Pre-Departure

Pre-Departure

Spending a summer in China is a process that begins well before you arrive. In addition to learning about the more mundane logistical arrangements necessary to travel (plane tickets, visa, etc), once you’ve gone public with your decision to visit the PRC, you get to hear the many ways your friends, family, and occasional strangers view America’s favorite rising superpower.

Reactions generally fall into two camps: “Wow, China!” and “Wow. China?” Variants on the theme also include “You’re so lucky to be going during the Olympic Summer!” and “Why would anyone want to go this summer? The Olympics are going to be there…” People tend to bring up the same topics – the Olympics, the earthquake, the pollution, the language – but cast them in completely different light, with varying levels of spin. Given the predominance of China-related stories in international news, it’s not surprising that people are opinionated. Part of the positive spectrum of reactions is probably due to people being polite and encouraging (thanks, by the way), but my guess is that it also indicates the level of media bias that suffuses US coverage of Chinese affairs. We’ll see what I say when I’ve spent some time there.

In the time between finishing school in May and leaving in mid-June, I’ve also had the chance to collect a lot of advice. The Light Fellowship and DSIC have been really helpful by providing handbooks, faqs, and a Lonely Planet: China to cover just about any concern you could have. The advice ranges from the helpful-but-scary – “don’t bring white clothing, as the pollution will turn it grey within days” – to the mildly ironic – “don’t pack too many toiletries, as China has everything you need except deodorant, dental floss, chap stick, skin lotions or skin creams, sun screen, bug repellent, cold/sinus/allergy medications, and antibiotic ointment.” Of course, consulting multiple sources also leaves you with the Catch-22s of traveling advice: food stands on the street are unhygienic gastrointestinal disasters (say the handbooks) or “authentic” and “gourmet” (says the Lonely Planet). Ultimately, I think I’ll choose something in between the “eat nothing” and “eat everything” strategies.

So, while there’s an abundance of information out there on China, nothing is going to help me sort it out as well as some on-the-ground experience – which is pretty much the rationale for studying abroad in the first place. And welcome to the first real post of the blog! Here’s where I plan to post entertaining experiences, give general updates, and escape the language pledge from time to time to make sure I can still use English when I get back to the states. Maybe in the next 8 weeks I’ll develop some opinions and impressions of my own that will be confusing and contradictory for friends, family, and strangers down the road.