I have finally been getting the chance to talk with students of the university. I am learning so much from them and I find the differences we share very interesting. Last night I went on a walk with Brian, Jewel and her roommate. The showed us the school grounds but more importantly we got the chance to talk one on one with them about life. I started to feel bad after my questions slowly turned into an interrogation. She didn't seem to mind and she even told me many Chinese students wish to talk to native speakers but are too nervous. Besides this we talked about different traffic laws that do or don't apply to each country. Jewel also helped me understand more about relationships. She told me that if you are a boy and you are younger than the girl there is no chance. She also said girls love boys who can cook but the girls wont know how to cook on their own till after college. We then went to dinner and I tried to give the waitress a starburst. Jewel told me that she was to shy to take it and that gifts are normally for one good friend to give to another good friend. Jewel herself did not like the starburst, which was weird to me because everyone in America likes them. Above all the differences we share it surprises me even more that we have more in common than different but that is a whole novel in itself.
Today was our second day of class and our third day in Tianjin. Class was very interesting today but we might have stayed out too late last night. Most of us had some trouble getting started today and the downgrade in breakfast from the dongfang hotel didn't help either. After class we went to dynasty winery where we sampled wine and toured some of the manufacturing buildings. The wine was good. It seemed too taste a bit sweeter than American wine. We got some cool pictures and went on our way. The lady giving the tour used one of our Chinese students as a translator. This was one of the most interesting things of my day because I got to watch how they communicated with each other. Of course they used language but I also watched their hand movements and eye contact. I listened to the spoken words too and many times one person begins talking before another is finished. She seemed to understand the sentence before the sentence was finished most of the time. They both spoke Chinese very fast as we probably speak English fast but they also gave head nods and signals of attention just as we do.
Today was our second day in Tianjin and our first day of classes. During this class period I learned more about china than I could have in weeks of study. We sat in a very impressive room and were also given gifts. We got shirts, maps, books, binders and our notes. They were very neat. We then sat next to Chinese students at which point professor Li asked us to talk about cultural differences. One of the first tests we did was rating each culture based on an average view of traits such as friendliness or obedience. We then discussed and compared our opinions with the Chinese students. I learned that most of what I answered is what he answered as well. We then talked about celebrities in each country and I can to find out that he knew much more than I did. He also knew many of our major cities from New York to San Antonio. It was interesting how much more they know about us then we know about them. I will keep poking at what else they know about American and what I should learn about them in the coming weeks.
Today was our last day in Beijing. We finished it with a tour of the temple of heaven and a very interesting hotpot dinner. But the most amazing part of the day was attempting to wheel and deal at the market. We spent a couple hours in a 4 story mall type structure filled with stands full of goodies. The moment we stepped through the doors our eyes lit up as everything in the store was finally at our fingertips. Many items were fake or copies which made price very cheap. They knew what items looked attractive and the suckered us all in. Ipad, silk, hand bags, shoes, cases, jewelry, and many electronics filled the store floor as we walked from isle to isle. The sellers always threw outrageously high prices out which we soon learned to counter with outrageously low ones. I scored some deals after lowering the price just below there comfort zone and then walking away. Once you got more than a few steps away they would call you back. We then took a fast train to Tianjin where Brian and I met a very nice Chinese girl who spoke almost no English. She was nice and we learned to communicate through expression. Finally we ate a wonderful Korean dinner with students from Tianjin and spent the rest of the at the supermarket and hotel.
Today was our last day in Beijing. We finished it with a tour of the temple of heaven and a very interesting hotpot dinner. But the most amazing part of the day was attempting to wheel and deal at the market. We spent a couple hours in a 4 story mall type structure filled with stands full of goodies. The moment we stepped through the doors our eyes lit up as everything in the store was finally at our fingertips. Many items were fake or copies which made price very cheap. They knew what items looked attractive and the suckered us all in. Ipad, silk, hand bags, shoes, cases, jewelry, and many electronics filled the store floor as we walked from isle to isle. The sellers always threw outrageously high prices out which we soon learned to counter with outrageously low ones. I scored some deals after lowering the price just below there comfort zone and then walking away. Once you got more than a few steps away they would call you back. We then took a fast train to Tianjin where Brian and I met a very nice Chinese girl who spoke almost no English. She was nice and we learned to communicate through expression. Finally we ate a wonderful Korean dinner with students from Tianjin and spent the rest of the at the supermarket and hotel.
beep beep beep the alarm clock went off. i rolled over to snooze the alarm clock, and at that moment the phone riings. "Zach are you awake I hear." it was Dr LI calling to make sure we were awake.I had to stop shake my head for a second i thought i was back in the United States. So I jumped out of bed looking disgusted and realized I was still here in China good thing. I was determined to indulge in every thing possible thing i could while stil in here in China.
Todat we had a very full and busy day . We visited three places First was the TEDA international Hospital. (Tianjin Economic development Area). Then to the largest noodle companyin China (master Kong). Finally to the SPD Bank here in Tianjin.
The first stop the TEDA international hospital was absolutely incredible. WHen we arrived we were warmly greeted by our tour guide.he first showed us how the a card is issued and each place inhte hospital the patient goes they have a card that gets swiped and it brings up all their information. we then were brought to throught some exam rooms. from ther we were shown the C scan rooms and the computers used to read them. My favortie part of the cisit however was when we had to "scrub up" i will call it. We had to put little fooites on, a face protector, a head protector and a robe, we were then led into where they do ther catheeder lab, or what we call stints. are put in. thenafterwords a few students including myself got to visit the server room in the Hospital what a phenomenal palce. we then headed out to the bus to eat lunch and head to Master kongs,
As we arrived at master Knogs noodle plant. we were once agian greeted by our tour guide. From here we took a shuttle less then 100 yards to the place where the noodles are made. Once inside, she explained while we watched step by step how the noodles are made. My favorite part was the the very last step where by a robotice are the noodles were precisely placed on pallets to be shipped off.The technology and design that went into that arm was outstanding. After leaving the building we were then led back to the main building where we watched a video on Plant and the Comapny in general. afterwords we were given the opportunity to try some nooldes. What college kid doesnt enjoy free food? the day wasnt over yet. we then got onto the bus and headed to the SPD Bank.
As we arrived at The SPD bank we were met by Mr Wang and Mrs Wang. we were immediately led into the VIP room. from there we were led up stairs where the corporate banking takes place. Once upstaris we were let into a room that was very nice.We were then given an overview of the bank.Which Dr. Li interpreted for us. after which we had a Q and A session. It was really intersting to find out that ther was a single account in that bank worht over1 billion RMB. I think it surprised everone in the classromm. Mr. Wang, and Mrs. Wang were very nice and I was really grateful to be able to visit the bank.
It was another great day to an already life altering trip Can't wait to see what tommorrow has to offer...
Tonight I bought dinner at the shop across the street again. I decided to bring it up to my room to eat it. I walked up to the elevator and said hello in Chinese to the person waiting for the elevator. He replied by saying "Hello," and I waited a little while and said "Hello" back to him. After a few moments, I tried asking him if he was visiting from somewhere with pretty emphatic gestures. The embarrassing thing was that he actually spoke pretty good English. He told me that he was visiting a friend at the hotel and that he is from Tianjin.
It turns out that he actually lived in Toronto for about eight years, which he told me after I asked him if he knew where Minnesota was. He said that the only he knew or heard about Minnesota was that there are a lot of white people. I told him that that was correct. I also told him about our trip and the we are currently studying here. He said to have a great trip and we went our separate ways when we made it to the 6th floor.
Today in class Professor Bill taught us about online retailers in China. I found most of the things he explained were fairly similar to American retailers. What I did find interesting was Bill's example about a employee punishment practice in China. A manager would line up all their employees in a line and then have a poor performing worker step forward onto a mate. Then the manager would tell the employee what a bad job they've been doing and pretty much humiliated them. I felt this would be especially devastating to Chinese workers because china is such a group oriented culture. The poor performing worker is taken out of the group, individualized and then humiliated in front of their coworkers. This would also be devastating as this employee would probably feel like his face was harmed through this. This would be an example of a punishment which is not a good source of motivation. However, the Chinese managers realized this when they tried this technique in America. They then adapted to technique. It was the same structure but instead of picking the worst worker they picked the best performer and praised him in front of the group as a form of positive reinforcement. This worked much better at first but then a interesting twist seemed to occur. High performing employee would get embarrassed being praised in front of everyone or maybe was told by other employee that they were making them look bad. Once this occurred the hard working employee would purposely make mistakes so they would not be embarrassed and individualized. I thought this story was so interesting as each technique seemed to work in theory but didn't results in how the managers wanted.
Day Seven: Overview: Lecture by Professor Zheng Qi on China's Economy and use of the internet, Market Shopping, Business Visit to Seagull Watch Company.
-Going out at night is a blast in both Beijing and Tianjin. One of our frequent stops at night are our new love for the kabob stands. Every night we stop and eat kabob's at stands, which look like small outdoor restaurants with tables and chairs, on the sidewalk. I would say there is a variety of 50 different items that you can put on the grill. Some defiantly look like mystery meat but they taste so good. So far the best kabob is the squid kabob. It may look scary but it tastes so good! The lady at the stand recognizes us because we stop by so frequently. Last night we were taking picture with her and we helping her cook the kabobs. On the kabob they put a variety of spices which can vary from each stand. At this particular stand that we go to, they put a spicy sauce on the squid and then put it on the grill. The atmosphere feels like an American barbeque! I love this change in late night eating. In America late night eating usually consists of Mc Donald's or some other type of fast food, all in all it is greasy and not healthy. The kabobs are fresh, taste good, and I assume are better for you. It is always nice to stop and have a kabob on a late night walk in Tianjin.
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