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Well we finally, successfully made it to Beijing and it was quite the experience! One jam-packed weekend was all we needed to see the major sights. Friday night we gleefully raced out of the jia to the train station where we traded our tickets for passage on an overnight train to Beijing. We had booked passage for three of us in a hard-sleeper cabin. Fourteen hours later I … [Read more...] about Living Abroad (Shanghai): Beijing – Mission Accomplished

Beijing: the seat of Chinese government, home of the Great Wall and the site of the 2008 Olympic Games. The ornate Summer Palace, historical Tiananmen Square and numerous other national treasures. In all, Beijing houses most of China’s tourist-worthy attractions. So, why is it then that only 12 people from the Jia have successfully made it to China’s historical jewel? The … [Read more...] about Living Abroad (Shanghai): The Curse of Beijing

Just like every other holiday we celebrated this semester, Thanksgiving at the Jia was celebrated a few days early in order to allow for everyone to travel immediately after classes on Wednesday. So as Tuesday morning dawned, I prepared myself for a long day of cooking and cleaning. As one of the few people in the Jia with a free Tuesday schedule, I took it upon myself to make … [Read more...] about Living Abroad (Shanghai): Thanksgiving: A little bit of Jia Time

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