Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Week 11 posts due April 15
Well everybody, we're moving quite quickly towards the end of the semester. Our journey is just around the corner. As you look ahead to the trip, consider how you plan to make the most of the coming opportunity. All too often when travelers return from time spent overseas, they come back with regrets about time spent watching TV, surfing the Internet, or even sleeping in rather than taking off to explore and interact with the country and people they are visiting. What can you do to make sure you return from your trip without these kind of regrets?
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I think a couple of ways to make sure that we don't sleep in too much would be to a) locate the nearest coffee from the hotel b) hope our hotel is close to a mosque (if there are any) or c) buy a rooster from a nearby market and tie him to the windowsill. Those might help.
ReplyDeleteAs far as not going out and exploring, I think a good idea would be to just find a group that is going out all the time and stick with them. Don't get stuck with a group that doesn't want to do anything.
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ReplyDeleteShanshan Zhang
ReplyDeleteHello my dear friends! I can image how exciting you guys are because we are so close to the trip.☺
From now on, I will try to post some tips for you guys to prepare for this awesome trip ☺ and you are more than welcome to ask me any questions ☺
The public bathrooms in China…
If you want to know where the bathroom is in China, you should say," Qing wen cea suo zai nea lee?". This sentence is definitely longer than in English, but it is useful when you get a stomachache :)
Also, you should bring your own toilet paper every time because in China some strange people like to steal toilet paper, lol, just joking! Anyways, there might not have toilet paper in the bathroom all the time.
I tried to post a picture of a public bathroom in China, but it never works. Here is the link of it:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_qLYujJla0R4/TUte3n8h2DI/AAAAAAAAABY/gFVy9VnEqio/s1600/4542751784_efa141c477.jpg
Well, I think I should help more people to know more about China, and to help myself to know the differences between what I saw China before and now.
No business in China can run smoothly without the assistance and support of government officials. Establishing guanxi network is the useful tool. There are two critical ways to expand and maintain guanxi. One way is gift-giving: in a workplace giving the right gift in the right way and at the right time is required. When people attend a colleague’s wedding, graduation, or celebration associated with moving into a new house, gift-giving is required. The second way to expand and maintain guanxi is to hold banquets. However, these will create corruption problem. When companies need more profits, they have to give more and more to the governmental officials, resulting in bribing instead of gift-giving. “There were over 20,000 graft cases investigated in China in year 2000 alone” (171). Chinese law doesn’t distinguish gifts from bribes, so businessmen are hard to identify a gift and a bribe. Therefore, businessmen can show respect for officials in charge by sending them an appropriate gift or by inviting them to join the negotiating team at the banquet table. Using networks appropriately is an effective strategy for doing business in China.
ReplyDelete@stefan
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. but mosque usually isn't in the city, and you may hard to find a rooster in the market because the market usually sells hens. lol
@ Shanshan: Thanks for the reminder about the bathrooms! I'm glad you're coming with us, since you know so much about China!
ReplyDelete@ Stefan: hahaha I love your post! Way to bring humor into your answer!
When I travel, I like to explore new places instead of just wasting time doing stuff I regularly do at home. After all, we are paying a lot of money to go on a trip to CHINA! Why would we waste time doing nothing?!
ReplyDeleteI agree with Stefan, it's a good idea to hang out with a group of people who is planning on exploring new things when we have free time. Another thing to think about is finding a group of people that you feel comfortable and safe traveling with. Going on adventures is something I love to do, but I like to make sure I'm with people I can rely on and enjoy my time with.
I think the first few days will be the hardest because of our jet lag, but once we get used to the time difference, we won't have too many problems staying awake!
I think the best way is to form a very outgoing group like Stefan said that likes going out and just like to stay outside.
ReplyDeleteI think that a way to not oversleep is to have plan a fun outing day during free time. That way you can take full advantage of the FREE day and since we have few of those I think we will all want to spend it out, looking for new things.
Maybe we should have a competition to see who can get the best bargain for the best product we can get that way we keep our eyes open when we are out encourage us more to be more observant.
Another thing to motivate us to take advantage of this opportunity is to remember that we have curfew! so we need to have fun and enjoy all we can, during the day before is too dark outside!
@ Stefan
ReplyDeleteYour ideas are great!!!they are really funny! For option A, I think that it might be possible but don't expect to many Starbucks around every corner.
Option B,no idea if they are any around where we are staying... and
Option C, was the best idea, because by tying the rooster to the windowsill we will definitely be hearing from the chickens and hens that would be surrounding the hotel on strike for kidnapping the ROOSTER and hanging it outside a high hotel window!:D
First of all, I think stay with group and work with group would help. If I stay with group, I have more opportunity to interact with people. Thus I have more chances to communicate with different people. In the conversation, I may receive different thought or idea which can keep me stay focusing on what I am doing.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I think having an idea of what we are doing on the daily event will work as well. If I could find something interesting before it happens, I would look forward that. Also we can do more research about the place that we are going, and see if something is interested to us. When we have free time, we can visit.
@stefan
ReplyDeleteIt seems like everyone like your idea. I have the same thought with you, too. Stay in outdoor definnitely is a good way to get away laziness
@vanessa
ReplyDeleteI think be suspected to do everything can help us avoid the dangers. Now, people are getting smarter so are bad people. right?
yes, we should take this advantage to learn as much as we can. for example: business, culture, and people.
When I travel I want to take advantage of where I'll be, and see as much as I can. Traveling to someplace like China, there's tons to see and I would most definitely love to explore. Yes, we'll be exhausted at first because of the time change, but It will be worth it! Like everyone else said, stick with people who want to do different things and know where they're going.
ReplyDeleteLike Vanessa said, we're not paying all this money just to sleep in, be on facebook, and watch tv. You can do that when you get home.
@ Shanshan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the picture of the bathroom. Gives us all a better idea of what to expect. You're the person we'll go to for all our questions.
@ Stephen,
Not a huge fan of the rooster idea, lol, but still entertaining.
@ Kevin
ReplyDeleteGuanxi seems like it is a very important thing in Chinese culture. But for us mere visitors it's maybe a little stressful thinking about how we don't really understand all the ins and outs of gift-giving. Do the Chinese expect tourists to give gifts at appropriate times too? Or are they more lenient towards us ignorant folk that aren't fluent in the culture? It would be pretty embarrassing to show up to some sort of event and not be adequately prepared, and thus come off as being rude.
I like to explore when I am in a new country, but with long days we might get tired and be discouraged to go out. We need to remember that China is a once in a life time opportunity, and that some of us may never go back to China. With that said we need to push ourselves to go explore and meet the people. We can sleep and watch TV when we can back to the US.
ReplyDelete@ Jessica - Yes there will be so much to see that we will not even have time for everything. That is why we need to go out and explore a lot everynight, so we can see as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteIn my public relations class today we were actually talking about China. The word they use for the idea of public relations is actually Gunggongguanxi. We talked about the idea that public relations was virtually unheard of in China even a few years ago, however now it is starting to become more prevalent. It is weird still, to think of being a public relations practitioner in China because the government still essentially regulates everything that you do and say. They can only release what the government will allow, so the fact still remains that most PR people in China must be very careful with what they try to say or they will be faced with serious consequences, some of which include even death.
ReplyDelete@ Jessica
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you, who knows when the next time is that we are going to be able to have a chance to go back to China. For most of us, it probably won't happen again. I'm sure that it is going to suck having to get up early or deal with the time change and all of that, but I hope that I keep in mind when I'm over there that I need to enjoy it for all its worth!
I believe that I have to be self motivated. I often get lazy. But one thing I can do is try to eat fruits and vegetables so I will not be at a physical loss of energy. Drinking a lot of water can help this too. I often do nothing when I'm tired or have nothing else to do so I need to do things to help me stay active.
ReplyDelete@ Grant
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. China is a one a life time opportunity. Many people in my family have never been to China. God made the world and to have the opprtunity to explore his creation is a great honor. We should utilize the opportunities He gives us.
I think one of the best things we can do to ensure that we have the most enjoyable time while in China, is to get adequate rest! It is fun to stay up late and talk with friends, but that is something that can be done while in the States. Also, that fun doesn't transfer over to the following day when you have to wake up early and you feel exhausted the entire day. Thus, if we can get plenty of sleep, then it will be easier to have a positive outlook on things and we can enjoy our trip more. Also, the more sleep we have the more energy we can use on traveling and site seeing.
ReplyDeleteNow, I'm not trying to say that you should over sleep. There is a difference. If we get the adequate rest, then we won't feel that need to sleep in on some days, which keeps us from over sleeping on some days.
This will probably be my biggest struggle with the trip, as I definitely enjoy staying up late and consider myself a late night owl. Hopefully, I can use the advice that I just gave for myself!
@Sunshine
ReplyDeleteFirst, I just want to thank you for your tips! They are definitely making me feel more prepared, as the trip fast approaches!
Wow! That bathroom does not look fun lol. That is definitely going to be an experience! I feel bad for the ladies going on this trip. Also, I think if I need to ask for the restroom I will just call on you to do the asking for me lol! It's amazing to me that there are still basically holes in the ground being used as bathrooms. I don't understand why they haven't upgraded to the more modern urinals and toilets. Anyways, thanks for the insight!
I think that one way to make sure you stay up and out exploring is to beforehand compile a list of more than 100 sites of interest around the respective city and try to see all of them in the time allotted. that way, you will always have something to do and you. Also, like Stefan said, staying with the group of people who always wants to be out and about would be the best idea.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the best things to do when you're in a foreign country is to just forget about everything you know and love about home and just enjoy where you are! If you don't, it's easy to constantly compare where you are at to home. Let's face it, home is home and another country isn't always as comforting. Anyway, I also think it's important to do things normally, like you usually do, when you're traveling. That way it isn't as easy to get homesick and you can actually enjoy the culture for what it is.
ReplyDeleteGrant: You're right. The sleeping part is going to challenge most of us. I'm anxious to see how that goes. But it's important to not overexert ourselves so that we can actually enjoy the things that we do experience! I think it will be fun even if we are tired!
ReplyDeleteWell I think there is a fine line between doing too much and doing the right amount. I've been on several trips where absolutely every second is packed with an activity. When that is the case, it's easy to not really enjoy smne of the amazing things you are seeing! Also, being with fun people is important cause they help you want to go out and do those fun things that are memorable and make the trip worthwhile. They help you not be worried about all the little things and you can just enjoy your time in the culture.
ReplyDelete@Jessica I agree that we do need to stay around the people who do want to explore. Yeah, the time change will throw us off at first, but hopefully we will adjust a little bit after the first few days! Also, although it is expensive, I think we are doing so many cool things that more than make up for the price. Mainly, it's important to not worry about getting your money's worth and just enjoy yourself. That is when you get the most out of a trip.
ReplyDeleteWith importers coming from all around the world, dinning options have started to expand. In our china trip we are going to be eating every day in an authentic chinese restaurant. Im excited and ready for whats ahead. Some may not be as enthused. Lucky, in my book, the author tells how the options of dinning in china have grown due to importers. He tells of how importers have even come and opened their own restaurants, and used products that they had made for them in China, in their restaurants. He tells of how Russians, Italians, French, and people from various corners of the Middle East have come as importers and set up restaurants of all types of foods. I'm glad that even though we're going to be enjoying the food and culture, that there are still many different options available.
ReplyDelete@Winston I agree that if your trip is constantly occupied with activities, you wont be able to "stop a smell the flowers". It's always good when on a trip to be able to have a day off. A day of absolutely nothing, a chill day, where one does not have to worry about what is on the agenda. It give us the opportunity to submerge ourselves into the culture and appreciate whats happening around us.
ReplyDelete@Winston I also agree that this trip will be already packed with activities. Our down time will be when the most memorable moments will happen!
ReplyDeleteI think this trip will be an awesome get away from school work and FINALS!!! I hope to take in as much as possible of the culture and the landscape. I believe that being done with finals alone will give me the motivation to embrace everything that this trip has to offer!
ReplyDeleteTo make sure that I don't regret not doing the things I did while in China I will do my best to get use to the time change as quickly as possible. I will take sleeping pills just in case :)I will also try to enjoy every outing and talk to the locals, it is soooo important to get to know the people and to emerge in the experience. I also want to go out exploring when we have free time instead of sitting around in our hotel I will get a group together and go out and explore. I cannot wait!
ReplyDelete@ Winston
ReplyDeleteI have to say that I completely agree with you! I have been on several trips as well that have been pack down with activities and have found myself super tired and not even enjoying the beauty that is in front of my eyes. So definitely getting a good nights rest will help. Also, like you said, its very important who you travel with, if you have fun and adventures people you'll probably end up having a better than.