once during the time here I’ve caught
myself saying things like “I’m going to move out here one day,” or imagining
staying here for longer, and I’ve also started to look into applying to
exchange for a whole semester here at CTBU. Just recently, I and the other
Widener students traveled to Xi ‘an, where we visited the mountain tomb of a
Tang Dynasty emperor. While there, Kennedy and I took a path off the regular
trail and had what I can only describe as a breath-taking panoramic view of
miles and miles of the Chinese countryside. I had to take a moment as I
breathed a nearly silent “Wow,” and tried to take in the entire scene and burn
it into memory (I then took several pictures and a video).
I wish that I could commit this whole trip, every
new food, friend and experience, to my mind forever – but I’m unfortunately not
gifted with photographic memory, so that’s why I’m glad to have all of the
video blogs I’ve been putting together [which will continue to be uploaded
after the trip ends (it’s easier to upload them from the US)] so that I can
look back on them in the future to refresh my memory, and never lose the love
I’ve found for China.
XI' AN "X"PERIENCES - KERRI LEHMAN
We just got back from Xi’an and it was an amazing
experience! We set out for the train station early Sunday morning and took the
extremely long eleven-hour train ride from Chongqing to Xi’an. Even though it
was a long ride, we managed to have a good time on the train. Megan and I were
being goofy and took a selfie every hour during the train so you can see the
gradual changes of how we felt during the entire eleven hours. We ended up with
a pretty funny collection of selfies of the two of us. We finally arrived in Xi’an
at around 9:00PM and went to the hotel, which was quite nice. We all settled
in, then set out to dinner, then cleaned up and went to bed. The next morning,
we were up fairly early and set out on a forty-five minute drive to the site
where the Terra Cotta army was discovered. On our way there, we stopped at the
Terra Cotta Army factory. At the factory, they make authentic terra cotta
warriors, and we had the chance to learn about how they are made, and see them
in different stages of the process of being created. After seeing the factory,
we continued to the site of the army. I cannot even explain what it was like
when we walked into the building where the warriors were, and the feeling we
all got when we saw them in person. I have learned so much about the Terra
Cotta Army in school and seen so many pictures; I never imagined having the
opportunity to see them with my own eyes. The pictures of the warriors don’t
even do them justice, they were so amazing! When the army was discovered, just about
all of them were broken into pieces, but since then, many of them have been
pieced back together. I liked that they displayed many of the warriors that
were fixed, but they also showed what it looked like when the warriors were
discovered. Seeing their original condition gives you an idea of how much work
and effort the archeologists had to put into restoring them. After seeing the
Terra Cotta army, we went to the Huaqing Hot Springs, which served as the
winter palace for the Emperor during the Tang Dynasty. The palace was enormous
and absolutely beautiful! All of the buildings were what you would think of as “classic”
Chinese architecture, and the surrounding area was incredible, with a lot of
foliage, koi ponds, and a mountain in the background.
Our next day in Xi’an started out
with visiting an amazing temple where one of the Buddha Relics is being kept.
The entire temple was made up of many different buildings, some of which are
only a couple years old, and others which are hundreds of years old. Once
again, the architecture was incredible, and there were many beautiful statues
as well. After seeing the temple, we went to see the tomb of one of the
emperors during the Tang dynasty, but the tomb ended up being closed. Instead
of seeing the tomb, we ended up climbing the mountain there which was so much
fun! It was a really steep path up to the mountain, but the view on top was so
worth it! We had a great time on top of the mountain, and of course, took
probably about one hundred pictures. Dr. Huang always makes fun of us for
taking as many photos as we do, but hey, we’re making memories! Finally, we
headed to the train to take a night train back to Xi’an. Most of us have never
taken a night train before, so it was quite the experience. There were tiny
rooms with four beds in each. Megan, Casey, Janki, and I got lucky and ended up
in the same room, so we all hung out for a while before going to bed. Sleeping
for most of the ride certainly made it go a lot faster! Even though it was a
long trip to get to and from Xi’an, I definitely think it was worth it! We saw
some really incredible sights while there that I will never forget.
RELIGION AND HISTORY - JANELLE ROUSE
Yesterday I had the honor of
walking around the Dazu Stone Carvings and learning about the Buddha. I was
amazed at the size and details of these stone carvings that were carved from
the mountainside. I think that this was the highlight of my trip because while
visiting The Great Wall and The Forbidden City were marvels to me, I found that
learning the history and the meaning behind the religion practiced in this
country. I love learning about other religions and as I was born and raised in
a Christian home, this experience opened my eyes a great deal. It was
awe-inspiring to see the amount of dedication that it had taken to carve such
magnificent stories into the side of the mountain.
I have been experiencing a bit of
culture shock while being here in China because everything is so different
here. Not just the religion, but also the fashion, the food, even the
bathrooms! I think the thing that has shocked me the most is the way that the
Chinese people react to the sight of foreigners. They stare and take pictures
of me all the time. I think that Black skin and kinky hair is an anomaly here.
Several times people have attempted to touch me and touch my hair. I have
gained appreciation for the way that the United States is such a melting pot of
colors, people, and languages. It is not strange for us to see people who look
different from us because we all look different. I am thoroughly enjoying
myself and being in the mountainous city of Chongqing has seriously sculpted my
legs: so much walking! I am looking forward to the upcoming events on campus
and especially looking forward to going to Xi’ an to see the Terra Cotta
soldiers.
LEARNING TO APPRECIATE HOME - BIANCA CHANG
I
love it here in Chongqing. The people here are amazing and friendly, and I love
my partners. One thing that I feel as if it makes people mad is how I cannot
speak Mandarin, even though I am a Chinese American and I was raised speaking
Cantonese. They are always wanting to talk to me in Mandarin and I get
flustered because they do not understand what I am saying, and vice versa. The
atmosphere is very different from America because when you walk off campus, you
can smell the aroma of street food. I love the street food more than eating at
a restaurant because I feel as if it has more flavors in it. From where the
dorms are at, it is easy to get anywhere because the subway station is right
next to the university, which is convenient. The things here are very inexpensive
compared to America, which is nice for us because we can buy a lot without
having to pay a great amount of money.
The experience so far here at CTBU has been amazing.
From making friends with all the other international students to going out and
exploring the city, it has honestly been an amazing time. This is the most fun
I have ever had with such an amazing group of people. As the days go by, I
realized how spoiled we really are in America. We have toilets to sit on with
toilet paper always provided for us, we always have cars to take us everywhere
we go, and most places will have air conditioning. This makes me appreciate
what I have more at home because the people here do not have that type of
luxury. I am grateful for everything that I have and I am so thankful to be
able to have an experience of a lifetime.
Monday, May 26, 2014
THE ADVENTURES IN CHINA CONTINUE
Kerri and Jeremy in front of the sleeping Buddha |
(left to right) Devangi, Casey, Kerri, Megan, Jeremy and Bianca |
Our two weeks participation in the cultural and academic program concludes with a party during which the participants demonstrate their own cultural arts.
Kerri and Megan |
Devangi performing a traditional Indian dance |
Jeremy and a new friend |
Megan and Jeremy at the Evening Party |
Megan in traditional Chinese costume |
Tyler introducing Devangi
And now for a night of Kareoke.
|
Keon and Janelle at Kareoke |
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Professor Huang as a Kareoke star |
Dr. Dyer and Kerri going for a ride |
Saturday, May 17, 2014
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