Another early morning wake-up, another delicious hotel breakfast. Some of the dishes had been rotated out, and one of the new additions was a delicious home fry dish. An NBA game was on TV during breakfast. I found this interesting because I didn’t know that the Chinese watched and enjoyed American professional sports. After breakfast,…
Tag: Summer 2018
Day 9: Visit to East China University & Acrobatics Show
Today, we took a trip to East China University of Science and Technology. I was finally excited because we would finally learn about engineering related concepts. The presentation started out great, we talked about our experiences in China so far and had some time to ask questions about anything academic or China related. After that…
Day 9: When You’re on a Boat, You’re Obligated to Have a Photo Shoot
We had a very early morning today because we needed to catch the train for Shanghai. I am sad to leave Xi’an, but I am also very excited to be going to Shanghai. We’ve been told it’s similar to New York with many skyscrapers and a great urban environment. I can’t wait to experience that….
Day 2: Uncle Joe’s Road Trip
I woke up early, excited to begin my first day in China. The hotel breakfast was by far the best hotel breakfast of my life; Hampton Inns and Holiday Inns cannot even begin to compete with this breakfast. The hotel served a combination of western and eastern foods. There were eggs, bacon, and muffins, but…
Day 8: Shanghai & Huangpu Cruise Tour
Today, we started off early as usual. We took the high-speed train to Shanghai. I learned my lesson from the first trip to not buy the meals made available. I tried to occupy myself for the six-hour trip by writing blogs, playing cards, games, talking to Dr. Li about our group business pitch, and napping….
Day 8: That Emperor Was One Crazy Guy
I’m getting more used to waking up early, and I don’t feel as tired as I did during the school year, but I still don’t enjoy waking up this early. Breakfast helps though because they have really great muffins. From the hotel, we traveled by bus to the Terra Cotta Army. Pretty much as soon…
Day 7: Terra-Cotta Warriors & Biking on the City Wall
Today, we started out early around 7:30 am to get to the Terra-Cotta Warriors. We had to leave so early to beat the swarm of tourists and locals who visit the site. I remember learning about the warriors back in the 6thgrade but on getting to the site, I realized that I had forgotten so…
Day 7: I Will Never Get Used to People’s Fascination with Us
It was a weird morning. I woke up at around 5:15 am this morning and couldn’t fall back asleep, so that was a good time. Really happy about that. After getting ready, I went down to breakfast, and they had chicken nuggets for breakfast because why not. Anyway, once we all finished breakfast, we went…
Day 6: Children’s Village & Wide Goose Pagoda
Today, we visited the Xi’an Children’s Village. It is a special establishment for children whose parents are in jail and don’t have other family members to care for them. Before coming to Xi’an, I had never heard of such a place and I was so surprised that my mind had never really paid attention to…
Day 6: High Speeds, Large Crowds, and Some Really Old Dumplings
Today was our earliest morning because today is the day we are leaving Beijing. It’s sad to leave this city because I’ve loved being here and exploring the city, but I’m excited to go to Xi’an (pronounced like she-on). We’re traveling to Xi’an by bullet train, and that on its own is pretty cool. I…
Day 5: Drum Tower & Muslim Quarter Visit
Today started out quite early at 6:15am as we headed down to the high-speed trains to travel to Xi’an. They were basically set up like airplanes but there was so much more leg room, the bathrooms were more spacious, and there was a lot of space to get up, stretch, and walk around. I expected…
Reflection/Retirement From Blogging
First and foremost, I would like to thank Professor Feick, Professor Paul, Arielle, Sonja, and Simon for organizing such an amazing trip. I would also like to thank Sandra, Melanie, and Stefanie for being wonderful group members and for showing us around Augsburg. Without you guys this trip would not have been as fun as…
Day 5: Just Follow Uncle Joe
Today is another day I have been excited for ever since we were given our itinerary. We were going to the Forbidden City, going on a Hutong Tour, and going to the Temple of Heaven and having a tai chi class at the temple. It’s a busy day, but it was absolutely incredible. After waking…
Day 4: Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven
Today we took our trip to the Forbidden City. Before coming here and understanding the history, I couldn’t fathom what people could have done to have their city become forbidden. I also did not realize that when they called it a city they were not joking. It stretched out for so long, miles and miles….
Day 13: Summertime in Salzburg
Today we had our last full day in Germany and we were able to spend it however we chose. A few people went to Stuttgart to visit relatives and a few stayed in Augsburg, but fourteen of us made plans to go to Salzburg, a city in Austria, and spend the day there. To put…
Day 3: Sunshine Insurance Group & Xiaomi
Our day started out quite early as we headed to Sunshine Insurance Group. We were greeted and told about the company, some of the values, and their co-op programs. Then we proceeded to watch a 30-minute video on how the company was founded and developed. I expected to be completely bored by the video because…
Day 4: There is Big Money in the Insurance Industry
Today was our first professional day where we visited both Sunrise Insurance Company and Xiaomi (pronounced shAOw-me with the ‘sh’ pronounced like the ‘sh’ in shower). It should be a really cool day, and I am excited to see a business that is located in China and compare it to businesses in the US. After…
Day 12: Firsts and Lasts
We got on a bus in the morning to take us to a traditional Bavarian breakfast in a small town in the country. The restaurant is the only one of its kind in the world. It certainly looked like one-of-a-kind when we walked in. The ground was uneven, the tables were bright orange and peeling,…
Day 1: Flights, Food, and Fatigue
My journey to China started with a 2 am wake up call, although many of us had stayed up the whole night in anticipation for our imminent departure. We were bussed to the Pittsburgh Airport where I snagged a quick breakfast at Dunkin Donuts. Then, I unexpectedly bumped into my classmate Asher Hancock, who was…
Day 11: Presentation Day
Today was almost entirely consumed by the preparation for and presentations later in the day. We had no mandated wake-up time so we all took full advantage of the extra sleep time. I very nearly missed the hotel breakfast, but I managed to get down in time to try a new breakfast food: chocolate filled…