WE DON'T WANT TO LEAVE by Mohamed Bayoumi

    I can’t believe it is almost over. Today they had a closing ceremony for us it was so nice, but we were all sad. In the last two weeks, I have learned so much --  from classes and visiting places. Everything is new and interesting.  Also it is really fascinating how Chinese people are so proud of their culture and they are so eager to teach it to everyone. One of the most interesting places we have visited was a CQ local medical equipment company.  The company invented a machine called HIFU that can treat cancer and kill the tumors without leaving a scar. It is amazing how people here are always ready to learn and always ready to make their country a better place. We go to lectures almost everyday; we learn Mandarin and different Chinese crafts like paper cutting or about ancient Chinese history.

    The school has lots of fascinating mountains surrounding it; last weekend we climbed the mountain it was tiring, but it was worth it. The view from the top is marvelous and the air is very fresh.  Our partners were also kind enough to go with us so we would not get lost.

     This week we visited a teahouse where we had a short lecture about the Chinese tea history and the benefits of the tea. They also provided us with some tea and what they said about the tea was really true. “it makes you calm and relaxed.” We all really do not want to leave, especially today after the closing ceremony. They kept thanking us for coming and visiting them; our partners cried while they were saying good-bye to us, and lastly they gave us awards and some gifts.

WE ARE FAMILY by Tyler Lewis

  We are family! There has been a significantly strong bond between all of us during this trip. We know when someone is having a bad day. We know if someone is having a good day. We argue, but what family doesn't? We get along. Our combined energies give us the strengthen and ability to grow closer and stronger. In fact, we already have inside jokes and things planned to do together when this trip is over and we get home. I have never met such an amazing group of people, who through our differences and similarities, learn and nurture growth in each other. We have woven such a beautiful friendship. At the end of this trip, we will find it hard to part. 

     Most people don't think China is anything like it really is. Since the start of this trip my views and understanding of China has changed dramatically.  China is an amazing place, with the combination of eastern and western influences, thus creating a country rich in culture. I almost feel like I'm home in America when we explore the city. I see so many similarities. 

     My general observations: they have many of the same products we have; English is almost everywhere; Westerners heavily influence fashion and trends; Karaoke (KTV) is more fun than expected (I want to bring it back with me to the States, maybe a new business venture?); and the Chinese people eat healthy and exercise more often.

     It's sad for me to think that the CTBU study and culture tour has already concluded. It flew by. I almost wish we had another week to spend with our partners. The activities were amazing, and I had the chance to brush up on my not so strong Mandarin skills. The staff, the students and the school exceeded every single expectation providing us with so much help and resources. Although I do miss home, I know saying goodbye to CTBU, Chongqing, and China will be challenging. 

Street Scene

Loving Kareoke

Closing Ceremony

CALLING CHONGQING HOME by Ron Rabena

              Our journey at CTBU in coming to an end, but our memories will last a life-time. In the past two weeks, we have traveled long and far, all over the city of Chongqing. We have made lifelong friendships, and called a new city our home. I personally have learned to adapt to a city very different from my home-town, Philadelphia; and I am also learning that normalcy may be overrated. We are living a very different life than we are used to, yet enjoying another college experience completely. Walking in someone else’s shoes, and trying something new every hour of every day can be exhausting, but these experiences are so worth it. I have tried more new things in the past two weeks than at any other time in my life, and I am enjoying it. I am feeling so lucky that I am enjoying this opportunity that most will never have.  

            During our time in Chongqing we have toured one of the biggest cities in the world, learned basic Mandarin, danced for the CTBU students, eaten hot-pot, enjoyed many many dumplings, visited with a local ultrasound company, visited a Taoist temple, learned some martial arts, and most impressive, we took a trip to the Dazu Stone Carvings. Although these carvings date back to the 7^th century, they remain strikingly beautiful. Walking through the carvings, it was amazing to see all of the rich details; the statues seemed to be alive. Also, walking through the carvings, it became obvious that there was a detailed story being communicated. The carvings depict the Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist beliefs, and even though they differ from my own religious view, it was amazing to learn more about their rich history and learn more about how the world looked and people felt during that time in human history. It is also interesting to see the differences and similarities between religions.

            I am having so much fun with our new friends from different countries all over the world. We have met so many amazing people, my favorite thing to do.  Comparing cultures, breaking language barriers, laughing at our or differences and marveling at our similarities is what makes life meaningful.

NOT IN A MILLION YEARS DID I THINK . . . by Kaiti Harnish

I never thought in a million years I could fall in love with a place that is so far and different from home. So much has happened and I have met so many incredible people in such a short amount of time. Beijing first of all was so much fun. The food was amazing so I knew I would be ok just from that. Climbing the Great Wall was amazing too but such a struggle. Not joking it was like climbing 4 miles of stairs, but the view made it worth it. Also I love feeling like a celebrity because people keep coming up to the group and asking to take their picture with us! It's really funny how many pictures I have with complete strangers. Coming to Chongching was the big adjustment. In Beijing I still felt like I was in the Chinese part of Philadelphia, but when I came here I realized that I was in a whole other world. Our partner's met us at the gate and they made me feel so welcomed. My partner had introduced herself and it seemed like she did not speak too much English but we've been getting better at understanding each other. Her name is K. She also gave me a wooden letter "K" shaped pin and told me that we could match. She's so kind! Also she gave me a Chinese name, Fan Bing Bing. She's apparently a very famous actress here and every time I tell people my Chinese name they say, "Oh, I love her!" So that makes me feel good. Also I have met SO many people. All of the Chinese students want to be friends and I have been invited places with them, not just the traditional hot pot but also to their house to have dinner with their families, which I see as a great honor. And everyone is really funny. I guess it was a stereotype I had that the Chinese are very serious people but I have never laughed so much than I have in a conversation with one of them. It's crazy to see all of the similarities of people of the same age group from across the world. I have also made so many friends from other countries like Canada, Thailand, England, and Finland. Everyone here is just amazing. The only problem with this place is that I have to leave. That's all for now! 

Welcome to CTBU

PICTURES FROM DAZU by Tyler Lewis

One of the Beautiful Carvings at Dazu

The Sleeping Buddha at Dazu

Carly and me at Dazu

I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M IN CHINA!! by Julianna Gustis-Napoli

     Wow! I still can’t believe I am China! The past week has been amazing and a once in a life time experience. I went to Beijing, China and got to walk the Great Wall. I was able to visit the 2009 Olympic stadium. I was amazed, also, by the air quality in Beijing because I didn't expect that the smog would be as bad as it was.   My allergies were really acting up the whole time I was in Beijing. But other than the smog, I really enjoyed this city because it was very beautiful and tourist friendly with directions written in English making it very easy to get around.

     After spending three days in Beijing, we landed in Chongqing where the CTBU, the university we are visiting, is located. I was a little bit nervous about coming here because I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t think I would be able to do anything.  I felt felt very  overwhelmed the first day because there was so much going on at once. Everyone at the CTBU School was so excited to see us and was very helpful.  My partner was really excited to meet me and so was I to meet her. It was so exciting to meet her and to start off a great friendship. I was really excited to meet up with my friend Fred who had visited Widener last fall semester and had been in some of my Widener classes. It was a great feeling to meet up with him in his country.

     The only thing that was shocking to me while in Chongqing was how little English I heard.  I felt it was going to  be a long two weeks of difficulty communication. I feared that I wasn’t going to be able to get around because I didn’t know much Mandarin and that worried me. After a few days and being able to relax, we met up with people from England and they showed us a lot. It was a great help because they have been here since February. It is so interesting to be around so many people from different countries and cultures at this school and I feel this experience will make me more knowledgeable about other cultures. I am really enjoying myself during this stay in China.

       After being at CTBU for almost a week, I now feel that most of us know our way around. Tyler and I took the train together this afternoon and we made it to the mall near school. It was a great accomplishment for us because we didn’t think that we would be able to get there by ourselves. It has been beautiful in Chongqing and I am enjoying myself and really learning how to use public transportation. This trip so far has been a great time and our group has never been so close. With all the classes we are taking and the exploring we are doing, it has built us together as a family.

My partner and me

The Group in the Bird's Next

Fred and me

CTBU FILLED WITH SWEET PEOPLE!! by Danny Luu

Our China Trip adventure has brought us to Chongqing, adjacent to Sichuan province and which everyone says is one of the largest municipalities in China. After our two hour plane ride to Chongqing, we went to retrieve our luggage. As soon as we approached the exit gate, we were greeted by our sweet partners. They had signs that read "Welcome Widener University Students to Chongqing!" We took about one and a half hour drive by bus to Chongqing Technology and Business University. bOn the bus ride to the university, the Chongqing students introduced themselves to us and we did the same to them. It was so lovely to meet such a friendly and sweet group of partners. As we approached the campus, I thought the university would be somewhere away from the city. Our partners took us to our rooms and showed us where the bathroom and kitchen were. My room was on the seventh floor so it was stressful walk upstairs to my room. My partner's name is Jerry, a CTBU freshman.  He was so generous to lend me a cell phone that he doesn’t use anymore so that I didn’t have to buy a phone or a sim card. Afterward, Taylor, Tyler, Christie, Julianna, Katie, Carly, Ronnie, Mohammed, and I were taken by our partners to buy phones since most of us didn’t get a phone yet. It was kind of a hike to walk up the street. Then, we took a group picture with our partners. They took us out to eat to some type of fast food that really wasn’t that good because they didn’t plan anything for us. But they were sweet to direct us to the supermarket to get other things for our rooms. 

The Flight to Chongqing

Our Group with Our CTBU Partners

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The Opening Ceremony

COLLECTING MEMORIES by Tyler Lewis

China has been one of the best experiences in my life and it is not even half way over. I have collected so many memories. When we first landed in China, I didn't feel like I was on the other side of the world. A new country. A new continent. A new culture. It initially took several days to adjust and I didn't experience culture shock until we reached Chongqing. My observations about China so far: no stop signs, eastern toilets, no tipping, no bumper stickers, great breakfast, so many skyscraper -- the list could go on. I've noticed that even though we are miles (or should I say kilometers) away from home, people are people. There are so many similarities. So many differences. My favorite things about China so far -- massages, the history, the safety of the city, our partners from CTBU -- that list could go on as well. Our partners at CTBU are some of the nicest people I have ever met. I feel very privileged to have met them. I'm very excited that some of them will travel to Widener in the Fall.

The adventure continues,

AN EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME by Ron Rabena

I honestly, and truly never thought that I would have the opportunity to visit China. What an experience it has been thus far. After a very long flight and months of anticipation, landing in China was a striking. We landed to a surprisingly modern Beijing airport and a whole new world to me. After only a day, we took our first journey to one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The Great Wall of China, simply put, was magnificent. The Great wall does not have a bad angle, and pictures provide it no justice. Walking along the Great Wall, knowing of its rich history, it is hard to imagine that such a beautiful wall was built to keep out invaders. The views are breathtaking and the wall seems to go on and on forever. The builders of the wall should be proud to know this wall still stands as testament to their great work. Walking along the Great Wall, I could not help but marvel at the intelligence of mankind. 

The Forbidden City met and exceeded all of my expectations. If the Great Wall did not help me realize that I was I China, the Forbidden City sure did. The city was, and still is, fit for an emperor. Aside from being beautiful, the city is gigantic. As I walked through the gates, I could not help but think that not too long ago only the emperor and his servants knew of the city’s beauty.  The city seems to go on forever and it soon becomes obvious that there are really are nearly 10,000 rooms. 

Tiananmen Square was also a sight to be seen. As I walked throughout the streets I could not help but remember the images of the riots, but was comforted by the square's beauty. Also, strangely, I felt a weird sensation of being watched. The cameras that hang everywhere seem to watch our every move. This, however, did not change my impression of this beautiful square.

For our final stop in Beijing, we journeyed to the Olympic Village. This too was an unbelievable sight. The village was inspiring, to say the least, as we walked throughout the bird's nest stadium I could almost hear the crowds roaring and see the world records being smashed. I remember watching the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and television did the complex justice. The Water Cube was also amazing to walk through.  I feel so special to say that I visited an Olympic Stadium.  Not too many people can say that, that’s for sure.

Arriving in Chongqing was certainly a game changer. Beijing and Chongqing are two very different cities. Chongqing is not as modernized and not as Americanized as Beijing. This transition would have been more difficult, but the CTBU students made all the difference. They are selfless and ready to help in whatever way possible, going above and beyond.  Their energy is electric, and their positive attitude contagious. My partner, Richard, is easy to get along with and I am excited to call him my friend.  It is my hope that some of these students will come to the U.S. and allow us to share our culture with them. I am excited for the rest of our experience at CTBU and in China. 

Mohamed and me at the Great Wall

CULTURE SHOCK!!! by Carly Wray

Culture shock! That is what I experienced first hand when I arrived in China.  Everything is very different than in America.  However, Beijing  was an experience like no other.  While we were there, we climbed the Great Wall. We took a ski lift up to the Great Wall which gave us an incredibly beautiful view.  After walking along the Wall for several miles, we took a tobaggan down the mountain and I watched a bunch of Europeans crash into each other. We also visited the Forbidden City, which was outrageously beautiful.  I have seen it in a few movies and never even thought about the possibility of my being there.  

     Olympic stadium was something I had really wanted to see, but I unfortunately I missed it due to having to pay a visit to a local hospital. I also never thought I would go to a Chinese hospital, but I had a panic attack at the restaurant we were at because I felt as though I were having trouble breathing. That is most expected in China, given the general poor air quality.  I wanted to join the rest of the group so badly for dinner, but I was not feeling up to it.  Nevertheless, I loved Beijing!!!!

      On Sunday morning, I was feeling much better and we left Beijing for Chongqing.  The flight was nice and arriving in the airport was so welcoming.  Everyone from the CTBU exchange program was waiting for us to escort us to the university. The campus is beautiful and I noticed many differences between Beijing and Chongqing right away.  Beijing is very westernized, much more so than Chongqing. 

    We have met our partners and Chinese friends who have been more than accommodating. At this point in the trip, I feel that I have become much closer to the members of our exchange group I had been during our class. There are other sides of people you don't learn about until you go across the world with them. So far, each morning, we have been eating at the cafe for breakfast and finding lunch and dinner in Nanping, which is a beautiful local shopping area. We ate sushi, which was amazing and found a nice place that serves local Chongqing cuisine . I think duck is my new favorite food. They served duck at the opening ceremony dinner, which was also really good.  Last night and today were really fun with many activities organized by the CTBU students.  They are the nicest people I have ever met and I would love to call them my friends.  My team won the indoor games.  The event was a good opportunity to bond with the students from CTBU.

INSPIRED BY CHINA. HAIKI AND TANKA POETRY by Taylor Jones

For my blog I wanted to share some of the poems I have written while here.  All of them are in the traditional eastern styles of haiku and tanka.

Granite Guardian (Inspired by the great wall) (haiku)

Legendary Rocks

Ancient style of the stone craft

Decades of artwork

Scarlet Threads (Inspired by China’s Flag) (tanka)

What is in a flag?

Nation’s Representations

I only know one

Live for the red, white, and blue

Our red ties us together

Life Bed (Inspired by my lack of sleep) (haiku)

Sleep is wasted time

Embrace opportunity

You can rest in death

Spicy Endurance (Inspired by hotpot) (tanka)

Survival technique

It’s now a delicacy

Flaming hot passion

Kindness and food warm my heart

This is the pride of Chongqing

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES by Mohamed Bayoumi

 Ni hao -- hello.  So I do not know which experience should I share now because every day we have new adventure and we learn something new. We meet new people; we learn how to relate to them since they have different culture and the most important thing is that we do it as a group.  The first day we arrived in Chongqing from Beijing, we all were in a culture shock.  We didn’t want to go out or do anything; but people here are so nice, helpful and friendly that they quickly made us feel much better. Each of us has a Chinese student partner that helps us with everything -- going to classes, getting food, or anything we need.  But actually not only our partners help us, but all of the Chinese students seem to love it when we as them for help and respond quickly.

   The second day, we were hosted to a welcoming dinner.  I can’t believe that the vice president of the University actually went around to each table to make sure that every one had enough food and to personally welcome every one.  The program here keeps us very busy with many activities, including English corner where we either dance or talk to Chinese students,  sport game day, and a hot pot dinner.

   I really don’t think I am home sick anymore because our entire group has been acting as one family and we always try to help each other out. We have also made a lot of friends here, but we still get in touch with them as a group. We have also visited a lot of places here, since it’s so easy and cheap just to take the subway or mono rail.  Also, stops are written in English.
 

Our Group at the Welcome Ceremony (left to right: Chrisie, Julianna, Tyler, Danny, Taylor, Ronnie, Carly, Kaiti, and me.

Our Group at Forbidden City