Blog for caic2

America, finally I am here! It’s interesting how I compulsively kept telling myself that I am actually being in the place that I’ve heard and seen so much about through music and movies. If people ask me what would be the difference between the America that you’ve imagined and the real one you see, it’s probably too early to tell, but I would now say that the real one is a even more comfortable place to live in. it’s greener, quieter. At the very least, this was the impression I got of Richmond during the night drive and this whole day of walking around the campus.
People here are really easy going. They seem to be always ready to chat, as long as we get rid of our shyness and cheerfully step up and introduce ourselves. I remember how excited one of the interns named Lisa got when she found out that some of us could speak Cantonese with her in the airport. It’s nice to know that an American born Chinese like her care so much about our dialect. It would be sad for some people having become the so called BANANAS, yellow on the outside but while inside. Of course, it’s not a bad idea at all to integrate so well in the American society, but it’s also important for people to remember and keep their roots.
Arriving in America also reminds me one more good thing about being energetically young: we don’t seem to suffer much from jet lag. Although we were asked to gather at half past ten, my roommates and I actually left our room at a little past eight. Seeing the beautiful sunshine and greenery outside the window, none of us could resist the temptation of leaving the coldly air conditioning room and taking a nice Sunday morning walk.
Walking through the park where squirrels jumping freely in the lawn, we were all attracted by a beautiful Cathedral. It was great that the staff in the church welcomed visitors all the same. But anyway, I still felt that I was a complete outsider even though I was being inside the church. Chinese young people don’t usually have religious beliefs, largely because we are taught to believe mainly in science. And this has made me pretty curious about religions. Sometimes I do get envious of people being so sincere and firm about their religions. I guess religions can provide explanations about the uncertainties and insecurities people come across about life. Maybe I will have a religion in the future when the time is right.
Here in VCU, numerous churches are built inside the campus. Danielle, our intern told me it was because Christianity includes different branches. So I guess this shows part of the American culture: welcome and respect differences; and as what Danielle put it-religion is a huge thing for American people.
There were many impressive other spotlights on this very first day. I like the houses here with different styles and colors. And I like the relaxing atmosphere all around the campus. It’s more like a park! Good to know that we are staying for two weeks!

today is the third day since I arrived in Richmond，and eventually I got to see what this city really look like through a brief bus tour. The tour guide said that Richmond is a city with a relatively long history of 400 years. It witnessed the development of America since its colonial time began. The drive along Church Hill was really impressive. Firstly we went through the business district where modern tall buildings are situated, then we came to Church Hill，and it was like going through different phases of times within just a few minutes. I like Church Hill though, because I always prefer something that stands the test of time. The tour guide told us a lot about the historic event and figures involving Richmond and the development of America, and some people took note very carefully. But I chose to stayed focused on watching the old red-bricked houses that kept passing our bus windows. You can search for the history information from books or from the internet very easily, but you don’t always get chances to FEEL the history through solid historical remains. Most people choose to know history by mainly memorizing exact names and figures, but I am not able to make myself do that. Anyway, if anyone mentions church hill, it will be the beautiful red-bricked houses that first jump into my mind. It’s amazing to think that this world known powerful nation actually grew from these homey little houses. The government has made a really smart decision to enforce adaptive reuse in terms of this.
Before the cookout, my roommates and I actually had a chance to sit back in the sofa and had a really nice chat with three interns. One was born in Africa, the other one was from Vietnam and the third one was Chinese who came to VCU just last year. I think this is one of the unique appeal of America. You can get to know people of different races and nationalities. We can be very different in terms of our appearance, but really, when we talk about music and movies, we are pretty much the same. Does this also count to be a indication of globalization? Anyway, it’s interesting to exchange cultural differences and at the same time, share something in common.
I have some problem getting used to the eating habits here. Most of the restaurants here sell burgers, salad, noodles or pizzas. The drinks are mostly icy as well. I am getting desperate to eat something with less stark and with higher temperature. Honestly, I don’t miss my family that much, but I do miss the food back home!

We finally had our classes in the campus today. The one in the morning was better, at least for me. It was easier for me to pay attention to the teacher. The one in the afternoon was something like a lullaby, making me super sleepy. But it seemed that a lot of students were able to listen attentively, maybe they had super power to resist sleepiness which I lacked  but it was not that I got nothing from his class. The national debt that he mentioned had aroused me to do some thinking. When America was in serious financial chaos after it was newly established, the government decided to issue bonds with 4% interest to clear a lot of its I OWE YOUS. It was really a great idea, not showing any tyranny, respecting people’s property rights. In the name of a nation, I think the government had reasons to even collect people’s money in order to build up a country. But perhaps USA really upholds the idea of business from the very beginning. the national debt crisis was tackled in a somewhat lucrative way for both the people and the country, at this point, it was a good policy. And now a well known line created by Americans has come up in my brain: NOTHING PERSONAL, JUST BUSINESS. When I first heard it in china, it left me an impression of indifference and cold. And now I have gained another perspective of these words. Maybe people here just choose to adopt a quicker and more practical way of doing things. It is pretty understandable and I respect their value.
Maybe when I get to New York, I will get the American idea of efficiency a lot better. Here in Richmond, everything seems pretty comfortable and relaxing. I have heard more than two interns mention that the New Yorkers are so busy that they don’t often answer questions from people needing help. I am really looking forward to see if it is true.

the short pump mall was HUGE. we all had great fun there. actually none of us had prepared to buy anything there, but it turned out that when we unwillingly dragged ourselves out to the mall, every one of us had shopping bags in our hands. the word SALE is really the Achilles heel for girls. we shop when we feel low, and we still shop a lot when we are in perfect mood.

we have malls as well in China, and for most of the Chinese, the idea of a mall would be just one or two buildings closely packed together. but obviously this is not the case in the u.s. and it came to me that the Americans and we Chinese may have very different concept in terms of personal space. i have read an article long ago saying that people queuing in America tend to stand further among each other than those in Arabia. i have found that the Americans' size of things are larger. people's homes are generally bigger, their food size are definitely bigger...and all of these somehow go along with their outgoing and active character. and i really appreciate that.

i saw two Roxys in one mall, i guess this brand gains considerable popularity here then. i have already been a Roxy fan in China. actually the fashion trend back at home is dominated by Korean and Japanese style. the clothes are with really neat cuttings and they do look elegant and sometimes sexy. but i personally prefer a more sporty and comfortable style. plus the theme of Roxy is mainly revolved around the fun at the beach, and such scene always makes me relaxed and happy.

i have never expect to have so much fun by playing bowling. i am generally an outsider of this sport, having only played once in Beijing. i remember i was so bad at it that one of the real good players next to me described my bowling movement as dumping bombs at the lane, admittedly i threw the ball really loud and always ended up hitting nothing.
so i did work up some courage before i decided to sign up for bowling. Danielle kept saying that we would probably regret if we don't try. well, people say curiosity kills the cat, and obviously it kills my shyness also. the bowling spot had some of the pop band music playing, and everybody soon had great fun in their own groups. one of the coolest thing about bowling is that you actually have the chance to get to know more people and interact with them somehow. sure enough, i was still a little bit dumb in terms of bowling skills but the guys from Fudan had been friendly and patient enough to help me improve, and i really did make progress. they were so nice that no matter how lame i played, they kept encouraging me saying that it was not bad at all for a beginner. i was so glad that i was able to start some conversations with them, including some of the interns that i didn't have the chance to meet. every one seemed to be exceptionally cheerful when doing this sport, which was NICE~
the interns obviously had been working hard to provide interaction opportunities for us. i have just heard that there was soon going to be a PingPong tournament. i am thankful that they arranged all of these various kinds of activities. they really made our after-class time much less boring. THANK YOU ALL, dear interns!
hope that i can get to know even more students and interns soon!

we had a lecture on the U.S media this morning. there was this moment that i felt so sorry for my inadequate knowledge on my own country. the teacher was asking us the features and differences between the newspapers in China and those in the U.S. i couldn't come up the that much idea and all of a sudden i was surprised about it. it occured to me that i had been taking things for granted back at home. i should have paid more a attention to the cultures of my own country before i visit abroad. as a visitor, it is part of my duty to introduce my country to others, and through exchanging our information and ideas, everybody can know better both about a foreign land and their own country. there is this ancient lesson concluded by Sunzi, a chinese eminent war strategist: undestand both yourself and your opponent well, and you'll always be a winner. it also makes great sense when we talk about cultural exchange and comparison.
gee i have just found that i am too loaded with pop cultur, which is frustrating. people really get more things in common globally, but to be aware of our own unique cultural codes is still very important. it just too sad if one loses his cultural identity.

i actually had been biking for more than 3 three hours along the coast of Virginia Beach! it sounds crazy enough. i never thought that i could be that keen on biking. in china, i don't even have a bike, because the traffic is scary and i am not a good biker. and this means i haven't rode bicycle for about fifteen years!

i like the breeze brushing by, i like the view of the Atlantic Ocean.And most importantly, on the biking lane, i could see lots of people either individual or family with really content and happy faces.
every one of us seemed to be drunk by the aroma of the sea and sand ^^

after all the happy moment, i had a price to pay. my skin is still burning, red and tense. i just know that i am going to be soooo tanned! i still feel compulsive to take out my little umbrella whenever the sun comes out, because a tan does not add any credit to beauty according to Chinese standard and i have to go back home after all. but i am also aware of the fact that i would be complete freak if i do so. So to tan or not to tan, it is a problem.

the teacher who taught us globalization this afternoon was like a comedian actor. he cracked numerous jokes at the beginning of the lecture, some of which were funny, but some were incomprehensible. can any intern be kind enough to tell me what was so funny about the SHIFT HAPPENS thing? it was frustrating to see Julie sharing some kind of happy laugh with Erick who was sitting like a mile away, when we did not have any clue about what the humor was!

anyway, there is also some kind of border in terms of humor. sometimes the Chinese type of humor is so ingrained in my brain that i simply put this Chinese logic into English when i am chatting with the interns. and there have been situations that the air simply went dead when i cracked the jokes. the interns usually gave me a blank face wondering what i had intended to infer. it was embarrassing! but my biggest wish is that they had guessed my meaning in best way. please trust me: I WAS NOT REFERRING ANYTHING BAD ^^

again, we went shopping. and again, we went to the Short Pump. have i got tired of it? NO! we crazy shoppers spent 3 hours in the mall, but still there is this whole bunch of us crying over the cute stuff that we should have picked up but did not buy. please don't take me to the mall because i miss it so bad!

almost every one has bought at least a pair of Levi's jeans. i couldn't believe my eyes when i saw 19.99 on a Levi's price tag. it seems that Levi's jeans is not nothing but ordinary in the U.S, but in China, young people love it. the design and cutting is not bad at all, no doubt about that. however, i guess the relatively high price of this brand of Jeans in China has somehow makes people think that it is classy. back at home, Levi's jeans are seldom on sale. there would be some discount on shirts but the price of the jeans has always been above 70 dollars. once i asked a sales girl why, and her explanation was: Levi's jeans can hardly be out of fashion. a clever reason, not that reasonable though.

Levi's obviously has been much nicer to its American friends. the sad thing is that its Chinese customers still love its products. perhaps i should launch a protest sometime :p

i was amazed when a class was to be given in Chinese this morning. the lecture was about adapting to new culture, i LOVE this topic. the taiwanese teacher said something really impressive. he said this summer program for us is actually an investment, enabling us to be more sensitive to cultural differences. i have been in the U.S for almost two weeks now, and i enjoy every moment of the program. because cultural clashes can happen at anytime, arousing my curiosity to think about the reasons and draw lessons from them. i guess that's what people define as HORIZON. the world can be so much bigger than what i think. there are various beliefs, life styles and cultures out there to be discovered. and differences are not just for people to be aware of, they can also be adopted to make our life FRESHLY BETTER.

i also love what this teacher said: not to deny one's own culture, but to adapt that of others. wow, the lesson sounds inspiring and exciting! let's wait and see how my actual experiment goes.

and so far, there is this problem that i have not yet able to improve that much in the U.S: i still can not figure out how to deal with the coins. they are of various kinds and they look pretty similar. during my first few days here, i simply poured out all the coins i got in my purse and said to the cashiers: CAN YOU PLEASE CHOOSE WHAT YOU NEED? embarrassing enough, but it worked^^ good news: i have successfully purchase a taco with COINS all on my own this afternoon!

i think i am almost there~

some of the lines on that bridge were impressive to me.
just think about this: i was being in that historic surroundings, reading the lines that were enriched by profound meanings conveyed by great people. decades have passed, a country has gone way further on the path paved by those founding fathers, and i, as a visitor, could then feel part of the solid TEXTURE of the American history. it was amazing.
WE MAY NEVER MEET AGAIN. this line shocked me most. it might be sad words, but don't forget the understatement here: the time we met is anything but ordinary.