Tag Archives: sanda university

Day 12 – Our Last Day in China

Leave a reply

Today is our last day in China. After breakfast, a few of us took pictures by all the cutout signs set up for Sanda University’s graduation ceremony. It was a bittersweet feeling because it finally hit us that we were actually leaving China. It felt like we were, in a way, graduating from the university.

Photo of Students at I Love Sanda U Sign

Initially, I didn’t think much of our dorms at the university. But after spending the previous week there, it became like my second home. To get from the Sanda University dorms to the Shanghai airport, we took a bus, then hopped onto a plane to Guangzhou. We spent over 6 hours at the Guangzhou airport, which we used to eat Chinese/American fast food and Burger King, as well as do some quick shopping to use up our yuan.

Photo of a Shop in the Airport

I wish we could’ve spent another week or two in China to explore the city because there was so much to see. The trip flew by so quickly. China was not what I imagined it to be, with its beautiful architecture, museums and gardens. Compared to LA, the metro and other public spaces were a lot cleaner in China. All the people we met at Sanda University were all so welcoming and friendly. It was especially interesting having conversations with the Chinese students who spoke to us about their education system, Chinese food and the Dragon Boat festival. I enjoyed all the food provided to us, as we always had many options of dishes to try. We never had a dull moment as we were always learning something new about Chinese culture and comparing it to our American culture. We encountered many culture shocks throughout these 10 days. For one, we realized that the Chinese preferred their squatting pans over our western pedestals because the stalls for the pedestals were almost always open. I thought we would be able to meet more individuals who knew fundamental English, but most Chinese were not able to understand us and vice versa. It definitely helped with our communication skills because we had to get by through body language and the occasional use of translators. One of the highlights of the trip was our visit to the theme park in Hangzhou where we walked around the theme park, dressed in silk kimonos. Inside the theme park, we were also able to watch the Romantic Show of Songcheng.

Photo of Students at Time Travel Park

This trip truly allowed us to be culturally immersed in China, and I’m excited for the next group that will be given the same opportunity as us.

Day 11 – A Rainy Visit to the Volkswagen Assembly Factory

Leave a reply

When we woke up today the forecast called for rain, and rain it did. In California, we are not used to rainstorms. The rain was heavy and you were soaked if you went outside for a minute. There was also thunder and lightning with the rain. I have never heard such loud thunder before. You could hardly see the lightning but the thunder made up for it. It was quite the experience.

For breakfast we ate pork dumplings, a fruit salad, white bread, a banana, and green tea. I am not sure what exactly was in the fruit salad but I did like it. The pork dumplings have been my favorite breakfast dish thus far. On that note, I have realized that China does not have typical breakfast dishes as we do in the U.S. It seems as though you can have any type of food for any three meals of the day.

Photo of inside the bus 

After breakfast we took a bus to the Volkswagen Assembly Factory. This was amazing. I have never been inside a factory before and have never seen assembly lines. The entire time within the factory my Systems Operations Management class topics were running through my head. I was also amazed with the robotic style machines that they use within the factory. We witnessed the cars being assembled piece by piece and watched some aspects of the testing.

Photo of students at VW factory  

After the factory we went to the second Sanda University where the freshman study. The students played traditional Chinese instruments for us and then performed a traditional Chinese tea show. We were also given the opportunity to learn how to begin to play an instrument of our choice. I was surprised to learn that tuition for the Hospitality major is the most expensive at the school. The classes for this major consist of tea etiquette, horseback riding, golfing, etc. During this visit we also had a chance to speak with some students. The students spoke English well. My partner’s English name was Eva. It was interesting to learn that they have an English name in which they choose themselves. Eva grew up living at school, as most Chinese students do. She is studying International Economics and Trade. Students in China are only allowed to change their major once and it can only be done during their first year of college. Eva and I exchanged addresses and plan to become pen pals.

After the visit to the other campus, we returned to the main campus. We leave tomorrow so the evening was spent packing. We plan on visiting downtown Shanghai tonight for the final evening.

Day 7 – Sightseeing in Hangzhou and Su Zho

Leave a reply

Today we took a bus hired by Sanda University that would take us to visit two different cities, Hangzhou and Su Zho. We left early and Sanda University packed our breakfast to go. We had two choices, and we had the breakfast sandwich with milk and sweet cake; it was very filling. On the bus, we met our tour guide that would take us around for the next three days, and Professor Li came with us. China was celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival which is on May 5 of the Lunar calendar. It is a national holiday, and Chinese people celebrate it for three days.

Photo of students

Our tour guide told us the stof Qu Yuan, a faithful advisor and poet of the emperor of the state of Chu, who committed suicide after the emperor was killed. To prevent the body from being eaten by fish the Chinese people would throw sticky rice into the river. The story also mentioned the dragon boats whose paddles were meant to ward off the fish. We learned that Hangzhou is known for its silk and Su Zhou is known for its famous dragon well tea. The legend says that Zhejiang was suffering from a drought. The people all prayed to the dragon who lived in a well and the town eventually got rain, which is where the tea gets its name from.

Photo of boat  

It seems that much of China’s history is tied to legends. Learning about China’s history made our bus drive very entertaining. We had a break stop after an hour to get a snack in a small mall next to a gas station. In the mall, they sold all kinds of food, and they had a big variety of fried animals, but due to the language barrier, we could not tell what type of animals they were. Most of our group grabbed a Starbucks coffee because of its familiarity. We were happy to find that there are a lot of Starbucks locations all over China. After that, we went to a fancy restaurant called Xin Bai Lu where we had lunch Hangzhou style. We had a variety of over 10 different, exotic dishes. We tried most of them, and they were delicious. The large variety of food included duck, chicken, fish, pork, beef, tofu, sticky rice, and much more. After lunch, our tour guide took us to West Lake where we took a boat ride. Our guide told us that we needed to be a “Sticky Rice Group” and stick together because there were a lot people at the place, and she used a pole with Peppa the Pig on top to guide us around. The lake was very nice and peaceful. We were in a very cute boat that looked like an old Chinese house. The little south lake next to the big lake was full of lily pads and lotus flowers. It was a nice place to relax before heading to our next destination.

Photo of mall Photo of students dressed in traditional attire

After hours of driving, we got to a theme park called “Time Travel Park.” Our tour guide told us that the phrase of the park was, “Give me one day and I will give you a thousand years.” This park is located in Hangzhou.  First, we stopped at the costume shop to change and get properly dressed for the festivities. Our whole group got to wear a traditional Chinese kimono, and it was very fun to be part of the celebration.

Photo of students in traditional attire Photo of students at time travel park

After we changed into our attire, we had another traditional Hangzhou feast; it was very good but our appetite was not as big after all the food we had eaten for lunch. After dinner, we had around an hour of free time, so we walked around the shops and took pictures of the place. We took pictures with the group and some of the locals even asked to take pictures with us. During this time, a few of the people in our group had the opportunity to take a ride on a traditional litter carried by a group of men. After our free time, we went to the Hangzhou Songcheng Show. It is a show about a romance of the Song Dynasty, and it was magnificent. It was performed in four acts, and it used elaborate costumes, laser lights, traditional ballet and Chinese dance. There was even a water scene where the audience was misted with water. It was very entertaining. After the show, it was late, and we went to return our costumes. Right after, we went to the Oriental Deluxe Hotel and we spent the night there.

Photo of students at the feast

Day 2 – Welcome to Sanda University & Shanghai

Leave a reply

Today was our first real day in China after hours of traveling the day before. We woke up early as breakfast would be waiting for us daily at 7:30am. Our meals were always authentically Chinese, served in orange Bento boxes, with rice being the main staple of every meal. Breakfast included soup dumplings, which was delicious but quite a different breakfast food than we are used to having.

After breakfast we had a welcome orientation with Lily, the international department coordinator and the dean from the business school. She has very kind and sweet and went over a PowerPoint presentation telling us about the school and what we could expect in the next coming days. After her presentation we went on a tour of the campus. We toured the business/media building, the medical building, and the gym. We were lucky to see some ancient artifacts in the gym, they were holding a mini exhibition with ancient Chinese tools. After walking through campus, we had lunch.

Photo of student at mini exhibition   

After lunch, we all decided to go for a walk around the surrounding area, where they had a small shopping center. The center was aligned with various restaurants, little shops, and our favorite grocery store: Carrefour. That night we had a welcome dinner where we met the university dean and had a lovely dinner in their banquet hall. Everyone was very welcoming to us and made us feel at home right away.

Photo of shopping center in China  

Later that evening, a group of us decided to go into the city and visit the Bund, a truly magnificent view to behold light up against the night sky.

It was great to have a welcome orientation and tour of the campus. It really helped us feel more at home and comfortable with the new surrounding environment. For the welcome dinner the even made us chicken nuggets so we would feel more at home. It was a simple gesture, but it showed to me that they really wanted to make us feel at ease. The campus itself is also very inviting. It was a great location too, next to a subway station that connected us to all of Shanghai. I was surprised at how clean and efficient the metro system is in Shanghai, much better than here in LA. The railway even has doors that close until the train comes to a complete stop to prevent people from falling in front of a moving train.

Photo of students with metro cards  Photo of the Bund in the evening

It was truly an unforgettable experience. It exposed us all to an unknown world in which we were able to adapt to the new culture and appreciate its rich history and customs. It also gave us greater appreciation for home and all the little comforts we take for granted that not everyone gets to have. It really had a profound impact on my personal life, seeing as it was the first time I was ever away from my daughter overnight, let alone for a couple of weeks. I learned about the importance to make time for myself and have a social life outside of my mommy circle and I also realized that she is a resilient little girl who is growing up and can handle being independent away from mom for a little while. I also definitely made a great group of new friends whom I hope to call friends forever.