Pepperdine Graphic

Listening Summit is a three-day event held in order to facilitate cultural exchange and encourage bonding. Ten Pepperdine students — five boys and five girls — are selected to be paired with 10 English-speaking, Chinese Fudan students. The pairs room together and spend the weekend bonding, hopefully creating a lasting friendship. The weekend includes informational sessions on … [Read more...] about Living Abroad (Shanghai): Crossing Boundaries, Changing Lives

Remember that eight-hour bus ride I mentioned in my last post? It was one of the most beautiful, and bumpy rides of my life. At first it seemed that the bus ride would be a normal, tedious ride. We drove for about an hour on a paved road away from the city, but then all of a sudden the bus made an abrupt turn on to an unpaved, dirt road. The bus hopped and wiggled, people fell … [Read more...] about Living Abroad (Shanghai): Educational Field Trip Part II: Siem Reap

Oct. 31 started very early for those of us in the Shanghai program, but no one complained. At 3:30 a.m. we stumbled half-awake on to the bus that was to take us to Pudong airport and eventually to Cambodia. Now I’ll be the first to admit that I knew nothing about what Cambodia had to offer. I knew little about its history or culture and even less about its geography. I placed … [Read more...] about Living Abroad (Shanghai): Educational Field Trip Part I: Phnom Penh

Halloween. Ironically, one of the few American commercial holidays not exported to Shanghai. In fact, not only is Halloween not celebrated in China, but many people haven’t even heard of it. The concept of dressing up in silly costumes and begging one’s neighbors for candy is completely foreign. Our visiting faculty has three small children whom we love and adore. It was too … [Read more...] about Living Abroad (Shanghai): Jialloween