Tag: Global Bachelor’s

By juliareinholdgw

The Chinese school system is entirely different from the US school system. From a very young age, Chinese students are put in a competitive and stressful academic environment both at home and in school. In contrast, American kids are taught about sharing, creativity, and given a fun, playful environment during their earliest school years.

The Chinese teaching method is all about memorization. This method is ancient, stemming all the way back from the teachings of Laozi, a Confucian-Daoist scholar. Ancient China’s entire political and educational system revolved around memorizing Confucian Teachings. Although today Chinese students still learn through memorization, they learn all different subjects like Chinese, Math, Science, History, and English.

...continue reading "The Life of a Chinese College Student vs. Life of an American College Student"

By juliareinholdgw

This past week, two of my friends came to Shanghai for GW’s spring break, and I had an absolutely marvelous time introducing them to my new home.

We went to a number of cool places, some of them typical touristy destinations, and some pretty atypical places. One interesting pace that we ended up at was SongJiang mosque, a Sunni Muslim mosque 20 miles outside downtown Shanghai. The mosque was one of the most beautiful places I have been in Shanghai, it was secluded and full of beautiful gardens. The mosque itself included all characteristics of a Muslim mosque, however its architecture reflects the Ming Dynasty, the period when it was built, around 1391. A mix of Chinese and Arabic writing decorated the prayer halls, graves, and signs, which to me was an interesting combination to see as the Middle East does not have a big cultural influence in Shanghai. Islam in China is a really interesting topic.

It is not a very common religion for Chinese on the East Coast to practice and is more popular in the Northwestern provinces, especially Xinjiang. The existence of 2 of China’s minority Muslim groups, the Hui and the Uyghurs, are sometimes seen as a threat to the government in Beijing because of their inclinations for independence. Although clashes between these groups and the government are not publicized, they can get violent and lead to the shutdown and blackout of certain areas. Seeing this rather secluded mosque in a very secular area of Shanghai was fascinating, and made me wonder about all the challenges the Muslims living in Songjiang have faced over the years.

...continue reading "Friends in Shanghai"

By juliareinholdgw

 

I’ve been in China for almost 5 months so far and there are numerous things I love about the city. There are 5 particular things, however, that both amaze me and put a smile on my face.

1. The Metro

The Metro in Shanghai is bewilderingly fast and efficient. Whenever I think about the subway systems in the United States – the 30 minute waits, the multiple breakdowns, the badly needed upgrades – I always think about how much more advanced China’s new metro systems are. The cars come every couple of minutes, can cross ten miles in 20 minutes, and are astonishingly clean. The Chinese government has done an amazing job with both their inter and intra-city transportation system. Now, China has a network of high speed bullet trains that can take you between cities in the blink of an eye. This transportation infrastructure makes both getting around Shanghai (and China) easy and affordable. Unlike DC, I never worry about being late in Shanghai because the subway is so fast and easy. Shanghai, one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the world, stretches across almost 2,500 square miles. My university is almost 10 miles away from downtown Shanghai, however only takes me 20 minutes to get there. In a fast and exciting city full of millions of people, it is amazing to see how connected the community is through this intrinsic network of speed and efficiency. The ability for the Chinese government to create such structures has always blown my mind.

...continue reading "My 5 favorite things about Shanghai (so far)"

By juliareinholdgw

Shanghai is an interesting city because if contains a beautiful amount of contrast. Shanghai is one of the most modern cities in the world, with tall skyscrapers, a dashing subway system, and sprawling miles of metropolitan area. However, Shanghai also retains extraordinary elements of traditional Chinese life, with ancient buildings and unique Chinese culture. Living in Shanghai for almost 2 weeks now, I have been able to get a surface glimpse of this amazing contradiction, and have even been able to start exploring deeper into it. It's pretty fascinating. Fudan University is located a couple miles from the city center, in the rather quiet Yangpu district (however, quiet is a matter of opinion. Although many Chinese may deem Yangpu as "quiet", it is still crowded and bustling in my mind). One road, Daxue Lu (University Road), located in the Fudan University area, perfectly displays Shanghai's culture contrast. One side of the road contains a more typically Chinese atmosphere, with crowded outdoor vendor stalls selling steamed and fried traditional foods, classical restaurants with yelling customers and staff, begging vendors selling cheap, tourist merchandise on the side of the road, and cramped indoor restaurants that would not pass an American health inspection. The other side of the road looks like it has been taking right out of DC. It looks like a typical Western-style college street with cute, hipster cafes, flower-filled boutique-like brunch places, and modern restaurants and bars.

...continue reading "Shanghai’s Contrast of Culture"

By juliareinholdgw

Tomorrow is the first day of school at Fudan University and strangely enough, I could not be happier to get up early in the morning to go to class.

The Fudan campus is absolutely beautiful. Fudan combines a mix of traditional Chinese architecture, European colonialism, modern-age structures, and scattered gardens. The University itself was founded in 1905, during the last years of the Qing Dynasty. Because of the large European presence in Shanghai during this time, it isn't surprising that buildings such as Zibin Hall mark the campus.

Fudan University is also extraordinarily large. It comprises of 4 campuses scattered throughout Shanghai. The main campus, Handan, is where I am staying and where all of my classes our. Handan is divided into two sections, North and South. Walking from my apartments to the front gate (located at the edge of North campus) itself takes 40 minutes. Most students here own bicycles, as dorms are located far away from academic buildings. Although renting or buying a bicycle may save me time and get me to class faster in the mornings, Chinese roads are a lot more dangerous than in the US. Drivers tend not to stop for bikers or pedestrians and the sides streets dedicated to bicycles are crowded with motorbikes, cabbies, and other vehicles.

...continue reading "First Day of School"

By juliareinholdgw

 

The first week in a new place is always exciting, hectic, and even a little scary. I have been in China for 10 days now, and it's been a complete whirlwind. Because classes for my program have yet to start, me and some other study abroad mates have spent countless tireless but amazing days checking out this new place.

So far, we have spent time in two cities, Nanjing and Shanghai. Both of these cities are located midway down China's east coast and therefore have their own unique food, culture, history, and people. Nanjing has two very unique historical elements to it. First, the city has a lot of beautiful Ming dynasty architecture, palaces, tombs, and gardens. There are many of these sites scattered around the city, including a large city wall, Gu Lou temple, an old palace, and most famously, the Ming Tombs. The Ming Tombs are located on this mountain in the middle of Nanjing, and it is said an old Ming emperor and his wife are buried underneath the tombs with hoards of treasure, although no one has ever found them.

...continue reading "The First Week"

By juliareinholdgw

2017 had been pretty rough. America fell apart and my visa for China had countless issues prompting a cancellation of a backpacking trip. However, this turned out to be a gift because I was able to stay home and watch my football team, the Patriots, win the Super Bowl in a historic, gut-wrenching win. Now I am excited. So excited for this upcoming adventure in China.

China is a wonderful place, but very different from the United States. Having spent some time in China previously, there were a couple of things I learned to do before traveling to this wonderful country.

Here is a list of them.

1. Order a Gas Mask. China is one of the most polluted countries in the world. Many cities in China, especially in the winter, boast a superb "Hazardous" on their local air quality monitors. Spending long periods of time in these cities will be detrimental to the ability for you to maintain healthy lungs. The minute you step out of the airport you will feel yourself breathe in the pollutants. Don't go halfway, don't buy one of those pieces of paper that you tie around your face. Go straight to amazon and order a gas mask complete with an air filter and oxygen tank. This is a bit of an exaggeration, but seriously, make sure you have some sort of mask, especially if you plan on being in Beijing for longer than two weeks.
2. Buy Protein Bars. Protein is not as widespread in China as it is in the US. You can not go to South Block after working out and get an acai bowl. There is not a ready supply of breakfast bars, protein bars, protein shakes, or smoothies that you can find at most grocery stores in the US. The Chinese don't really worship medium rare steaks like Americans do. If you are a workout fanatic like me, make sure you bring some protein bars - at least as a comfort food until you get used to eating 5 bowls of rice everyday.
3. Go to CVS. China does not have Western pharmacies on every block. I don't even know if you can get bandaids in most Chinese supermarkets. You definitely can't get Advil. Make sure you stock up on hygiene products (you can't get tampons in China. Anywhere.), painkillers, contact lens solution, and anything else you deem necessary to survive.

...continue reading "Getting Ready for China"