Well, the time has finally arrived. In a few short hours, I will be leaving Memphis for Detroit, and then at 3:30 tomorrow afternoon, I will be sitting on a plane headed for Shanghai.
I'm excited. And I'll post the first picture of China I take whenever I get a chance.
再见美国，我已经想你。
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Monday, June 1, 2009
Nerves
Well I started to get the impression yesterday that I shouldn't be taking this trip to China. My sister knocked my Blackberry in the swimming pool and then my computer cord broke. Then I saw the moon and the sun in the same sky, a black owl and the face of Guan Yu (关羽) on one of my Baked Lays.
Basically, I was seeing a lot of bad omens that all pointed to me not going to China.
Today, however, was better. I got a new computer cord, my BBerry came on and the screen worked, the sun went down and the moon came up, the only bird I saw was Pete the cockatoo and all of my chips were yellow, round and faceless (except the Doritos, thankfully - it was, however, also faceless).
So now I'm comfortable again with running off to the Orient, which is good since my plane leaves in less than 4 days.
Now all I have to worry about is North Korea, but maybe they won't get too crazy.
再见,
马舒凯
***UPDATE*** (too many stars? oops)
At the behest of the People, my friend Jennings has started a blog. It can be found by clicking anywhere in these two sentences.
Basically, I was seeing a lot of bad omens that all pointed to me not going to China.
Today, however, was better. I got a new computer cord, my BBerry came on and the screen worked, the sun went down and the moon came up, the only bird I saw was Pete the cockatoo and all of my chips were yellow, round and faceless (except the Doritos, thankfully - it was, however, also faceless).
So now I'm comfortable again with running off to the Orient, which is good since my plane leaves in less than 4 days.
Now all I have to worry about is North Korea, but maybe they won't get too crazy.
再见,
马舒凯
***UPDATE*** (too many stars? oops)
At the behest of the People, my friend Jennings has started a blog. It can be found by clicking anywhere in these two sentences.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Quarantine
Well, we were just informed by the Chinese government (via Ole Miss Study Abroad) that if one person on our plane of around 400 people has any flu-like symptoms, the gov't will quarantine the entire plane in a hotel for seven days. Hmm...
But hopefully that won't happen.
Just an update, trying to filling up the internet before I leave in 10 DAYS 11 HOURS.
Goodbye, America.
But hopefully that won't happen.
Just an update, trying to filling up the internet before I leave in 10 DAYS 11 HOURS.
Goodbye, America.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
No one reads my blog :(
I've had around 4 comments in the year history of my blog. Maybe (hopefully!) at least a few people are reading this and just don't comment. Maybe when I leave, it will get more popular.
Anyway, TWO WEEKS!
In 14 days I will be waiting in Memphis to board my flight the next day. First, I'll fly to Detroit, where I'll meet the other four people who are going to Shanghai with me. Then, we're off for a 14-ish hour direct flight to Shanghai.
I'm so excited. We decided to cut out Suzhou and spend an extra day in Nanjing instead. We realized that we're going to have so much luggage to carry around and this way, we'll be able to go straight from Nanjing to Qingdao, rather than backtracking to Shanghai and then to Qingdao.
More later (when it's actually interesting)!
Matthew
Anyway, TWO WEEKS!
In 14 days I will be waiting in Memphis to board my flight the next day. First, I'll fly to Detroit, where I'll meet the other four people who are going to Shanghai with me. Then, we're off for a 14-ish hour direct flight to Shanghai.
I'm so excited. We decided to cut out Suzhou and spend an extra day in Nanjing instead. We realized that we're going to have so much luggage to carry around and this way, we'll be able to go straight from Nanjing to Qingdao, rather than backtracking to Shanghai and then to Qingdao.
More later (when it's actually interesting)!
Matthew
Thursday, May 14, 2009
It's almost time!
June 4 is right around the corner, so that means I'm about to be in SHANGHAI!!!
Here's our schedule for the ten days before starting school at Qingdao University:
Day 1：Friday
Arrive at 6:20, check into hostel around 8. Dinner in Shanghai
Day 2: Saturday
Sightseeing in Shanghai
Day 3: Sunday
Sightseeing in Shanghai
Day 4: Monday
Sightseeing in Shanghai
Day 5: Tuesday
Check out, train to Suzhou. Sightsee in Suzhou
Day 6: Wednesday
Sightsee in Suzhou and surrounding area
Day 7: Thursday
Check out, train to Hangzhou. Sightsee in Hangzhou
Day 8: Friday
Sightsee in Hangzhou, leave to Shanghai
Day 9: Saturday
Leave for Qingdao
In Shanghai, we're staying at the Mingtown Youth Hostel. It looks pretty nice, according to HiHostels.com.
WOOHOO I'm really excited!
Here's our schedule for the ten days before starting school at Qingdao University:
Day 1：Friday
Arrive at 6:20, check into hostel around 8. Dinner in Shanghai
Day 2: Saturday
Sightseeing in Shanghai
Day 3: Sunday
Sightseeing in Shanghai
Day 4: Monday
Sightseeing in Shanghai
Day 5: Tuesday
Check out, train to Suzhou. Sightsee in Suzhou
Day 6: Wednesday
Sightsee in Suzhou and surrounding area
Day 7: Thursday
Check out, train to Hangzhou. Sightsee in Hangzhou
Day 8: Friday
Sightsee in Hangzhou, leave to Shanghai
Day 9: Saturday
Leave for Qingdao
In Shanghai, we're staying at the Mingtown Youth Hostel. It looks pretty nice, according to HiHostels.com.
WOOHOO I'm really excited!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Change of plans already...
Well, we booked our tickets finally! We decided to leave 4 June instead of 6 June, though, because it's cheaper to leave on a weekday.
I've been in this "culture assimilation" course for the past two nights (it's required). At first, I thought it would be a huge waste of time, but after finishing it, I realized that there's a lot of important stuff you should know before you go abroad for an extended period of time.
"Culture shock" is a term often used to describe a feeling of anxiety or helplessness when you're dropped in the middle of a foreign country. Last summer in Qingdao, I definitely experienced some culture shock, but not to the degree that Dr. Johnson thought we might. She talked a lot about the U-curve of assimilation: You're ecstatic for a little while, then you become disenchanted and then frustrated and then angry, and finally you start to rise back up to feeling content and/or comfortable. This definitely happened in Qingdao, but it was different. I was really excited about being in China for about two weeks and then I immediately started to hate it. It didn't take long, though, to start going back up. My U-curve was more like a curvy check mark - a rapid drop at the beginning and then a gradual climb back up to contentment. I think a lot of people feel this way.
It's important to experience other cultures and to experience a little bit of culture shock. Even places like New York or Chicago are vastly different from small-town Mississippi.
There's no excuse not to travel, so get out there and make yourself a more well-rounded person!
I've been in this "culture assimilation" course for the past two nights (it's required). At first, I thought it would be a huge waste of time, but after finishing it, I realized that there's a lot of important stuff you should know before you go abroad for an extended period of time.
"Culture shock" is a term often used to describe a feeling of anxiety or helplessness when you're dropped in the middle of a foreign country. Last summer in Qingdao, I definitely experienced some culture shock, but not to the degree that Dr. Johnson thought we might. She talked a lot about the U-curve of assimilation: You're ecstatic for a little while, then you become disenchanted and then frustrated and then angry, and finally you start to rise back up to feeling content and/or comfortable. This definitely happened in Qingdao, but it was different. I was really excited about being in China for about two weeks and then I immediately started to hate it. It didn't take long, though, to start going back up. My U-curve was more like a curvy check mark - a rapid drop at the beginning and then a gradual climb back up to contentment. I think a lot of people feel this way.
It's important to experience other cultures and to experience a little bit of culture shock. Even places like New York or Chicago are vastly different from small-town Mississippi.
There's no excuse not to travel, so get out there and make yourself a more well-rounded person!
Sunday, April 26, 2009
40 days
So, the countdown finally begins.
In just a few short weeks, I will be going back to China to study for 7 MONTHS.
I have to be honest, last year I got tired of Qingdao. I think it's because it was new and different; it was like a vacation that was too long. But I'm convinced that this year will be different. This year, I feel like I'm going back - like I'm in a routine. Also, I have SHANGHAI to look forward to!
So, here's the (tentative) schedule for China 2009:
6 June 2009 - Depart for Shanghai
7 June 2009 - Arrive in Shanghai
9 June 2009 - Hangzhou
10 June 2009 - Suzhou
12 June 2009 - Depart Shanghai for Qingdao on the overnight train
13 June 2009 - Arrive in Qingdao
15 June 2009 - Classes start at Qingdao University
15 August 2009 - Classes end
16 August 2009 - Depart Qingdao for Shanghai
17-25 August 2009 - (hopefully) visit Hong Kong and Shenzhen (maybe Guangzhou)
30 August 2009 - Classes start at East China Normal University with CIEE
16 December 2009 - Depart for AMERICA!
So you can see that I definitely have an exciting few months lined up. I'm hoping to go to Seoul between August 15 and 30, but the tickets are running around 700 USD, so that's not really feasible, to say the least. Maybe I'll be able to find cheaper tickets once I get into China, since Qingdao to Seoul is only an hour flight.
Also, I promise to do a better job updating this blog. Last summer was a huge fail on my part. Hold me to it!
My posts leading up to the trip will be pretty sporadic. We have exams next week, so I'll be super busy over the next few days preparing for that.
Thanks for stopping by!
Matthew
马舒凯
In just a few short weeks, I will be going back to China to study for 7 MONTHS.
I have to be honest, last year I got tired of Qingdao. I think it's because it was new and different; it was like a vacation that was too long. But I'm convinced that this year will be different. This year, I feel like I'm going back - like I'm in a routine. Also, I have SHANGHAI to look forward to!
So, here's the (tentative) schedule for China 2009:
6 June 2009 - Depart for Shanghai
7 June 2009 - Arrive in Shanghai
9 June 2009 - Hangzhou
10 June 2009 - Suzhou
12 June 2009 - Depart Shanghai for Qingdao on the overnight train
13 June 2009 - Arrive in Qingdao
15 June 2009 - Classes start at Qingdao University
15 August 2009 - Classes end
16 August 2009 - Depart Qingdao for Shanghai
17-25 August 2009 - (hopefully) visit Hong Kong and Shenzhen (maybe Guangzhou)
30 August 2009 - Classes start at East China Normal University with CIEE
16 December 2009 - Depart for AMERICA!
So you can see that I definitely have an exciting few months lined up. I'm hoping to go to Seoul between August 15 and 30, but the tickets are running around 700 USD, so that's not really feasible, to say the least. Maybe I'll be able to find cheaper tickets once I get into China, since Qingdao to Seoul is only an hour flight.
Also, I promise to do a better job updating this blog. Last summer was a huge fail on my part. Hold me to it!
My posts leading up to the trip will be pretty sporadic. We have exams next week, so I'll be super busy over the next few days preparing for that.
Thanks for stopping by!
Matthew
马舒凯
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)