Since the trip ended, my friends and family have asked me different things about my experience. Every time I get questioned about China, I think to myself, “Wait, was I really there?”. I have the pictures as proof, but in some ways, it feels like a dream or something I did in another life. The…
Tag: Jamie Ley
Day Thirteen – The Last Day
I am both happy and sad to return to the United States. In the past two weeks, I have seen so many things that most people will never have the chance to see in their life time, but at the same time, I miss not being able to eat food without it being a struggle….
Day Twelve – Cars, Commerce, And A Lack Of Smart Phones
Today we went on my favorite company visit, which was to the American Chamber of Commerce. But that also makes me wonder, where are all the smart phones at? The China Plus 3 Program was advertised as a trip that would explore the smart phone industry. Only one of the companies we visited has been…
Day Eleven- The Biggest Port In The World and Italian Food
At 7:45 a.m. we hopped on the bus and drove two hours to Ocean East International Logistics. This company would have been an industrial engineers dream. They are involved with the planning that goes into how all sorts of goods are transported around the world. There were so many variables that they have to consider….
Day Ten – Too Much Showmanship
Today we got to sleep in a little more than usual. We met in the lobby at 9:15 to go to the East China University of Science and Technology. I thought this visit would be more geared towards the engineering students, but instead we had a lecture on little facts about China’s business and political…
Day Nine – Monks and Cruises
To catch our train to Shanghai, we had to get up at about 6 to get breakfast and then leave the hotel at 6:30. Once again it was another 6-hour train ride to Shanghai, but this trip didn’t seem as long as the one to Xian. When we got off the train, it was stifling…
Day Eight – An Army and 95 Degrees
Today we had to wake up a little bit earlier than usual to see the Terra Cotta Army. Dr. Lee wanted to beat the rush, so we were on the bus by 7:45. I did not realize how recent a discovery the Terra Cotta Army was. It was only discovered in 1974 by a farmer…
Day Seven – A Children’s Village and Buddhism
Today, we met at 8:30 and got back on the bus to go to the children’s village. It was about an hour drive outside the city. It’s weird that as soon as you drive a little bit outside the city, it immediately becomes a rural area. I don’t think they have much in the way…
Day Six – Bullet Trains, The Muslim Market, and Dumplings
Well today started off kind of a mess. Last night, about seven people from our group went to the hospital because they couldn’t stop throwing up. It would not have been that big of a deal if we were not leaving for Xian today. So, what ended up happening is that we had to leave…
Day Five – The Marathon
Today was exhausting. We saw so many things. The first historical site we went to was the Forbidden City. It was so much bigger than what I expected. I thought it was just like one big court yard with a gate at one end and the palace on the other. Instead there was gate after…
Day Four – A Strange Insurance Company and Smart Phones
Today we went on two company visits. The first one was the Sunshine Insurance Group. It was a very interesting and almost unnerving visit. The company’s campus made it feel like we were back in the U.S. at some old New England college. Before they took us on a tour of the campus, they showed…
Day Three-All Tied Up
This morning we met at 8:00 and drove about an hour and a half away to the Central University of Finance and Economics. The campus was nice to walk around because it was flat and had a lot of trees. The first thing we did was attend a lecture on big data, the consumer differences…
Day Two – Toboggans And Hot Pot
I slept really well last night. Having not slept for almost two days really takes it out of you. Today, we saw the Great Wall. It took us about an hour and half by bus to get to the Wall. Once we were there, we had the option of hiking up the stairs or taking…
Day One – The Day That Would Never End
When I consider the fact that I never slept from Friday until Sunday night, those three days blurred together, and I came to think of them as one day. On Friday we arrived back on campus and ‘spent the night’ in Tower A. However, since we had to leave for the airport at 2:15 a.m.,…
Jamie Ley-PreDeparture Report
My International Experience The summer going into my junior year of high school, I traveled with my German teacher and group of about 40 students to France, Switzerland, and Germany. We spent around four to five days in each country and we visited many different historic and cultural sites, such as Mount Pilatus in Switzerland…
The Adventure Begins (In China)!
Hello! My name is Jamie Ley and I am freshman environmental engineering student in the Swanson School of Engineering. I am from Pittsburgh and everyone in my immediate family are graduates from the University of Pittsburgh. The summer going into 11th grade, I traveled to France, Switzerland, and Germany. That experience made me eager to…