Day 3

Day 3 started a little before 4:00 in the morning Xi’an time for me. At breakfast I learned that the majority of my colleagues were also suffering from jetlag. Some chose to walk the halls and stairwells of the hotel for exercise. I played on my computer to see if I would be able to contact friends and family using Skype which is free software used to video conference (free of charge) and to make phone calls (for a minimal charge). It is amazing how well you can hear and see the people with whom you are visiting and has serious potential for classroom use.
Xi’an Jiaotong University was where we spent the morning. Professor Jiangyao gave us an outline of China since 1949 that included history, economics, customs, geography, etc. It was incredible to hear how China has changed in the past 50 years. I learned that there are many more similarities in our cultures than differences, and that China is facing many of the same challenges the United States has. In the beginning of his lecture, Professor Jiangyao tested our knowledge of Chinese history and culture. He knows much more about our culture that we do of his and it was evident that our two hours together was not enough time for us to catch up. The good news is that we get to go back next Monday to see him again.
After the lecture, Jane (a former Southeast student…imagine that) joined us for lunch. Dean Kostelnik knew she was here and brought her a care package of Halloween candy. I sat next to her at lunch and asked as many questions and I could think of, and am sure I wore her out. She is here on a scholarship, working on a bachelor’s degree in Chinese and plans to study in Xi’an for the next four years. She attends classes from 8:00-12:00 that focus on Chinese grammar, listening and speaking. She breaks for lunch until 2:30, then attends pronunciation class until 4:30. On the weekends her friends like to go to the arcade. From what I understand there is a DDR (Dance Dance Revolution) game there which is much more challenging than the ones in the States as you not only move your feet, but also your arms to earn points.
After lunch we visited the History Museum of Shaanxi Provence (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaanxi_History_Museum ) and the Mural Painting Storeroom. Our guide took us on a tour of the museum and explained the importance of each dynasty and made sure we didn’t miss any of the national treasures kept in the museum. Even more spectacular than the museum itself was the Mural Painting Storeroom. Murals from the tombs of emperors that have been robbed by grave robbers have been rescued and preserved at this museum. When the grave robbers open the closed tombs, the colors of the murals disappear because they have not been exposed to air or sunlight for thousands of years. In order to preserve the murals, they have to be moved to the storeroom for protection. The murals are covered when not being viewed to protect them. It was a very special part of the tour. Our guide told us that only very important people (like President Clinton for instance) get to see this part of the museum.
There is so much to see and do here that we return to the hotel each night exhausted from all of the new information, sights, smells and sounds. On the bus we have to be careful not to get whiplash from turning our heads back and forth quickly, looking out the bus windows, and trying not to miss out on anything. The herd of goats walking down the street, followed by a goat herder with a long skinny stick, smacking them on their rears if they stopped was the big one for me yesterday. By the time I could get “Hey Sue, check out those goats” out of my mouth we were passed them.
I look forward to another great day tomorrow. We will have an opportunity to take a Chinese class at Xi’an Jiaotong University. I can’t wait!

Jami