Although we went to several interesting ancient sites, such as the Great
Wall and the Forbidden City, most of our day trips can be described
fully in one way. As far as weather goes, there was some sun for a few
days, but the majority of the days were clouded with smog. It never
really matter if the sun was out or not because it was always hot. We
traveled mostly by subway and foot, but we did occasionally take a taxi
or ride the bus. Subway usually turned out to be the most efficient and
inexpensive option. Once we were finally at a site, I would do my best
to try and learn something new about the culture. I would also try to
imagine what kind of work had been put into the building of the site.
Most of the major historic sites in China are thousands of years old and
took thousands of years to finish building. I really enjoyed the day trips
because it opened me up to a new culture and a new history that I had
never known before.
Home Stays
On our trip to China, we stayed with host families in both Jinan and
Shanghai. My first host brother spoke English almost fluently, so I
didn't get as much listening experience with him. Though I only spoke a
few words at a time, his parents were what really helped me with my
speaking and listening skills in Jinan. The communication barrier
between his parents and I obviously made it difficult to have a real
conversation, and, unfortunately, lack of conversation led to awkward
silence My first host family stayed in middle class apartment; it was an
apartment similar to most others in Jinan. My second host brother spoke
relatively good English, and his parents spoke and understood most
English as well. In Shanghai, we were busy at the WLSA conference, so I
didn't have much time with my host brother. My second host family lived
in a nice flat; most of the apartments in Shanghai are nicer and more
modern. My favorite part about either home stay was my final meal that
my Jinan host family cooked me. My host brother's father, who is a chef,
cooked me a large meal of the best Chinese dishes. Though it could be
uncomfortable at times, my host families made me feel welcome in a
foreign country.
My host family In Jinan
Food
As one might expect when traveling to a different country, the food and
flavors in China are quite different from in America. Before I get into
the interesting foods, I'll point out how the taste of their food seems to never
changes. The Chinese use the same spices and other ingredients
throughout almost every meal. While in America we can expect to eat
several different combinations of flavors throughout each day; in China,
every meal tastes basically the same. Though I did eat some odd things,
most meals were made of normal ingredients. However, I did have the
pleasure of enjoying some Chinese rarities. The top three were shark fin, jellyfish,
and edible tree fungus. Shark fin was thin and stringy; tree fungus was
dark brown and chewy like rubber; jellyfish had the texture of an ear. I loved the food, but after a couple of
weeks, the Chinese flavors were a little overwhelming and I was ready for American-style food.
Jellyfish with cucumber
Shark fin
Use of the Language/Growth as a Student
When we first arrived in China, I was very hesitant to actually use my Chinese in the real world. It took me a couple of days before I started using even the most basic conversational phrases. Early in the trip, basically all of the speaking was done by Zhang Laoshi and Penn, who had just finished AP Chinese. By the end of the trip, we were all using some of what we had learned and improved our vocabularies too. Honestly, I got more out of listening than I did out of speaking. Listening is my weakest ability in Chinese, and this trip improved my listening more than I had imagined possible. In the end, I realized how fun using Chinese can be and I really look forward to using it in the future.
Thanks
Finally, I would like to thank all those who made this trip a possibility. Thank you to the Wilson family for the opportunity to study abroad. This trip would have never happened had it not been for the generosity of the Wilson family. I would also like to thank Mr. Gaither, Mr. Gioia, Mr. Paolicchi, and Zhang Laoshi for the many hours of planning that went into this trip. Thank you for an unforgettable trip.
No comments:
Post a Comment