China is Awesome! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Our program was unique in that our class was represented by five different nationalities including American, Brazilian, Polish, Colombian, and Chinese. Since our program consisted of very few classes and lots of tours, our workload was considerably light. We were required, however, to submit blogs throughout our trip as well as a final reflection paper summing up our experience abroad.

On-site administration of your program

DLNU was as accommodating and friendly as a host university could be. The students were very helpful in showing us around the campus and inviting us to the mall and gym with them. The campus faculty made sure that we had transportation available for each of our tours and treated us to many delicious meals. While I was in China, I caught a glimpse of China's inability to get things done on time through the many construction and development projects that they had initiated. However, this sense of disorganization was nonexistent in DLNU's administration and management.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

The hotel in Dalian was very comfortable, with two beds, drawers and air conditioner. Conveniently, it was located right on the DLNU campus, making it an effortless walk to class each day. Our hotel was also only about a mile from five colour city, Dalian's strip of bars, and not even a mile away from the nearest shopping mall.

DELICIOUS!!! My roommate and another student got sick during the beginning of the trip, but I didn't have any problems throughout. We ate at a variety of family style restaurants where they would bring out several dishes to each of our tables that we would share amongst the other members of the table. I almost always tried everything that was served and, aside from the tofu, wasn't disappointed. Even the pickiest eaters could find at least one dish out of the near dozen that were served to us throughout the meal. While on campus, we were given a generous allowance to spend at the DLNU cafeteria for lunch and dinner when we weren't eating out as a group. The cafeteria had several floors and offered a variety of meat and vegetable combinations. My two favorite dishes were the chicken and mushroom dumplings and the go ba rou, a dish similar to American Cantonese "orange chicken".

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

This was easily the greatest part of the trip. In addition to the many tours that we went on (including a Coca-cola factory, jade factory, silk factory, pearl factory, commodities exchange, port authority, BEST city grand opening, and apartment complexes, each country hosted a celebration specific to their nationality. For America night, we prepared a make-shift barbecue complete with hamburgers, baked beans, apple salad, and smores. We then taught them how to do the interlude, hokey pokey, cotton eyed joe, and many other silly dances. Polish, Brazilians, Colombians, and Chinese cultural nights were very interesting and the food was delicious.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

I felt safe throughout the entire trip. Even when we were walking back from the bars late at night in small groups, I felt that I was in a safe area and away from harm. I did, however, encounter a couple of unusual and unhealthy practices while in China. For one, in the big cities instead of wearing diapers, many babies have an open flap revealing their bottoms and are held over trash cans when they have to pee. There were also several stray animals on campus at DLNU that I wouldn't pet in a million years.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

We practiced our Chinese with fellow students and casually at the bars with the locals. The Chinese language lessons proved useful when greeting other Chinese students or when ordering food at the cafeteria, but otherwise didn't help much. Surprisingly, nearly all of the younger generation of Chinese people spoke English,

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• Hotel

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• International Students
• Americans