February 2012
32 posts
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Perceptions
We had a really interesting discussion today in my Changing Nature of Business in China class. We had a full time student at ECNU (Chinese), a computer science major, sit in on our class, which meets every Monday from 1-3:45. We asked her what the perception of American business is to the average Chinese person; not leaders of the Communist party, but one of the 1.3 billion people who live their...
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A Pros and Cons List
Sometimes when living for a prolonged period of time in another culture, I find it helpful to do pros/cons lists. This is a great way to combat culture shock: by acknowlaging the cons, it makes it easier to deal with them in daily life. And you’re also reminded by the pros why you came here in the first place. So here we go:
Things I Love About China:
Food. China knows how to do...
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“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over...”
– Pat Conroy
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The Whirlwind
I always love orientation in a new country - you’re jetlagged, excited, and all of a sudden on the other side of the world. I consider myself a city girl, and ever since going to Japan in high school, have dreamed of being able to run around an Asian metropolis (fairly) unsupervised.
Our first few days here consisted of settling into our dorms on campus and getting ourselves sorted out...
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“We need sometimes to escape into open solitudes, into aimlessness, into the...”
– George Santayana
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“If we are always arriving and departing it is also true that we are eternally...”
– Henry Miller
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Chinese Lantern Festival →
The brightest lanterns are a symbol of hope and good luck. Celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month of the Chinese Lunar New Year.
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“In travel, as in writing, the illusion of a direction is what allows you in fact...”
– Pico Iyer
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Indie Travel Values →
How to really travel.
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“The last thing I wanted was infinite security and to be the place an arrow...”
– Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar
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Dealing With Street Harassment →
Ladies - this is a good guide on how to deal with hecklers and weirdos when you travel abroad.
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“Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and...”
– Anatole France
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Things You Absolutely Must Pack (Part 2)
The must pack list continues below…..
Camera, duh. But also make sure you have the proper power converters. If you have an Apple product like a laptop or iPod, you can buy interchangable power converters at the store or website. The plugs just switch out, and you don’t have to use a whole different converter.
Printed out photos. If you’re in a local village or in the...
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“Through travel I first became aware of the outside world; it was through travel...”
– Eudora Welty
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Things You Absolutely Must Pack (Part 1)
No matter how long you’re traveling, there are some essentials that you’ll kick yourself for not packing. Here are a few:
Warmies. If you’re going to a place you think is going to be boiling hot (example: Africa), you might be surprised. In places like the mountains and the desert, it can get chilly, especially at night. A fleece, a sweater, or underarmor is useful and...
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“Arriving at each new city, the traveler finds again a past of his that he did...”
– Italo Calvino
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January 2012
32 posts
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