Howdy:  You all must be in Shanghai.  Obviously so busy that you don't have time to post entries on the blog.  It's very quiet at the Bush School.  Big news here is that last Saturday was the graduation at the LBJ School and they passed out lovely printed programs listing all their grads. The front of the program had in big letters: "Graduation Program 2012: The Lyndon B. Johnson School of Pubic Affairs".  With good proof readers like Janeen, we try to avoid those mistakes.  Have a wonderful time and give my regards to all our friends at the Shanghai Institute for International Affairs.  Chuck Hermann

Blogging from China

Apparently we can't access the blogger.com from here unless we use an overseas VPN.  Not all of us have a computer and certainly not all have VPN installed.  So blogging will be a tricky business...

The First Group

Four students arrived in Beijing on May 13.  As the program officially starts on the 15th, they are pretty much on themselves in these two days.   None of them speak Chinese.  Yesterday they managed to find their way to the Summer Palace and got back safely (and tired).  They took buses, subways and they walked a lot.  They communicated in English, by gestures, and at the end of the day when I met them, they remained polite and cheerful. 

To understand a new culture is not an easy task but it can be fun.  It's good to know the language, but more importantly, it takes some courage and an open and curious mind.  Undoubtedly, the Bush School students in this journey have both.

The first group are now somewhere in Beijing, continuing to learn new things and experienc different cultures. Six more members of the group will arrive today.  We all will gather for dinner this evening.  Our group adventure will start then.

More later.  

An American in a Foreign Land (aka San Francisco)

Wow! I'm already observing and learning so much about the differences in U.S. and Chinese customs, culture, and language and I haven't even left the San Francisco airport yet! This trip is going to be quite different from my other travels abroad. When living in Australia for five years as a child or studying abroad in undergrad 12 years ago I was much more prepared for what I was about to experience. For example, when I spent a semester in France i had been studying French customs, culture, and the language for years; I was nervous but prepared. This trip is the exact opposite. This trip holds so many unknowns so I'm both excited and scared. Unlike other trips to Germany, Austria, Australia and France, I feely grossly unprepared because I do not speak Chinese and my tourist phrase book seems suddenly juvenile. What an amazing opportunity though. Speaking optimistically, by not knowing anything, I feel like I have no biases to check at the door and am open to learning, gulping, and absorbing everything I can on this trip. I look forward to the opportunities I will be presented with and so proud to be joining Dr. Mu, my classmates, and the Bush School on this journey.

The very first post

Dear all -

You are invited to share your Study Abroad experiences through this blog.