And Classes Begin

Up until this past week, I hadn’t been to class in three months. The thought of school was not something that I was particularly excited about. Yet, after completing the first of sixteen weeks of classes at Fudan University, I am happy to say that I’m still alive.

           It’s weird to be at Fudan because they have an actual campus. As normal as that should be, I am still not used to walking around and only seeing other students. There is a tower in the middle of campus that is 30 floors high. It can be seen from everywhere on campus and essentially serves as the campus’ north star. The rest of the campus consists of academic buildings that are about five stories high, several cafeterias (canteens) and some dorms. I live right off campus in an apartment building that houses international students. While there are international student dorms at Fudan, those are for degree-seeking students. My apartment is pretty nice and includes three bedrooms (there are three of us in the apartment), a living room with a TV, couch and dining table, bathroom, kitchen, and laundry alcove. It has definitely seen better days, but two weeks in, it feels like home.

`           Classes at Fudan are only held once a week (with the exception of languages) and most Chinese students will take around twenty-six credits (credits are calculated similar to how GW does it). I even talked to a student who is taking thirty credits this semester. School pretty much dominates students’ lives here and many that I talked to were not involved in any student organizations or off campus activities.

            I strategically scheduled my classes so that I have off on both Monday and Friday. On Tuesday, I have Management Information Systems in the morning from 9:55 to 12:30. I then have Chinese that evening from 6:30 to 8:10. On Wednesday, I have Survey of International Economics with GW professor Steven Suranovic from 10:50 to 12:30, and then Marketing Management in the afternoon from 1:30 to 4:10. On Thursday, I have Investment Fund Management from 1:30 to 4:10 and then Chinese again from 6:30 to 8:10. Alright, I know that was super detailed, but I think that it helps to show the setup of my day. While many of my classes are two and a half to three and a half hours long, they have at least one fifteen-minute break, and may have two. This really helps make the long classes manageable.

            Overall, my classes seem to be pretty similar to classes at GW. All of my professors have their graduate degrees from American Universities, and act in a similar manner to GW professors. They will ask if students have questions, encourage us to engage in dialogue, and have grading systems that are broken up by small projects, homework assignments, quizzes, papers and exams. I have only had each class once so far, but it looks like it will be a fun semester, and so I am excited to see what it brings.

The First Week

My last week has truly been a whirlwind. I arrived in Shanghai on Saturday by high speed train and met up with the other students in the Global Bachelors students. Besides the seven classes that we had together last semester, and a handful of meetings, we were all mostly strangers to each other. At the same time, we all became fast friends and ended up spending a lot of time together. Together, we explored the city, going to museums, visiting landmarks, and eating an excessive number of dumplings. Through all of these, we made several observations about Shanghainese culture. Here they are:

1.     Health is treated much differently here. You rarely see people running and when there is the option of taking the stairs or the escalator, everyone will choose the escalator. Gyms are too expensive for most people to afford ($150+ per month). Despite a culture that doesn’t seem to specifically exercise, nearly everyone is thin and eats well. Most meals consist heavily of rice and vegetables and will often include meat. The people value health, but have a different approach than the U.S.

2.     The contrast between the rich and poor is truly stark. I was walking to dinner the other night and was in an area that did not appear to be particularly nice. While most of the buildings appeared to be rather rundown, one of them looked brand new. In front, there was easily $5 million worth of ultra-luxury sports cars. There is an incredible amount of wealth here, but there are also people who are homeless.

3.     The city is so clean. In my last blog post, I compared it to New York City. Shanghai is unbelievably clean for how big it is. There are constantly street sweepers driving down the street. The Chinese government also pays people to sweep the streets. As a result, you rarely see trash or even dirt, despite the age of the streets.

4.     It’s hard to find people who speak English. I kept hearing how everyone hear will speak English and I won’t have any problem not knowing Chinese. While I have been able to get by, very few people speak any English, let alone good English. Most people working in retail or at nice restaurants will speak English, but other than this it is pretty hard to find anyone. As a result, picture menus have saved my life another time. I’ve also been relying on my roommate pretty hard since he speaks fluent Chinese.

5.     Things don’t always make sense, but it works out. For example, classes start at Fudan tomorrow at 8 AM, yet we don’t register for classes until tomorrow at 1 PM. I’m not sure why we can’t register yet, but I know that it will be okay. Things may seem stressful, but in the end, I will have a schedule full of classes and everything will be okay, because it always is.  

My life here has become much different. The time difference and lack of easy access to social media has led to me looking at my phone less and living in the moment more, and I couldn’t be happier about that. I am so optimistic about the next few months and am incredibly glad that I am a member of the Global Bachelor’s Program.

Travel in China

         *I want to start by apologizing for not posting this last week. I was traveling and did not have good enough wifi*

       I am still trying to understand why someone would not want to come to China. If you love cities, Shanghai is one of the most metropolitan areas in the world. Like culture and history? Try Xiamen where historic architecture meets the modern world. Prefer the mountains? Wuyi Shan is the perfect mix of quiet town and picturesque national park. These are simply the different settings of China that I have experienced in only twelve days. I know from talking to people who live here that there are so many different landscapes to experience. The point being, China is as diverse in its offerings as the U.S., if not more.

            Shanghai reminds me in many ways of New York City. While I am sure that over time I will find them to be very different, at first experience, I found some similiarities. They both have areas that are full of high rises and incredible expensive apartments (Manhattan and Pudong). This area is separated from the rest of the city by a river (The East River and the Pu River). The area immediately on the other side of the river is very trendy, but not as showy (Brooklyn and French Concession). Both cities then have a huge influence from other cultures and feature restaurants showcasing this cuisine. Finally, the pride that people have for these cities is very similar. Both cities give their residents bragging rights that you will hear people touting, even within the city. There is one big difference however; Shanghai is much more modern.

            Xiamen is a large port city in Southern China. Many of its buildings are original and it feels very authentic. With the exception of two very large hotel towers, the city is relatively low. This makes the city feel smaller and more personable. It reminded me of Charleston, SC in its pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. Xiamen is heavily influenced by Taiwanese culture (They are only about 100 miles from each other) and has a number of street markets with fresh produce, handmade trinkets and tasty food. Xiamen is a warm southern escape from the cold of the north.

            Wuyi Shan is a small town about three hours by train from Shanghai. It is located in the mountains and is a large tea growing region. This is very apparent as every other storefront is a tea room. It has the feel of a ski town, with quaint houses, nice restaurants, clean air, and a mountainous backdrop from every angle. The national park here has several different hiking trails that provide pretty spectacular views. The trails are well maintained, and there is a free shuttle that takes visitors between locations. This area was one of the most beautiful places I have ever gone.

            Everyone has a different preconceived idea about China, but I can assure that you don’t know China. I have been here for less than two weeks and have been constantly amazed by what I have seen. This country has something for everyone.