2009 Fitchburg State College China Summer Program Group - GoAbroad Network: Online Community for Travelers

Congratulations on your arrival!

Started by HDaly, 0 Reply

To all 2009 Fitchburg State College China Summer Program participants:

CONGRATULATIONS on your arrival in Hangzhou! Do get a good night's rest and enjoy your first full day in China tomorrow.

-- Heather

Heather Daly
Administrative Assistant
Office of International Education
Fitchburg State College
978-665-3089
SkypeID:inthelp
hdaly@fsc.edu

A few notes about the overnight train journeys

Started by cmobrien, 0 Reply

Hello, Young Pioneers:

When you travel on your two overnight train trips during your journey, your berths will be furnished with clean linens and thermoses of boiled hot water. You will need to bring a small towel if you plan to wash up in the restroom. Given that you will purchase towels upon arrival for your use at the ZJGSU dorm, you can simply take one or all of those towels with you on your train journey.

The thermos of hot water (which can be replenished at the end of the car by the attendant) can be handy if you want to bring packets of tea, oatmeal, or instant noodles with you for a snack in your cabin. There will also be a dining car on your train providing meals for an additional cost; be sure to check the hours of operation of the dining car after you board if you plan on eating a meal during your overnight journey.

Enjoy your travels along China's railways,

-- Heather

Heather Daly
Administrative Assistant
Office of International Education
Fitchburg State College
978-665-3089
hdaly@fsc.edu

Review of safety tips

Started by cmobrien, 0 Reply

Hello once again, everyone:

(1) While building codes and fire safety regulations in China are improving, the level of public safety in regard to building construction in some areas is not equivalent to what we find in most U.S. buildings. It is important in any country (even in the U.S.) to take a second or two upon entry into any building to assess your possible emergency exits in the event of a fire or similar situation. That second or two assessment is especially important in a country such as China where fire safety regulations are still in development.

When you enter a building, be aware of your surroundings and take a moment to determine whether you have unimpeded access to the entrance or whether a second exit is within sight. And if the building is too crowded for you to easily access an exit in the event of an emergency, go elsewhere.

(2) Although your program is designed such that the entire group will travel by chartered buses to all locations, there is a possibility that you might use a Chinese taxi if your professors authorize a side excursion not part of the original itinerary. As in the U.S., make a point of finding and using a seatbelt when you ride in a Chinese taxi. As seatbelt use is not mandatory and not (yet) common practice in China, you might need a moment or two to dig out the seatbelt from the seat crease. And your driver might even hasten to tell you (possibly even in English) that “I’m safe” as in “I’m a safe driver”, so that you won’t find it necessary to use a seatbelt. Again, as in the U.S., you should nonetheless wear a seatbelt as an appropriate safety precaution.

-- Heather

Heather Daly
Administrative Assistant
Office of International Education
Fitchburg State College
978-665-3089
hdaly@fsc.edu

Toilets, toilet paper, and related important matters

Started by cmobrien, 0 Reply

Good afternoon, everyone:

While you will have the familiarity of a western-style toilet in your dorm and in your hotel, you might encounter a different style of toilet if you use a public restroom or if you happen to be invited to a private home. The type of toilet more frequently encountered in China (and in several other countries) requires that one squat – rather than sit – to accomplish the task. If you have camped or hiked for any extended period of time, this method of taking care of one’s business will be familiar to you; but if you have not yet had such an experience, it can be a bit of an adjustment.

Here is a link to a photo of this type of toilet:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_2NI4NtMT5kA/SB6yrn4HBfI/AAAAAAAAAVA/76xVxSclO68/s400/Chinese+Toilet.jpg

Although it’s not easy to see in the photo, many of these toilets have ridges or some sort of friction pad on either side of “bowl”, so that one’s shoes don’t slip while squatting.

I have found that some Americans are uncomfortable with this type of toilet. If this is your reaction (and that’s perfectly OK), allow me to share a brief story that might change your reaction…

At the office where I worked in China, we did not have bathrooms in our actual office area at first. Both the American staff and the Chinese staff in our office simply used the toilets in the hotel where our office was located. And the hotel had both types of toilets: western “sit-style” toilets and Asian “squat-style” toilets. Predictably, the Americans always used the former style and the Chinese the latter style.

In time, our office was renovated and expanded, and bathrooms were installed, saving all staff members the walk to the hotel’s bathrooms. As this was an American government office, the contractor installed only western-style toilets.

Shortly after the new bathrooms opened to all staff, American staff began complaining of footprints on the toilet seats.

Footprints on the toilet seats?

The Chinese staff members evidently were using the western-style toilets in the manner that one would use the Asian-style toilets. Many of the American staff members were puzzled. Why would the Chinese squat atop the toilet when they could have the comfort of sitting?

Well, it turns out that many of the Chinese staff members were puzzled, too – even disgusted in a few cases – for just the opposite line of reasoning. One of our Chinese colleagues put it to us this way: “Why do Americans sit on the toilet? Doesn’t it bother you that your skin comes in contact with the same surface as so many other people have used? If you squat over the toilet, only the soles of your shoes come in contact with the surfaces.”

And, I must say, that got us Americans thinking. We never looked at squat-style toilets the same way again, and we certainly adapted to them much more readily after that episode.

As mentioned in our pre-departure briefings, don’t forget to bring toilet paper with you whenever you’re out and about, as toilet paper is often not available in public restrooms, even restrooms in restaurants. (Also, trashcans are often not present, so bring a couple of plastic bags in your pocket if you anticipate a need to pack out trash.) It would also be wise to purchase hand sanitizer to carry with you, as well, as sinks and soap occasionally are not available.

-- Heather

Heather Daly
Administrative Assistant
Office of International Education
Fitchburg State College
978-665-3089
hdaly@fsc.edu

Urgent: Complete online flight check-in on Saturday

Started by cmobrien, 0 Reply

To all participants in the 2009 FSC China Summer Program:

You will find in your email inboxes your e-tickets for your Continental Airlines flights to and from China.

You must check-in for your flight before departure. Check-in is permitted between 60 minutes and 24 hours before scheduled departure. Please note that this means you can start your check-in process as early as 7:30am tomorrow (Saturday) morning.

You can check-in online via the following website. Make sure you have your e-ticket number available when you visit the website to complete your check-in:

http://checkin.continental.com/travel/checkin/start.aspx?LangCode=en-US

I have reprinted this message in a GoAbroad.net discussion, so that you can use the discussion forum to suggest seating arrangements, if you so choose.

The first flight of your journey is a domestic flight from Boston’s Logan Airport to Newark (NJ) Liberty International Airport this Sunday. The flight leaves Logan Airport at 7:30am. Therefore, please arrive at the Continental Airlines check-in counter by 5:15am on Sunday to meet Professor Chen, Professor Taylor, and your fellow program participants. Please note that you should meet at the check-in counter that is located outside of the security inspection area. Please do not pass through the security inspection before meeting your professors and the rest of your group.

When you arrive at Logan Airport, be sure to go to the Continental Airlines domestic departures terminal.

If you encounter any problems on your way to the airport, please call Clare O’Brien at (978)500-0898.

Please do not forget your passport!

Please remember our recommendation that you register your travel with the U.S. Department of State online before your departure; a second copy of the travel itinerary that you received in the pre-departure briefing is attached for your reference:

https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/

Finally, I take this opportunity to congratulate Tom Markham on his graduation from Fitchburg State College tomorrow. Congratulations, Tom!

-- Heather

Heather Daly
Administrative Assistant
Office of International Education
Fitchburg State College
(978)665-3089
(978)665-4040 (fax)
http://www.fsc.edu/intled/

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Congratulations on your arrival!

A few notes about the overnight train journeys

Review of safety tips

Toilets, toilet paper, and related important matters

Urgent: Complete online flight check-in on Saturday

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