Widener China 2012: May 13 -- Games, Pandas and Lots of New Friends

May 13, 2012 -- Submitted by Christie Rosenzweig (Nursing)

The past few days have flown by and been so exciting! Even though we’ve only been here for a little over a week, it feels as if we’ve been here for such a long time. I think it may be because we cram so much into each day. Regardless, I’ve been having a great experience here in China.

I think the key to this experience is that you have to be open. This applies to multiple aspects of the trip. We are constantly exposed to unfamiliar food, people, places, perceptions, and cultural behaviors. Even the members of our group are just getting to know one another, even though we feel so close because of our mutual situation. It is seemingly crucial that judgments be abolished because almost nothing is what it “seems”.

This pertains to literal things like tasting new foods. Today many students enjoyed a cold slice of meat that we assumed to be duck. After the meal we were informed that it had in fact been rabbit! Often times we are served foods that look like they are going to taste a certain way, and we are frequently surprised. However, being open to tasting dishes that are blatantly unfamiliar in appearance, texture, and smell, has the tendency to be a pleasant surprise. There are so many food options here that are not available at all in the states. Trying them and asking later has allowed me to have a better understanding of this important aspect of Chinese culture.

The people on this trip may have been internally judged by one another as a "type" of person or associated with particular group. Even though we spent two hours a week together last semester, it was hardly enough interaction to form an accurate impression of anyone. These people who I once labeled as “the sorority girl”, “the athlete”, or “the hipster” are now my closest friends. These people are so much more than the labels I might have originally slapped on them. I truly hope that we will always remain friends after sharing this experience with one another. Team Widener China!!

Interacting with the new students at CTBU is also somewhat of an adjustment. Communicating with them is often a challenge because of the slight language barrier. Being with them requires patience, and an open mind. I rely on my Chinese friends a lot because the things in my surroundings that I can’t understand confuse me. Getting to know them has been wonderful and I’m looking forward to continuing this process over the next few weeks. Learning about them is a holistic experience. Some of the stories the students tell and the reasons for their beliefs are just plain different from how I would approach the exact situation. However, it is necessary to look at their upbringing, surroundings, and culture to understand where they are coming from and to be open to accepting their perspectives even though they may be extremely different from what I believe to be true. I have grown to think that it is really cool to hear a variety of perceptions. To reject things at first glance would mean putting myself at a huge disadvantage. I have learned that there are opportunities for amazing experiences that often come in very strange packages.

I have a lot of new Chinese friends too! Kiki is my best friend because she’s my CTBU partner, but when we’re in a group and all the partners are together I get to talk to some of the other CTBU students and make some friends. Melo, Bobby’s partner, sat next to me on the bus on the first day and gave me a Chinese name. It’s the name of the actress in the movie I had to watch for the class- I don’t know how to spell it right and I definitely say it a little bit wrong sometimes but it is Zizyee. That probably looks really weird but, Melo is the only person who calls me that so it doesn’t really matter anyway. There’s also this really funny guy, Ayo, who I sat next to in class the other day and we talked the whole time and kind of got in trouble -- but not really. The class was very long. What was I gonna do?! I don’t really talk to my other partner that much. I only met her once, but maybe I’ll be spending more time with her soon.

The other day we had this really awesome sports activity. It reminded me of my elementary school’s field day. There were a lot of relay type games that everyone got really into and it was awesome. They had it set up so nicely! It seemed as if it was professionally organized. There were four teams, each a different planet (go Venus!!- that was me) and a big game board that was outer space themed. Every time a team won an event they got moved up on the game board and the first team to the finish won. We came in third, but it was seriously still so much fun! It was a perfect day too - hot and sunny!

Later that night we went to the hot pot restaurant- it’s really popular in Chongqing. There’s a big pot in the table with a smaller pot inside. The outer pot has spicy broth in it and the inner pot is not spicy. We were served a bunch of dishes with an assortment of raw meats and vegetables. Some of them I recognized, others were quite foreign. I tried the spicy broth but it was a little bit too much for me. Most of the food was really delicious! I liked trying the new things because now when I see them at restaurants, I’ll be more comfortable choosing them (or not!)

The next morning (yesterday), we left for Chengdu! It was a long bus ride; about four hours, I think. Once we got to the city and ate we went to a temple housing Lui Bei’s tomb. It was pretty cool and had some beautiful buildings. There was also this really cool shopping area where I found some awesome souveniers I’m really excited about.

Today was another early day, but it was awesome because we went to the panda reserve!! It was seriously the coolest thing! I looooove pandas, like seriously adore them!!!! They are so cute and peaceful. It was like a zoo for all types pandas, but it was all open. I took so many pictures! They had some red pandas there too, but they weren’t as cute (haha that’s so mean!)

Afterward we grabbed lunch and now we are on the long bus ride back to Chongqing. It has been an exciting and exhausting time here but I’m loving every second of it!