The Last One

I remember my first blog post when I wrote about my amazement of Beijing’s city landscape as a manmade spectacle. The awe inspiring site of the concrete jungle that is Beijing gradually wore off and now I feel I will have reverse culture shock when returning home to Pittsburgh in two days. After all if I felt a city like Qingdao with 1.7 million people felt empty what am I going to think about Pittsburgh and Butler!?

This trip has taught me valuable lessons, but I feel the most important lesson is that I now know no matter how difficult or strange the environment may be I can adapt and learn to live. I never thought I would be able to navigate the city of Beijing. I simply thought it was too big but now I can basically use the subway, busses, and taxis to get to even the most obscure location in this vast city.

The six months I spent in China has exponentially improved my Chinese as you can see by the last post where I shared my article with you all. I could have never done that before coming to China and now I can write articles, talk to people for hours on end, and communicate just about everything I want to say. As a Chinese major I would have been remiss to not take advantage of this opportunity.

These six months have been a great experience for me, but they also lead me to wonder if my future career will involve China. I think about what I would like to do in the military and it seems like China could be a close associate in the future. Ten years of Chinese is not enough, and I still need to remain diligent in my studies not only in the language but in the culture and political system as well. When I think about China’s future I cannot really place any predictions on where the country is going, but a personal experience helps me put a useful metaphor on what I think might happen.

One morning I was running on campus and I passed another Chinese student. I recognized his face from seeing him in the cafeteria and he was definitely a full-time student at Capital Normal. I passed him at my six and a half minute / mile pace knowing I still had two more miles to go after the first so I needed to conserve my energy. After passing him I heard heavy panting and footsteps getting faster and faster behind me. I looked back to see the same student fly by me all out sprinting. He ran another one-hundred meters or so and then began to slow down and then completely stopped placing his hands on his knees to rest. I passed him a few seconds later still at my 6:30 pace as he stood hunched over, probably done running for the day. I think of this event as a metaphor between China and the United States. So often do I hear about American being “threatened” by China’s rise. I also hear Chinese students say that America cannot deal with being #2 in the world. I see this as useless competition. China is obsessed with beating out America for this so called “#1” spot in the world, but what I see is an obsession that could cause the country to collapse within itself. Like the student, China is at an unsustainable pace of growth, resource consumption, and environment degradation. China has placed itself in a precarious position as it fights a population problem, environment problem, and not to mention uprisings dotted throughout the country. I feel if China tries to maintain this sprinter’s pace it will surely end up like the student. This, however, does not just affect China but the entire world. Too often is the “it’s our business and our problem, so stay out of it” line used in China. In fact, it may be YOUR business, but it is OUR world and with the technological advancements in the past century the world is much, much smaller than before.

In a completely blunt statement I will say, China has not been “on top” since the 1400s and now 600 years later it finds itself among world powers again. The thirst for a return to glory is evident, but what is not understood is that times are different. We no longer have separated kingdoms with minimal contact, but instead the world revolves around international relations. I admit it is not fair to pin this ancient view point on China, because what people often do not realize is that China is a brand new country. As strange as it sounds it is a brand new country that has been around for thousands of years! 1949 was the birth of today’s China and 60 years later this country has experienced tumultuous revolution, unprecedented growth, and foreign bullying. A lot has happened to this country in the past century and for us to demand changes in human rights, international policy, and the one party system simply is not fair. I feel that China will reform itself as it sees fit and at its pace. This is where the metaphor diverges from the truth. Yes, China is at a sprinter’s pace right now, but that is only because it just shot out of the block. Soon China will find its 6:30 pace and run with the rest of us. What is required from everyone involved is patience, but also where the United States comes in to play is providing a helping hand for anything as China starts to solve the problems posed on itself and the world.

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This is my last Blog post and it has truly been a great way to record my thoughts and keep sane. This is the first blog I have ever had and I must say I enjoyed getting my experiences down on “paper.” This is the end of Jordaninbeijing but it is not the end of my travel. I cannot say I will be keeping a blog but I will always use the experiences I had in Beijing as I move from place to place and I become Jordanin____. Thank you all and I cannot wait to see everyone when I get back!



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Jordan J. Foley
傅力波

Article in Chinese

中美大学社交文化差异

乔丹 弗里

一提到美国大学文化，许多人都会立马联想起《美国派》中荒诞放纵的场景。但影视作品为了追求戏剧效果，往往夸张演绎的成分居多，要想真正了解一个美国大学生的日常生活，还是要听一听当事人自己的描述。我叫乔丹，现在是一名美国海军学院的大三学生。虽然目前我在上军校，但三年前我曾在凯斯西储大学就读。我的特殊求学经历和我与在其他美国大学读书的朋友们使得我能够以当事人与局外人的双重身份来解读美国的大学文化。我希望通过这篇文章让大家看到一个不一样的美国，并且列举一些我在中国上学时发现的两国文化差异。虽然我只在首都师范大学呆了六个月，但我已经可以感觉到两国大学文化有很大的不同。我不能说我对一个普通中国大学生的日常生活有很深入的了解，但我希望通过我有限的认知为大家提供一个笼统的对比，同时也希望展现给那些对美国大学文化感兴趣的朋友们在美国上大学到底是什么样子的。

先让我来简单介绍一点我在美国升学系统下的求学经历。我的故事要从高中准备SAT考试——也就是美国的高考时说起。SAT分数，高中平均成绩(GPA)，以及课余社团活动经历是一个高中生能够被心仪大学录取与否的决定因素。与中国一样，最好的学生去最好的学校，而大学的好坏是由学校声誉和教学质量决定的。最炙手可热的美国大学是赫赫有名的常青藤学校，只有成绩最好，各方面都很优秀的学生才可以得到录取。我的申请材料可以说是相当有竞争力的：我的 SAT分数很高，高中成绩很好，而且我还是橄榄球，篮球和垒球校队的队长。这是一份很“给力”的申请，但还是不足以让我顺利进入我的理想大学——美国海军学院。于是退而求其次，我被我的第二志愿——凯斯西储大学录取了。在那里的一年中，我结交了不少志同道合的朋友，努力学习，并代表我们学校的橄榄球队打比赛。第二年，强忍着离开西储校友们的不舍，我从新申请美国海军学院并被录取。从转学至今，我已经在海军学院学习生活了三年，并享受着在这里的每一分每一秒。在美国的大学中，我参加兄弟会姐妹会的派对，为校队打球，学习我喜欢学的科目。我很享受美国式的大学教育并珍惜我交到的所有朋友。然而我意识到世界各国都有自己不同的大学教育系统，如果有机会我很想体验一下其他国家，尤其是中国，和美国大学的相同与不同——因为我是中文专业的嘛。通过和首师大的学生和一些北京本地朋友的交往，我对中国大学文化有了一个大略的认识；我希望通过我的文章能让你们对美国大学生活有一个基本的了解。

我不能说每个美国大学生都有相同的大学经历。事实上，在美国每个大学有自己独特的校园文化。比如说，有些美国大学以他们的严谨教学及课业繁重的快节奏生活而著称；其他的一些学校则以他们疯狂的派对文化而著称，或者说“臭名昭著，”尤其是那些位于纽约，洛杉矶，华盛顿以及迈阿密之类大城市的大学。当然了，美国的校园文化远不止我提到的这两点,但由于篇幅所限，就让我们以点带面，先来了解一下这两种看似相对立的美国大学的“性格”吧。

前者提到的以学风严谨著称的大学最吸引有职业目标和理想抱负，学习成绩优异的学生。这类学生特别喜欢钻研，在毕业后有明确的职业规划，比如说希望找一份收入高又体面的工作。因为繁重的课业负担，每周有很多晚上，甚至周末，学生们都在图书馆里绞尽脑汁地写论文或准备考试。然而后者提到的学校呢，则“闻名”于它们的狂欢派对和拼酒酗酒。有趣的是，每年美国甚至还有这类派对学校的排行在网上公布！在学究气氛极浓，学业极繁重的大学和光知道狂欢派对的大学之间有一个“平衡区域，”大多数的美国大学就处于这两个极端之间。我把它们归纳叫做“拼命学，痛快玩”的大学。我的意思是说，在周一至周五的时候这些学生们埋在书堆里为了高分儿拼命，而到了周末他们则喜欢到酒吧夜店，或者就在学校附近谁的家里面放松痛快玩儿。我觉得这类“拼命学，痛快玩”的大学很能代表美国的文化。可以这样说，大多数美国大学生都希望在学业上有所建树，但在学习之外，尤其是周末的时候，合理释放压力的狂欢是被普遍接受的。

美国人认为上学期间因学习压力很大，放松减压是必不可少的，所以很多学校都设有大型的健身休闲设施，例如健身房，游泳池，击剑馆，台球厅等等。除此之外，还有很大一部分学校的预算要花到帮助解决学生的心理健康问题上。比如说在考试周的时候，有些大学会专门雇来按摩师给学生免费按摩来缓解学习压力。除了利用学校提供的资源外，学生们也各有个的减压方法。有一些学生在他们自己的房间里打游戏或看电影来调节心态；然而，相当一部分大学生还是喜欢通过狂欢派对以及拼酒酗酒来释放学习压力——这也是我觉得美国大学与中国大学很不一样的一点：我从来没有在首师大见过类似于我在美国常去的宿舍派对。讲到这里就不得不提美国大学文化中的颇具争议性的兄弟会和姐妹会了。

兄弟会和姐妹会被看作是美国大学的“学生会，”它们普遍以希腊字母命名，有点儿“帮派”的感觉。我并不清楚这个传统是从什么时候哪个地方沿袭下来的，可几乎四分之三的美国大学都有这种“学生会”。姐妹会，顾名思义，是女生参加的学生会，和兄弟会一样，主要是组织会员参与到社区公益活动之中来。许多姐妹会都有一个相对应的兄弟会。由于两拨人交往甚密，经常玩儿在一起，因此有不少会员开始约会，甚至到最后结婚。兄弟会和姐妹会主要的不同之处在于兄弟会更经常组织派对并作为一些特殊活动的主办方。兄弟会，说白了，就是一帮通过递交申请成为“结义兄弟”的男孩子们。每年各个兄弟会都会从大一新生中选择最能体现它们团会精神的人吸纳成为新会员。加入兄弟会，对于新成员来讲，就是进入了一个崭新的社交圈。许多兄弟会策划社区服务项目，帮助学校组织校区内的公益活动。除了做慈善以外，兄弟会还喜欢在校园内发展社交关系网以及举办派对。大多数兄弟会在校园内都有他们自己专属的房子，供 30 到50个“兄弟们”住在一起，这种兄弟会的宿舍也常常作为举办派对的聚点。兄弟会的派对常常有一个主题，比如说像热带天堂，英伦遗风之类的。为了让大家更好的了解真实的兄弟会姐妹会生活，我来给大家讲讲我自己的故事。

在凯斯西储大学，我也曾是兄弟会的一员。与美国大学一样，不同的兄弟会也有它自己不同的传统与文化。有一些被认为是是书呆子联盟，有些则是运动爱好者的集合。我所在的兄弟会以举办校园里最棒的派对而闻名。我的两个印象最深刻的派对是泡沫派对和迷宫派对。泡沫派对，顾名思义，自然需要制造出很多泡沫啦！我们买了好几加仑的洗涤精，把他们丢到吹泡泡的机器里面，几小时之后我们宿舍一楼的整层楼道里就满是肥皂泡沫了。这个时候我们把音乐打开，调到最大，开始今晚的狂欢。几小时之后我们的派对变成了一整夜在一米多深的泡沫中的狂舞 !很多人，包括我自己，都认为这是目前为止这辈子干过的最爽的事儿。另外一个叫做“迷宫”的主题派对从名字上也很好理解。这个派对的所需的准备工作要麻烦一些，但真的很值的，有多少付出就有多少回报嘛。我们兄弟会花了整整一个星期的时间在我们的房子里用镜子与易拆卸复合木板等搭建出了一个迷宫，我们甚至还设计了要蜷缩着身子才可以爬过去的隧道。一个人最快也要花二十分钟“走”完这个延伸至整个房子各个角落的迷宫。在迷宫的终点，等待“凯旋者”的是满屋的啤酒——这对我们来说才是真正派对的开始！大家一个接一个地走，或者说爬出迷宫，开始享受胜利的喜悦。这个迷宫派对也是我大学生活中一次很难忘的经历啊。

我在北大人大的校园中很少见到类似于这样的狂欢，这也是我在上文中提及的我所感觉到的两国之间大学文化差异。周五的夜晚，漫步在中国大学校园，你往往会呼吸到宁静，平和，以及情侣们悄悄相依偎的甜蜜。这在美国大学校园几乎是不可想象的。这个时段往往是兄弟会宿舍中最疯狂放纵的时刻，一条街上的每栋房子里都在办派对。站在街末，从每个扩音器中逸出的不同音乐交织成一片毫无节奏感可言的嘈杂，将屋顶掀翻——这就是美国大学每个周五夜晚上演的固定曲目。虽然说我享受过这种典型的美国式大学生活，也喜欢晚上到酒吧夜店去玩乐，但我并不觉得我有多么怀念那些日子，因为我很早以前就为了上军校而放弃了它，义无反顾。我觉得我自己还是更适合军校的生活，也许是性格使然吧。

其实我觉得美国的军校生活有一点儿中国大学那种“清心寡欲”的感觉。在军校校园中是严禁饮酒的，男女之间也不可以在课堂以外有其他接触，否则惩罚很苛刻，后果很严重。早上定时起床，晚上定时睡觉，连一日三餐都是大家在一块儿吃。与在凯斯西储大学的时候相比，我觉得自己可以支配的时间要少了许多，但每天过的要更加充实。并不是说我在西储的时候没有好好学习，只是美国海军学院要求的不仅仅是“天天向上”而已。每个学期末我们都要完成一系列包括引体向上，俯卧撑，长跑在内的体能测试。如果一个学生不能达到测试的基本要求，就会被学校劝退。除了高强度体能训练及专业知识教育之外，每个学生还需要用课余时间去帮助周围在学习或训练中遇到困难的学员。军校的生活使我看到了美国大学生活的另一面，与《美国派》版的大学生活大相径庭的一面。当然了，不可否认的是每个美国大学都是不同的，每个美国大学生也都是不同的——林子大了什么鸟都有，这些鸟唯一的共同之处就是每只都与另外一只不同。

其实这种的文化差异还反映在人际交往上。我和我的北京舍友小光，还有我的美国同学马克都是很要好的朋友，可是我和他们建立和发展友谊的活动却是全然不同的。举个例子来说，我的中国舍友和我一起晨练一起写作业，通过这些活动来增进感情，然而我和马克等美国朋友却喜欢晚上一起到三里屯或五道口的酒吧和夜店去狂欢。我的中国朋友们似乎很不喜欢夜生活，我曾邀请过晓光很多次去酒吧玩，不过他总是拒绝，并告诉我他更喜欢晚上呆着屋里打游戏。我和我中国朋友以及美国朋友的关系也显示了存在于中美大学之间的文化差异。

除此之外，我还注意到中国大学中似乎缺少一种在美国大学叫做“学校精神”的东西。学校精神，或者叫学校凝聚感，通常表现为在大型活动上穿同样颜色，或有学校标识的服装。在美国的每个大学都有自己的代表颜色以及吉祥物，如老虎，熊，勇士等。由于几乎每所美国大学都有自己的体育校队，和其他学校之间的竞争也肯定是少不了的。橄榄球和足球是大学中最流行的运动，每当有大型球赛的时候，学生们都会在他们身上和脸上涂抹代表自己学校的颜色激情四溢地为运动员们加油。有些规模大一些的学校常常主办这类集会，有时国家电视台还会直播比赛盛况，参与比赛的学生运动员中甚至有一些会在毕业后成为职业球员。

我在美国海军学院也为校队打橄榄球。让我永生难忘的一场比赛是我们海军和我们的老对手美国陆军学院之间的。美国陆军和海军之间的竞争传统和美国的历史一样长；这种竞争就像两个兄弟在一起切磋切磋武艺，但有时候打着打着，一不留神就演变成一场恶战了。那是十一月份的一天，我对这场比赛最深的记忆就是天气实在是太冷了，以至于在桌子上为球员们准备的水都结了冰。但全校的同学还是都来观看我们的比赛以示支持——他们加油的声音大到我连自己脑海中思想的声音都听不到了，我的朋友们甚至还不惧严寒光着膀子把我的名字涂在他们胸前。看到全校师生都在看台上给我们加油，我们队中的每一个人都很受鼓舞，最后我们以 24比零完胜陆军。比赛之后看台上的同学都站起来唱我们海军学院的校歌，同时大喊“海军最棒！”这也是我在海军学院很难忘的一晚啊。

作为一个在中国留学的美国大学生， 我觉得在这里的作业量和我在美国时需要完成的作业量差不多。然而我察觉到在体育健身方面，中国大学与在美国普通大学之间存在着很大不同，更别提与军校相比了。举个例子，我每天早上六点半起床去跑步都可以见到同样的人在校园里晨练，可他们都做像太极和散步之类很缓慢并运动量不大的运动。而当我汗流浃背气喘吁吁地加速跑过他们的时候，中国学生都像看疯子似的瞪着我。如果你觉得这个已经很奇怪了，那下面还有更让你吃惊的——我下午的时候还去健身房健身。在健身房我终于找到了和我在美国的时候运动习惯相似的人。这些在健身房健身的中国学生和美国大学中常见到的学生一样举哑铃，练起重机。相对而言，他们比普通中国男性要壮实一些。在中国的健身房中只有一件事让我感到不大适应：人们总想摸摸我的肌肉并让我教教他们如何能练成我这样。刚刚开始我确实感觉怪怪的，但后来就慢慢习惯了。许多中国学生都向我打听我的健身秘诀，于是我因材施教，交给不同人不同的锻炼方法。其实在美国大学校园中也不是人人都热衷于体育锻炼的。不同于那些喜欢在健身房中举哑铃练肌肉的学生，有些人很少锻炼，只爱呆在宿舍房间里打游戏玩儿。我觉得首师大也是如此。我的同班同学们很少出去运动却喜欢躲在屋子里看电影，而我的舍友以及其他我在校园里交到的朋友们却喜欢和我到健身房去健身。但美国海军学院的体育健身训练却和中国大学甚至美国普通大学的都不一样。

让我来带你们经历一下军校一日吧。我们每天早上五点半起床去集体晨练，一个多小时的晨练结束，在吃过一顿由鸡蛋，土豆，香肠和玉米松饼组成的美味早餐之后我们回到自己的房间准备七点五十五分的早课。上午的课在十一点四十五结束，然后我们有两个小时自由活动时间，一般用来个人自主健身和吃午饭。午饭和早餐一样，都有大量肉类和其他高蛋白食物的摄入。午饭前我常常先去游泳，所以开饭的时候胃口总是特别好。短暂休整之后我们从一点四十五开始上下午的课，一直到三点四十五。之后是我们的体活时间，我们一般都会用来打橄榄球，篮球，或垒球。训练一般很晚才结束，我们在六点四十五左右吃晚饭。晚饭总是一天中最丰盛的，我们常吃的是传统的美国式菜肴，像卤汁烤牛肉或火鸡肉。晚饭之后是我们必须参加的自习时间，从八点到十点钟。然后我们有一个小时的自由活动时间。有些人喜欢读读书打打游戏，但我们中的大多数人都已经很疲惫了，所以早早上床休息以保证第二天精力充沛——当然了，同样紧张充实的第二天。

这个日程对每个大学生来讲都艰巨了一点，可这只是针对于军校学生的。在美国只有六所军校，普通大学对体能的要求并没有那么高，可对于学生来讲，学业上还是很有挑战性的。由于健身文化在中国和美国军校的不同，当我告诉他们我通常的健身运动量时很多中国学生都认为我是疯子。我在中国的时候可以保证我的运动日程——早上跑步，中午游泳，下午在健身房做引体向上和起重，可我在中国让我感到头痛的是吃饭问题。

在美国我常常吃高热量的食物，像大量的肉类和土豆。而在中国我很难找到我习惯吃的食物。我觉得中国的食物不像美国的食物一样容易让人有饱腹感，尤其是在首师大的食堂里我很难找到自己想吃的东西。食堂供应各种个样的中式菜肴，从陕西炒杂菜到四川涮火锅，每种都香的不得了。首师大食堂食物种类的可选性比我去过的任何大学都要多，但我每回吃完饭都没觉得饱过。我常常点牛肉炒西兰花盖饭，因为牛肉是我最喜欢的肉类。我还记得我第一次点这道菜的时候想着这回总算可以大快朵颐了，没料到当盘子端上来，里面装的不是一大块牛排而是细细小小的几条肉丝！几个月之后我渐渐习惯了少吃肉，可是我还是时常想念在美国遍地都是的大块剔骨牛肉和鸡肉。大多数美国大学的食堂也是类似于首师大这样的自助食堂，可美国海军学院却不是这样的。我们不可以自选我们每天的食物，只有每天每餐的配菜可能有几种选择。开饭时不是我们自己去取食物，而是有人将食物端上桌来。我们十个学生坐一桌，像一家人一样传递着分食大盘装的肉和土豆。我最喜欢的学校的饭是火鸡餐，一整只火鸡配上肉汁儿土豆泥 ,煮西兰花，越梅酱和填料。这种火鸡餐真的是太美味了，以至于享用完之后我心底会升起一种在过感恩节的满足感。倒不是说我不喜欢中国菜，中国菜很好吃，只是里面的肉量实在太少了，而我习惯了吃卡路里含量很高的食物——因为我的运动量很大啊。

中国学生不仅觉得我的运动与饮食习惯奇怪，他们还觉得我在课堂上的表现很特别。在美国，和教授在一个小型的课堂上交流，在课外讨论问题是很常见的一件事。在课上我喜欢在回答问题的时候和教授开开玩笑以及在课上和教授争锋相对地交流思想，然而我的中国朋友们相对来讲就更保守一些。这个特点在中国小学生身上也有所体现。在给他们上英语课的时候，我发现他们害怕在课上发言也不喜欢在课上被叫起来回答问题，为了帮助他们能够更多的参与到课堂中来，我开始带一只足球到课上来做击鼓传花的游戏，拿到球的孩子要用英语讲点儿什么东西。大多数时候我喜欢把课堂分成两组进行比赛，让他们抢答问题得分。虽然我没在中国待太久就这样下结论有些草率，但总的来讲我感觉美国学生比中国学生更爱参与到课堂中来。

这六个月在中国学习后，我可以说已经经历过三种不同的大学文化：派对文化，军校文化，以及中国文化。每一种文化都是与众不同的，每一种都让我学到了许多。我希望我可以有更多的时间去了解中国的大学，可就从我短暂的半年交换生生活中我已经发现了中美大学社交理念的不同是一种深层次上的不同。我知道有一些地方直到我离开北京的那天也还是会感到不习惯，还有一些东西，像食物，我永远都不会真正地享受，只能是渐渐适应。我相信这是所有出国留学的人都会遭遇到的挑战。离开我热爱的美国海军学院已经有六个月的时间了，我终于认识到我有多么想念我在那里每天紧张而充实的军事化常规日程。虽然说我很享受在中国的一切，但我真的很怀念家里熟悉的生活，真的迫切希望回到美国海军学院去完成我的大学的最后一年。这学期的出国留学经历对于我来讲是无价的，我将永远喜爱中国和中国人民。我希望我在首师大的表现给中国留下了一个好的印象——因为中国给我留下了很好的印象。现在我可以回到美国告诉我所有的同学在中国学习有多么好。这样一来就会有更多的美国人到中国来学习，到中国来了解欣赏中华文化了。

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Jordan J. Foley

傅力波

Qingdao

The last city I visited in China was Qingdao, a small port town with China's largest Naval Base.  Remember that small is relative in China, Qingdao has a population of 1.7 million, but compared to Beijing it feels empty.  Even Xi'an ha over 7 million residents, so you ca imagine how empty the city felt for me.

Unlike Xi'an, Qingdao did not leave the best impression on me.  It did not help that it was cold and rained every day so I could not go to the beach, but also the city just seemed dead.  Qingdao reminded me a lot of Norfolk, VA.  It is a small city with a large Naval base with varying weather.  The best part of Qingdao by far was the tour of the Qingdao Brewery and Beer Museum.

Qingdao was under German occupation for the early part of the 20th century, up until the start of WWII when the Japanese claimed occupation.  In 1903 the Qingdao brewery was established by the Germans and hence "Tsing Tao" Beer was born.  The "T" spelling is the English pronunciation system and has stuck with the beer since its birth.  You will actually find this beer in the states as it is the 6th largest beer company in the world and accounts for over 85% of China's beer exports.  In China, this is my beer of choice and getting to go to the brewery was a neat experience.   tried their dark beer, dry beer, and green beer.  I was disappointed when I found out the green beer was not actually green, but instead environmentally friendly produced. 

The brew house was on beer street which featured bar/restaurants with kegs of Tsing Tao and good German cuisine.  Qingdao did not feel like China.  Along with the Beer Museum, Qingdao also has the PLA Navy Museum and I got to see the origins of the PLAN and I went on some CCCP and CPC made destroyers and subs.  I also bought a CCCP Soviet Russian knife for this summer when I have Marine Corps training.

I also found a great bar called New York Bar which played live music all night.  The band was Indonesian and they played covers of all hits like Queen, Guns and Roses, The Who, and even current top 20 songs.  They invited people to sing and dance and it was a really fun time.  They actually played "Careless Whisper" by George Michael and one band member grabbed a sax and started playing the famous solo from the song.  I started singing along and they saw that I was so they asked me to come up and the lead singer and I sang the song.  It was pretty funny getting up on a little stage in a smokey bar in China, and was something I would probably not do in the US.  After I sat back down a few Chinese people came up to me and told me I look like George Michale with my long blond hair...after that comment I decide I am buzzing my head.  There is no way I will be mistaken with George Michael again.

All in all Qingdao was an OK city with decent food and unimpressive seafood dishes for a port town.  I enjoyed my time there but would not go back. 

Now this is the start of my last week in China and I will be coming home on Saturday.  It has been an adventure, but I am ready to get back to normal school and normal life.
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Jordan J. Foley

傅力波

China Youth Daily Article

I was asked three weeks ago to write an article for the China Youth Daily magazine.  The article had to be over 600 Chinese characters and translated with correctness.  I am posting my article in English, and once the article is published in a few weeks I will hopefully be sent a copy.  The translation took three times longer than writing the article, so all together it took two weeks.

Cultural Differences between Chinese and American College Social Life

Jordan Foley

The American college experience is often satirized by movies like American Pie, but in order to truly investigate the day-to-day life of the average American college student one must hear it from an actual student.  My name is Jordan and I am in my third year at the United States Naval Academy.  Although I have an atypical experience going to a military school I can still offer some insight to normal college life from my year at Case Western Reserve University in 2008.  My background and friend network at other schools allows me to speak both first-hand and from hearsay about American college culture.  My goal is to provide a window into American culture and site some of the cultural differences I have discovered while going to school in China.  I have only been studying abroad for six months at Capital Normal University in Beijing, but I can definitely tell that American and Chinese college cultures have a fair share of differences.  I cannot speak for what daily life for the typical Chinese college student is like, however, I can offer a well-rounded introduction to the many college cultures that exist in America.  I hope to show those interested in American college social scenes a glimpse into what it is like to attend college in the United States.

Let me begin by briefly introducing my adventure through the American college system.  My story begins in high school when, much like Chinese high school students preparing for the gao kao, I was preparing for the SAT.  The SAT, along with grades and school activities, usually determines admittance into college.  Like in China, the best students attend the best schools, and the best schools are usually determined by reputation and academic rigor.  The most famous universities in America are the Ivy League schools and admittance is reserved for the best and brightest students.  My application was fairly competitive: I scored well on the SAT, had a high GPA, and I was captain of the American football, basketball, and baseball teams.  It was a strong application, but not strong enough to allow me to enter my dream school, the United States Naval Academy.  I was admitted to my second preference, Case Western Reserve University, and began my studies in 2008.  From the year I spent there, I made some great friends, studied hard, and played American football for the college.  The following year, despite knowing how much I would miss everyone at Case Western Reserve University, I reapplied to the United States Naval Academy and was admitted.  I immediately transferred schools and have now spent three years in military school and have loved every second of it.  From my experiences I have been able to gather a multifaceted understanding of American college culture.  I have been part of Fraternity and Sorority parties, played sports, and studied subjects that interest me.   The American-style college experience has been great for me and I cherish all of the friends I have made.  However, I do realize there are many different approaches to education and I needed to see what similarities and differences existed in Chinese colleges. In order for me to get to know a little more about Chinese college culture I made a few friends who are CNU students and Beijing natives.  From spending time with them, I have a vague idea of what the social scene on a typical college campus is like, and I hope my article allows you to gain a similar understanding of American college life.

I am not claiming that every American student has the same experience in college.  In fact, America has many different college cultures associated with individual schools.  For example, some schools in the United States are known for their rigorous Academics and restricted life due to tremendous amounts of school work.  Some other universities, however, are famous, or infamous, for their partying and their proximity to major cities such as New York, L.A., Washington D.C., or Miami.  Although there are more identities associated with universities than just the two I mention I will talk about each and how their interesting dichotomy breeds their own social cultures. 

The former mentioned rigorous academic schools attract highly motivated and top students.  These students typically enjoy academics and have a goal for a good, well-paying job after graduation.  Due to the work load many nights of the week, even weekends students are in the library finishing papers or studying for examinations.  Whereas the later refers to schools that are notorious for their parties and high alcohol consumption, and there is an actual yearly ranking of party schools that is published online.  Between the extremely difficult academic schools and the party schools lies a balance between the two which makes up most of the American college culture.  I refer to these schools as the “work hard, play hard” schools.  My meaning is that during the week these students are buried in their books and striving to get high grades, but during the weekend they are willing to go out and have a good time at a bar, dance club, or just around campus.  I believe the “work hard, play hard” schools reflect American culture.  When attending college in America one can expect to find this type of moderation in social life.  I would say a majority of American college students are driven and motive to do well in school, but still embrace a weekend party culture.  This is referred to as a method of release.

Americans believe when attending a school with difficult academics it is necessary for a release, so many of these schools have large recreational facilities with a gym, swimming pool, arcade, pool tables, etc.  A large part of a school’s budget will go into the mental health of the students.  For example, during examination weeks some colleges will hire masseuses to give free massages to students to help them relax.  Other students find their own mental sanity in their rooms playing video games and watching movies.  However, a majority of students like to release their stress by attending campus parties and consuming alcohol.  This is where I see the largest difference.  Nowhere on CNU’s campus have I ever seen a house party like I was so accustomed to seeing in America.  This is where I would like to explore the American college cultural anomaly of Fraternities and Sororities.

Fraternities and sororities are referred to as “Greek Life” on campuses.  They are called Greek because the fraternities and sororities are designated by Greek symbols almost like a team name.  I am not sure where or when this tradition started, but almost three fourths of universities in America participate in Greek Life.  Sororities are clubs for women and are very similar to fraternities in their philanthropic participation in the community.  Many sororities have a favorite fraternity in which many of the members end up dating and getting married.  A major difference between sororities and fraternities is that fraternities more often organize parties and are the hosts of special events.  A fraternity is a club of men who choose to apply for admittance into their “brotherhood.”  The fraternity members recruit freshmen students that they feel will represent their fraternity well.  Upon admittance into the fraternity a whole new network of friends opens up for the new member.  Many fraternities run community service projects and help out on campus.  In addition to their benevolent programs, fraternities also enjoy aiding in social development on campus and throw parties.  Most fraternities have their own house on campus in which thirty to fifty “brothers” can live.  The house also provides a venue for parties which often times have themes like tropical paradise!  To explain what exactly happens in fraternities and sororities I will use a personal story as well. 

At Case Western Reserve University I was a member of a fraternity.  Just like colleges in America, fraternities have reputations on their respective campuses as well.  Some are known as the “nerds” and others are known as the “athletes.”  My fraternity was known for throwing the best parties on campus.  My favorite two parties we ever threw were our foam party and our maze party.  The foam party was just as it sounds; we bought gallons and gallons of detergent and dumped them into machines that produced bubbles. Within hours our entire first floor was filled with soapy foam!  Once the house was filled with bubbles the part started and we turned on the music on the first floor and our party turned into an all night dance party in a meter of foam.  Many people, myself included said it was the most fun they had ever had.  Our other theme party is called maze party, also very self explanatory.  This party took much more preparation but was just as much fun when finished.  The fraternity brothers spent all week constructing a maze throughout our house complete with mirrors, makeshift wooden walls, and even areas where one had to crawl through.  Altogether it would take the fastest person nearly twenty minutes to complete the maze that stretched throughout the entire house.  After one would finish the maze a whole room fool of beer and alcohol awaited and the party would begin.  One by one people would crawl out of the maze and begin to have a great time.  The maze party was another great memory from college.

Along with the party culture I have noticed that Chinese universities lack an element of school spirit that exists on American campuses.  School spirit is defined as school pride and represented by attending university sporting events and wearing school colors.  In America each school has specific colors and a mascot such as a tiger, bear, or warrior that is meant to unite the students and faculty.  Almost all colleges in America have competitive sports teams that compete against other universities.  The larger colleges that have athletes who might even become professional ball players in the future are known for their large gatherings at events and often times their games are broadcasted on national television.  American-style football and basketball are two of the most popular sports in college and students can be seen painting their bodies and faces in school colors and attending games cheering vehemently for their school.

At the United States Naval Academy I play football as well, and I will never forget my story about school spirit.  It was a cold November day and we were playing our rival the United States Military Academy known as “Army” for short.  The rivalry between “Army” and “Navy” in the United States is as old as the country’s history itself.  The rivalry is much like two brothers competing and always results in a hard fought battle.  The best memory I have from this game was that it was so frigid that the water froze in the water cups set on the table for the players to drink, but still the entire school came to support the team and cheer so loudly that I could not even hear myself think.  A few of my friends even painted my name on their chests and did not wear shirts!  It was an exciting site to see all of my class mates supporting our team and we ended up winning 24-0.  After the game the fans in the stands all began singing our school anthem and cheering “Go Navy!” in unison.  It was another great Friday night in college for me and an experience I will never forget.

I do not see much of this happening on the campuses of Beida or Renmin University, and this is where I see the biggest cultural difference.  Walking outside on a campus in China on a Friday night one will find serenity, peace, and couples sitting together quietly embracing.  The same cannot be said for an American campus.  Often times parties are held in fraternities and the houses are all in a row on one street, so when standing at the end of the road one can see house after house lit up with different music coming from the speakers.  This is any typical Friday on an American college campus.  I cannot say that I miss this culture, because I gave it up long ago to go to a military school.  I enjoyed my time in normal American-style college, and I enjoy going out to bars and having fun, but I find that military school fits my personality.    

I would say military school in America is more like college life in China.  In military school, alcohol is forbidden on campuses and so is any type of nonprofessional relationship with the opposite sex.  The rules are strict and the punishments harsh.  A typical day starts at five in the morning and will not end until “lights out” and mandatory sleep time at eleven at night.  The academic day is broken up by mandatory physical exercise from three in the afternoon until six, and all meals are eaten together, all 4,000 students at once.  Compared to my time at Case Western Reserve University I realized that freedoms are more restricted and I have much more to do on a daily basis.  Not to say I was not working hard at Case, but military school at the Naval Academy carries more than just academic rigors.  Every semester we must complete a physical test of pushups, sit ups, and running and if one does not meet the minimums they will be expelled from school.  In addition to the daily grind of academics and physical education each student is expected to help others and use their free time to help someone struggling in another aspect of school.  Military school allowed me to see another side of American college life, and it is definitely not the American Pie version of college seen in the movies.  I think it is important, however, to emphasize that not all colleges in America are the same and within those colleges the students are different as well.  When exploring the American college culture the only consistency is that everyone and everywhere is different.

Nothing highlights American and Chinese cultural differences more than my friendship with my roommate, a Beijing native, and my classmate, an American.  I am close with both of them, but we have completely different activities that bring us together.  For example, my Chinese roommate and I often work out together and work on homework to foster a friendship, whereas my American friend and I go to bars and nightclubs.  My Chinese roommate really does not like the night-life culture and does not like going to bars.  I have asked him on several occasions if he would like to come, but he prefers staying in the room at night and playing computer games.  My American friend and I, however, prefer going out at night and having fun at places that have bars like San Li Tun or Wu Dao Kou.  My friendships between my roommate and my American classmate point out the cultural differences that exist between Chinese and American college culture.   

As an American college student in China, I believe I have been satisfied with the Chinese college system.  My professors are helpful and I have been learning a lot.  I believe they are demanding, but the work load is equal to what I receive in America.  I have noticed, however, that the exercise culture on Chinese campuses is much different from that on a normal college in the United States and much different from a military school.  For example, every day I get up before 6:30 AM and run.  I see the same people working out around campus at the same time, but they are doing a much slower and less strenuous work out like Tai Chi or walking.  The Chinese students look at me like I am crazy when I sprint by them sweating and breathing hard.  Not only do some students feel this is strange, but I also g to the gym in the afternoon.  In the gym I find more people like I do in America.  These Chinese students are what I am accustomed to seeing in America.  They lift heavy weights and are much larger than the typical Chinese male.  The only strange custom I see in the gyms in China is that men are much more willing to feel my muscles and ask me to flex for them.  I admit it is a bit strange, but I got used to it.  Many Chinese students are inquisitive about my work out style and I have taught many of them different workouts.  The exercise culture on college campuses in the United States varies from place to place.  Some students enjoy lifting weights in the gym and becoming muscular while others rarely exercise and enjoy playing video games instead.  I feel this is the same at Capital Normal University.  My classmates rarely exercise and like to watch movies in their rooms, but my roommate and other friends I have made on campus enjoy working out with me in the gym.  The exercise culture at the United States Naval Academy, however, is totally different than anything in China or even America. 

Let me take you through a typical day in military school.  Every day we wake up at 5:30 AM for morning group workouts.  After an hour or so on exercise we go back to our rooms and prepare for 7:55 AM class after a delicious breakfast of eggs, potatoes, sausage, and corn muffins.  Class continues until 11:45 AM when we are granted two hours to conduct personal workouts and eat lunch.  Lunch is usually as filling as breakfast with a lot of meat and protein.  I usually swim before lunch so I have quite an appetite.  After break we have class from 1:45 PM until 3:45 PM and then after that we have our sports period where we will go to practice sports like American football, basketball, and baseball.  Practices usually do not end until late and we eat dinner around 6:45 PM.  Dinner is the most delicious meal of the day and we often have classic American dishes like beef roast and gravy or turkey.  After dinner we will have a mandatory study period from 8:00 PM until 10:00 PM.  After study period we are granted one hour for personal time.  Some students like to read or play video games, but most of the time we are tired and get to bed early in order to get some good rest for the next day, which will be the same.       

This schedule may seem daunting to any college student, but this is only for military schools and only six exist in the United States.  Normal college life is not this demanding physically, but is still academically challenging.  The difference in exercise culture in China compared with my military school is that many Chinese students think I am crazy when I tell them how much I typically work out.  I have been able to keep my routine in China, running in the mornings, swimming at lunch, and lifting in the gym in the afternoons, but the major problem I have encountered is eating the food.

In America, I am used to a high calorie diet with large slices of meat and large portions of potatoes.  In China, I am not able to find types of foods I like and I feel that Chinese meals are not as filling as American meals.  This is especially true in the school cafeteria at CNU.  The cafeteria has a variety of meals and different styles of Chinese food.  From the Shaanxi dishes to the Sichuan hot pot, all the cuisine is delicious.  There is much more variety in this cafeteria than any colleges I have ever been to, but I am never full when I leave.  I usually order broccoli and beef over rice because beef is my favorite meat, but when I receive my plate instead of having a large steak on my plate it is only little thin slices of beef.  After a few months I got used to eating less meat with my meals, but I occasionally miss large streaks and chicken without bones which are so common in the United States.  The buffet style cafeteria system is similar to most colleges, but the Naval Academy operates differently.  We do not get to choose our meals, but rather one meal is provided each day with a few side options.  Instead of going to the food the food comes to use and we are served at a table in a group.  Each table has ten students and the service people place large pans of meat and potatoes in the center.  We pass the food around and eat family style for every meal.  My favorite meal at school is turkey dinner in which we have a whole turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli, cranberry sauce, and stuffing.  It is so delicious and filling that I feel like it is Thanksgiving every time we have this meal.  It is not that I do not enjoy Chinese food, but I think that the portions of meat are too small.  Chinese food is delicious, but I am just used to high calories because of how much I exercise.

Not only do Chinese students think my exercise and eating habits are strange, but they believe my classroom behavior is odd as well.  In America, it is common to interact with professors in smaller classes and even outside of class.  In class, I like to make jokes and engage with the professor, whereas my Chinese friends are much more reserved.  I noticed this character trait in young Chinese students at the elementary school where I teach English.  They are often afraid to speak up and do not like being called on to answer questions.  To help get them engaged in class I started bringing a soccer ball to class and we play games with the ball.  I have the students pass the ball around and say something in English.  Often times I separate the class into two teams and they compete by answering questions correctly for “goals.”  I have not been in China long enough nor have I been to enough schools to make such an assumption, but I feel like in general American students are much more interactive in class.

After six months on a Chinese college campus I can say that I have now experienced three different college lifestyles: American culture, military culture, and Chinese culture.  I have enjoyed each different experience and appreciate each culture for what they are.  I wish I had more time to spend getting to know Chinese college life, but from what I gathered in my short time abroad I see that there are cultural differences in the social scenes on Chinese and American campuses.  As an American studying abroad I assimilated to the culture I was exposed to, but I wonder what Chinese students studying in America think of the college culture.  I know I still had some things I felt uncomfortable about up until my last day and some things, like the food, that I never really came to enjoy, but instead adapted.  I believe this is a common thread that every student studying abroad shares.  Although I was in a foreign culture I recognized and appreciated the differences on the campus of Capital Normal University.  I have been away from my school for over six months now and I finally realize how much I miss my normal routine.  Although I had a great time in China, I enjoy the things I am accustomed to at home.  I am excited to go back the United States Naval Academy and finish my senior year.  This semester abroad has been an invaluable experience for me and I will always look fondly upon China and its people.  I just hope I was able to leave a good impression upon China, because Chinese has left a great impression on me.  Now I can return to America and tell all of my classmate how great studying in China is and hopefully it will result in more Americans studying in China and appreciating Chinese culture.

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Jordan J. Foley

傅力波

Xi'an

My trip to Xi’an did not disappoint me. Discovering this city and learning about the Terracotta Soldiers as a youngster I became interested in Chinese history. The movie I saw when I was in middle school was a documentary of Emperor Qin’s tomb which is located in Xi’an. His tomb remains sealed to this day, but it is said that in it exists a model map of the known world at that time with bodies of water filled with mercury. Greatly influenced by this movie and China’s magnificent culture I began to study Chinese in high school. Now nearly ten years later I found myself at the place where my interest in China began. The trip began at the overcrowded Beijing train station as you can see from the picture of the waiting area. The train station itself is a spectacle of modern times, but what I found amusing was that it did not even compare to the spectacle which was created over two-thousand years ago in Xi’an, the tomb of Emperor Qin.

Xi’an in located in Shaanxi province, the cradle of Chinese civilization and outlined by two of the largest bends of the Yellow River. Primitive human fossils from over 500,000 years ago have been found in this area and Chinese history runs deep. Xi’an itself is considered the center of power during ancient China and saw the height of its prominence during the 9th century AD. At that time Xi’an (called Chang an, a name it would hold for over 1,000 years) was one of the largest cities in the world and the end of the Silk Road. Xi’an saw the greatness of the Qin through the Tang Dynasty. In 202 BC, during the Han dynasty Xi’an was declared the capital and would have significance until the fall of the Tang in 907 AD. This marked the end of importance for Xi’an as the Silk Road became less traveled and shipping lanes started opening up. As a result the capital moved east. The city, however, maintained its military importance through the Ming and Qing dynasties and the city walls remained intact (see pictures).

Xi’an is an interesting mix of Muslims who have migrated generations ago via the Silk Road and central and southern Chinese (as you can see from the picture I assimilated with the Muslim culture when we visited the Great Mosque). The culture in Xi’an is unlike any other city I have visited and the food is a delicious blend of savory and hardy meals with lamb as the staple meat. My favorite dish is called yang rou pao mo translated as “lamb foam.” The dish is a soup in which they break up hot pita bread into tiny pieces at the bottom of the bowl and then pour in a delicious lamb stock soup with noodles and chunks of lamb over it. I added a little hot pepper, and it was the best dish I have had in China, hands down! I actually had three bowls!

Later in the weekend we went to the Buddhist section of the city and saw the Big Goose Pagoda which is seven stories tall and has lived through a few earthquakes in its time. The story behind the name is that one day monks were out in the field of the monastery and praying to Buddha for something to eat. They were not the Buddhists who were vegetarians so they prayed for some meat. At that instant a wild goose fell from the sky and on that spot the pagoda was built. It was a very relaxing day and then we went to a vegetarian restaurant for lunch, at that point I turned violent. I was in a good zen-like place until I was served fake meat made of vegetables. I said, “we are in the capital of delicious lamb and we are eating mushrooms flavored like lamb?” After some unfulfilling dishes we paid and left and I walked to a street vendor to get some lamb shredded in a pita…I no longer wanted to kill anyone.

Over all I would say that Xi’an is my favorite city in China. It still has a lot of preserved history and is being modernized at the same time. I enjoy living in Beijing, but if I could choose another city to live in for six months it would be Xi’an for three reasons: 1. the history, 2. the culture, and 3. the lamb.
Next weekend...the beaches of Qing Dao.


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Jordan J. Foley
傅力波

Shanghai III

Last weekend was my third and final trip to Shanghai. I made my first journey to Shanghai during the Spring Festival when I stayed for a week and celebrated the Chinese New Year with Billy. The second trip was made two weeks ago and I went to Hangzhou and Jiaxing with Billy. The third trip was this past weekend and I definitely consider Shanghai now my home away from Beijing.

This past weekend was a trip to visit my two friends Rob and Owen at their school in Shanghai. I went on vacation with Rob to Yunan and to Thailand with Owen so I am pretty close to both of these guys and I wanted to say, “bye” before I headed back to America in three weeks. The weekend was a great time, as always, and we went to a few of the clubs where Owen works as a “promoter.” The way Owen described his job is that they tell him to bring Western people to the club. I did not believe this at first but we talked to his boss for a bit and he said that the more Western people in a club the better the club appears to the Chinese people. Basically Westerns are like a living advertisement.

This weekend was not filled with too much culture, but Owen has a lot of Shanghai friends who do not speak English so we were speaking Chinese for a majority of the weekend. Even when we were together with just one of the Chinese guys we spoke Chinese to each other so no one would feel left out. It was good practice and I definitely saw five months of hard studying reflected in my speech.

The next two weekends I planned two trips I have been awaiting since I came to China. The first weekend is a trip to Xi’an to see the Terracotta Soldiers and Emperor Qin’s tomb. The weekend after that I will go to Qingdao to visit the city where the most famous beer in China was born and the site of the largest naval base. Not to mention, my hostel is on the beach!

After these two quick weekend trips the next time I will be traveling is to come home. I know it is cliché to say but it is crazy how fast it has gone by. As I look at my word count in the document I save all of these blog posts in it reads 32,954 words creating 48 pages.



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Jordan J. Foley
傅力波

10 Years Later

I have not been back to this memory in a few years. I was in 7th Grade at the time and I was sitting in math class when our teacher wheeled in a TV from the AV room and explained to us what had happened. At the time it was unclear if it was an accident and, if it was not, then who was behind such an event? I remember my head being filled with questions, and, looking back on some of the answers I received, I now see how confused we all were that day. A lot of things were said that day, but one sentence that has stuck in my mind to this day was when my math teacher said, “You all will remember this day, this exact moment for the rest of your lives.” I did not understand why I would remember that fact that I was sitting in at a desk on a second floor class room at Shady Side Academy Middle School three rows back the moment I found out about the terrorist attack on the Twin Towers. Almost ten years later I can recall every detail of that moment, like I can close my eyes and reconstruct the room. When I do the room does not have people, just empty desks and a TV on a stand with wheels ten feet in front of me.

I have not forgotten that feeling, and it has been such a defining part of my life that I can say for certain I would not be the same person pursuing the same goals as I am today if it had not been for the events of 9/11. I believe it is fair to say that most of my classmates submitted their applications partially due to bearing witness to that day. When the metaphorical dust cleared and the man behind the attack had been identified, another feeling came over me. After the attacks I had dispersed anger and hatred, but when the mastermind was singled out my emotions focused like a laser beam on one human being, Osama bin Laden.

I thought to myself, when would we get this guy: today, tomorrow, next week? As weeks passed and the breaking news became less frequent I went on with my life, as we all did, but these memories and feelings stayed the same. Now almost ten years later I found out that the man who devised a plan that killed so many innocent people had been put to justice. I found out in Jiaxing, China, a suburb of Shanghai, while eating lunch at my friend Billy’s parent’s home.

When the attacks happened it seemed like there was no air in the room. The next day the pledge of allegiance echoed through the halls and I felt linked with every American. After witnessing the reaction of bin Laden’s death in China I can truly see how only the emotions shared on 9/11 can be only understood by other Americans. In China, it was just news. Unless you were there and it was your country that was attacked this news did not strike you. Billy’s family seemed surprised at the news and asked if I was happy. It was a strange question, but they keep the vocabulary pretty simple for me so I am sure they would have liked to use another word other than “happy.” I replied in the best Chinese I could to explain my feelings and could not find the words. I turned to my friend Billy to explain in English, and I could still not find the words. I was speechless in every language.

That is how I remain about the event. I cannot say I have done much more than reflect on the feelings I had back in 7th grade, but I have also looked forward. It is too often that I forget why I decided to do what I am doing. I never bring up the reason why I chose what I chose, but I know, whether subconsciously or not, I had to do something to make sure that no one in America would ever feel like they did on 9/11.

In China, it is too hard to explain to anyone what I feel right now and maybe there should not be any feeling. Nothing is over, those who died are not back, and nothing has been won. However, what this does offer to me is proof that I chose the right career, because I was able to remember the reason I wanted to serve in the first place.

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Jordan J. Foley
傅力波

Thailand Part 3

The last part of my vacation in Thailand was wrapped up on the beautiful and tourist-y Phi Phi Islands. Nothing short of a commercialized land mass in the middle of the ocean the Phi Phis were well lined with hotels and restaurants, taking away from their natural beauty. The islands are also pronounced “Pee Pee” so you can imagine the countless jokes that we made up and encountered while visiting. One such crack up we had was when we saw a sign to the bathroom that said “This way to Pee Pee Island.”

After taking an hour long ferry ride from Phuket Island to the Phi Phis we landed on the main island in the chain and signed up for a snorkel tour. The tour would take us to various locations and Monkey Beach. Monkey Beach is a small island inhabited by spider monkeys that are just as curious as the tourists who visit them.

As you can see from the pictures the Phi Phi Islands were a tropical paradise and a great way to end such a vacation. I did not have much to write about from this part of the trip but instead attached a few pictures. I did, however, summarize my trip and experience below:

Sawasdee was the first word I learned how to say in Thai. Come to think of it, ni hao was also the first word I learned in Chinese. I wonder if hello was the first word I said in English.

It seems when learning a new language the first three phrases anyone learns are hello, good bye, and thank you. In my case, during my visit to Thailand those were the only three words I learned.

Thailand was my temporary host culture for one week. For our spring break last week I decided to take a trip to Bangkok and Phuket Island. I did not really have much of an interest in Thailand before I visited nor did I do the proper research about their culture. All I wanted to do was see another country in Southeast Asia and how their customs differed from China’s. So I basically looked at some flights and Beijing to Bangkok was the cheapest, so I booked a round trip and planned my visit to Thailand. I sought out differences in culture and that is what I found.

Saying hello to Thailand was quite the experience. I got off of my plane and stepped into the first cab I could find. I sat down and saw a steering wheel in front of me. Finding this odd I justified it by thinking it was a student driver car. The taxi cab driver looked at me funny and went around to the other side and said, “OK, so you drive.” I did not realize that in Thailand they drive on the opposite side of the road! I laughed and apologized and got in on the “proper” side. To my surprise this was the most English I would hear in Thailand. In a land of such a strange and isolated language I was amazed how little English was spoken. I assumed because Thailand was a tourist destination English would be almost as prevalent as their native tongue, but I was dead wrong.

This trip turned out to be much more frustrating than I bargained for. I was not culture shocked by the fact that Thailand was so different from America, but rather that it was so different from China. There is a lack of cleanliness in the cities and a far greater number of people trying to rip you off. It seems like crime is more common and rules are, at times, nonexistent...which brings me to Songkran, the Thai New Year festival.

In Thai years it is the year 2554. Songkran celebrates the coming of the New Year by staging a three day water fight throughout Thailand. Nothing says “surprise!” like a water gun to the face the second you step out of the cab. I went for the next three days being wet, but I was thankful for the 90 degree weather so the wetness was refreshing. Sadly, in Bangkok alone there were 160 deaths and over 1,700 injuries due to traffic accidents caused by the holiday. This is where the lack of rules is apparent.

After a week of madness in Thailand I was more than ready to return back to familiarity. I never thought I would call China a “familiar” place but it was so nice get back to a country where I can speak the native tongue. In Thai, “good bye” is also sawasdee. I was pretty quick to say sawasdee to Thailand and ni hao to China.

The Chinese phrase for “good bye” is zai jian which translates to “again see.” I cannot really say zai jian to Thasiland because I never really plan on going back, but when I leave China at the end of May zai jian will carry its full meaning.



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Jordan J. Foley
傅力波

Thailand Part 2

After a few days in Bangkok it was time to hit the beach.

We arrived in Phuket early Tuesday morning and went straight to the beach. After enough city landscape in Bangkok it was nice to see the beaches of Phuket Island. The air was remarkably cleaner and the water was warmer than bath water. Each day the temperature was in the high 80’s and there was not a single day of rain. The previous week parts of Thailand experienced massive flooding, and some are still damaged by the excessive rains, which is part of the reason we needed to fly to Phuket instead of taking a train. After we got settled in Owen’s friend’s house we planned a tourist-y day. The next day we would go to the Phuket Zoo and then visit the port district which features the famous Sino-Portuguese architecture only know to that area.

The zoo was pretty hands on compared to other zoos I have been to. I mean that there seemed to be a lack of safety and little protective barrier between the animals and the people. We saw some interesting animals, but the coolest part of the zoo was the snake show. The snake handlers performed fearless tasks and would parade poisonous cobras around the audience. There was also a neat part of the performance when a guy was dodging the bites of a boa constrictor. After the zoo we went to the port district and viewed some of the architecture. The buildings had a Chinese feel, but with Western influence. The windows and doors had a feeling of old Ming and Qing construction, but the arches and balconies were distinctly Western. I took pictures of some of the buildings I liked the most. After a full day of exploring we returned home and took a nap on the beach before we would go out to dinner and then to a local bar. 

Dinner was delicious as usual and was a 129 Baht (~5 dollars) all you can eat buffet of fresh Thai seafood. After eating until we were stuffed we walked to a small bar street with beachside bars and hammocks. We sat down and had some of the local Thai beers like Singha and Chang. Next to us was a Belgium guy who started a conversation. It was mostly small talk until he asked us if we knew what tomorrow was. We said, “Wednesday?” knowing it was probably the wrong answer. He said, “No, tomorrow is the start of Songkran!” I had to ask what this was and he replied, “Songkran will be the craziest time of your life. The whole country literally turns into 10 year-olds for three days. The holiday was originally a welcoming of the new year, and, according to the Thai calendar, it is year 2554. The Thai people pay their respects to elders and bring food to monks and monasteries and all that…” I interrupted, “That does not sound too exciting, man.” He replied frankly, “F***ing wait, I’m not done. Now the tradition is to just play in the water for three straight days, and I mean have water gun fights, soak people with buckets, and smear this white paint all over everyone’s faces. I don’t understand it at all, but it is the best time I have ever had in my life. This country goes crazy for three days and you will too, just wait and see.” We still were skeptical and unsure about Songkran, but we did not really care, we planned to hit Rao Wai Beach the next day and lay out. As we walked out of the bar at half past midnight a truck came flying by the street and three people in the back of the lorry soaked us with supersoakers. That was only a small taste of the battle to ensue…

The wake-up call the night before prepared us for Songkran, and we knew we needed guns of our own. We bought two supersoakers and asked a taxi driver to take us into Rao Wai where we heard things were going crazy. It was like being dropped off in the center of a full scale revolution. There was anarchy and chaos with water guns. The taxi driver made us get out quickly to avoid getting his interior getting wet and we immediately loaded our guns with water and began blasting away. There were giant black vats of water spaced every block. These were refill stations and the government actually ships these in for the people. In addition to the vats, each bar and restaurant will have giant vats of water to attract thirsty Songkran patrons. It was like I was 10 again and the fire hydrant was turned on at the end of the street. It was the largest scale water gun battle I have ever seen! Over 20,000 people were packed on this little street just spraying each other all day. The music was blasting and cars were driving by throwing buckets at those on foot…like I said it was anarchy. I had my camera for some of the time, but the water was just too much for it and it got destroyed, so I was only able to take a few pictures.

After getting a feel for the battle we started planning our own operations. We targeted smokers and those eating. When we saw a smoker we would snipe his/her cigarette and yell, “NO SMOKING!” Because of the nature of the holiday everyone just laughed and lit another one…which we would promptly put out which would result in less of a smile, but still humorous nonetheless. After a few hours of walking up and down the beach street smokers would recognize us and hide when they saw us come by. One guy actually put out his cigarette when he saw us coming to avoid getting wet!

We stayed at the beach for over 8 hours playing water guns and at the end of the day passed out back at home. It was a day of swimming, running, and shooting all in fun. It has been so hard for me to describe the craziness that was Songkran, but you can imagine two more days of such shenanigans that was what it was. This was now the third new year celebration I have been a part of this semester. First was the real new year then the Chinese New Year and then Songkran. I will have to see if any other culture is celebrating its new year before I head back to America.

The second part of the week in Phuket we planned to visit the beautiful Phi Phi Islands…


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Jordan J. Foley
傅力波