Logging into my email, I clicked the link and waited for the
conference to start. I put in head phones, partially to drown out the rain, but
mostly to drown out the NLF draft my roommate was watching. When the screen
flashed on, Natalie’s voice cracked into my ears.
“Hello everyone,” she said. “Welcome to our pre-departure
webinar for China. To get started I’m going to go ahead and share my screen
with you and I’m also going to un-mute everyone’s microphone so that we can
hear one another.”
As soon as she did, the sounds of various dorms, apartments,
and office spaces flooded the airwaves. I quickly re-muted my own microphone so
that the NLF draft wouldn’t interrupt the conference. Natalie realized what she
had done and asked everyone to mute their own mics.
As we got started, Natalie first introduced us to Virginia
and Sabrina. They were both from China and worked in the Chinese office
overseas. They had been the two that had picked each of the interns they
thought would work well with the companies they partner with in China. Our
housing and other services on the ground were also being provided by them.
In terms on Interns, Natalie thought there were about 10 of
us going to China. “You are all from different states, degrees, careers, and
even ages across the spectrum, so it will be a great opportunity to meet people
and network. We’ll get you one another’s contact information and some of you
will be living with each other so you’ll have a few familiar people and some
connections you can make.”
As the presentation continued they told us that on Monday,
Sabrina and Virginia would send us our airport pick up schedules, our
orientation itineraries, and housing assignments (among other documents.)
Natalie encouraged us to print all of these items and carry copies with us on
our flights over. They also explained that they would be sending out a few guided
reflection prompts while we were abroad so that we could think through and the
experience of working abroad. While they aren’t required or graded, they are
encouraged for the sake of reflection and maximizing our experience.
From there, they went over many of the health and safety
tips that I’ve both heard and I’ve counseled other exchange students. They
reiterated not drinking the tap water, and mentioned that street vendor food
was a sure way to get diarrhea. In orientation we’ll learn where the nearest
hospital is, and the health insurance we are getting through the internship
will cover an English speaking doctor.
One of the most fascinating health tips was in regard to
allergies. “Food allergies don’t really exist in China,” Natalie explained. “No
one is allergic to peanuts and no one is allergic to shellfish, so they really
don’t understand this. If you have a dietary issue, you need to make it very
clear to the people you are eating with and take any precautions you may need
to. You will eat food that has come in contact with peanuts. It’s not regulated
or even thought of so it is just a reality.”
She went on to explain that this doesn’t just apply to
allergies. “I live in Boulder, Colorado,” Natalie said, “so everyone here is
either gluten free, paleo, or vegetarian. These diets also don’t exist in
China, so you will need to find ways to adjust.”
They briefly talked about safe-sex and encouraged abstinence
while abroad. It’s been my observation that this is a very taboo topic in study
abroad circles as most presentations I’ve seen—including ones that I’ve
done—tend to rush through it.
From there, we moved onto pollution. Natalie asked Sabrina
to talk about the pollution. “There is actually a phone app that you can get to
monitor the pollution in Shanghai,” Sabrina explained. “I do not think it is as
bad as the media portrays it. We do have blue sky here in Shanghai.”
They also talked about traffic, specifically that
pedestrians do not have the right of way, and the best way to determine when to
cross a street is to do as other people do. Other safety tips were to always
wear a seatbelt, and always ask for a receipt from a taxi driver (primarily for
the purpose of tracking down the same driver if you have an issue.)
As far as medications are concerned, as with any
international trip, we were advised to bring enough medication to last us three
months (one month longer than we’ll be there.) China regulates medication by
different standards than the US—for example, Ritalin is classified the same as
cocaine and possession of either can be cause for lengthy imprisonment—so we
were advised to check the customs website for laws regarding any drugs we might
be taking. To be safe, an original note from a doctor is also advised.
As far as illness, the Chinese government can actually
quarantine tourists who exhibit symptoms. This is particularly true of sick
immigrant attempting to enter the country. If we show any signs of illness
prior to departure, we are advised to delay our departure and leave when we are
healthy.
Other tips involving money, flights, and packing were all
pretty basic. They suggested buying a lot of things when we arrive because they
will be cheaper to purchase in China than here (and in some cases, cheaper to
purchase than pay baggage fees to carry.) For example, the fee I’ve paid to the
recruiter covers a Chinese sim card, but it will be cheaper to buy a new phone
in China than to have my phone unlocked for international coverage.
In terms of communication, Skype, Facebook, and Blogger will
be the best way to get ahold of me, however all three are banned in China.
While a VPN is not included in my fees, for an additional fee, the recruiting
office will set me up with one so I can get online.
Very few questions were asked during the presentation, but
the ones that did come up were in regards to housing. I will get my housing
assignment on Monday.
“The biggest thing I can tell you about the housing,”
Natalie said, “is to expect many differences.”
“It will be very small compared to what you are used to,”
Sabrina explained.
“Probably smaller than most dorm rooms,” Natalie added.
Depending on location in China, we may or may not be living
with other interns, In Shanghai, we will be in three bed room apartments that
include 3 bedrooms, a kitchen, internet, a bathroom and shower on the floor (if
not in the room), and a 24-hour gift shop in the lobby. The apartment is within
10 minutes walking distance to the subway, which will be the way most of us
commute to work.
“The subway is very crowded,” Sabrina said. “You will want
to bring comfortable shoes to walk and stand in for your commute. Expect it to
take an hour to get across town to your internship sites.”
They again emphasized the importance of personal branding
(see next post) and told us that we’d be getting a book shortly on the subject.
The final points they talked about were culture shock and
dealing with the differences abroad. These final tips included:
·
Attend everything and get involved as much as
possible to maximize the experience.
·
Get to know Victoria and Sabrina. They want to
help us grow and succeed as much as possible so use them as resources.
·
Meet locals so we get a better flare and
understanding of life in China.
·
Set goals (again, see personal branding post)
·
Keep in touch with friends back home.
I have to admit, as the call went on, I was more interested
in the pictures of food they had on the various slides. There were only a
handful of questions at the end before everyone disconnected.
With that, year 3 of college was over and I was officially
done. Shutting down my laptop and putting it in my backpack, I locked my bedroom
door, said goodbye to my roommate, and headed home.
On the drive home, I started thinking, I’ve been back in the
states for 11 months. In that 11 months, I’ve learned just as much about life
as I did when I was abroad in Europe. Life was never the same when I came home.
In many ways, it was better; but it was certainly different. My perspective was
different, my confidence was different, my interests and goals and plans were
all different. I expect the same will be true of China. This phase of life will
be over and when I get back, everything will be new again.
At the same time—even though it presented its own
challenges—Europe was easy. As long as I kept my mouth shut and mimicked the
body language, I could sit in a corner, observing life and blending in. In
China, as a Caucasian American, I am never going to blend in. I will be living
as a minority in a world I know nothing about. I think it will be a lot harder.
But in some ways…that makes it a lot more exciting.
A few hours later, I pulled into my driveway. Walking inside,
I greeted my parents and they showed me a package that arrived from the state
department. Inside was my passport, with my freshly issued visa.
I’m officially going to China!
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